Want More Listings? Become a BIG FISH in a Small Pond

Sep 30, 2021

Social media. Pay-per-click. Email.

Digital marketing is hot with real estate agents. This provides an amazing opportunity for the agent who decides to take a different approach and become a BIG FISH in a small pond.

How do you do this? with direct mail.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. “She works for a direct mail marketing company, of course, she will say this.”

Statistics, however, don’t lie. Direct mail marketing is not only strategic, but it can also be laser-focused to a particular audience and it works.

Why fish for listing leads in the huge ocean that is digital? Think about it; doesn’t it make more sense to cast your net in a smaller pond filled with people who you are certain ACTUALLY OWN HOMES?

Some things to consider

In a recent survey of real estate agents, 82% said their marketing goal this year is to “improve their social media presence,” according to Becky Brooks at theclose.com.

A worthy goal, but not very focused. Think about this: while they are chasing after Facebook leads, you’ll have little competition vying for attention in homeowners’ mailboxes.

With targeted direct mail you will not only reach homeowners. If you narrow your mailing list to only homeowners who have lived in their homes a certain number of years, or who live in starter homes or any other preferred criteria, you will have a far greater chance of taking listings than by randomly posting on social media.

For instance, by targeting homeowners who have been in their home for seven or more years, you’re creating a great list of potential fence-sitters to go after.

*Fence Sitter* postcard campaign shown above. To learn more, click **HERE**

Another thing to consider is the pandemic. In a recent USPS study, slightly more than 40% of Americans said that since the pandemic began, their excitement about receiving mail increased.

Nearly half of respondents said that a direct mail piece prompted them to go online to get more information about the sender.

The volume of direct mail plummeted from “… 213 billion pieces …” in 2016 to 120 billion last year. Interestingly, despite the drop in volume, the response rate skyrocketed nearly 200%.

You’ll have far less competition for eyes on your mail pieces and a better response rate than ever before.

Who makes up your potential seller audience?

Now that we’ve got you looking for listings in all the right places, what will you be sending? Keep in mind your audience – older generations, such as Baby Boomers and Gen X make up 75% of the real estate market combined.

When considering your direct mail marketing piece, don’t take valuable time out of your day to create marketing from scratch.

ProspectsPLUS! offers hundreds of marketing templates targeted specifically to your niche audience and designed by direct response experts.

Next, determine your recipient’s needs (boomers may want to downsize or move near their grown children) and offer a solution that is compelling (don’t worry ProspectsPLUS! has this covered for you as well). Check out the Empty Nest Series located under Farm campaigns.

Decide on the compelling offer to get those homeowners reaching out

A market update is always a good way to break the ice. Yes, it may be time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Direct Response Report, *Advice For Cash-Strapped Landlords*.

A simple chart of recently listeds, under contracts, and solds, along with bedrooms, baths, square footage, and prices, is something that hits my mailbox once a quarter. Do I read it?

You bet I do!

Then, there are the absentee owners to consider. Many have been hit hard by the rent moratorium and want out from under their investments. Take a look at what we offer to market to these possible listers.

If you have a freebie they can download or you can deliver, all the better. Offer them the Direct Response Report, Advice For Cash-Strapped Landlords.

Consistency is key in any lead generation campaign, so send just-listed and just-sold postcards when appropriate. Keep reminding them just how much their neighbors are getting for their homes in this on-fire sellers’ market.

FOMO (fear of missing out) is real.

Another way to keep those listings flowing? A YEAR ROUND Holiday Postcard Campaign. Staying top of mind with Your Sphere & Farm is easy with a Monthly Holiday Campaign.

And, Holiday Campaigns are ON SALE 10% OFF the first month – 3 More Days!

*Holiday* Postcard Campaign (shown above). Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH A HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN:

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: HOLIDAY10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change up until the night before the mailing goes out). This sale expires 10/2/21.

Launch a Holiday Campaign Now, CLICK HERE!

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

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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

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

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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

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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

Unleash the Power of the Real Estate Postcard the RIGHT Way

Sep 14, 2021

Ah, the humble postcard. So simple, yet filled with so much power.

For a time, it appeared that the selfie would replace the non-business postcard, but recent statistics say no.

In fact, in the recent Harris Poll Essential 100, Americans named the U.S. Postal Service as the number one most essential business’ in the country.

Never has this been more evident than in the real estate industry, which is seeing a resurgence in the use of “time-tested” marketing methods and direct mail is at the top of this list.

A late April Valassis survey found that 30% of consumers are spending more time reading the direct mail marketing pieces they receive.

There is an art to creating an effective postcard marketing campaign, though.

No, it’s not difficult, but there are certain strategies that work better than others. Let’s take a look at the most important of these.

It all starts with your audience

A Scheduled SOI Campaign is ideal for keeping in touch with your past clients and other VIPs in your sphere. And, ProspectsPLUS! offers a 3 extra closing guarantee when you Schedule a one-year SOI Campaign.

Postcards are also ideal for another type of lead generation – niche marketing. Decide on who it is you want to attract, buyers or sellers, and more specifically which niche of buyers and sellers, and launch a campaign.

The narrowing down of possible leads to focus on helps the rest of your marketing plan go more smoothly and increases your potential ROI.

If you’re looking for listings, find out the median duration of homeownership in your area. ATTOM Data Solutions’ most recent U.S. Home Sales Report shows that homeowners owned their homes an average of 7.95 years.

As we know, all real estate is local, so if you can find the data for your area, rely on that instead of the national numbers.

For instance, ATTOM also finds that homeowners in five Connecticut cities have the longest tenure, while those “… in Colorado Springs, CO … Oklahoma City, OK … Grand Rapids, MI …Denver, CO … and Minneapolis, MN had the shortest.

The Absentee Owner Campaign is shown above. Learn more **HERE**

This information helps you narrow your mailing list even further. You’re now looking for homeowners who purchased their homes at least six years ago (or whatever number is appropriate for your market).

How far back should you go?

“If someone bought last year or 30 years ago, they’re probably not looking to sell,” according to James McGrath, co-founder at Yoreevo in NYC.

“You want to be in that sweet spot of owners of 5-7 years,” he concludes.

The more you drill down in demographics, tenure, and the like with tools like the Demographic Search Tool (for niche marketing) and MapMyMail (for radial and pinpoint polygon lists), the more targeted the list and the better the response will be to your real estate direct mail campaign.

Absentee owners have been a popular target market this year. A targeted list of absentee owners in your local market can be easily created with the MapMyMail search tool (just select the “absentee owner” radio button in step 2).

We offer a number of brilliant Absentee Owner postcards as well. Make your marketing easy by scheduling an automated Absentee Owner Campaign.

Prefer targeting buyers?

Why not bring YOUR OWN buyer to the table. NAR states home buyers move within 15 miles of their last location. This means there’s a good chance your farm’s home buyers are renters located in the same area.

Geographic farming in some of the most popular apartment and condo complexes in your market is a good place to start. Narrow the search to tenants between the ages of 30 and 49. You might also want to narrow your target audience further, according to income.

Then create a targeted renter prospect list and launch a Rent By Numbers Campaign.

Ready to launch a targeted direct mail campaign?

Did you know our Farm, Get More Listings Scheduled Campaigns are currently on sale 10% OFF the first month?

Farm, *Get More Listings* Scheduled Campaign is shown above. Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Get More Listings Series of postcards.

USE PROMO CODE: LIST10 to get 10% Off at check out.

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). This sale expires on 9/18/21.

Launch a Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!