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Monday, May 13, 2024

real estate marketing

    On a popular website devoted to helping small businesses, an agent and “Real Estate Sales and Marketing Analyst” offers up an article that includes several examples of expired listing letters “that work.”

    Letter number two is my least favorite. It begins, “Dear Homeowner.”

    If I received that letter, I would think that if the agent couldn’t even take the time to personalize his marketing letter, how much better will he do when marketing my home?

    But the best one of the bunch is when the agent explains that he offers “clients a different, unique approach to getting their home sold despite the market conditions.”

    And, what does he offer clients that’s so “unique” and so “different?” Here it is, in a nutshell:

    • “The effective use of the internet to maximize exposure for your home”
    • a CMA
    • an MLS listing
    • a virtual tour
    • and a bunch of other stuff that every single listing agent on the planet offers.

    Then, there’s the advice on a Trulia thread from an agent who suggests agents should always visit the expired listing homeowner in person. 

    The Just Sold Follow-Up Campaign is shown above. To see more, Click HERE.

    He describes the conversation you should have right up to what he calls his “big closing question,” the “money maker.”

    He tells the homeowner that he never had a chance to visit the home while it was listed. “ … would it be okay if I had a quick peek at it right now?”

    As a homeowner, my question when he asked to look at my home would be: If you’re the neighborhood expert and a mega-agent, why didn’t you look at the home during the 90 days it was listed? 

    Should you visit the homeowner? Sure, if you want to truly cement the idea that real estate agents are a bit aggressive. 

    Thankfully, you’re different

    The one indisputable fact about expired listings, you will have a ton of competition when pursuing them. But, your competition will often approach the homeowner using ineffective advice offered by real estate gurus.

    This should make it much easier to create a positive impression for the agent who can manage to come off as human, as empathic, and professional.

    Those three qualities alone will set you apart from the agents you’ll be in competition against. So, personalize all communications with the homeowner, don’t be salesy, and come up with your unique value proposition – that “stuff” you offer or do that makes you better than most.

    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 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

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

    3. The 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 these boxes but is also a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can 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, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals.  – Click Here

    5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

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

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

    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

      Before you launch your next direct mail marketing campaign, make sure to add these rules to your list of must-do’s.

      Rule #1 Provide a Compelling Call-to-Action

      Retailers have an easy time with calls-to-action. Offering a percentage off, free shipping, or buy-one, get-one-free are all popular examples.

      What about real estate agents though? What kind of call-to-action can you provide that might compel a recipient of your postcard to contact you for more information?

      The following are a few examples that are attention-getting and have the potential to engage homeowners and get them requesting more information.

      • Free Downsizing Review and Strategy
      • Free Home Equity Analysis
      • Free Vacant Home Sales Strategy
      • Free Home Price Analysis

      The Call to Action Series of postcards is shown above. To learn more about sending a one-time mailing, Click Here. To learn more about sending a recurring campaign, Click Here.

      Keep in mind, however; the number of hoops you force your prospects to jump through to take advantage of these offers does impact the response rate, according to Bob McCarthy at DMNews.com. The more they have to do to receive that offer, the lower the response rate.

      Rule #2 Utilize Standout Designs

      “One strategy we use to get our highest response rates is to make the call-to-action the centerpiece of the direct mail piece,” McCarthy claims.

      Whether you choose to include an image representing the free offer or use text to describe it, mention it boldly and repeatedly. Your message (its length and graphic requirements) determines the size and style of the medium.

      Plan on keeping it plain and simple? A standard-sized postcard may do the trick, although jumbo, panoramic, and mega-sized postcards stand out in mailboxes, which makes for a genuinely lasting impression.

      If it is graphics-heavy and you include substantial copy, using one of the larger postcard sizes (jumbo or panoramic) becomes even more important.

      Choose a font that is easy to scan as people sift through their mail. As direct mail experts, we 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. For example, you can highlight important items with a larger version of the font you choose.

      Additional design tips to keep in mind include ensuring your headline is bold and compelling, yet short and specific. Use lots of white space to make the piece appear to be easily digestible.

      Subheadings are important, as they help guide the reader through the text.

      Don’t forget to use high-resolution photographs, and avoid placing text over photos. Last note, ensure that your call-to-action stands out and that your contact information is easy to find.

      Rule #3 Track Your Results

      Tracking your results is vital to long-term marketing success.

      In fact, the only way to continue to improve your marketing results, and achieve a higher ROI, is to understand what has worked and hasn’t worked in the past.

      Of course, the easiest way to track your marketing is to make it a habit of asking each person who calls how they heard about you.

      Another way is to make your free offer unique for easy tracking. When you receive incoming calls you will know immediately what marketing piece inspired their call based on the offer they inquire about.

      One more popular method used by agents is to create a dedicated landing page on your website. The URL should be unique to the campaign, so you are 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%. How close or far you are from that figure depends on how closely you follow the guidelines outlined above.

      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 esthetic. 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 

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

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

      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

        You counsel your listing clients about staging their homes and improving their curb appeal.

        Now it’s your turn to take your own advice. Amp up your professional curb appeal with a brilliant pre-listing package that will knock any prospective client’s socks off.

        Presentation Folders. See more HERE
        New to the biz?

        A pre-listing packet contains information about you, your services, your track record, and what you do to successfully market homes.

        Just as you want your clients’ homes to offer a brilliant first impression, so it goes with creating the same for yourself.

        And you won’t have a lot of time to do that during the listing presentation. In fact, you’ll have exactly one-tenth of one second to make that first impression in-person, according to research by Princeton psychologists and researchers Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov.

        So, knock their socks off before the listing appointment.

        What to include in your pre-listing packet

        Naturally, everything you include in the packet should be branded. Here are a few ideas on what to share with your potential listing clients:

        Property Folders. See more HERE
        • About you and your team (if you have one)
        • Impressive sales statistics. Lacking those, consider using the brokerage’s statistics. Again, if they are impressive.
        • Success stories with testimonials as proof.
        • Your marketing plan, including examples of past marketing efforts, a list of websites and other vehicles you will turn to in your marketing efforts.
        • Anything that makes you stand out from other agents. For example, if you offer free staging and few others do in your market, that’s a value proposition worth mentioning.
        • Consider including the contracts and other paperwork that they will be signing when they list with you. Yes, you should still explain them when they list, but they’ll be familiar with the documents, allowing you to save time during the presentation.
        • A diagram or infographic of the steps they can expect to take during the sales process.

        This list is by no means exhaustive, but it should give you an idea of what to include in a pre-listing packet.

        Pretty it up
        Upload Your Own Folders. See more HERE

        The pre-listing packet doesn’t necessarily need to be a physical, bound handout. If you prefer, make it virtual. Many agents like to include their marketing videos, listing videos, and other virtual goodies, creating a virtual introduction to their services is ideal.

        If you decide to go the other route, ensure that the presentation is professional, polished and reflects your business style and values, and is targeted to your potential client.

        If you need help with design, check out fiverr.com. For a virtual pre-listing presentation, visit highnote.io. And don’t forget to check out our pre-designed presentation folders or design-your-own, HERE.

        PLUS: When you have time…below are some free tools to help 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 Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

        2. 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

        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 

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

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

        5. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

        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

        Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you in your success.

        We’re here to support you.

        Your ProspectsPLUS! Team

          If you’ve been in the real estate business for at least 5 years, congratulations! It’s a testament to your tenacity.

          If you’re still struggling to achieve the level of success you desire, you’re not alone. However, now is the time to put the past behind you and start off 2022 committed to making your real estate business dreams a reality.

          You can do this by executing at least one of the following 2022 New Year’s resolutions listed below.

          Or adopt them all and truly DOMINATE IN 2022!

          1. Resolve to let go of old expectations

          Remember your pre-agent days when you thought that, to make the big bucks, all a real estate agent had to do was buy a fancy car, dress like Serhant, and schmooze with folks?

          Not only that but there’s no boss in charge of your workday. You can come and go as you like and it won’t matter to anyone. Your pocketbook may take a hit, but you’re free and in control of your life.

          Here’s a sample of some additional rookie agent assumptions and expectations:

          • Your broker will supply you with what you need to become wildly successful.
          • You’ll receive expert training on the day-to-day business aspects of real estate.
          • You are not accountable for your success.
          • You can work short days and weeks, take lots of vacations and still make a killing in real estate as a newbie.

          If you still harbor any of these misconceptions, do yourself a favor and let them go. They aren’t serving you or your business growth.

          2. Promise yourself to pursue more listings in 2022
          2022 Real Estate Marketing Planner, HERE

          Why? Because “when you list, you last.”

          Sure, buyers are abundant in the current market, and finding a homeowner willing to sell is like trying to find gold in a silver mine.

          But if you’re going to focus on one area of your business in 2022, and you hope to be wildly successful without putting in so many hours that you become a stranger to family and friends, concentrating on becoming a listing agent is critical.

          Yeah, it’s a bit like trying to eat an elephant, but start slow and start small, taking one bite at a time.

          The 2022 Real Estate Business Plan will walk you through just how many more listings you will need in 2022 to meet your goals.

          3. Resolve to enter the new year with a solid marketing plan

          Every business needs a roadmap for the upcoming year. Marketing goals and objectives are part of this roadmap. To meet them, you’ll need to know how to get there and the 2022 Real Estate Marketing Planner is the ideal guide to help you.

          Check Out Two More Free Marketing Tools to Help You achieve Your Goals:

          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.

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