Real Estate Marketing Blog

Do you need a tax write off?

Don’t miss your opportunity to make one last marketing write off for the year! We are now taking last-minute orders from hundreds of our customers so they can take advantage of the tax benefits of 2017.

We will be open and working over time to get orders, proofed, printed and shipped by Friday, December 29th. In addition, when you order by Tuesday, December 26th, we will give you additional discounts:
$25 off orders of $149 or more OR
$50 off an order of $299 or more

Mention or enter this special offer code: Save2550

In addition, we are still accepting calendar orders where you can save up to 30% off and use the same offer code above for additional savings! One last reminder: the order deadline for 2018 Spring Time Change items is Sunday, February 25th.

Hurry, don’t wait to get your marketing materials for 2018! Call us at 1-800-932-2957 if you have any questions.

What comes to mind when someone mentions they got a new magnetic calendar in the mail? Just another mini advertisement from your local insurance agent? Something to clutter up the refrigerator front? Another supply of “tacks” for your child’s artwork? With a little creativity and thoughtful design, the 2018 magnetic calendars you send out this year can do so much more than occupy a spot on the cold storage locker in your kitchen!

We’ve all seen the magnets with a handy list of national holidays displayed, cooking substitutes and metric conversion charts. But, there are some unique ways to use your mailers as an extension of your community outreach and overarching marketing strategy. You can create beautiful real estate marketing pieces designed to make life easier for your farm with these Reamark tips.

1. Use the generous space to showcase local upcoming charity events.
2. Provide names, addresses and phone numbers for businesses every homeowner may need at some point during the year – think plumbers, HVAC service companies, small engine repair shops for the lawnmower or snowblower, emergency maid service, roofers, landscapers, insurance agents, and on-demand contractors.
3. Create a list of public service contacts – the mayor, constable, police, commissioners, animal control, and other elected officials.

Draw attention to special classes or community events your agency hosts. If you routinely carve out a couple of hours a month to present informative talks at the Senior Citizens Center or local college, take this opportunity to post your annual schedule.

Here’s a tip: If offering free workshops isn’t already part of your marketing plan, consider it. No-strings-attached presentations let your community know you care about them, even if they aren’t currently working with you. You can personalize talks for diverse groups. For example, seniors often look for information on retirement planning, converting a residence to a short-term rental while they head south for the winter and tips on downsizing. College students will appreciate educational content concerning saving for a down payment, finding a low-interest loan and tips on reducing student debt.

A calendar can be a tool to simply locate the date, or a valuable resource that homeowners refer to frequently throughout the year. Intentional, thoughtful design ensures your name stays in front of current and potential clients.

Inspired to create a unique marketing piece that reflects your agency values? Call a live Reamark operator to get started designing your professional custom 2018 magnetic calendars today. The call is free and so is the consultation.

The most successful real estate careers are built on solid, enduring relationships with clients. With fall now firmly entrenched and the holiday season fast approaching, many agents are thinking about their client relationships and how they can keep them healthy and productive in 2018.

Successful Agents Rely on a Time-Tested Relationship Builder

Using greeting cards for real estate marketing is a time-tested marketing strategy that successful real estate agents and brokers have relied on for years. Surprisingly, many are finding them to more successful now than ever before. With most communication now handled through impersonal email, the receipt of a brightly colored holiday card with a personal message from their real estate agent or broker is more apt to be warmly remembered and cherished than ever before. The only question then becomes how to make sure that any greeting card for real estate mailings you do will have even more impact.

Customizing the Mailing to Stand Out From the Crowd

While any holiday card mailing is a positive message that tells your clients that your remember and care about them, there are still some ways in which you can maximize your efforts. One excellent way is to consider sending out a holiday card for Thanksgiving or New Years, instead of a traditional mid-December holiday card.

If sending a Thanksgiving card, consider adding extra value by choosing postcards with turkey cooking tips or a delicious recipe to help the recipients enjoy turkey leftovers. When sending a New Year’s greeting card, consider including a customizable magnetic calendar for their fridge to help them keep you top of mind throughout 2018.

Streamline the Process With These Holiday Card Mailing Tips

The holidays are busy times for agents and brokers both at home and at work. Unfortunately, this level of activity can push marketing activities to the back burner, even when agents and brokers know how critical they are to their continued success.

To avoid this problem and ensure that your holiday card mailings are sent out exactly when you need them to be, speak with your ReaMark customer service specialist about ordering early and having them handle the entire mailing process. By doing this, busy agents and brokers can relax and enjoy their own holiday season, all while knowing they have successfully reached out to all their past and current clients and their entire sphere of influence.

As we head into the fourth quarter of 2017, it’s time to make plans for the upcoming year. If you are like most real estate agents and brokers, you’ll be looking to getting the biggest bang for your marketing buck and ReaMark is here to help with our 2018 wall calendars. It’s time to order from our proven effective selection of calendars.

Here are six tips as to why Reamark calendars are both a powerful marketing tool and a cost-effective way to reach customers and prospects.

Six Tips on Using Wall Calendars for Real Estate Marketing

1. Perfect Timing
Offering calendars to customers leads and prospects during the fourth quarter gets them “first in home” which is important for calendars. These first calendars are more likely to be kept and displayed. Ordering calendars too late in the season can make you appear to be a “Johnny come lately” when it comes to promotional products.

2. Exceptional Value
Calendars provide valuable information for families for 12 months or more. They are put on walls, displayed on refrigerators, desks, and in wallets for a full year giving you valuable visibility for an extended period. That is value!

3. Wide Selection of Designs and Styles
At ReaMark, we have over 300 different designs of real estate calendars in 10 different styles. This means you can choose a design and style to best fit your message and how you want to brand your business. Want a customized edition? Our professional team can help with your message and graphics!

4. Calendars are Appreciated
While some real estate items are throwaways, calendars are appreciated by those who receive them. They help families plan for vacations, schooling, and celebrations. They place your name front and center every time they are looked at.

5. Multiple Marketing Uses
Our ReaMark real estate marketing calendars can be used as a “thank you” or holiday gift for current customers, sent out as direct mail pieces, hung on doors or given away at community events. You just may be surprised with how often you are asked, “may I have another for a friend?”

6. Proven Effective
Many real estate professionals have built their business on real estate marketing calendars. It is a staple of their marketing plan each year. As new agents move toward more digital marketing, it increases the value of a tangible item like a calendar. You can even combine the two, offering calendars to those who respond to your email or social media marketing!

Now is the time to act as we are offering 2018 wall calendars at terrific savings during our New Year Sales Event. You can save 20-30% on everything from our magnetic calendars to our desk and 2018 wall calendars. Deck the walls, refrigerators, desks, and wallets this season with a selection of real estate marketing calendars from ReaMark!

Successful agents and real estate brokers are often successful because they are in a constant search to do things better, more efficiently, and more effectively. This includes marketing. Some have found success in using internet marketing. Others swear by Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). Still, others have discovered just how powerful the combination of EDDM and online marketing can be. Using EDDM and internet marketing together can create a lead generating machine!

Benefits of EDDM & Digital Marketing

In these days where credible information has increasing value, about 56% of people believe that a printed piece is more trustworthy than other forms of advertising. Additionally, 70% of us find direct mail more personal than digital communication. EDDM can also target a specific neighborhood or zip code you may be farming. With Americans receiving less mail each day, your printed piece will stand out more. These six aspects can supercharge your online efforts.

1. Promote your website, listings, blogs, and social media through EDDM
Make sure each printed piece includes how prospects can connect with you online at their convenience.

2. Gather prospects by offering a newsletter both digitally and through the mail
Provide a sign-up for a quarterly newsletter through your online marketing. Give readers a choice of a direct mail or digital edition. ReaMark offers a variety of easy to compile printed newsletters that can be digitized.

3. Provide easy access to more information
Use EDDM to “tease” more information that may be on your website. “See how much houses are selling for in your neighborhood by visiting us at our website”. “Compare your home to our current online listings”.

4. Gather leads through incentives
Use calendars or other promotional items as an incentive
“Sign up for a complimentary 2018 calendar online today!” “Get a free home evaluation by signing up online today.”

5. Position yourself as the real estate expert
Use EDDM to promote your willingness to answer real estate related questions on your social media. This will spur discussion on a variety of topics with you serving as the expert. Use it to promote your blog if you have one.

6. Create leads through an online contest promoted through EDDM
Create a contest that is promoted both online and through EDDM. Use the emails you gather to build your contact list.

At ReaMark, our team of real estate marketing professionals can help you with EDDM pieces that can effectively funnel people to your web presence. Choose from calendars, postcards, door hangars, magnetic business cards, even seed packets! Make the most of all your available marketing options with a combination of online and direct mail marketing with the help of ReaMark.

Just sold postcards have long been an effective way to reach real estate prospects. What makes these particular real estate marketing post cards so effective? Let’s take a quick look.

1. They are informative. One of the reasons just sold postcards are so effective is they contain valuable information the recipient can relate to. In the consumer’s mind, the card isn’t a sales piece as much as it is “news.”
2. They appeal to natural curiosity. As a real estate agent, you know how many neighbors will visit an open house just out of “curiosity”. This is the same curiosity you are peaking by sending out a just sold postcard to the neighborhood.
3. They cause a prospect to think and consider how the information could impact them. Even if a just sold postcard doesn’t cause a particular recipient to leap into action, it gives them a reason to “think’ about it. It also may be a conversation starter with other neighbors which can spur activity.
4. They position the sending agent in a position of being an expert. Sure, any information on a just sold postcard is publicly available, but YOU are the one getting credit for delivering it to the neighborhood. This positions you as the expert and the one to turn to for more information.
5. They are great for cross-marketing. Agents can use just sold cards to promote their website, social media, or encourage email sign-ups. Use just sold postcards to expand your list of contacts and prospects. Encourage recipients to “learn more” or “sign up for our free quarterly newsletter”, and to “stay up to date on real estate in your neighborhood.” Nurture your leads and start with just sold postcards.

How ReaMark Can Help

ReaMark offers 40 design styles of just sold postcards that can be ordered in as little as 100 postcard lots. Our team of professionals can help you select the right postcard for your brand and in creating a marketing message that works for you. If you haven’t made use of this important and proven real estate marketing tool, discover how just sold postcards can go to work for you. Contact ReaMark today and build your real estate business for tomorrow.

Real estate brokers and agents have more control of their real estate marketing than ever before. They can control their branding through blogs, social media, email campaigns, and more. Along the way, however, print marketing has been taking more of a backseat. That can be a big mistake.

1. Print marketing and direct mail have been proven to be effective in real estate marketing.
2. Printed materials, calendars, and sports schedules have a long shelf life.
3. Mail boxes are less cluttered, giving your pieces bigger impact.
4. Print material builds your brand and positions you in the marketplace.
5. A well-planned real estate marketing plan that includes printed and promotional material can keep you on track.

As some young agents move toward digital marketing, and older agents retire, it is leaving a big opportunity in some markets for other agents and brokers to take the lead using direct mail marketing. At ReaMark, we’ve been helping real estate professionals grow their businesses for 17 years. We’ve been able to help agents plan a real estate marketing schedule to help them farm and nurture real estate markets throughout the country.

January – Plan out quarterly newsletters
February– Spring time Change Postcards
March, April, May, June – “Real Estate Season”- Choose from promotional postcards such as “Just Listed”, “Just Sold”, and “Free Home Evaluation”. Use door hangers and magnetic baseball schedules
July, August – Football schedules and back to school calendars. Consider calendars for the upcoming year
September – Fall time-change postcards and calendars
October – Thanksgiving greeting cards and calendars
November – Holiday recipes and promotional materials
December – Holiday greetings

Not including print and direct mail in your marketing plan can put you on a slippery slope. Don’t make the mistake of believing all of your prospects are online, all the time. There is great value in reaching out to them where they live and ReaMark can help. Contact us today for our “buy 5 get 1 design free” and “buy 10 get two free” postcard specials.

Next year can be your best year ever when you include 2018 real estate marketing calendars as part of your plan. There are plenty of reasons real estate calendars are such a foundational tool for so many real estate professionals. Now is the time to choose your calendars and get a step up on the competition. and ReaMark is here to help.

Why Real Estate Marketing Calendars Are so Valuable

Why are real estate calendars so popular?

People use them! It’s true. In spite of our personal devices, many families use physical calendars to visualize their month and family plans. Open-block style calendars allow room for users to write in birthdays and special occasions. Many use them as a way to communicate plans to others in the family.

They are visible. Many of our calendar styles at ReaMark are created to be displayed in the home. Our magnetic calendars, for example, end up on many refrigerators and are seen every day by family and friends. Your information is front and center when professional real estate services are needed.

They provide long-lasting value. For real estate agents in search of getting the biggest bang for the buck, it is hard to get a better return than on our real estate marketing calendars. Calendars are usually distributed in November or December of one year and the calendar provides value through the entire next year. That’s marketing value!

Calendar designs are available to best brand you. ReaMark offers so many designs for a variety of personalities there is certainly one to communicate your image. Select from designs that include “Home Maintenance Tips”, “Recipes”, “Motivational”, “Sports”, and so many more. You can also choose from pocket calendars, wall calendars, magnetic calendars, and others.

They can be customized. Not only can you choose a design and style of calendar to best communicate your brand, you can create your own personalized graphics, logo, and message. Our team of marketing professionals is here to help you customize a design specifically for you.

They are on sale NOW! To help you get your calendars “first in homes”, we are offering calendars specials of 20, 30, and 35% off some designs. Now is the best time to order your 2018 Real Estate Marketing Calendars.

Order Your 2018 Real Estate Marketing Calendars Today

Ordering your real estate marketing calendars now is the smarter, faster, and more efficient way to get your 2018 marketing program underway. Choose from 400 different designs in 10 different styles when you visit our calendar section of our website. Of course, if you need assistance, contact one of our experienced marketing professionals. We are ReaMark and we’ve been serving real estate brokers and agents for over 17 years!

While many real estate agents and brokers experiment with unproven digital marketing techniques to improve market share, there are still solid, proven real estate ideas that will make you money. Here are three of them.

Real Estate Marketing Postcards

With over 400 card designs and 10 styles to choose from, real estate postcards are versatile and customizable. They also have been a proven way to farm a neighborhood and build your brand. Some agents have built loyalty through years of sending recipe postcards that clients look forward to receiving. Others build their brands by sending motivational postcards or home maintenance tips. Still others use postcards to educate their target market by sending “Just Listed” or “Just Sold” postcards. Right now, you can order five postcards from ReaMark and get the sixth free, or order ten postcards and get two free. We even have clearance postcards on sale for as little as 8 cents each. Keep in mind, 63% of people will end up choosing the first agent they call, so get to the top of the mind with monthly or bi-monthly postcards from ReaMark.

Real Estate Marketing Calendars

A long-time staple in real estate marketing, calendars work because they are used. They are also extremely cost-effective. When calendars are the first-in-home, each can bring you 13 or 14 months of exposure. Calendars can be selected that are magnetic or to hang on walls. There are options for desk calendars and wallet size calendars. Select the theme and style of your choice. Our team will even help you customize your calendar to suit your personality. Right now, you can save 20%, 30%, and even 35% off some calendar designs from ReaMark. Order early and save. Discover why so many agents and brokers have built their business, in part, through real estate marketing calendars.

Quarterly Newsletters

You may be surprised how much attention a local or neighborhood focused newsletter will bring to your real estate business. A newsletter can not only include practical homeowner and real estate tips but can include a calendar of local events. You can discuss homes that recently sold in the neighborhood or include new listings. A newsletter places you in a position of being the area’s real estate professional and can even help you promote your website and social media. ReaMark offers a variety of choices in real estate newsletters. If you are ready to reach out in a new yet proven way, consider using a quarterly newsletter to your marketing agenda for 2018.

Contact the professionals at ReaMark for proven marketing tactics and strategies including postcards, calendars, and newsletters. Let us help take your business to new levels in 2018.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one:

“I can’t tell if my direct mail marketing is working!”

Well, now we have a way for you to track the success of all of your individual print campaigns with branded short links. The result will be a link similar to rea.mark/roi that you can customize for each piece of marketing that you send out. You can then track how many people went to your website for more details on the property or offer! Sounds great, right? Follow these steps to combine the power of direct marketing with your website.

Warning: This post is not for the faint of heart when it comes to technology, BUT it is very effective. Proceed at your own risk.*

What you will need:

• A website with Google Analytics installed
• A spare domain name
• A free Rebrandly account
• A few great print marketing ideas

Part 1: Purchase a short Domain Name

The first thing you will need is a domain name that is different from your regular website.

Why?

In order to create customized links, we have to have a separate domain to add to a link shortening service, like Rebrandly.

To get a short domain, go to a domain registrar such as GoDaddy and search for your desired domain. Or, to make things really easy, you can go straight to Rebrandly, login, and click “Domains” > “New Domain.”

The goal of this new domain is to try for something as short as possible that is a variation of your brand name.

Here’s an Example:

Say your firm name is The A Team (and kudos to you for having such a cool name!) you could search for one of these variations:

TheA.team      A.Team       ATeam.RE       TheATeam.RE

Notice that these don’t end in .com? That’s because we are no longer confined to a .com .net world! Not all variations are available just yet, but there are a lot of great ones out there. Play around with it, but make sure you keep the goal in mind: keep it short and on brand.

Once you’ve found the perfect short domain, go ahead and purchase it. It should be less than $20 per year and many are as low as $4.99 per year. Don’t get bamboozled into spending $10k on a domain when there are plenty of variations out there to choose from.

Part 2: Set up your Branded Short link

There are a bunch of URL shortener services out there, but we are going to show you how to do this in Rebrandly for a few reasons: they’ve been around for a while, they have a convenient Chrome browser plugin, and, best of all, it is free.

If you haven’t already, open an account at Rebrandly.com and go to “Domains.” If you purchased your domain on another website, you will need to click on “Set Up DNS (for experts only)” then follow the instructions on getting your branded domain set up.

Not an expert? Go ahead and call your registrar’s support line and have THOSE experts set this part up for you.

Part 3: Use your Branded URL to Track ROI

Now you’re ready to start tracking visitors from your postcards!

The Rebrandly Chrome extension makes this really easy.

1. Navigate to your website page to which you want to track visits.
2. Click on the Rebrandly icon in the top right of your browser window. A pop-up window will appear with your link.
3. Click on the sprocket icon to expand settings.
4. Click on “UTM Brander.” (This allows you to track visits in Google Analytics Campaigns)
   1. You want to fill out these three fields:
      1. Campaign Source = postcard (or EDDM or newsletter, which ever type you will be sending.)
      2. Campaign Medium = print
      3. Campaign Name = select one or two words specific to this marketing piece
         1. Example: cherry-lane, q4-update, or seapoint-estates
5. Next, from the drop down box, make sure your shortened branded domain is selected. Then – and this is the best part – you can customize the end of the URL!
   1. Example: A.Team/Q4
6. Make sure “Copy to Clipboard” is selected (it will be green) and click “Save.”

How easy is that to include on your print marketing?!

NOTE: You must be sure that this EXACT URL is in your marketing materials. We would also recommend testing it out yourself to make sure that everything is working properly before sending out any marketing campaigns.

Part 4: Order Your ReaMark Print Marketing Material

At this point, you’ve probably already selected a postcard or marketing piece from our website that you’d like to send. You can either order online or give us a call and we will make sure that your short, trackable URL is included in your design by our professional designers.

Part 5: Track Your Website Visits

You didn’t think you were done, did you? Now you have to see how many people actually visited your website! You can see how many clicks you got right in your Rebrandly dashboard OR you can dig deeper with Google Analytics (GA). That’s the whole reason we used the URL builder, right?

To see how many visits you got in GA, log into your account and click on Acquisition > All Campaigns. There in the first column, you will see the name of your campaign, how many visits came to the website, how long they stayed, and much more!

Do this consistently for all of your real estate marketing materials and you will really see what is working for you and what needs improvement.

Bookmark this article and share it with your friends!

*Because of the sensitive nature of domain registrars and third party applications, the Reamark team will not be able to set the short domains up for you. Please have your short URL ready when you place your order with us. We will be happy to add the shortened, trackable links to your professional print marketing materials!

This article is intended as a suggestion and we make no guarantees about the functionality of third party websites. We also assume no financial or legal responsibility for results of following the advice given here.