Realtor Real Estate Marketing - Direct Mail Postcards

Realtor Real Estate marketing has taken a turn since I last spoke with you over here BUT there is one thing that hasn't changed - Realtor direct mail postcards still work GREAT!!!

I KNOW! They are not sexy like Facebook and Twitter. They are not effectively free like having a blog or a website BUT for hard core real estate marketers there is nothing more effective!

And now that fewer and fewer people are mailing out marketing materials, your message with a great postcard design is even more powerful than it was when every realtor was sending them.

Who to send postcards to? Here is a brief list of who could use a real estate direct mail postcard from you!

• First time homebuyers who came to your open house
• ANYONE in your farm
• Past clients who have referrals for you around the country
• Listings you have talked to but not signed up yet
• People who need to spring ahead or fall behind
  

This is shorter version of my whole realtor direct mail postcard info, find out more about realtor direct mail postcards...


PS - Never send out recipes!!! You are a realtor NOT a chef!!!

New Blog For Consumers

So I went to Mega Agent camp and heard a talk a great blog author and I am PSYCHED!

No one up to this point had ever explained to me the way that a blog would impact my lead generation. Now don't get me wrong, I am all for providing information to the masses BUT I never really got the WIIFM connection that the relationships with the commenters and readers would act as a "pre-pre-listing presentation" and that the sheer mass of words that you use to talk about your marketplace would increase your visibility in your market (the long tail).

I paired this with a conversation that I had with my MegaChicks mastermind about what our passion is and decided to go with a full on commitment to this medium for a year.

For any of you that are considering a blog I have done some research:

Typepad is a nice community blogging site - would be great for a non techie user that wants to use a template site.

Wordpress is a more labor intensive product but can be hosted on your domain and would have been my first choice if my technical specialist (my husband John) was not a Blogger already - meaning he can and will help with setting it up for me.

Blogger is nice if you are going to use their templates and then point your domain to the site. The problem for me with this is I lose a lot of the search engine benefits and that is the reason for blogging. With blogger if you want to host it on another server (I use godaddy) you cannot use their predesigned templates. There is some front end work needed to get your site set up and it would be WAY beyond the typical real estate agent's technical skills (html, manually adding links, etc.) BUT once it is up and running it is a great clean look that I am very excited about.

AND I am adding some new tasks to my 411 (weekly, monthly and annual goals). I will be posting 3-4 times per week and visiting 5 other blogs per day so that I can get ideas and also comment which will increase my readership also!

If you would like to take a peek at the new look and sign up for upcoming posts visit www.thetaraandsheilashow.com! More about blogging and how it is going to follow here...:)

What's In It For THEM

I got a flyer from a friend today and he asked me to review it for content. It was a laundry list of things that were important to their company BUT did not have any relevance for the consumer. A couple of things that were glaring errors:

1. The headline stated what it was (a TIMI Interest Only Loan) in bold large font and the benefits (lower interest rate, no money down, tax savings, etc.) were stated in MUCH smaller type and definitely not bold. While the type of loan is important to the bank, the benefits are what are going to make people want to learn more.

2. It was written in banker jargon - they need to paint a picture of what a 5/1 loan will do, not just state that is what it is! "Avoid scary rate hikes", "protect your interest rate for 5 years", and "Don't get slammed with huge payments" all tell the consumer what the result is, not just what the definition is.

3. The biggest mistake was was "Contact me today for more information" - all about them! A better way to put this is a call to action that will benefit the consumer "Call today to find out how to take advantage of this fabulous loan program".

Now this was just one example of good intentions gone wrong AND I am sometimes guilty of forgetting that there are humans at the other end of the my copy. I will say "large deck" instead of "entertain on the large lanai and enjoy outdoor living in screened luxury". Sometimes painting a picture seems like too much work but I can GUARANTEE that is worth effort!

Always remember that your reader is wondering what is in it for THEM!

Gratitude

So I am listening to The Secret on my IPod and I got to the chapter on gratitude. They said that we should be grateful for all that is good and bad that has shaped us to this point and it made want to talk about the things that I am grateful for professionally (of course I am thankful for a loving and supportive husband, family and also for having wonderful friends, pets and abundance in my "real" life).

I have always felt that all the jobs and situations that I encountered prior to entering real estate have contributed to my success - some of it in just that fact that I know a lot of people because it took me a while to find this career! I have added all those people to the list of contacts that I mail to and call periodically and they all like the snapshot of the market they get hearing from me. I also learned to work with people - the ones I like AND the ones that I would not pick for friends. ALL of them add something to my work and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to meet them!

I am grateful for the education that I got upon entering the business. It is amazing how hearing what to do turns into knowing what to do. If you are new to the business find out where the people who are successful are and learn from them. If you have classes available - take them. If you do not have classes available ask a successful realtor if you can help her (FOR FREE) and learn what she is doing that you could emulate. You don't have to agree with HOW she does it - just be open to learning WHY she does it and adapt that to your style. If you are an "old dog" learn some new tricks. Read books, listen to Millionaire Mondays, listen to Jeff Wilhems, Brian Buffini, Joe Stumpf, Howard Britton or Craig Proctor. Read Seth Godin, Brian Tracy or anyone else with great ideas either for customer service, lead generating or just being a better person.

Learn the rules of your state, industry or market center. Learn how to protect your clients. Ask questions, practice BEFORE you are writing an offer or going on a listing appointment. Stay current with what is happening in your marketplace. Have the hard talks with your clients about what it will take to get a home sold in this marketplace. Do something EVERY day to try and sell your listings.

I am also thankful for having wonderful professional partners. I have a wonderful listing partner who compliments my weaknesses and celebrates my skills (and who also happens to be a great friend)! My banker (Brian P.) and I walked a neighborhood last week and talked to people about their mortgage and house options. I also have a great insurance guy, a wonderful title rep, and also super coworkers who make working with them a pleasure.

Last but not least - I have wonderful clients. They are patient and understanding even when their house is not selling. They tell me what I am doing right and what I need to work on. They love their new house or are thrilled that their old one sold. They make it fun to go to work each day and also refer me to their friends and family.

Overall I am grateful that I found something to do that wraps up all my wierd talents into one really neat career!

A Million Ideas

OKAY OKAY maybe just 10 - but they are good ones!!!

1. The yellow pages - my hero Tony DiCello says pick up the yellow pages and get more business. Attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, all great sources of additional referrals.

2. Banks - go to your neighborhood bank and see if they have a realtor they recommend when they give someone approval for a home loan. Bring some flyers to leave if they say they will recommend you. Bring them donuts from time to time so they like you. Bribery works great!

3. Newsletters - I know I say this a lot but it works. Pick a neighborhood and be the expert!

4. Flyers - Lori Crawford and I paired up with our HomeBanc banker (Brian P. Forrester) to print up flyers that we will deliver by hand to neighborhoods that have either move up buyers or a lot of renters.

5. Open Houses - I got a buyer for one of my houses today and also a new contact who may be moving in a couple of months. Not bad for a couple of hours work - and I made my sellers happy!

6. Call your sphere - do as I say not as I do! This one is self explanatory

7. Collect FSBOs like crazy - they are out there and want to sell their houses!!

8. New Postcards - Pick something to tell people about; marketplace statistics, the benefits of moving up in a down market, a great loan package, selling tips or anything that humans would be interested in. Send it to them on some colored cardstock. Use the same color every time!

9. Network with other realtors - go to a training out of the area, introduce yourself to people who have come in for training from out of town. Send a postcard to the realtors in your home town and tell them that you would welcome the opportunity to work with them on their referrals. Take out an ad with a realtor in another state where you want to farm.

10. And the tenth best thing to do...Start today. Do it fast, don't worry that it is not the "right" thing. Don't fret if you have a typo, maybe someone will call and tell you!!! Be bold - do something!

Free Money

I found this on the Broker Agent News website - if you are a new agent and want to get some free money check this out!

The Real Estate Apprentice™ Foundation - is a non-profit venture created to assist new licensed agents entering the real estate and offers 20 bi-annual grants, totaling $250,000 are awarded with no strings attached.

Realtor.com Is Wonderful

I am not sure that everyone think that Realtor.com is wonderful, but maybe they do not have the great Customer Service rep that I do. Take a bow Adam! Today he called to let me know that they would be processing my card - BEFORE they did it and was totally understanding and helpful when I let him know that I was experiencing technical difficulties and would have to wait a few days to pay.

He then sent me a handy dandy sheet with tips to making the most of my enhanced listing package, and made sure that I would have the correct number to contact next week when he would be out of town. Holy cow was I impressed!

I also like the enhanced listing features that Realtor.com offers. I can add photos, beef up the descriptions and plug in a virtual tour. We have been pretty successful in generating leads this way and so I consider this to be a part of my entire marketing package. There is also a sliding scale so that when you have more listings you pay more and when you have fewer you pay less. If you are a new agent sign up TODAY before you get 5 listings and the price jumps way up!

If you would like Adam's contact info please email me and I will be happy to get you his direct line so you can share in the great service!

How do you know when it is working?

So I have been an official realtor for well over a year now and I started in what has been termed a "down market" - meaning that inventory was not flying off the shelf in days for thousands over the asking price! Before that I worked for a 20-year agent and learned A LOT that told me I would like the business BUT that it is hard work and there is famine before the feast.

Since then I have been doing the activities (Keller Williams speak for farming, working FSBOs and Expireds, doing LOTS of open houses, sending just listeds, etc.) and it seemed like I was having some success. Well this week was a very good week!! My listing partner and I had 3 closings and added over 2 million dollars in inventory. We are now making sure that we have the hard talks about pricing right up front so that we have the best possible chance of positioning the homes to sell quickly (which now means between 3-6 months). We also are working on making sure that we have more communication with our sellers and buyers so that they do not feel left out in the cold.

I met with one of my favorite Realtors this morning who started last September after a 4 year hiatus, and she said that she felt like it was sort of working and that she hoped it would break soon. I believe it will and that if she just keeps on doing what she is doing everything will work out just fine.

I would love to know how everyone else is doing out there - if you are having success with something please let us all know so that we can just keep getting better and better!