ValPal Review

When it comes to being a successful letting agent in the UK, it takes more than just generating leads and gaining website traffic. It’s about converting that traffic into paying clients. There are many ways to do this like creating a strong email campaign, designing an easy-to-navigate website, and building an informative blog. The more tools and resources you provide clients for free, the more likely you are to build brand awareness and gain their trust. 

One such tool is an online valuation. Far from a tool just for online estate agents, home valuations online provide important insight and information about a property. Using data about the local area, the recent sale prices of comparable homes, and the current market, you can find out just how much your property is worth.

ValPal.co.uk offers an effective valuation tool for estate agents that keeps visitors engaged and increases the likelihood they’ll hire you for the job. Keep reading to learn more about how ValPal works, how much it costs, and if it’s the best online house valuation UK tool for your current business needs and budget.

About ValPal

As of this writing, the ValPal Network represents over 800 estate and letting agent brands and individuals. With over 4,000 offices in the UK, ValPal helps agents revolutionize their marketing efforts while also converting website traffic into serious leads.

ValPal was one of the first companies to offer an instant online valuation tool. Once they sign up, agents have access to a wide range of products that help improve marketing and land more clients. These resources include a live chat feature known as ChatPal, NuturePal which offers helpful financial insight, and DesignPal for help with marketing. PortalPal also helps vet potential clients and leads, ensuring agents only work with serious clients that qualify. 

ValPal also works to help letting and estate agents make the most of their social media presence, making a name for themselves as an authority in the industry. This is done through PR and targeted content marketing. Agents also receive help creating successful Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising and Facebook retargeting.

Agents aren’t left on their own, either. ValPal Network prides itself on offering hands-on technical assistance, consultation services, and even training programs for all members. ValPal is owned by Angels Media, a well-known digital marketing agency in the UK. Angels Media is also behind award-winning websites including Letting Agent Today, Property Investor Today, and Estate Agent Today.

ValPal stays abreast of property market trends, property trade media, and key issues. This allows the ValPal Network to provide members with unmatched industry insight so agents can stay ahead in today’s competitive market. 

 

How the ValPal Online Valuation Tool Works

The average bounce rate for most websites is between 41% and 55%. Anything higher than 70% should be cause for concern and anything below 40% is considered excellent. If potential leads are visiting your website and leaving before you get a chance to pitch your services, you’ll find yourself in a constant uphill battle.

ValPal’s home valuation online tool can help. Here’s how it works. A potential client visits your website and instead of quickly scanning the page and leaving because there’s nothing else holding their attention, they see a useful, free home valuation tool. 

Most property owners are curious to know what their home is worth. Whether they’re currently in the market to sell, considering letting, or simply doing some research, chances are, they’ll see the online valuation tool and be compelled to use it. Not only does this keep them on your page longer, but it brings them one step closer to requesting an appointment.

The greatest benefit of using an online valuation tool is that visitors need to enter their personal information and details to get the results. Building a substantial email list is one of the most important aspects of any marketing campaign. 

Unfortunately, collecting people’s data can be difficult. Visitors to your website don’t want a barrage of sales emails or phone calls. But, if you attract them with a valuation tool and they want to know what their home is worth, they’ll have no choice but to provide minimal contact information, which you can then use to follow up. 

ValPal’s online valuation tool will collect this information and then email it to you, ready for insertion into your agency’s CRM tool. Now, you can book an in-person appointment or market appraisal. 

 

Additional Services from ValPal

ValPal Network’s unique online valuation isn’t the only tool agents can use to boost business, generate leads, and land clients. Becoming a successful letting or estate agent takes more than just a few free plug-ins on your website. It requires a comprehensive approach based on leading industry knowledge and insight.

Here are more ValPal services that can help elevate your brand and generate more leads.

Social Media Marketing

Over 4.7 billion people use social media worldwide, which is why having a strong social media marketing campaign is crucial for both estate and letting agents. You need to create brand awareness and a presence as an authority in the industry. ValPal offers social media marketing services to accomplish this.

ValPal knows how essential social media is for creating a positive persona for agents. That’s why ValPal works to build unique content posts daily and offers reputation management services. In time, agents can build long-lasting relationships with their target audience.

ValPal also bridges the gap between your social media presence and your website by driving more traffic to your site using Facebook ad campaigns. These ads focus on a specific call to action like using the online valuation tool or scheduling an appointment. Knowing how to create compelling ads and converting leads to customers takes years of industry knowledge and techniques from a well-versed agency like ValPal.

Content Marketing

Studies show that websites with a blog get 55% more visitors than those without one. Google’s 2013 algorithm update put greater focus on well-written and relevant content, forcing companies of all sizes and from every industry to revamp their online efforts. This includes estate and letting agents.

ValPal helps agents make the most of their content marketing campaigns by attracting more clients and retaining them. Offering useful information for free is a gesture of good faith that helps build trust and loyalty among new and prospective clients. ValPal generates content for agents using basic SEO principles and keyword research. These keywords appear not only in your website’s blog content but also in AdWords campaigns and other website copy.

ValPal helps agents publish and share their best-performing blog posts on a consistent basis to not only drive more traffic to the website but also create one-way inbound links. Link building is vital for improving your website’s ranking and online reputation.

ValPal holds a unique position in the property industry thanks to years of publishing experience and expertise. The Network has its own in-house team of content writers and journalists skilled at creating dynamic content based on current market trends and desirable attributes property owners look for in an estate and letting agent. 

Client Retention 

Attracting clients is only half the battle. ValPal helps agents take their efforts the rest of the way by offering client retention services. Successful estate and letting agents need help servicing their growing list of clientele, which is why ValPal helps generate a monthly newsletter that keeps clients engaged. 

Newsletters are a great way to announce and promote new services, discounts, and opportunities. Agents also use these monthly newsletters to promote featured listings to prospective buyers and tenants. This shows potential clients the additional exposure they’ll receive by hiring your agency for their listing. 

ValPal’s newsletter service is easy to use and helps agents effortlessly target and identify serious leads. The Network uses actionable analytics to track every newsletter you send within the database. No time to write your own newsletter content? No problem! ValPal’s team of writers can do this for you, too.

 

ValPal Pricing

ValPal advertises its Platinum Package as the most cost-effective way to generate leads. This package includes PortalPal and ChatPal. PortalPal is ValPal’s new lead qualifier and revenue builder tool. ChatPal is an automated website chatbot for your website, which guarantees you never lose a lead.

In addition to these upgraded tools, the Platinum Package also includes ValPal’s core services, like:

• ValPal Tool: The industry-leading instant online home valuation tool that helps agents connect with more vendors and landlords
• Out-of-Area Lead Program: Generate more leads by non-competing agents shared within the network
• DesignPal: Marketing materials that drive traffic to your website and ValPal tool
• MA Booking Calendar: A calendar integrated on the ValPal results page that lets potential clients book an in-person valuation 
• Marketing Advice: Tips and advice from top-performing agents
• Weekly Training Webinars: Free weekly webinars for individual agents and entire agencies that offer valuable information on how to maximize your ValPal membership 
• NurturePal: An email nurture program consisting of 8 emails lasting for a 42-day period to help keep your database active and offer revenue-generating opportunities for both prospective and existing clients.

According to ValPal’s website, agents can choose everything in the Platinum Package for £175+VAT per month plus a one-time registration and licensing fee of £295+VAT. This locks you into a one-year agreement. You can also contact ValPal directly for more information on purchasing individual services.

 

ValPal Reviews 

Before you invest your hard-earned money into ValPal’s tools and promises, let’s take a closer look at what real, paying customers had to say about their experience with the website’s online home valuation tool and other services.

Positive Reviews

ValPal received a 5-star rating out of 78 reviews on Feefo. Here’s what some satisfied customers had to say about their experience with ValPal.

• Absolutely delighted with the new live chat feature
• Helpful and knowledgeable experts
• Excellent customer service
• Love all the training webinars and inspiration 
• The staff helps with assisting our queries, with our ad campaigns, and with lead generation
• An easy and efficient onboarding process
• Straightforward, reliable tools and services

Negative Reviews

Using ValPal isn’t without its downsides, although most online reviews are positive. Even on Trustpilot, the website earned a 4.1 out of a 5-star rating, with only a single 1-star review. The customer who wrote this review claimed they waited months for ValPal to track leads for their retargeted advertising campaign. 

 

Considering Adding ValPal’s Online Valuation Tool and Others to Your Toolbox

Succeeding as an agent in the UK takes time, patience, and industry knowledge. ValPal has a pulse on the property market and works to provide useful information and resources to both individual agents and full-scale estate agencies. With several packages and pricing plans to choose from, you can take advantage of all of their tools or just the ones you need most. From social media and content marketing to free webinars and an online valuation tool, you should see a rise in both website traffic and leads in no time.