business cards

5 Creative Ways to Use QR CODES to Increase Your Marketing Response Rate

Jul 20, 2022

QR codes are everywhere—in magazines, on supermarket shelves, and even in TV ads.

While QR codes (quick response codes) have been around since 1994, they have only recently become an integral part of advertising and marketing for businesses.

Fast forward to 2022—QR codes are more ubiquitous than ever in business marketing. But can QR codes be an effective marketing tool in real estate? You bet!

Here are five ways to effectively integrate QR codes into your real estate marketing.

1. Hyperlink Your Signs

Most smartphones can read QR codes and immediately route the user to a landing page or website.

Listing your agent website on the For Sale sign may generate some online traffic, but placing a QR code on the sign, as well, is more efficient. It will quickly send potential buyers directly to where you want them, such as an appointment signup form.

2. Show the House to Anyone, Anywhere

QR codes enable prospective buyers to instantly arrive at a virtual tour they can take anytime, anywhere.

Real estate agents can use virtual tours to show homes to a limitless number of people any time, day or night.

More people are buying homes they have never seen in person than ever before. QR codes bypass several steps and funnel people exactly where they want to go.

Call To Action Postcards with QR Code free offer URLs added. See more designs, HERE. Add a Free QR Code to your Photo Gallery, HERE.

A strong call to action is the foundation of high ROI marketing.

Use a QR code on your marketing as a quick and easy way to send people to a free home market analysis offer.

Check out the Call to Action Series of postcards for done-for-you templates that have free offers already included, HERE.

3. An Interactive Aspect in Advertising

Adding a QR code to a traditional tool like a business card adds dimension and fully engages prospective buyers’ attention.

In the last three years, nearly three-quarters of people surveyed stated they turned to their phones to gather information before making a purchase. For many, a smartphone is an indispensable tool that can help them compare and contrast home features and details. Even in-person visitors will scan a QR code to ‘revisit’ the home later.

4. Make Mailers More Dynamic

Recent studies show that 70% of consumers say mail is more personal than the internet and 40% say they will try a new business after they’ve received direct mail. Clearly, direct mail marketing continues to be one of the most effective ways to generate interest.

Recipients who receive your direct mail piece now have an opportunity to capture your QR code and store your contact information for future use.

Additionally, QR codes on direct mailers can deliver critical information to real estate agents, who can then capture this data and determine the campaign’s effectiveness.

5. Gather Feedback for Retargeting

Placing a QR code at a home showing or after bringing buyers in for a tour can encourage more honest feedback about what worked and what didn’t.

Potential clients may be reticent to talk in person and prefer leaving their impressions online. A QR code that takes people directly to a simple feedback form offers the opportunity to gather essential data, leading to more conversions.

Get More Listings II Postcard with QR Code contact info added to front & back. See More designs, HERE. Add a Free QR Code to your Photo Gallery, HERE.

Adding QR codes to your marketing toolbox can help you reach a wider audience and connect buyers and sellers more quickly. QR codes allow people to skip extra steps, saving time and making them more likely to complete the action or task.

Power up your current marketing tools like business cards and postcards with a QR code.

In the most competitive housing market in years, QR codes could give you the edge you need to beat out the competition and close the deal.

HOW-TO: Watch the “How to add a QR CODE to Your Marketing” Video, Below.

FOR YOU: 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 when. Four key market segments are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. 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

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 Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

New Agents: How to Get That First Client

Sep 7, 2020

Congrats on passing your exam and finding a broker to hang that license with.

We know what you’re thinking: “Now what?”

We’re willing to wager that the first day in your new office you sat around and stared at a blank computer screen while listening to the conversations around you about client deals and commission checks.

Made you feel like a fish out of water, didn’t it?

The good news is that, like any new thing, you’ll get used to it, learn and hopefully become more successful than you’d ever imagined.

But, it starts with a deal. Just one deal.

And, for that, you’ll need a client. It’s a good thing you’re visiting ProspectsPLUS! because we’re about to walk you through some brilliant ways to connect with that one person who will get you started down what we hope is a long and prosperous career.

A business card is just the beginning

Carry as many business cards as you can and hand them out to everyone. The guy who makes your coffee in the morning, the dry cleaner, your kids’ teachers, and everyone you interact with at the gym.

But handing out business cards is just a baby step. You need to get found and one of the best ways to do that is with a website.

NAR tells us that 51 percent of their 1,334,668 members have had a website for at least five years. It’s a surprisingly low number when you consider how much business you can get from your site.

Even more surprising is that only 9 percent of agents have a blog – one of the best traffic generators if done right.

The typical home buyer searches for homes online before doing anything else, including seeing if they can even qualify for a mortgage.

If you don’t have a website, there is no way you’ll be found. So, while you’re sitting in your cubby at your broker’s office, work on getting a website (with IDX, a blog and a system to capture leads) up and running.

Who do you know?

It’s time to fill up that CRM and announce yourself to the world with a card from our Photo Introduction Series. Any veteran agent worth his or her salt will counsel you to rely on your Sphere of Influence for that first transaction. To determine who is in your sphere of influence, make a list of the following:

The family who live in the area you want to serve
Friends
Neighbors (an especially good source of leads)
Former colleagues
Connections on social media
Casual acquaintances, such as your hairstylist, dentist, doctor and even your pet’s veterinarian (check out the awesome doctor loan products for medical professionals)

This list comprises your network so you’ll need to further refine it to narrow it down to only those people over whom you have some influence. This is your sphere of influence.

“Think about it as the people who would see a movie, read a book, or try a new restaurant because you recommended it,” suggests the pros at Contactually, a CRM provider.

Don’t toss the original list because many in your network will eventually be added to your sphere. Right now, you just want to reach out to people you have been in contact with over the past year.

What to mail, or email

As stated above, introducing yourself with a postcard is a great way to announce your status as a real estate agent.

Later in your career, you’ll want to avoid overt, heavy-handed, and frequent self-promotion, right now, it’s a must.

In fact, you may need to beat people over the head (metaphorically, please) with the fact that you now help people buy and sell homes.

A Free Offer postcard is an ideal medium to use to create interest as the second mailing after your introduction. Send one to each person in your sphere. Then, never mention again that you are a new agent. All future contact with them should offer something of value, with no reminders that you’re fresh out of real estate school.

What would be considered valuable? A Direct Response Report like, “How to Chop 4 Years and $24,000 Off Your Mortgage“, the offer of a Free List of Home Resources, a Comfort Food Recipe, or the Content Series Card, “Cleaning Green” are some ideas.

With a monthly Community Newsletter, you can work in all of these topics and more.

We understand that, right now, it seems as if finding that first client may be an elusive dream. But, take the steps to market yourself effectively and that client will appear.

Send out The Mac and Cheese postcard from the Comfort Food Series to your Sphere of Influence.

Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our Demographic Search 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 some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. 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.

2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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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

3. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

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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

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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. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

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”

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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

Has technology killed the real estate business card?

Oct 23, 2019

I recently read an online article that gave 42 examples of “real estate business cards that help you close the deal.”

Because, you know, your business card is a deal closer. At least in somebody’s universe.

In the real world, your real estate business card does serve several important functions, but closing deals isn’t among them.

Agent Introduction postcards are available in the postcard section under the Agent Introduction Series.

If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your cards, dive into the tips below to be ready for your 2020 real estate leads.

Start with the basics

The name of the game with business cards in 2020 is “simplicity.” This means dumping the fax number, paring down the superfluous and including only the basics necessary for a lead to contact you. At the least, include your:

Name
Title
One phone number
Email address
Company logo
Website URL — dump the protocol and prefix (https://www.) using only your domain name (ProspectsPLUS.com).

Reconsider adding your physical address; it isn’t necessary and it takes up gobs of space.

Here’s an example of simplicity in action that we found at 99Designs.com.

Don’t pinch pennies

Like your website and other marketing materials, your business card is a reflection of your brand image. Often, it’s among the first impressions you’ll give to a potential client.

You counsel your selling clients about the importance of curb appeal to their home’s first impression, right? The same holds true about marketing you and the services you offer.

Kick down the money necessary to create a professional, aesthetically-pleasing real estate business card.

If you’re creating one from scratch, be prepared for how intimidating a 3.5×2-inch blank slate can be. It’s tempting to fill every part of it with something – anything – but resist the temptation.

Lacking inspiration? Turn to your website’s branding concept and considering using those elements on your business card.

Pay close attention to font choice and use lots of white space.

Your final decision will be card stock. Naturally, you don’t want it to be flimsy, but how thick is thick enough?

The printing experts at Staples claim that most business cards are printed on 14 to 20 pt. card stock. They also suggest that you don’t go any lower than 14 pt. if you want your card to feel professional.

About that mug shot

“We’ve all seen those cheesy real estate agent business cards that always seem to have a photograph of them next to their contact information,” begins an online article about whether or not to include a headshot on a business card.

“It’s so common in this niche that you could practically make a template of what to expect … What’s the value when everyone else is doing it?” the author wonders.

Ouch.

There are good arguments on both sides of the issue, including the results of a test performed by an attorney and adjunct professor Eric Bryn.

His group sent 2,000 postcards containing identical messages. The only difference is that half had photos of a real estate agent and half didn’t.

Nearly 200 recipients responded to the mailing. All of them from the group that received the photo-less postcard.

Not one response came from a recipient of a card that included the agent’s photo.

The professor went on to explain that they’ve used this same testing method on other types of real estate agent marketing, such as business cards and websites. The results are always the same – pieces lacking an agent photo get better responses than those that include the photo.

If you decide to use a photo, check out our agent photo tips.

Technology has killed many old-school business practices, but the business card isn’t yet among them.

Sure, you can easily swap contact information with someone you meet at a convention via a smartphone, but swapping brand information requires something more.

Something like a real estate business card.

Order business cards with QR Codes and make it super easy for recipients to add your contact information.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list too l 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

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

New Agent? Here’s how to spend your first 30 days (Part 1)

Jun 24, 2019

Welcome to real estate, rookie! Those world’s-most-boring-classes and the licensing exam were the prelude to what may just turn out to be a very lucrative and fulfilling business.

But only if you get off to a good start and that’s just what we hope to help you with today. So, forget about sitting in a cubby, staring at a blank wall or a quiet phone and the background conversations that sound like a foreign language.

You’ve got work to do!

Choose your broker carefully

You’ll need to “hang” your license with a real estate broker and, depending on the size of your town you may have slim pickin’s or so many you have no idea where to start.

First, decide if you want to work for one of the big national companies, such as RE/MAX or Keller Williams, or if you prefer the small, boutique-style local brokerages. They both have their pluses and minuses.

Since we advocate that you interview more than one broker, why not interview a couple of each of the above?

Here are some questions you’ll want answers to:

What split are you offering?

This refers to your commission split. For each transaction (unless the broker represents both the buyer and the seller), the commission paid by the seller is split two ways. This means that the listing broker and the selling broker each get half the commission.

Then, each broker pays their listing/buyer agent their agreed-upon share. Splits vary, but the typical rookie agent is offered around 50 percent.

Is there a desk fee?

This is basically rent for the space you use at the office. Not all brokers charge this fee.

Do you offer floor time to agents?

Floor time is a predetermined amount of time that you agree to be in the office to field calls (some questions can’t be legally answered by the receptionist, unless he or she is licensed) and to speak with walk-ins.

Yes, it’s a hassle. But it may result in generating a lead or two and maybe even a buying client. It’s worth it if for no other reason that you’ll become accustomed to speaking with real estate consumers.

Related: 5 Ways Agents Sabotage Their Careers

What type of marketing are you doing?

While you will definitely want to come up with a plan to market your business, marketing the company is the broker’s job. The more exposure the company gets, the better for each agent.

Finally, ask about the broker’s training program for new agents. My first broker didn’t have a program but he spent lots of time with new agents weekly, teaching us everything from how to read the contract upside down and compiling fake CMAs to some scripts and dialogs he felt were effective.

Once you’re with a broker you can join the NAR and the local association, so be prepared to shell out some significant bucks.

Get business cards

Many new agents order business cards through their broker, which is fine in the beginning. You will soon grow out of those, however, so don’t order too many.

Get the word out and stay connected with a personalized business card (available under the Business Card tab)

Once you’ve settled into the daily real estate business routine you’ll want to work on your branding and, most important, get your own website set up. Once this is finished, order new, Business Cards, complete with your website’s URL.

Purchase CRM software

Customer relation management will be one of the more critical tasks in your real estate business and, thankfully, there are software solutions to help streamline the process.

Ask around the office to get a feel for the best CRM solutions and you’ll find the same names pop up repeatedly.

LionDesk
pipedrive
Market Leader
Wise Agent
Follow Up Boss
realvolve
Top Producer

When you’ve found one or two that sound right, run your choices by your broker to help you decide. He or she has worked with enough rookies to understand what they need in a CRM and how to choose one that will grow with you.

Get the software up and running and start populating it with the contact information of family, friends and close acquaintances. This is your sphere of influence, and they’ll be important in your efforts to harness the power of referrals.

Contact everyone you know who lives in the area

You know a lot more people than you may think:

Doctor
Dentist
Veterinarian
Dog Groomer
Dry Cleaner
Barista
Hair Stylist or Barber
Nail Technician
Folks at the gym where you work out
Landlord/lady and former landlords/ladies
Your kids’ friends’ parents
Teachers
Former colleagues

This list represents just a small fraction of groups of people that you may know; use it to brainstorm additional sources.

It doesn’t matter how you contact these people – call, email, snail mail – but reach out to them and let them all know that you’re now in real estate.

Consider sending an Agent Introduction postcard to those people you won’t be calling on the phone. And be sure to mention, whether in person, by phone, email or snail mail, that you’re happy to help anyone they know who may be thinking of buying or selling a home.

Create a business and marketing plan

It’s a rare rookie who prepares a business and marketing plan. Hey, we get it, it’s a complete hassle and other parts of the new business which are more attractive, beckon.

Every successful agent we know, however, has a plan, even if rudimentary and written on post-it notes.

Check out the Real Estate Marketing Planner for 12 months of strategic marketing ideas. This Planner is a free resource provided by us for you.

Our One Page Real Estate Business Plan is another free resource that we have made available for you. It’s simple, yet gives you a direct path to achieving your business goals.

Watch this space next month for Part 2 of How to Spend your First 30 Days as a new real estate agent. See you then!

Let everyone know how to find you when they are looking for real estate help (available in the postcard section under Agent Introduction Series)

Send out Agent Introduction postcards to your newly created Sphere of Influence.

Make sure they know who to call when they are ready.

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