Real Estate Marketing Blogger

In order to build your business up to a profitable level, or to take it to the next level after that, you will need to cultivate referral business from past and present clients, friends, neighbors, etc. Everyone you know, and everyone they know should be working to find people in need of your services. Do not be afraid to ask for the referral and make sure you live up to the confidence that has been placed in you once you get it.

In order to be effective, you must tailor your marketing strategy to the current conditions in your local market. It does not matter that home prices are on the rise in other parts of the country, or that new homes have flooded the market somewhere else. The one place you need to be truly concerned with is the market you work in.

Get out a sheet of paper and list every type of person who can use the services you offer. Your list will include persons who currently rent apartments or houses, those who are newly married, those who have just had a baby, and those who are looking to downsize into a more manageable place. The reason for this is that each of these groups will need a different marketing approach. The more focused your marketing is to the recipient, the better the response will be.

When writing to FSBO’s or anyone else, make sure you know what you intend your reader to do. For example, the intended purpose of a letter to a FSBO should not be to list the property; instead it should be to prepare the seller to take your call. No one is going to list his or her house with a name in a letter.

Send out a press release to all of the newspapers and other local publications you or your firm advertise in at least once a month. Most publications are always looking for newsworthy items to publish but probably do not have much interest in publishing a free commercial for you. So, make sure you slant your release so that it serves a valid purpose for the publication.

How easy are you to get hold of? No one is available all the time but you should pick up your own phone as often as you can. Some agents seem to never pick up their phone, preferring instead to return the call when they are ready. Through the course of the average transaction, your clients will need to contact you many times. How much “personal service” will they think you are providing if you are always unavailable when they call?

Enjoy the holiday. Take some time and spend it with your family and all the people you love. Working hard all year is great for your career but do not forget what you are really working for. Take a few minutes during this special time of year and remember what is truly important. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.

A good mailing list can be one of your most valuable assets but it needs to be up-to-date for it to be effective. Go through every name on your list at least once every six months and make sure all the information is still correct. People move, get divorced, have babies, etc. Prove to your contacts you care by keeping up with the changes in their lives.

You can call attention to a particular line or offer in your sales letter by underlining it by hand. Make sure to use the same ink you sign your name with. This will help your reader focus on a key point you are trying to make as well as draw their attention to the letter itself.

When writing sales letters, make sure to use short paragraphs. If the letter is filled with long paragraphs your reader is far more likely to throw it out unread. Dense copy looks like work and no one wants more of that.

Every agent has a limited amount of time and you are no exception, so make sure to consider the amount of time involved in every marketing plan you devise. Ask yourself if your expected results justify the amount of time it will take to work your plan. An example of this is cold calling. Some agents swear by this method, but if you have to make hundreds of calls to get just one client, you need to decide if your time would not be spent better doing something else.

A personal letter, followed up with a phone call can be a great way to find new clients. Try to write at least one handwritten letter to a person on your mailing list everyday. Do not use your computer; write each letter out by hand. Draft some samples and use them as a guide for what you will write. If you take the time to do this, the recipient will be able to tell the difference and will always remember you as the person who cared about them enough to do something no other agent ever did.

One of the most important concerns of many parents is where their children will attend school if they move, which is why you absolutely must know all the schools in your area. You will be asked, so try to commit their names and locations to memory. You might also visit each of the schools and ask them if they any literature you could use to pass out to their clients. This has a two-fold benefit; you will remember the school better once you have been there, and second, you will save some money if the school pays for the copying.

Not only do most real estate websites today offer detailed information for the agents’ own listings such as price and address, you are likely to find detailed information for all the listings in the local MLS. If you have decided, however, to only put a brief description up with a photograph expecting the visitor to call you for the rest of the details, you may find yourself with no takers. For better or worse, visitors to your site expect to see the information they are looking for without having to give personal information or give you a call. And, if you do not provide it, they will simply click over to someone else who does.

Many people who are looking for a home work nights and weekends. Why not be one of the few agents who try to help these people find their new home. Send out invitations to apartment renters and advertise the special day and time. You may be so surprised when you see how many people stop by, that you find yourself doing these more often.

Have you made sure that all of your listings can be located easily? Is there an easy way to print a map that your potential buyers can follow? There are many free software options that allow you to offer maps with your listings, so use them. Also, make sure the property they click on is for the map that pops up. There is nothing more frustrating for a buyer (and for the seller, too) to print a map of a house they like that is wrong and will not get them to the property. After driving around looking for the house without success, do you think the buyers are going to feel very good about calling you?

You may be tempted to buy one or more of the prewritten newsletters that are available to send out to your farm but give it some thought before you do. You are trying to establish yourself as the local real estate expert. Ask yourself what someone is supposed to think if you send something you clearly had nothing to do with. People easily see through this type of thing and, instead of gaining their trust, you do just the opposite.

Are you taking enough pictures of the property when you visit your seller? How many times have you returned to your office and realized that most of the pictures you took are too dark, too light, or just plain terrible? Your choice is to go back and shoot some more or use the ones you got, so save time and take more than you think you will need the first time.

One advantage you have over every other agent in your area is the unique qualities that make you who you are. No one can copy your style or be another you. Many people select their agent by asking friends and family for a referral and it is these qualities and skills they will consider before referring you.

Make absolutely certain to include a clear and direct call to action in every letter, flyer, or advertisement. “Give me a call if I can be of assistance” just does not cut it. “Give me a call to find out exactly how I will sell your house” or “Call me to help you sell your house for the highest amount possible” is much better.