Real Estate Marketing Blog

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!

Custom postcards are effective postcards, and here is why one agent makes them a part of the overall realtor marketing strategy.

Effective real estate marketing strategies should include custom postcards. 

When Vince Grant, an agent from the Pacific Northwest region, contacted us about helping him with a real estate marketing plan, we were happy to apply what we knew from working with other realtors over the years.

Eventually, it developed into a conversation about how effective postcards are for business, not only for generating leads but also for staying in front of existing clients.

Now, several years later, Vince still turns to ReaMark for realtor marketing products because of the continued effectiveness of the postcards and the service.

Here is his take on the ReaMark experience:

“I have used ReaMark for several years. They have worked with me on several custom postcards and I have had tremendous results. I have appreciated their product quality and their thoroughness and smoothness in the process from creating to mailing. Their pricing has been competitive, the service and communication has been great. I would highly recommend looking into how ReaMark can help your business grow.”

Does your current real estate marketing partner evoke the same sentiment from you?

Custom Realtor Marketing Programs: (800) 932-2957

Read more realtor success stories

Realtor Marketing Insights: Post Cards, Calendars and Newsletters

Real estate behaves differently around the country; we know that because we’ve seen how quickly homes move off the market in one area and how painfully stagnant the situation is in another.

This is what makes realtor marketing difficult for agents, especially those that are new to the profession. Do you send real estate marketing post cards or will newsletters be more effective?

What is working in your area?

Realtor marketing strategies: post cards could be your best bet.

ReaMark works with more than 30,000 agents across the U.S., so we know what works and what doesn’t in each region.

It makes sense. If you think about it, realtor marketing can be done with post cards, calendars, newsletters or other direct mail pieces.

But while the brevity of post card mailers may be appealing to one audience, the long format of newsletters may be better suited for a different set of customers.

At ReaMark, we have spent the past 13 years getting to know our customers (the realtors) and their customers (the home buyers and sellers), so that we can guide agents toward the best communication style for their area.

Whether that’s real estate marketing post cards or realtor calendars and newsletters, ReaMark is an advocate for realtors and effective marketing strategies.

Let us put our knowledge to work for your career…your success.

‘Tis the season for homemade stuffing, wrapping presents, and real estate holiday cards. Yes, you read that last item correctly; it’s time to send tidings of cheer to your past, present and potential clients. Before you do, there’s one item you should include with every real estate holiday card: a personalized magnet calendar.

Considering refrigerators are visited 18 times per day, magnet calendars are a smart way to promote your real estate business.

With magnet calendars, you create the opportunity to promote yourself on a daily basis. In fact, 25 percent of American households have two refrigerators, and “the fridge” is visited approximately 18 times per day. That’s 540 times in 30 days.

Sending a magnet calendar with your real estate holiday cards is easy: all magnet calendars insert into most greeting cards and the incremental postage is minimum or, in some cases, absolutely nothing.

Best of all, your clients will perceive the calendar as a free gift.

So whether you’re considering greeting cards for Thanksgiving or December holidays, be sure to pick up some stamps and, of course, personalized magnet calendars.

Thanksgiving realtor holiday cards can easily accommodate magnet calendars.

2013 is well on its way and is shaping up to be much different than recent years in many ways, one of which is the real estate market. We at ReaMark wouldn’t be successful with real estate marketing tools were we not on top of the changes in the market from month to month and year to year. So what are the trends for the upcoming year and how can our products like real estate postcards help you in your goal of increased success?

One trend that’s been confirmed again and again is the lack of properties on the market. With fewer properties, realtors have less to work with making real estate even more competitive than it already is. Factoring into that shortage is the rush of potential buyers seeking out non-traditional approaches to buying a home such as going door-to-door to properties they are interested in buying, impatient to look through the lessened number of listings in real estate newsletters or through other publications.

Why do we mention the above changes in the market? One reason is that we feel it’s important to work together with realtors in ways to improve their success in a market like this with a buyer that has adapted to the changes. We need to adapt too. It’s of the utmost importance to continue sending out real estate door hangers and the like so that, should one of these enterprising buyers come knocking on the door of a home they like, the homeowner won’t need to think twice about who will help broker the deal or list their house to see if there might be better offers.

Being a household name in the real estate market these days is more important than ever to achieve success in listing and selling homes. Look through some of the products we have and see what would work for you. We wish you the best in the real estate market of 2013.

–The Team at ReaMark

We’re sure you’ve heard the saying, “You have to spend money to make money.” We’ve found through our own experience that you can in fact save money while contacting prospects and then boost your business in the process. Using real estate postcards is the most cost efficient way of staying in contact or furthering contact with homeowners.

When beginning the process, it usually takes about 6-8 months to start seeing results from a target area when mailing regularly. If ever the saying ‘patience is a virtue’ was applicable, this is the case.

Another factor to consider too when beginning the process of mailing postcards for real estate listings is this: are there other realtors or a realty company that dominate the listings in the area? If so it’s perhaps best to consider an area with less established realtors and find an area that’s suited for your new presence.

So remember that making money can also involve saving money, especially with real estate postcards. Best of luck to you!

We at ReaMark believe that it’s of the utmost importance to really set yourself apart from other realtors, especially now. A real estate door hanger is the optimal real estate marketing tool that can’t be missed, and it doesn’t require you to pay for postage! Real Estate Door Hangers are an economical and effective way to market in your neighborhood. Our door hangers come in full-color with 30 different styles to choose from or free personal design. These door hangers are guaranteed to get noticed by your clients and prospects as they come home.

We’ve tried a lot of different methods to get new business and, as a result, have found what works and what doesn’t. If you have the option of finding something that works, why not try it and at least see if it fits for you? Having had success with door hangers means that we want to pass that on to others and let them in on a solution.

The features of our Real Estate Door Hangers are as follows:

• Large size: 4” x 11”
• Order as few as 200 quantity, mix and match styles in quantities of 100
• Die cut slits to hold your business card
• Hang as is, insert in door hanger bags or tear off perforated top and mail out in a standard #10 business envelope
• Ships next business day
• Prices as low as $0.12 each

We at ReaMark just want to help in making the listing process that much easier. Let us do the work so that you can reap the rewards of using our marketing materials.

Want more information or to see for yourself why our door hangers just work? Visit our website and view 8 new Real Estate Door Hanger styles at: http://www.reamark.com/catalog/new_door_hangers.htm

In real estate, it’s been our experience that it’s important to build your client base as it helps increase your sales. There are a lot of different strategies we’ve seen but one seems to have a real impact on contacts and has brought increased success for realtors:  our 4-page Real Estate Newsletters. ReaMark offers over 60 varieties of real estate newsletters that are timeless and feature no geographical references.

Each 4-page realtor newsletter contains industry-related topics, a recipe, and 2 large customization areas to print anything you want. Our newsletter offerings are now available with black & white personalization or our new full-color personalization. Each newsletter features an average of 60% real estate related news and 40% special interest articles targeted directly to homeowners and delivers the marketing impact that drives results. Our success with these newsletters can be illustrated by mentioning that, to date, we have sold over 10 million copies to our more than 30,000 customers. We are proud to offer something that has allowed so many clients of ours to see greater success and reach more people.

We’ve found that it’s necessary to approach each contact with warmth and sincerity and with ReaMark’s realtor newsletter offerings you can do just that.

Something to keep in mind: Right now all ReaMark Real Estate Newsletters are 25%-50% off thru June 30th, 2013. Hurry, offer good while supplies last!

Occasionally I talk to realtors who complain that they aren’t seeing fantastic results from their direct mail campaign, and the first question I always ask it, “Who are you mailing”. And every time I get practically the same answer, “a farm or prospecting list”. Before you spend a penny prospecting, you need to be mailing your friends, family, and past clients consistently. The top-producing agents know this and have a list of warm contacts, or their sphere of influence, of approximately 400 people. For realtors just starting off, your list may be smaller, 50 or 100 people. But your efforts will be best spent on growing this list overtime. People who know you and trust you are much more likely to call on you when they need to buy or sell.

The second question I ask these realtors is, “How often are you mailing and how long have you been doing it?” At ReaMark, our marketing specialists know that it takes consistent marketing over a time period of at least 6 months before you can really expect to see results. Research shows that approximately 8% of homeowners move each year. The likelihood of someone needing your services at the exact time they receive a single mailing from you is rather low. However, if you continue to market the same person, month after month, when they do have a real estate need, you will be the first person that they think of. Approximately 62% of Sellers will use the first realtor that they call. So it is imperative that you keep your name, face and telephone number in their reach month after month.

ReaMark makes keeping in touch with your sphere of influence easy and affordable. You could mail 100 of your past clients every month for an estimated cost of about 50¢ each. So for about $50 a month you can stay in contact and keep your name and face fresh in their memory to ensure they call you next time they need to buy or sell. Any lapses in marketing such as missed mailings, inconsistent or infrequent mailings could result in lost opportunities, lost business, and ultimately lost income!  For more marketing tips, to ask questions or place an order, call us at 800-932-2957 and visit our website at www.ReaMark.com.

Dear Fellow Real Estate Professional,

Hello I’m Richard Brown, president of ReaMark. I have been in direct marketing for over 25 years with the last 12 years helping Real Estate Professionals, just like you, substantially increase their listings, sales and ultimately their income.

Times are tough in today’s ever changing real estate market. However, all signs point to a slow but steady rise in our business. Affordability is at an all time high while interest rates are at record lows.

Each year I personally take hundreds of calls and the same questions keep popping up time and time again. “Rick, what works best? How can I make more money?”

So last week I sat down, got away from the kids, and really thought about all of the success stories, trials and errors that Realtors have told me during the past two years. With all being equal why are some realtors more successful than others? What does actually work? What has been proven time and time to be the Golden Truths of success? What makes a top agent? How can my business survive when I have less money to spend because I am making less money?

One glaring fact is that my business only makes money if the programs we recommend make you money. And I came up with the four things you should be doing if you are serious about increasing your annual income.

1. You MUST contact your past clients contact list at least every month.

Over 50% of your business should come from referrals. If you are not mailing your contact list then you are losing money. You contact list should includes anyone who knows you, your friends and your family. The larger the list the more successful you will be. You really need to sit down and put this list into a workable database.

2. Mail Just Listed/ Just Sold / Market Updates and Open House Postcards.

Announce your success. Since referrals are the largest part of your business and you want to build up your contact list, these are the second most effective tools at your disposal. You should mail the entire neighborhood and also your current contact list. If your budget is strained these could be part of your planned monthly budget but for better results you should be doing these mailings in addition to your regular contact list.

3. Track your results over time.
The beauty of direct marketing is that is affordable and trackable. If you have 400 contacts then you could be mailing them 12 times per year for as little as 47 cents each or $188 per month. One sale and you pay for the entire year of marketing!

4.Become known as a specialist of your farm.

A business with no prospects will die. You need a reliable consistent source of leads. Since most consumers perceive all real estate professionals to be pretty much the same, you must find ways to differentiate yourself. I get calls everyday from customers thanking me two years later telling me that they now get 50% or more of all listings in their neighborhood. Walk your neighborhood twice per year, create and submit articles and or advertise in the neighborhood newsletters and finally educate them on community activities including the local real estate market.