We’re thrilled this week to introduce you to the 6th edition of the Master Marketing Magazine which started hitting mailboxes all across the nation last week. The reviews and comments are coming in fast and the word on the street is that it is already being recommended as a tool agents can count on as they put their marketing in place to hit the second half of this year strong.
Our sixth installment of this magazine has 87 pages that are filled to the brim with strategic content, creative ideas, and market-savvy tools you can use starting right now with a focus on matching your marketing with your market segment using incredible new data sources and options!
Here are a few of the featured articles:
Embracing the Element of Surprise
Three Steps to Drive More Inventory
Five Action Steps to Grow Your Business
Pricing Makes Perfect
The One Thing You Can Do to Earn Three Times the National Average
Three Ways to Put Some Fun in Your Marketing
Three Ways to Get Out In Front of YourCompetition
PLUS… Powerful Interviews With Top Real Estate Pros
There are three rather steep learning curves when one enters the real estate industry as an agent. The first is learning all the boring stuff, such as metes and bounds, riparian rights and agency.
Then, there’s that baptism-by-fire thing that happens when you hang your license with your first broker. As a boot on the ground, you learn by doing, how to list and sell homes, how to fill out the contracts, how to give a listing presentation.
The third learning curve involves finessing your business so that you don’t waste time on lame lead gen that doesn’t offer a decent ROI.
This last is one curve that many agents never take. They prefer backtracking to accelerating into the one curve that will make them more successful.
The Just Curious postcard is available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series.
It all comes down to complacency or hunger. Agents in the latter group, especially those who have hit a plateau, may just benefit from life or business coaching.
Sound familiar? Sean Everett, editor at Humanizing Tech, calls this “A hero’s journey.” And, if it does sound familiar, he suggests that you need a coach.
Think you don’t need one? Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO once felt the same way. He was at the top of his game when someone suggested he hire a coach. He initially resisted but finally caved.
He’s not the only member of the rich and famous crowd to realize the need for help. Oprah, members of Metallica, Leonardo DiCaprio, former president Bill Clinton, Andre Agassi and Hugh Jackman represent a few of them who credit their success to their coaches.
Everyone needs a coach
That’s a quote from Schmidt, in an interview with Fortune magazine. If you:
Have no idea about last year’s production
Have no clear plan for this year’s
Lack a marketing budget
Are confused about lead generation
Feel stuck and/or overwhelmed
Are frustrated
The Should I Stay or Should I Go postcard is available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series.
you need a coach.
The benefits of working with a coach
Inman.com published a survey a couple of years ago that found that 90 percent of agents who worked with a coach saw at least a 10 percent increase in their production after one year.
Twenty-six percent said theirs increased more than 25 percent and 10 percent of this group of agents’ production increased between 100 to almost 200 percent.
That is a crazy amount of winning, right?
A real estate or even a life coach can view your business as an outsider. Not being involved in the day-to-day minutiae has benefits. They examine the big picture and simplify your process.
“Coaching helps you to take responsibility for your life, let go of what others think and become your true self. It’s about you creating the life that you want – and deserve,” according to Emma-Louise Elsey, founder of Simplicity Life Coaching Ltd. and The CoachingToolsCompany.com.
If you want to reap the rewards of working with a coach, though, commit to doing what he or she says.
Choosing a real estate or life coach
Coaching is offered in a variety of media so decide first how you best learn, which type fits best into your schedule and the one you’re most likely to stick with.
When considering a coach, look at his or her background because you’ll only want to “take the advice of people who have done what” you want to do, according to entrepreneur Tim Kitchen at Forbes.com.
Then again, sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes from someone who has never done what you do, such as President Bill Clinton who was coached by Tony Robbins.
If you need help generating leads or someone to hold you accountable for following up with them, there are plenty of real estate specific coaches from which to choose. Don’t be surprised if you end up working with several before you find the one that’s a good fit for your needs.
Take a look at the comparison of three of the most popular real estate coaches, Ferry, Buffini and Proctor at FitSmallBusiness.com.
The agents we’ve spoken with all say that it’s important to feel comfortable with a coach. Keep looking until you’ve found “the one.”
The Looking For Some Expert Advice postcard is available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series.
Send the Looking For Some Expert Advice postcard from the Get More Listings Series to an area where you want more listings.
Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!
PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!
1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar
“Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – Click Here
3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here
4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan
Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here
5. The Free Online ROI Calculator
Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here
If you’re spending time and money on email marketing, there are “best practices” that you can follow to ensure that your emails are opened, read, enjoyed and that they produce business.
Let’s walk through the two most critical parts of an email and look at ways to ensure both do their fair share of the heavy lifting.
Your real estate email subject line
Most marketers we’ve spoken with claim that the subject line of an email is critical – more important than even the substance of the email.
They have a point. The subject line determines whether the recipient opens or tosses the email.
Regardless of how interested your recipients are in what you’re selling, they’ll skip over your email unless you entice them not to.
For instance, since I firmly believe that baby boomers are the wave of real estate’s near future, I’ve joined several boomer website’s email lists.
One of them uses the same subject line on every email. Identical. Never varies:
“First Look: Baby Boomers”
As interested as I am in baby boomer real estate attitudes, I seldom open these emails. I always think I’ll find the time later on but I seldom do.
Today, I opened one and the first link to a story on their website is “Are You Making This Big Retirement Mistake?”
Send out the Too Much House postcard (available in the postcard section under Life Event Series)
What a brilliant title! If I were close to retirement, I would find this topic so compelling I would click on the link.
Had this been the subject of the email, it would’ve been opened immediately. Think of the website visits this company is missing out on by being so lazy with their email subject lines.
According to Olivia Allen at Hubspot.com, there are seven key concepts to keep in mind when writing email subject lines. The three most pertinent to the real estate agent include:
Urgency: It’s the old FOMO concept at work here – the “fear of missing out.” Agents use this often when discussing low interest rates and low home prices, stressing (hopefully) that they won’t last forever.
Curiosity: The baby boomer story about the big retirement mistake fits this concept.
Personalization: Smart agents who segment their databases are most likely quite familiar with personalizing content according to a lead’s position in the pipeline, whether a buyer or seller, looking for a condo or a house, etc. Email open rates improve when subject lines are personalized to recipients’ interests.
You can find all seven concepts and more information about email subject lines at Hubspot.com.
Your real estate email signature
Recently, an agent in a Facebook real estate group posted his email signature, asking for feedback from the group. And, did he get feedback!
Here’s a look at his email signature, with identifying information changed:
Advice he was given that we find spot on includes:
Dump the designations. Studies show that real estate consumers neither understand what they mean or care. Unless it’s an academic designation, such as a JD or PhD, they’re just distractions and clutter.
That magazine recognition is quite impressive, until you get to the dates. Has he slacked off since 2016? We think he should leave off the dates.
Unless it’s law in your area, leave off your license numbers. Also, we would suggest he add “Real Estate” before “Associate Broker” and leave off mention of his appraiser’s license. To the basic consumer, “Associate Broker” doesn’t mean anything. . .broker of what? With the addition of his appraisal license, it appears he may be a broker of appraisals.
There are far too many telephone numbers in his signature. Also, what’s the difference between “direct” and “cell?” Isn’t a cell number a direct line? Dump the eFax number completely.
The mission statement should go as well. Use that space for an amazing client testimonial.
Where’s his website URL, his Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media links?
There are several technical errors as well. These include inconsistencies in phone number format; some numbers have the area code in parenthesis while others don’t. Punctuation bloopers (serial commas in the mission statement, etc.).
His colleagues also reminded him that most emails are opened on mobile devices with small screens and doubt that this will show well on such. They also suggested his phone number should be first so that people don’t have to wade through all the self-serving hype to find it.
One agent saw what the rest of us missed: too many links in an e-signature may trigger spam filters. All of the blue text in his signature are links.
The bottom line, from that brilliant agent, is to keep your email signature “simple and license law compliant.”
Send the Retiring Soon postcard (available in the postcard section under Life Events Series).
Attract Baby Boomers by sending out the Retiring Soon postcard from the Life Event Series.
Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!
PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!
1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar
“Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – Click Here
3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here
4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan
Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here
5. The Free Online ROI Calculator
Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here
It may seem odd for a company that provides direct mail services to the real estate industry to offer advice to agents about best practices for email. Especially when statistics claim that direct mail is more effective than email marketing.
But we agreed to set aside this space on our website to offer up the latest real estate marketing advice of all stripes, even if it doesn’t directly sell our products.
Besides, most successful agents use a multi-pronged marketing approach that includes a mix of different marketing techniques.
If email is one that you use and you’re not getting the ROI you expected, read on for some tips on how to turn it around.
There is no such thing as a 100% open rate
So, wipe that goal from your list.
“If you want a 100 percent open rate, send one email to your mother,” says Dela Quist, an email pioneer and CEO of Alchemy Worx.
If your goal is to improve your click-through rate, without depending on Mom, start with what’s “above the fold” in your email message – the subject line.
That’s the come on – the lure. Head to a magazine stand (yes, they still exist. . .even in supermarkets). Check out which tantalizing blurb on each cover makes you want to purchase the publication so you can learn more.
The same holds true for blog post headlines – notice what it is about the title that makes you want to read more.
Your marketing email’s subject line is its “main cover line” (magazine industry lingo), title (in blogging) or headline. Treat it with all the attention it requires. It will make or break your open rate.
“69% of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line,”
according to OptinMonster.com.
Think about the last time you wrote a listing description. Your MLS limits the number of words you can use, some more than others. It’s frustrating to fit enticing, compelling text into such a small space, but not impossible.
Now take that same skill to your email newsletter. With even less space, you’ll need to make the subject line irresistible.
Ways to deal with the subject line
Choose the lead story from your newsletter. If the headline isn’t enticing, change it. “3 steps to beat an investor to win your dream home,” is far more intriguing than “How to win a bidding war.”
It also includes the numbered list, which many email experts say is a favorite among email recipients.
Then, ensure that your subject line includes at least one adjective and the more powerful, the better. To understand the psychological punch some adjectives convey, think about restaurant menus.
For instance, you’re going to order lunch in a diner. Which entree sounds more intriguing?
Chicken pot pie
Grandma’s flaky chicken pot pie with garden-fresh vegetables.
For dessert, are you more likely to order “chocolate cake,” or “5-Layer, Espresso-Soaked Chocolate Cake?”
Need a template?
“Number or Trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + Promise = Clickable Headline”
According to an unnamed writer at BlogSiteStudio.com, copywriter and autism specialist Catherine Pascuas claims that “When you’re writing, you want to think about pulling psychological strings. Appeal to each person’s needs, wishes, joys, and sorrows.”
To do that, she came up with the above formula for headlines.
Use either a number or a trigger word, not both. If you choose to use a number, make it odd and reasonable (not more than 9). Trigger words include what, when, how and why.
Slip in a powerful adjective or one that describe resolution of a pain point. These include brilliant, incredible, amazing, effortless, easy, painstaking, fun, free, powerful, surprising.
Next comes what Pascuas mistakenly calls a “keyword,” and the unnamed writer explains as “rational” [sic]. Neither hit the mark. The word both of them were looking for is “noun,” because the next thing you’ll plug into the formula is the noun that the adjective or trigger word describes (duh).
These include words such as tips, reasons, shortcuts, facts, mistakes, ideas, ways and secrets.
Pascuas final element of the headline formula is “promise,” described as “a value proposition or a dare.” We would add that it might also be a desired outcome or a disaster avoided.
“5 brilliant ways to ensure you get a home loan.”
“3 Surprising Shortcuts to Come up with a Down Payment”
“How to Easily Dispute a Home Appraisal”
If you publish a lot of list-type blog posts and newsletter articles, you may prefer the following, easier formula, that has made the rounds across the internet as well.
(odd number) (adjective) (mistakes/tips/insights/shortcuts) for (achieving/avoiding) (desired outcome/disaster)
And, here it is in action:
“3 Surprising Tips to Beat the Competition in a Bidding War”
“5 Easy DIY Projects to Help your Home Sell Quickly”
“7 Disastrous Mistakes to Avoid when Hiring a Listing Agent”
Addressing a poor click-through rate starts at the top of your email. Starting with the subject line may just bring you somewhat instant gratification.
Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list toolto create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!
PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!
1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
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
2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar
“Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. –Click Here
3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here
4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan
Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here
5. The Free Online ROI Calculator
Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here
