Real Estate Marketing Blog

The most cost-effective marketing products you can send out all year are real estate calendars For less than pennies a day per household, you can market yourself for 365 days or longer. But there are also some ways you can save even more with your calendars; on postage.

The best way to make an impact on your clients and prospects is with a personal meeting. By hand delivering your calendars you save on postage, you have an extra reason to be there (in addition to your services, you’re offering this calendar as a gift), and your presence lasts that much longer after they close the door. 

If you don’t have the time this fall for hand delivery, you can mail your calendars, but you have to factor postage costs into your budget. However, there are several ways to save on your postage costs. If you get a bulk rate permit from the Post Office, your magnets may take a little longer to reach your list, but you’ll save the difference in the cost of mailing them first class. Oftentimes your broker may already have a bulk rate permit to mail with.

Before purchasing your real estate calendars , check the weight to see if it will mail for the 1-oz. or 2-oz. rate to save additional postage costs. Here’s a tip for those who are planning on doing a separate mailing for your greeting cards this year. Slip a magnet calendar into each greeting card in your Thanksgiving / holiday mailing. It will save you the time it takes to stuff 2 separate mailings, you won’t have to write any extra correspondence for the calendar, and in the long run you’ll save on postage too.

What Every Realtor Should Know About Real Estate Calendars 

Did you know that the average person owns 7 calendars? It’s true. The simple fact is that just about everybody needs to know the date. It is little commonalities like this, and holidays / seasonal changes that we all share. And you can use these little similarities to build relationships with prospects and keep in touch with existing clients. Real estate calendars fit this bill perfectly; because you are giving people something they need and will most likely hold onto for a whole year.

When you personalize your calendar magnets and send (or hand) them out, clients and prospects will view them as gifts. They will most likely keep your calendars with your contact info and post it on the fridge in the most trafficked room in the house; the kitchen. Your calendar will not only be viewed several times daily by family members, but also by any guests that happen into the kitchen. Also, your calendar magnets will take on the dual function of both a calendar, and a magnet to affix things to the fridge. It is very possible that your magnets will be kept even longer than a year, because they can still be used to stick coupons, notes, etc. to the fridge.

But the best thing about real estate calendars is that they are relatively inexpensive. You can purchase them for as low as 34 cents each here, and many styles mail for the 1-oz. rate. That’s 365 days of advertising for much less than a penny a day. Where else can you get that kind of impact for your marketing dollar? Calendar magnets are also great for giveaways at events such as open houses or as gifts in a Thanksgiving or holiday greeting card.

Fact: Market fluctuations are faced by all real estate professionals
Fact: An average of 20% of your customers will generate 80% of all income
Fact: 62% of all Sellers choose the 1st Realtor they speak to
Fact: Only 12% of Sellers use an Agent they’ve used in the past
Fact: Virtually all Top Producing Realtors utilize real estate marketing tools such as postcards, newsletters, and calendars as one of their main methods to get more listings and sales.

Did you know that for the most part, most people think “All Realtors are pretty much the same”? With all of these facts, and if people really think that all Realtors are the same, what can you do to differentiate yourself and become a top producer?

At ReaMark, we receive over 100,000 calls per year and have a customer base of over 30,000 Real Estate Professionals, so we know what works and what doesn’t work. The first common rule amongst top producers is:

YOU MUST HAVE A MARKETING PLAN
TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

This means you’ve got to prospect for new clients as well as maintain your current client base. Successful Realtors get over 70% of their new business from referrals. Wow! But how can that be if it is a fact that only 12% of sellers will use the same Realtor they’ve used before? The answer is simple, successful Realtors have a higher percentage of repeat customers and referrals than the average agent.

One Last Fact:
Sending real estate marketing tools like real estate postcards, real estate newsletters and real estate calendars is the most cost-effective offline way to reach new and existing clients.

You are easily able to connect with your target neighborhood regularly and track the results for a fraction of the cost and time it takes to market in other mediums. On average, about 8% of all people in residential neighborhoods move every year. If there is not a dominant Realtor or agency selling in that area, you can hope to capture up to 10% of those listings in a given neighborhood by the end of the 1st year, 10%-20% in the 2^nd year, 15%-25% during the 3^rd year, and 30%+ after that.

By using real estate marketing tools to contact your target neighborhood on a monthly basis, you can become that area’s dominant Realtor. This is no secret to Top Producing Agents; they know that direct mail works.