Dean Jackson, Founder of GoGoAgent and Listing Agent Lifestyle, states, “Most agents begin focusing on finding a buyer after they get a new listing.”
“Often, the reason agents are only focused on getting listings is because of their belief they need the listing to be able to find buyers.”
But what if instead of matching buyers and sellers, listing by listing, you become a Market-Maker who controls your market?
How incredible would it be to arrive at your listing appointment with a list of buyers you’ve already been communicating with from the surrounding area?
Dean Jackson says, “There’s nothing more powerful than promoting your access to buyers at your listing appointment because you’ve got the very thing the seller wants more than anything.”
“Regardless of who else is competing for this listing, they can’t win when you already have buyers in hand.”
When you begin to see your listing appointments this way, you are changing the game entirely and taking the first steps toward becoming a Market-Maker.
Rent By Number Series is shown above. See more HERE.
How to Begin
Create a Renter Prospect List in the area you are currently prospecting using the Demographic Search tool on ProspectsPLUS.com, and launch a marketing campaign to this list.
Then, before your next listing appointment, print out your list in map form. Use the List Management Tool under your ProspectsPLUS!® account options.
PINPOINT YOUR RENTER PROSPECTS LIST ON A MAP
Take your map with you on your listing appointment. Show this map of prospective buyers to your homeowner, and inform them you’ve been communicating with this list from the surrounding area for months.
“The most essential item you can take with you when going on a listing appointment in a competitive market is access to buyers.”
Then, discuss the high probability that their home buyer is on this list.
“…Specifically, when you factor in the NAR statistic, homebuyers purchase homes within 15 miles of their previous home.”
Imagine the feeling you’ll have selling this listing to your own buyer – that’s a true Market-Maker!
Bottom Line
The most essential item you can take with you when going on a listing appointment in a competitive market is access to buyers.
While other agents discuss what they’ll do to find a buyer once the listing agreement is signed, you stand alone because you’ve already done the work.
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 combined with 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 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 and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
3. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this 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
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
I recently spent some time talking to Todd Robertson, Director of the Market Dominator, about how agents are relying on their farms even more to keep business going during the pandemic. Todd shared some new and exciting things he’s doing to help agents level up and go from farmer to market maker.
Farming a geographic area is a time-tested, proven method for achieving new listings and referrals. Yet Todd says for many agents insecurities over what to send, how often to send it, and how to budget stops them from taking advantage of this real estate game-changer.
Those who understand the power of farming forge ahead putting systems in place, cultivating and developing lucrative relationships over time.
This results in branded awareness that keeps their name at the forefront when someone is ready to buy or sell or knows someone who is and it’s that agent who receives the call.
“These agents understand the key to successful farming is consistent marketing that allows them to stand out from the pack,” says Todd.
“I believe this is why the Market Dominator is such a popular marketing tool for agents. It’s a content-rich marketing piece, automatically sent every month, that’s literally larger-than-life”.
“And, I’m not kidding when I say larger-than-life,” Todd exclaimed, “At 12×15 in size, the Market Dominator is the largest legal size allowed by USPS. It’s a mailbox show stopper that can’t be ignored”.
That combined with content designed by industry professionals, the use of budget-friendly EDDM, and carrier route exclusivity is what Todd says makes the Dominator an agent favorite.
The leap from Farmer to Market Maker
Although the Market Dominator has been incredibly well received by agents, Todd said the current climate got him thinking it was time to do more.
With certain parts of the country just opening up again, it left many agents with only six months of 2020 to hit their annual goals. Todd said this knowledge caused him to go back to the drawing board to come up with a way to help agents level up during this remaining time.
And he found an answer. He decided to help agents go from successful farmer to market makers.
Instead of them following the traditional agent path of matching buyers and sellers, listing by listing, Todd’s helping them find a way to truly control their market and explode their growth.
He says they’ve added a new valuable resource to the Market Dominator by providing agents with a Renter Prospect List from within or around their carrier route (at no cost to the agent).
And, they’re also going to pay for the first campaign out to this renter prospect list using postcards from the Rent By Numbers Series.
“Offering this additional tool is the ultimate progression for an agent who wants to truly begin to control their market,” says Todd.
Now they’re starting to cultivate relationships with some of the very people who will be interested in buying homes in their carrier route.
“Imagine how your listing appointment will go when you show an area map of potential buyers you’ve been communicating with to the homeowners,” says Todd.
“How powerful is that?” Todd continued, “Regardless of who else is competing for this listing, they can’t win. You’ve shown up with potential buyers in hand”.
Telling a homeowner you’ve already been looking for their home’s buyer for months is a strong statement. Especially considering there’s a high probability that their home’s buyer is on this list.
While other agents are discussing what they’ll do to find a buyer once the listing agreement is signed, todd says you stand alone because you’ve already done the work.
To learn more about the Market Dominator, watch this excerpt from a recent Q&A Todd did below.
For additional questions, you can reach Todd at 866-405-3638 or Todd.Robertson@prospectsplus.com or go to Market Dominator for more information. To download Todd’s book, “Become a Listing Legend”, scroll down it’s available under Free Resources, below.
If you’re interested in generating your own Renter Prospect List to market to in your Farm click here from a desktop computer to get started or watch the video below to learn how.
PLUS: When you have time…here are some Free resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
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
6. The Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
Dean Jackson takes your game up another notch by disclosing the steps to becoming a “Market-Maker”. Learn how to differentiate yourself, become the wise insider, and disrupt your market. Dean Jackson is the founder of GoGoAgent and Listing Agent Lifestyle.
Reverse your thinking
On a fundamental level, the real estate business consists of finding one person who wants to buy a home and finding one person who wants to sell a home and matching those people up.
Most agents begin focusing on finding a buyer after they get a new listing. In fact, often agents are only focused on getting listings because their belief is they need these listings to be able to find buyers.
But what if you reversed this thinking? What if instead of matching buyers and sellers, listing by listing, you become a Market-Maker who’s truly controlling your market?
Bring what the seller REALLY wants
How powerful would it be to show up at a competitive listing appointment with a buyer who already wants to buy the house or a list of people who are interested in a house like their home?
There is nothing more powerful than this position because you’ve got the very thing that the seller wants more than anything.
Even if you brought this buyer to an appointment where the seller was thinking of listing with their mother, if all they had to do was sign with you and their house was sold, mom would be out.
Yeap, they would sell their mother out in a second because self-interest always wins, and their self-interest is to find a buyer.
That’s an extreme example but I guarantee you if you line up the four best listing presentations in your marketplace to compete against and you arrive with a buyer who says, “How much would you like for the house?” and “I’ll take it,” nobody’s getting that listing but you.
When you see listing appointments from this perspective, it makes the most sense to focus on already having buyers whenever possible. It will always give you an advantage on the listings.
A case study
As an internal case study, I spent some time running my “Getting Listings Program” with the intent of find lakefront home sellers in Winter Haven (where I live). At the same time, I marketed home and land ads for buyers looking for lakefront homes.
It wasn’t too long before I received responses from interested parties.
One of those responses was a phone call from someone who’d seen my marketing about the “new lakefront homes that were coming onto the market”. He told me he sold his house in Stuart and was looking for a lakefront home in Winter Haven.
Then literally within an hour of getting that call, I received an email from a home seller on Lake Ruby. She stated, “I’ve been getting your marketing pieces for the last few months and we’re ready to sell our house.” This house actually was a perfect fit for my buyer from Stuart. It was such a perfect coincidence I couldn’t have scripted it better.
Become the insider
The results of my case study really solidified my understanding that the very best thing you can have in a competitive listing arena is a buyer or access to buyers. While everyone else is talking to sellers about, “Once I list your house we’re going to do this and this, and this to find a buyer”, you are going to set your self apart.
Your talk track will be, “I started looking for the buyer for your house 180 days ago by doing this, and this, and this, and right now I have a pool of these buyers who are looking for homes just like yours”.
To be able to match buyers and sellers up in this way, triangulating them, that’s where true “Market-Making” lies. Now, you’ve got insider information and access to people who are thinking about buying a home, and you’ve got insider information on people who are thinking about selling their home.
All that is left is to match these people up. And that’s where you’re adding value and differentiating yourself because no one else will be attacking a market in this innovative and far-reaching way.
Start collecting your pool of buyers now by sending the When Moving Makes Sense postcard from the Move-Up Market Series to at least 100 prospective buyers.
Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list toolto create the ideal list or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!
PLUS: When you have time…here are 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!
1. The Free 2018 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
2. 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
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, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here – Click Here
According to a CMO survey (a company that collects the opinions of top marketers), only 16.3 percent of marketers “are confident about recommending investing in social media marketing.”
If professional marketers aren’t able to justify spending their clients’ money on social media marketing, then you may want to pass for now, specifically if you’re working with a tight budget.
So where do you spend your marketing dollars when you’re funds are limited?
The proof is in the numbers
Direct mail marketings response rate, according to the DMA Response Rate Report, stands at nine percent to warm leads and five percent to cold.
In addition, the DMA states 56% of consumers believe print marketing is the most trustworthy of all marketing channels.
The email marketing response rate is one percent. Online display ads are even worse, at 0.30 percent.
Clearly, if you are looking for the best place to spend your limited marketing dollars, the answer is direct mail marketing.
How much should you allocate
Before getting clear on your budget you must understand your revenue goals and objectives.
As a guide, businesses spend, on average, 9.8 percent of revenue on marketing, according to the aforementioned CMO survey.
We see you wincing. But consider this: according to NAR, the overall budget item that agents spend the most money on every year is on their automobiles.
Cars aren’t exactly lead-generating machines, yet there you have it.
So, determine a percentage that you can feel comfortable with, based on your goals, and commit to spending that budget during the remainder of the year.
The following are three tips to get the most bang for your direct mail marketing budget
1. The List
For any marketing campaign to be successful you must know your audience. This is even more critical when you’re on a tight budget. Now is not the time to attempt to be all things to all people.
The easiest way to whittle down the audience is by first figuring out if you’re going after buyers or sellers. Make a choice.
This not only ensures that what you mail is relevant to the recipient, but helps you choose a farming area (subdivision vs apartment building, for instance).
Be very picky who you mail to. Throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks is a sure way to burn through your budget with nothing to show for the time and money spent.
Once you have defined your target markets, use our mailing list tools to create your prospect list.
2. The marketing pieces
After taking into account how many mailed pieces your budget will allow you to send, it’s time to determine an economic format. Postcards are most likely your best bet. They’re inexpensive to print and mail.
If your budget is super tight, consider foregoing postage costs and delivering door hangers. The advantages to using door hangers include that they stand out more and because you’ll save on postage your list can be larger.
Disadvantages include the labor intensiveness of having to visit each home on your list. Also, door hangers aren’t quite as effective when used in neighborhoods where people routinely enter their homes through the garage.
3. Offer something
Come up with a compelling offer and feature that on your direct mail postcards. A free home price analysis, buy first vs sell first evaluation or a free home equity analysis are all effective options.
The idea is to move recipients to act or, at the very least, hang on to your postcard until they’re ready to act.
Bottom line
Now, when your budget is tight, isn’t the time to take chances with marketing your real estate business.
Jumping on time-consuming and costly social media bandwagons that don’t deliver your target audience or wasting time and resources on an email that may not be opened, let alone read, can wait.
Use your budget on marketing that has the highest response rate – direct mail marketing.
The Move-Up Market is a great market to target right now. Especially since, with our current sale, you can get the first 100 prospects on a Move-Up Market list for FREE!
Discover Move-Up Market prospects in Your Area and Get the First 100 for FREE with the Demographic Search Tool.
HOW TO FIND MOVE-UP MARKET PROSPECTS IN YOUR AREA.
Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Demographic Search Tool.
USE PROMO CODE: MOVE100 to get the first 100 prospects free.
This sale expires on 10/23/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. The Free 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
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. The 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
6. 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
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
There is nothing more important to us than helping real estate agents succeed. We continually work to discover new ways to make your work life easier and more effective.
This is why we conduct ongoing surveys, to find out what aspects of real estate marketing are most important to you for your success.
Below are the results of our recent nationwide survey revealing how agents across the country weigh in on all aspects of real estate marketing.
The results may surprise you.
Survey Question #1. How Close are you to Achieving Your Income Goals for This Year?
Survey Question #2. Where do you Focus Most of Your Marketing/Lead Generation Efforts?
Survey Question #3. How Many Contacts in Your SOI Do You Communicate With on a Monthly Basis or More?
Survey Question #4. How Much Do You Spend Per Month on Marketing and Promotion?
Survey Question #5. Which Niche Markets Have You Targeted With the Most Success?
Survey Question #6. What Marketing Challenges Consume Most of Your Time?
Survey Question #7. If You Were Guaranteed 3 Extra Closings a Year From a One-Year Scheduled SOI Campaign, or Your Money Back, Would You Do it?
Survey Question #8. Do You Know How Many Contacts You Should Have in Your SOI Based on Your Income Goals?
The Free Online SOI Calculator
To learn how many contacts should be in your Sphere of Influence based on your income goals, try the Free Online SOI Calculator now,CLICK HERE
The SOI Scheduled Campaigns “3 Extra Closings a Year” Guarantee
Statistics show that 66% of the business generated by top agents comes from family, friends, close acquaintances, and referrals generated by the first 3 groups.
Consistently marketing to these groups is the key to the growth of your real estate business.
A Scheduled SOI Campaign does this while freeing up time for more important tasks like listing appointments & closings.
Our 3 Extra Closings a Year Guarantee
We believe so much in the power of Scheduled Campaigns and what they will do for your real estate business we’re offering a guarantee.
Launch a one-year SOI Scheduled Campaign with a minimum of 150 postcards per month and if after one year you haven’t generated 3 extra closings, and have incorporated the Free BusinessBASE, we will refund the money spent on your campaign.
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free 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
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a NEW 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically every month to an exclusive carrier route (membership includes your own online Homes & Life Agent Magazine). Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. 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
6. 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
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
Before you launch your next direct mail campaign let’s take a moment to review the three rules for direct mail marketing success.
Choose the right prospect list
Provide a compelling offer
Follow best practices for marketing piece design
Read on to discover how to launch a successful real estate direct mail campaign.
1. Choose the right prospect list
Reaching the right people at the right time is key to the success of any type of marketing, including direct mail. Choosing the people who populate your prospect list is your first job.
To decide who goes on the list, determine your purpose with each direct mail campaign. Are you trying to build brand awareness in a farm area? Generate new clients? Which type, buyers, or sellers? What niche specifically renters, move-up market, baby boomers, fence-sitters, absentee owners, or luxury market (to name a few)?
It’s critical to determine your “why” and “who” before you begin. “Why am I conducting a direct mail campaign? Who do I want to reach?”
Suppose you want buyer leads from a particular subdivision. Sure, homeowners may be thinking of moving, but it’s more likely that those currently renting are the best prospects. NAR states most buyers purchase a home within an average of 15 miles from their previous residence.
Or, you may want to target homes in the subdivision owned by absentee owners but target the tenants living in them with theMapMyMail tool.
2. Provide a compelling offer
The second rule refers to your offer, the second most important aspect of a successful direct mail campaign.
Retailers have an easier time with this one. Offering a percentage off, free shipping or buy-one, get-one-free are all popular.
What about real estate agents? What can you offer that might compel a recipient of their postcards to act?
A free report on the importance of timing your home sale. The direct response report,“Timing is Everything”is ideal.
If you offer enticing seller services, such as free home staging or a free pre-sale home inspection, by all means, play that up as your offer.
If you don’t offer free services, consider choosing one to use as your offer just for the direct mail campaign.
Keep in mind, however, that the number of hoops you force your prospects to jump through to take advantage of the offer impacts the response rate, according to Bob McCarthy at DMNNews.com.
The more they have to do, the lower the response rate.
3. Direct mail piece design best practices
“One strategy we use to get our highest response rates is to make the offer the centerpiece of the direct mail piece”, McCarthy claims.
Whether you choose to include an image of the free report or use text to describe it, mention it boldly and repeatedly.
Your message (its length and graphic requirements) will determine the medium. Keeping it plain and simple? A standard-sized postcard may do the trick, although jumbo, panoramic and mega-sized postcards stand out in the mailbox which makes for a genuinely lasting impression.
If it’s graphics-heavy and you’ll include substantial copy, using one of the larger postcard sizes (jumbo or panoramic) becomes even more important.
Choose a font that’s easy to scan as people sift through their mail. Many direct mail experts recommend using a sans serif font, such as Arial, rather than Times New Roman or another serif font.
Consider varying the font size throughout the text, with more important items highlighted with a larger version of the chosen font.
Additional design tips to keep in mind include:
Ensure your headline is bold and compelling yet short and specific.
Use lots of white space to make the piece appear to be easily digestible.
Sub-headings help guide the reader through the text.
Use a high-resolution photograph.
Avoid placing text over photos.
Ensure that your offer stands out and that your contact information is easy to find.
To save time, take advantage of our already professionally done-for-you postcard designs covering a variety of niches and topics.
4. Send it out . . . and keep sending
Consistency is key when it comes to sending direct mail to your prospect list. Whether you choose to run your campaign bi-monthly or monthly follow the laws of branding and keep sending.
Market conditions may prompt a change in frequency as well. New listings, just sold-homes, and other real estate news deserve an additional “mention” to everyone in your farm area.
5. Track your results
Tracking your results is vital to your direct mail campaign. One of the most popular methods used by agents is the creation of a dedicated landing page on their websites. The URL should be unique to the campaign so that you’ll be able to learn your exact response rate (number of responses divided by the total number of pieces sent).
Marketing experts vary when quoting an “average response rate” for direct mail. The most recent figure puts it at 9% percent. How close or far you are from that figure depends on how closely you follow the guidelines outlined above.
Ready to Launch a Direct Mail Campaign? Schedule a FARM, Call to Action Campaign in Just Minutes.
They’re currently on sale 10% OFF the first month – (sale ends 7/17/21).
FARM, Call to Action Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE
TO LAUNCH A FARM, CALL TO ACTION CAMPAIGN:
Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).
Use promo code: ACTION10 to save 10% off the first month.
And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out).
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free 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
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. 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
6. 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
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
Want More Referrals?Stay connected to your Sphere with an SOI Content Card Campaign. They’re currently on sale 10% OFF the first month – (sale ends 7/3/21).
SOI, Content Card Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE
TO LAUNCH A SOI, Content Card CAMPAIGN:
Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer). Use promo code: CONTENT10 to save 10% off the first month.
And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out).
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free 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
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. 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
6. 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
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free 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
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. 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
6. 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
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
Probate is the legal process “through which a deceased person’s estate is properly distributed to designated beneficiaries. If any debt is owed it is paid off to creditors,” according to the experts at LegalZoom.com.
The probate process varies according to state. For instance, your potential new “listing client” is considered the contact person for the decedent in a probate case. However, the term used to define this person is just one of the aspects of probate that varies based on where they live.
In Hawaii, he or she is called the decedent’s “personal representative.” In California, you’ll need to find the name of the executor or executrix.
This representative is tasked with coming up with an inventory of the deceased’s estate and the disposal of the assets, including the home, according to the decedent’s wishes.
Findlaw.com offers a handy chart that displays specific probate laws and terms for each state, here.
Probate real estate is a growing niche
You, as a real estate agent experienced in probate sales (which you will be after your first probate transaction), are the decedent’s biggest assets.
All housing market eyes are on members of the baby boomer generation when it comes to potential, future probate cases.
And the interest is justified, considering that older Americans currently own 40 percent of the country’s housing stock.
Fannie Mae calls this the “departure of older adults from the homeowner market.” What they mean is their departure from the earthly realm, but they’re far too kind to put it that way.
Get More Probate Clients by Launching an Agent Definition Series Scheduled Campaign. Learn More, HERE
While Baby Boomers are living longer than previous generations, they will “exit homeownership” during this new decade. Statistics show they will exit at a rate of 42 percent higher than the previous decade, according to Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group.
The learning curve for real estate agents
If you lack enough first-hand knowledge of the process to get you started, you’ll need to learn all you can about the probate process in your area.
Start by visiting the Findlaw.com link we mentioned earlier. Then, call your MLS or local association to find out if they offer probate educational opportunities.
For instance, the Orange County Association of Realtors, in California, at one time offered probate training by a local probate attorney (not sure if they still do).
If you’re willing to pay the cost of online probate real estate courses, you’ll find them offered at AllTheLeads.com. They also have a podcast on the topic. We know nothing about the courses, so perform your due diligence before signing up.
Some of us prefer the self-taught method of learning. If you’re among this group, you’ll find loads of information online:
Starting out, you may opt for buying leads, and that’s ok. While we don’t know anything about the following companies, it may be worth it to check them out.
DIY agents should know that probate records are public. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to access them.
There are two ways to approach the search, initially:
Choose a county you’re interested in working in. Call the probate court for that county and ask how you can obtain a list of probates. Can’t find a “probate court” in that county? Call the circuit court.
Do an online search for “[Name of County] probate records.” This should help you find the .gov site that will outline the steps to get copies of the court records.
An additional source for purchasing probate prospect lists is with Rebogateway.
Probate clients aren’t like other real estate clients
You’ll meet a variety of clients when you start specializing in probate real estate. Some will be grief-stricken over the loss of a parent and the loss of the family home. Others are happy to help you sell the home in the shortest amount of time possible.
Often, it becomes a group undertaking, where all the details need to be ok’d by all siblings.
Emotions may run high so if you aren’t good at dealing with them, you may want to reconsider this niche.
If, on the other hand, you’re not afraid of others’ emotions, probate real estate can be a lucrative and rewarding specialty.
Ready to generate more listings by going after the probate market?
After you grab your prospect list, launch a weekly Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign to let them know you’re ready to help them sell their home.
FARM, Get More Listings Campaigns are currently on sale 10% OFF the first month. But ONLY for 3 MORE DAYS! (sale ends 5/15/21).
FARM, Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE
TO LAUNCH A FARM CAMPAIGN:
Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to get started on your FARM, Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).
And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out. The price shown at check out is per mailing, not campaign total).
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free 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
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. 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
6. 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
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
Here we are, four months into the new year, in the midst of the spring real estate market. Have you stuck to your marketing plan? If so, and it’s a good one, you’ll have no shortage of folks to work with this spring.
If you’ve been slacking, take the time now to tweak the plan. Start with the digital aspect of your real estate marketing plan.
Take a critical look at social media
Since it’s vital that you connect with potential clients where they spend most of their social media time, re-evaluate how each social media platform you use is working for you.
If you’re not getting a decent return on your investment (of time or money) for any platform, dump it and try something else.
Facebook
A good Facebook strategy, even if it’s just to get organic leads, is always worth your time. Users are, by and large, in the buyer/seller age range. Engagement, if pursued strategically, is easier than on most of the other platforms.
A decent Facebook strategy includes posting a couple times a week. If that’s too much for your schedule, post at least once a week and make sure the post is strong.
What’s a strong Facebook post? One in which you are aiming for engagement and shares. For instance, if your city or state is among the many “Best places” (to retire, to get a job, to buy a home, etc.) chosen each year, link to the article.
You can find these types of articles by entering the name of your city or state into a search engine, followed by “named best” or “chosen best.”
As an example, “Scottsdale named best” returned a ton of very cool articles that a Scottsdale agent might want to repost on Facebook.
People love proof that where they live is the best on the planet and tend to share these types of posts.
Instagram
If you are among the few (very few) agents who get real estate leads from the time-suck-that-is-Instagram, congratulations. If you aren’t seeing a return on the investment of your precious time, dump it. And, don’t feel bad. There’s a reason it isn’t working.
In December of 2019, Statista published the results of a study that found that nearly 71 percent of U.S. Instagram users are between the ages of 13 and 34.
Let that sink in: The majority of Instagram users aren’t within every real estate agent’s target audience.
Sadly, only 12 percent of users are in the typical buyer and seller age range. Marketing your real estate business on Instagram is like an actor playing to an empty house.
YouTube
Video production companies love to tout YouTube’s “more than 1.9 billion registered users.” What they don’t tell you is that it’s a worldwide figure, so it’s useless to real estate agents.
Unless, of course, you sell real estate worldwide?
Of those 1.9 billion users, nearly 185 million reside in the U.S. Most of these users turn to the video channel for entertainment, not tutorials.
Males, according to Statista, primarily watch soccer or other sports while beauty videos are the most popular among women.
Real estate is missing from the list of the 25 most-watched verticals, as of February 2020. To get an idea of what people in the United States are tuning in to watch, check out Vidooly.com.
It should come as no surprise that YouTube isn’t the ideal digital marketing platform for most agents.
Videos can be expensive and time-consuming to do right.
The NAR’s statistics show that video isn’t always an effective way to market listings as well.
Keep in mind, however, that walk-throughs are more popular than video among buyers. Try to talk your listing clients into a 3-D walkthrough instead.
Just don’t rely on the platform as an awesome way to market your business, because, again, you’re playing to an empty house.
Your website
Nearly half of all Google searchers are looking for local information, according to Hubspot, and slightly more than 80 percent of smartphone users search for local businesses.
This is a strong signal that your best ROI of your time is ranking in organic search for your local market.
Start with our site’s keywords. If you’re having trouble coming up with some, research the competition – those agents who are ranking on the first page of search engine results for local searches.
Yes, you can then use them on your site, but there’s more to it. Create content around these keywords and phrases and ensure that your content is “bigger and badder” than your competition’s.
Marketing plans shouldn’t be set in stone, but evolve. Take a look at yours periodically throughout the year and make the changes necessary.
RIGHT NOW! FARM Scheduled Campaigns are on sale 10% OFF the first month (sale ends 4/17/21).
19 Different FARM Campaigns to Choose From!
Launch a FARM, Empty Nest Scheduled Campaign, HERE
TO LAUNCH A FARM CAMPAIGN:
Launch a FARM Campaign by clicking the “GO NOW” button, below (from a desktop or laptop computer).
And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY until each mailing goes out (cancel or change up until the night before each mailing. The price shown at check out is per mailing, not campaign total).
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.
1. The Free 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
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. 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
6. 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
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
