In November 2014, Craigslist made a number of dramatic changes to their posting rules in the real estate categories. For many real estate agents, these Craigslist posting rules made an immediate negative impact on their lead generation efforts. These slides were part of the Market Leader webinar, "Changes to Craigslist for Real Estate Agents." You can watch the full video recording at http://learn.marketleader.com/display/coaching/Changes+to+Craigslist+for+Real+Estate+Agents

1. Change to Craigslist: Now What?
November 14, 2013
www.marketleader.com

2. Today’s Agenda
• Introductions
• Review of the recent Craigslist Changes
• Strategies for Craigslist Success
• Diversify your Lead Generation
• Hitting your 2014 goals
www.marketleader.com

3. Review of the Recent Changes
• Craigslist has removed all embedded images
and links
• All hyperlinks are turned into non-active
links
• All images must be hosted on Craigslist
www.marketleader.com

4. Strategies for Craigslist Success
• Posting Title (Headline)
• Posting Description (Content)
• Call to Action
• Agent Contact Information
• Image
• Special considerations for posting listings
www.marketleader.com

5. Posting Title (Headline)
• Attention-grabbing
– Consumers are in browsing mode
• Short, sweet, very little content
– Consumers need incentive to click the ad
• Who is the target consumer?
• Examples:
– ~Perfect Single Family Home for the First
Time Buyer!~ (Bothell)
– ~Bothell Home Values Are Up 6% - Time to
Sell!~ (Bothell)
www.marketleader.com

6. Posting Description (Content)
• Don’t post content that will disqualify
consumers!
• Content needs to be general, not specific
• What do consumers want or need?
– Relevant content
www.marketleader.com

7. Call to Action
• Content you’re driving consumers to must
match your headline
• All ads should contain two calls to action:
– A link to content on your website
– Your contact information
• Calls to Action should include clear
instructions to access content
– “Copy and paste link below to View Full
Details and Photos...”
www.marketleader.com

8. Agent Contact Information
• Very simple! Include:
–
–
–
–
Agent Name
Brand
Cell phone number to call or text
No email address!
• After the contact information – link
consumers back to the search feature on
your website
www.marketleader.com

9. Image
• 1 Image – Keep it simple
• Never use a picture of the real
home
– You don’t want the consumer to
disqualify the ad based on the
picture
• Use some sort of image to drive
consumers back to your site
– Example: Skyline of your city
– Map, data are good as well
www.marketleader.com

10. Special Consideration for Listings
• The ad headline is very specific to the list
• Headline will still target a demographic
– Example: First-time homebuyers
• Content is much different
– More content…not all the MLS info, but
enough to pique consumers’ interest
• Call to Action: Linking the consumer back to
the exact listing or call/text you about the
listing
• Use an actual photo of the listing
www.marketleader.com

11. General Best Practices
•
Consumer-focused website (Must-haves)
–
–
–
–
•
Direct IDX feed
Integrated CRM
Neighborhood content or stats
Value proposition lead capture (Opt In)
Post during peak hours
– 6:30 – 8:30 pm…varies per market
•
Your call-to-action must match your posting
title (headline)
– Instant gratification for the consumer
•
Must have an image
•
Stand out with service and content not sales
– Showcase your store (website)
www.marketleader.com

12. Still works!!
www.marketleader.com

13. Diversify your Lead Generation
• “For everyone who was using Craigslist as a
main source for website traffic, this hurts. For
those of us who saw this coming, not so much.
We have stood on a soapbox more than once
and yelled, “Do other things besides Craigslist,
it will change!” – Lori Ballen, The Ballen Group
• Don’t rely on one source! You need leads from:
– Craigslist
– Other free online sources (Backpage, ebay
Classifieds, Social Media)
– Referrals
– Paid online advertising
www.marketleader.com