Real estate lead generation goes way beyond cold calls and knocking on doors. Rather, it's about targeted marketing directed toward prospects, or prospective clients, who are actively searching for a real estate agent. So, instead of wasting your money on mass mailings or telemarketing campaigns, focus your lead generation with the following helpful techniques.

Build Your Referral Network

Grow your contacts network by getting in touch with local mortgage brokers, housing contractors, developers, and real estate attorneys. By putting your name in their hands, you increase your chances of them passing it on to their clients.

You can build your referral network by calling industry professionals directly and setting up meetings, attending networking events or even with a simple mail-out introducing yourself and your services.

Attend Home Shows

Hosting a booth at a local home show can be a great way to meet and greet prospective clients face-to-face. Make your booth stand out by drawing visitors with an attractive multimedia display and free giveaways.

Focus on Your Website

The majority of prospects start their exclusive real estate leads searches on the Internet. Make sure they hit your site by focusing on building a quality site that's updated frequently and easy to find.

Once your site is built, consider investing in search engine advertising to increase your site's visibility.

Focus on Online Marketing and Lead Generation

Become an active participant in local message boards, online communities, and social networks. Answer questions and participate in discussions, and always make sure to include your contact information, location and website URL.

Offer a Referrals Incentive Program

Set up an official referrals rewards programs that provide incentives to people who bring you leads that turn into clients. For example, a cash incentive or gift could be a great way to encourage past clients, friends or contacts to spread the word about your business.

Get in the News

Do you have a local real estate news story? Have housing prices in your area increased or dropped recently? Try writing up a press release, including your contact information, and send it out to local news editors. Your release may turn into a story with you as the primary source.

By getting your name in print or your face on television, you'll not only wind up in front of potential prospects but also doing so as a real estate expert.

There are hundreds of lead generation methods, but these - press releases, referral incentives, online marketing, websites, home-shows, and referral networks - are some of the most efficient and effective in the business.

Going Online and Converting Real Estate Leads to Clients

It's obvious. The approach to market views by both entrepreneurs and consumers has rapidly changed for the past six years with the involvement of the Internet in our everyday lives. This has affected most people and it certainly did not exclude both consumers and entrepreneurs of the real estate lead providers world. If you are one of the real estate agents who aspire to expand your business to the full extent, provide a website for you, your clients and your potential clients.

Any real estate agent who makes use of the benefits via the Internet is surely doing a great favor for himself and his business. Since real estate heavily thrives on leads, using the Internet for this purpose is better compared when you are not connected online. A real estate agent who invests his business online for both leads and exposure has a higher chance of improving and expanding within the said area.

What makes the Internet so special and why does it play a significant role in getting leads for Realtors? The answer to this is simply the efficiency that is provided by using the Internet. Everything can be done with just several clicks of the mouse and transactions with clients can also be done in a jiffy. When doing online transactions, no matter what nature it is, the quicker it happens, the better. If there is lesser time spent on managing several things at a time, it leaves a lot of time for making more business-enriching activities.

The idea of having a good real estate standing online is when you successfully convert leads to clients. This is another interesting point for going online since communicating with your potential clients become an even easier task. The quicker the time you respond to inquiries received, the more credible you become to the eyes of your clients and it does make you a worthy real estate agent.

It doesn't matter if you are just starting. Don't get too motivated by the statistics that big and known real estate business owners have because if they have managed to do so, you can do it too.

Author Bio:  Andrew Thomas is a Content Marketer, Blogger, Best Lead Providers, and Real Estate Discount Broker.  He is a professional storyteller at Zipbrands.com

He has studied the Real Estate Lead Programs Business for years. He enjoys connecting with people, keeping updated with the latest in the field of Real Estate and Business, etc.  He has also discovered great shortcuts that can help investors make better decisions when it comes to buying and selling. His work across multiple disciplines broadly addresses narratives of human experience. You can also follow him on facebook.