Real Estate Marketing Blog

By Rick Brown

Real estate newsletters are a terrific way to farm for leads and listings. They demonstrate your expertise as a real estate professional and personally reach out and touch your prospects and customers. When used regularly, they help brand your business and position you as a leader in your field.

New Newsletter Designs Out Today!

ReaMark’s latest real estate marketing newsletters are a half-fold design, created using attention-grabbing, vibrant color printing. Two large custom areas are included to allow you to add your own customized designs and content. These areas have proven to be a powerful and popular way to build real estate listings and sales. It also makes your newsletters much more personal.

Robert & Jodi Costin of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Fox & Roach, Realtors have been customers of ReaMark since 2007, ordering over 40 of our 4 page newsletters. They have this to say:

“We like that you allow two large custom panels on the newsletters for personalization and advertising—unlike other companies where they only have room for the agent’s name and contact numbers. Finally you save us time and money by mailing them for us. We have received steady client referrals over the years from our mailings!”

See more testimonials!

ReaMark is pleased to offer free custom creative from our team of in-house professional designers. They will work with you to create a message suited to build your business. Also ask us about our custom direct-mailing services.

The ReaMark Difference

ReaMark focuses on helping real estate professionals grow their business through promotional and marketing pieces created specifically for agents and brokers. When you call ReaMark for your real estate marketing products, you will talk to a real person who can help guide you through your options. We are the last such company that still produces a physical catalog we mail to our clients. We also offer fresh products updated on our 2,000 item website.

Why wait? Order now and save 15% on your Real Estate Newsletter order and get more leads, listings, and sales today!

By Rick Brown

Football season is just weeks away. As the most popular sport in America, football appeals to men, women, and children of all ages. Why not take the hometown advantage this year with your real estate marketing and provide magnetic football schedules for your farm? Your magnet is sure to go right onto the fridge and remain there at least through February, possibly longer.

The Reamark Difference: High Quality Sports Schedules

At Reamark, we believe in only the best for our clients. That’s why we print on 25mL versus competitors who only use 15-20 mL. This gives the magnet quality your farm can feel and ensures that it will stay on the fridge.

Our Magnetic Football Schedules come in several different varieties and are also fully customizable. Choose from professional NFL teams, college teams, or create your own custom schedule for your local school.

We offer free, in-house professional design and can have your proof to you in 24-48 hours. Schedules usually ship within 5-7 business days. Order now so that your magnet reaches fridge for the beginning of the season. Save up to 35% if you order by September 15th.

By Rick Brown

This week, Reamark will release our freshly designed line of 2015 tear-off magnetic calendars with a new recipe for each month. With beautiful, vibrant colors, each recipe has been tested and approved by the Reamark team to be delicious and easy to make. No exotic ingredients needed, just real recipes for real people.

The tear-off magnetic calendars come in two different options: the ready to ship, peel and place business card design or a customized printed design that usually ships within 5 business days. With the customized printed design, you can choose from the standard rectangular magnet or stand out from the competition with the house-shaped magnet.

If you only do one real estate promotional item to your farm a year, this is it! The calendars are easy to use, they stay on the fridge all year long, and we provide you with free blank envelopes for easy mailing. This year our tear-off magnetic calendars will have double-sided print and new, high gloss paper for a refined, professional look. Additionally, we use stronger, reinforced pages that are high quality and won’t fall out after a few months.

Bonus feature: Each calendar features a quick kitchen reference on the back with common measurements, common substitutions, and food equivalents.

These new designs will be ready to ship by Friday, August 8th so get your order in now! If you order soon, you’ll not only save 20%, but your calendar will the first in the home and first on the fridge.

There is something to be said for hometown advantage when it comes to real estate marketing strategies. As a current resident, you know the streets, houses, open spaces, schools, restaurants, and major benefits of your neighborhood. As a real estate professional, you even thought these benefits were enticing enough to buy a home in the neighborhood. It’s your neighborhood and you are the experienced real estate professional.

Your Neighborhood, Your Advantage

As a real estate agent, it’s essential to have a strong contact strategy for your own neighborhood. Creating strong real estate marketing strategies establish you as the go-to realtor for all your neighbors and friends. You live, work, and play in your “farm,” and you are the most knowledgeable real estate professional in the area. Your contact strategy for your own neighborhood should firmly establish you as the premier resource for real estate questions in your neighborhood. Your neighbors and local residents should see you as the only authority on real estate in your area.

Real Estate Marketing in Your Neighborhood

When targeting your own neighborhood, your contact strategy will be different from marketing in other areas. New real estate marketing tools are being developed all the time. A strong contact strategy for your local neighborhood can incorporate more than postcards for realtors. Set yourself apart from your competition with the latest mortgage postcards, real estate calendars, newsletters, door hangers, and other marketing tools. The marketing tools provided by ReaMark are designed from input received by over 40,000 real estate customers and can be customized to fit with your contact strategy.

Don’t wait for your competition’s postcards to show up in your local neighborhood. As a local resident and homeowner, put the hometown advantage to work for your real estate marketing strategy.

Check out our new real estate marketing tools and tell us what you’d like to see on a design!

By Rick Brown

You might be thinking, “football season is still a few months away, why do I need to order my football schedule magnets now?” The answer is because the first real estate agent to deliver a magnetic football schedule to a home is the first one to get their magnet on the family’s fridge. The fridge is valuable marketing real estate and football fans only need one team schedule on their fridge. Order football schedules early to ensure prompt delivery and get ahead in your market.

When it comes to real estate promotional items, magnetic football schedules appeal to a wide audience. Football is the most popular sport in the country and appeals to men, women, and children of all ages. Come Fall, many families will schedule their activities around the football game schedule. At ReaMark, we offer full-color football schedule magnets and have a variety of different styles and sizes to fit every marketing budget.

Order Football Schedule Magnets Now

Summer may have just started, but that doesn’t mean you can take a vacation from your real estate marketing strategies. In fact, now is the time to get ahead of your competition and put in your order for magnetic football schedules. Waiting until the end of the summer to order your magnets puts you at a disadvantage and increases the risk that another realtor has already gotten their magnet on the fridge.

Early Order Discounts

Ordering your real estate promotional items early has another benefit: cost savings. If you place your order for football schedules before July 1st, you get a discount on your order. Save between 20% – 35% on orders depending on the items purchased. Prices go up after July 1st.
Don’t put off ordering your football schedule magnets until it’s too late. Get a discount by ordering before July 1st and get your magnet up on the fridges in your local market.

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

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!

When you think of viral advertising, you probably think of Facebook memes or YouTube videos.

Here in the printing world, we have our own version of viral, and it comes in the form of customized notepads.

Create more sales opportunities with custom realtor notepads.

The custom notepad offers real estate agents a level of exposure that is easily repeatable, even as often as a day-to-day basis.

While this face time with potential clients is truly valuable, it’s the chance to connect with others that deepens the impact of custom notepads.

As the original notepad recipient scribbles a reminder, attaches it to a document, and sends it along, they help the agent’s personal information reach new audiences.

This effect multiplies as more people receive a customized real estate notepad.

The icing on the cake: notepads are perceived as useful to the client.

Where to Bring Customized Notepads

Do you have upcoming golf outings, trade shows, or fundraising events? Are you a sponsor at a conference or seminar? These are perfect opportunities to extend your reach with custom real estate notepads from the only company that does them!

Agents Get a Head Start with Realtor Calendars

Your mother-in-law calls to schedule a family dinner. Then your dentist wants to reschedule your appointment, and your son’s teacher asks to set up a conference. Where do all of these situations lead? Straight to your calendar.

That’s exactly why realtor calendars are a smart marketing tool for any real estate agent. With real estate calendars that feature personalized realtor information on the calendar – such as a photo, website and telephone number – it’s simple to keep your name in front of potential buyers every day of the year.

         Real estate calendars give realtors maximum exposure.

 With specialized calendar formats including school calendars, sports schedules and even seasonal recipes, you’ll give recipients even more reasons to come back to your calendar and personalized information again and again.

But it isn’t just about getting real estate calendars to these potential buyers; it’s about getting them out at the best time: right now.

Why is this the best time?

Because you aren’t the first person to think of sending a calendar. In fact, insurance companies and auto repair shops already have theirs in the works.

The good news? You can still be ahead of the competition by placing your order now for Reamark real estate calendars and be the first calendar that potential buyers put up on the refrigerator at home or their desk at the office.

How are you preparing to get in front of customers ahead of everyone else?