Real Estate Marketing Blog

By Rick Brown

Are you sending out prospecting mailers and not seeing results? When real estate prospecting efforts aren’t getting results, there are three common reasons why. Your real estate prospecting isn’t working because you aren’t using the best mailing list, don’t have a clear call-to-action, and lack diversity.

Not Using the Best Mailing List

Postcards are essential to any real estate prospecting strategy. However, Realtors won’t have success if they aren’t sending real estate post cards to the best mailing list. When sending mailers, always include your personal mailing lists. Additionally, make sure you are not mailing to an area already dominated by a realtor or a particular real estate company. An area can be considered “dominated,” and therefore undesirable for mailings, when the realtor or company has 75% or more of the area listings.

No Clear Call-to-Action

Sending real estate prospecting postcards without a clear call to action is a waste of time. A clear call-to-action differentiates you from other realtors and drives website traffic. Entice buyers and sellers to call you by using appealing offers. Attractive offers can be a free market analysis or lower commission rates. A great offer and a clear call-to-action will set you apart from your competitors.

Lacking Diversity

Increase engagement by sending out a variety of mailers to your prospects and leads. Mix it up by sending out newsletters, calendars, and postcards. Also, be sure to include variety in your real estate postcards. Showcase your wins with Just Listed or Just Sold postcards, get better engagement with a recipe card or by sharing home tips, or educate your audience with market updates. By varying the look and feel of your mailers and postcards, you keep your message fresh.

By including these tips in your contact strategy, you will attract more new business. Don’t forget that frequency is key to a successful strategy. Send a mailing at least every two months, but keep in mind that monthly mailings are better. If necessary, you can cut your list size to stay within budget and continue to send monthly mailers.

Get started now with free custom design on Just Sold postcards or any other style of real estate postcards today.

By Rick Brown

It’s already the middle of May and although it may not seem like it, 4th of July is just around the corner. Time is running out to order your postcards so that you can get them in mailboxes by the beginning of July. Here are the top reasons that those 4th of July postcards could get you new listings.

Suggest the Best Fireworks Displays & Become the Expert

With Reamark’s customizable designs, you can easily add your favorite spot to watch the fireworks in your farm area. This shows that you know the neighborhood and as a bonus, they will keep that postcard on the fridge to remind them where they should plan on seeing the fireworks!

Continue Building Rapport

30% of real estate marketing success is how frequently you mail your list. Use every possible opportunity you can to touch base with your potential clients and keep your business top of mind when they are ready to sell their home.

Create a Sense of Camaraderie Through Patriotism

Homeowners want to feel that personal and trusting connection with their real estate agent and what better way to build that trust than with a show of patriotism?

Don’t wait any longer! Browse through our many designs of 4th of July postcards now!

By Rick Brown

Selling season is in full swing and successful real estate agents are blanketing their territorial farms with marketing pieces in order to get more listings. Whether you’re showcasing a recent sale or sharing your listings or marketing yourself as the neighborhood real estate expert, real estate door hangers have many benefits.

1. Stand Out from the crowd

With more and more marketing messages headed to the mailbox, why not stand out from the crowd with a door hanger that is sure to be noticed when home owners head home from their workdays? A door hanger must be removed from the door and therefore taken in hand by the prospect, increasing your changes of impressing your message rather than getting lost in the shuffle of traditional mail.

2. Save on Postage & Mailing Hassles

Another benefit of door hangers is that you don’t have to fuss with renting lists or preparing your own, let alone pay for postage. You are guaranteed to reach your target audience because you know your message is hanging from their front door. Marketing with door hangers is a cost effective and simple way to touch base with your farm.

3. Create A Custom Design

Marketing 101 will tell you that creating a design that stands out from the rest is the key to any successful marketing campaign. Using your picture, company logo, and even your own recently sold listings will establish your brand within your target neighborhoods and begin to build relationships you need for new listings.

Reamark knows that most real estate agents are not graphic designers, which is why we offer free design services for all of our products and door hangers. Choose from single or double-sided options that are designed to your specifications by our professional design team. Whether you want a fully custom design or would like to choose from over 25 quick ship styles that ship the next day, we can accommodate your needs. Get started today by browsing our many door hanger designs or call us at 800-932-2957. With over 30,000 real estate clients and selling more than 4 million door hangers, we know what works.

By Rick Brown
Fact: Market fluctuations are faced by all real estate professionals.
Fact: 20% of all real estate agents generate over 80% of all income
Fact: 62% of all Sellers use the first agent they call.
Fact: Only 12% of Sellers use a Realtor they’ve used before.
Fact: Virtually all top Producing Real Estate agents have utilized or currently utilize direct marketing as one of their main methods of producing more leads, listings and sales.

For the most part, 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, how are you going to differentiate yourself and become a top producer?

Since we receive over 100,000 calls per year and with over 30,000 successful realtors using the ReaMark direct marketing programs, we are experts in understanding what is working and what is not working. The first commonality 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! let me repeat that: Successful realtors get over 70% of their new business from referrals.
But how can that be if it is a fact that only 12% of sellers will use the same realtor they used before? The answer is simple, obviously successful realtors have a higher percentage of repeat customers and referrals than the average.

Top Strategies of Real Estate Agents

The overriding key to success is to developing a personal list of people to become your referral base. This list should include anyone who knows you including past clients, friends, neighbors, school teachers, old business acquaintances, your kids friends parents, your fellow church members, etc. Again anyone who knows you and could act as a referral. Your list may start off small, as few as 100 people, you goal is to develop this list and grow it to its maximum size. Most successful realtors have at least 400 or more people on this list.

Once you have developed your personal list you should be in contact with these people at least once a month before spending any money on farming and prospecting. These contacts should include the following:

1)    Mail monthly at least one of the following marketing communication pieces: a postcard, newsletter, greeting card, or a calendar.
2)    You should always mail your personal list all Just Listed and Just Sold properties that you are involved in. Announce your success and you will be sure to get referrals.
3)    You should mention somewhere on most pieces that you rely on referrals and that their referrals are greatly appreciated.

Most successful agents will have a marketing plan that incorporate the following:

• New Years Card / Newsletter
• Spring Time Change Card / Newsletter
• 4th of July Card / Newsletter
• Fall Time Change Card / Newsletter
• Thanksgiving Card / Newsletter
• Holiday Card/ Newsletter
• Calendar usually sent out between August and December
• All Just Listed and Just Sold announcements

Most of our successful agents utilize the following products to mail to their client base:
Recipe Cards, Newsletters, Home Tips, Cartoon, Animal, Scenic, Recipe Calendars
Football & Baseball schedules, School Calendars, Monthly selections, Full magnet calendars, etc.

Again, in direct marketing your success is based upon:

• 40% is the list you mail
• 30% is the frequency you mail
• 30% is the marketing piece.

How to Farm successfully

Once you have established an ongoing consistent mailing to your personal list then you have to have means to build that list through farming and prospecting. Over two thirds of all top performers use a territorial or geographic farm.

Going back to the formula of direct marketing success, the most important aspect is the list you select. So choosing your farm should be based upon the following:
1)    Look for an area with and higher than a 8% turnover rate
2)    Make sure that there is not a dominate realtor or real estate company with more than 75% of the listings.

Once you have selected your farm, YOUR GOAL IS TO BECOME THE REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST IN THAT FARM.

You should again be in contact with each household at least 8 times per year. Again you can utilize these key dates listed above and if possible you should try to walk your farm (Deliver calendars, free gifts, etc) twice per year.

Other ideas could include:
a)    Advertising in the neighborhood newsletter. (If you do not have one develop one and get key local businesses to offset all or the majority of cost.
b)    Advertise the neighborhood activates such as: firework locations, school dates, neighborhood history facts, home market updates, free flag or pumpkin giveaways, charity events, etc.

Again these are just some of the more common characteristics of successful agents, for more ideas please contact ReaMark and we will help you develop and customize a personal marketing plan to fit your budget, lifestyle and goals.

Take advantage of our Postcard Special NOW and get 1 style Free when you order 5!