Friday, April 26, 2024

Lisa Gray

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Lisa is an accomplished marketer with years of expertise in direct response marketing, digital marketing, data analytics and business development working with both B2C and B2B.

    Someday, probably sooner than we imagine, sellers will be competing for buyers, while buyers will have vastly more choices in homes. 

    First impressions matter, but never more so than when there aren’t enough buyers in the market. 

    When it comes to showcasing your listings, high-quality photography can make all the difference. 

    If you’ve never used the services of a pro real estate photographer, you’ll want to read on to learn why you should.

    And, most importantly, discover the questions you should ask to ensure you get the right photographer for your real estate business.

    Why clear, compelling listing photos are important

    We asked our agent friends who use professional photography in their real estate business why they feel it’s important.

    It makes a great first impression 

    Your listings are essentially your products, and first impressions are crucial. Compelling photographs are the first point of contact for prospective buyers, drawing them in and sparking their interest.

    Showcases a property’s best features

    Skilled real estate photographers know how to capture a property’s strengths and minimize its weaknesses. They use their expertise in lighting, composition, and post-processing to make a home look its absolute best.

    The Calendar Series postcard is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.

    Increases online visibility

    We already know from the various ocular movement studies that buyers’ eyes go right for the photo as soon as they pull up a listing. If there is no photo, they leave the page.

    If the photo is dark, crooked, or otherwise amateur in nature, most will also leave.

    Results in faster sales and higher prices 

    Properties with professionally photographed online listings tend to sell faster and often at higher prices. 

    Helps you ace your listing presentations

    Who is more likely to ace the listing presentation, the agent with DIY photographs of past listings or the one with gorgeous, jaw-dropping photographs?

    Here are the questions to ask when interviewing a photographer

    Can I see your portfolio? Reviewing a photographer’s previous work will give you a sense of their style and the quality of their work.

    Are you insured? Ensure that the photographer carries liability insurance in case of any accidents or damages during the shoot.

    What equipment do you use? Ask about the type of camera, lenses, and lighting equipment they use to ensure they have the necessary tools for the job.

    Do you offer post-processing services? Inquire about their editing and retouching capabilities to enhance the final images.

    What is your availability? Confirm that the photographer can accommodate your scheduling needs, including weekends and evenings if necessary.

    Do you provide virtual tours or drone photography? These additional services can enhance your listings and attract potential buyers.

    Yes, hiring a professional photographer will eat into your commission check. But without one, you may not even get the listing.

    With the right photographer, you’ll have the tools to make a lasting impression and close deals more effectively.


    PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

    1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

    Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here

    2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

    The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

    3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

    The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

    4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here


      Deveria’s latest mailing is from the Real Estate Times Series (shown above). To learn more, Click Here.

      Congratulations, Deveria Hampton, on winning this week’s contest!

      Deveria had the following words to say about her success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,

      “ProspectsPLUS! has been a game-changer for my real estate business. The postcard campaigns allow me to send information to my farming area on a monthly basis and that has increased my sphere of influence greatly! I always recommend them to new agents when they ask about my marketing strategy.”

      -Deveria Hampton

      Deveria, thank you for your review. We truly appreciate you and your support!


      Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $75 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*

      HOW TO ENTER: Just leave feedback regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.

      Leave feedback on Google HERE.
      Leave feedback on Facebook, HERE.

      *If you’ve already entered our drawing in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid, and you still have a chance to win.

      Don’t forget to watch for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!


      PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

      1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

      Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here

      2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

      The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

      3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

      The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals.  – Click Here

      4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

      This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

      Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

        The end of the year is creeping up on us and with it comes the inevitable look-back on your real estate business. How’d you do? 

        If you didn’t get the results you were aiming for, your year-end business planning may require an overhaul of your real estate marketing plan. 

        It takes money

        It may sound like a “well, duh” statement, but a marketing plan requires a marketing budget. Study your current year’s revenue numbers and commit to spending at least that on next year’s marketing.

        A couple of years ago, Attom Data Solutions published the results of a survey of real estate agents, brokers, owners, and marketers to determine where they are “spending their largest portion of marketing dollars” and which method brings the best results.

        Thirty-five percent of agents spent the most on social media while 20 percent spent the most on buying leads. 

        Regardless of how you spent your marketing dollars this year, the most important aspect of planning is that look back to figure out what worked and what didn’t. Naturally, you’ll want to reconsider underperforming real estate marketing methods and amp up anything that worked.

        Chop your efforts into segments, such as:

        • Lead generation
        • Client retention
        • Building your SOI

        Then, decide how much you’ll allocate for each in the budget. Naturally, you’ll want to spend the most on which effort brings you the best results. For some agents, client retention dollars result in the best ROI, while others may choose to go bigger on real estate lead gen.

        Even if it’s just 2 percent of revenue, you’ll have enough money to engage and retain current clients “with simple tools and strategies,” according to Chris Beecher, president of thewholebraingroup.com.

        Next, determine the strategies you’ll employ, such as social media, paid advertising, blogging, email, and direct mail marketing, and allocate an amount of the budget to each.

        The Looking For Listings Series is shown above. To learn more, click Here.

        How will you broadcast your marketing message?

        How you will market in the coming year depends a great deal on your budget but also on those segments we mentioned earlier. Lead generation is costlier than client retention, so you may want to take a look at some of the less-expensive methods if you choose to focus on the former.

        These might include beefing up your social media presence (by blogging more and posting to your preferred social media platforms), knocking on doors, etc. 

        A planner will help keep you on track

        A planner is a must if you hope to keep your marketing efforts on track all year. We offer a Free 6-Month Real Estate Marketing Planner to help with this task (a new 2024 Planner will be available soon, so watch for the announcement in our weekly emails).

        Although it’s important to create a coming-year marketing plan for your real estate business, don’t become a slave to it. If something doesn’t appear to be working, replace it with something else. 

        The key to success in real estate lead generation and client retention is consistency. Having a plan will ensure this.


        PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

        1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

        Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here

        2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

        The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

        3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

        The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.   – Click Here

        4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

        Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here


          Danielle’s latest mailing is from the Get More Listing Series (shown above). To learn more, Click Here.

          Congratulations, Danielle O’Brien, on winning this week’s contest!

          Danielle had the following words to say about her success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,

          “ProspectsPLUS! has made it extremely convenient to obtain addresses that fit my target market and, also, pre-done campaigns to ensure marketing consistency. I recommend them to all my agents!” 

          -Danielle O’Brien

          Danielle, thank you for this wonderful review. We truly appreciate you and your support!


          Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $75 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*

          HOW TO ENTER: Just leave feedback regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.

          Leave feedback on Google HERE.
          Leave feedback on Facebook, HERE.

          *If you’ve already entered our drawing in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid, and you still have a chance to win.

          Don’t forget to watch for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!


          PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

          1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

          Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here

          2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

          The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

          3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review

          The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals.  – Click Here

          4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

          This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

          Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here