With winter coming for 2010 up it’s going to be difficult for many agents to
survive the market altogether. Just this past week many retail stores
reported less than expected profits for September; and they’re
right. Because many households have aired on the side of caution with
the housing crunch outlook and plan to be frugal for coming months,
overall spending will be less than favorable as a whole. However, this
doesn’t mean people have stop buying homes. It just means it’ll take
more to get them…or at least more whit.

But for many agents that choose to market themselves with real
estate postcards that are plagued with recycled messages and weak
visuals; their days at marketing to today’s buyers and sellers are
almost just about up. Why? Because today’s seller and buyers knows the
game and is being persuaded by the “commission debate” to seek out
selling or buying a home them-self. Companies such as Redfin
are helping consumers to see that the market and times are-ah-
changin’. What agents have to do is PROVE their value. And guess what?
Offering a Free Market Analysis or Free Consultation is not going to
cut it these days! They expect a consultation and are being moved daily to refer
to ball-park estimates on Zillow or Trulia (regardless of how far off they are).

Postcard marketing is not dead, however, the old way of just sending
any ol’postcard in the name of having to touch the prospect is absolutely
the wrong way to think about effective marketing. Prospects aren’t
laughing at real estate postcards with animals having talk bubbles with
cheesy saying. It’s no time to be cute! It’s all about being effective.
With the market the way it is, they’re looking for answers.

And what’s better than meeting prospects at their door and offering
to address what is already on their minds; then by sending postcards
that do, in fact, that. Grab they attention and get them to act.

Check out Realasponse.com and view our demo for more.

Real Estate Postcards, Just Sold Postcards, Just Listed Postcards, Real Estate Marketing

By: Walter Sanford

I can show you how to have fun and how to meet every seller and buyer in the neighborhood. In the same step, I can show you how to create a massive personal promotional campaign and form an alliance with your lender while being a hero to your sellers.

I never liked open houses much. They were always too slow. I never could control the quality of client that, out of courtesy, service, and reputation, I had to wear a smile for. Even though I was missing my favorite “F” words - faith, family, fitness, fun, friends and freedom, I trudged through. I met a speaker who said, “Just say No’ to open houses.” The sellers sometimes don’t understand, so I devised a system to make it fun, massively profitable, and effective.

After fifteen years of doing these open houses and watching others do them, here is the finished system:

Assemble no more than eight properties for a 15-minute open house on the second Sunday from today. Get all the homes to have something in common, i.e.: same general price, size, or all within your local historical district. Keep them within a mile of each other if possible.

Call all the sellers so they can get the homes ready for your big event. Explain it could bring out hundreds of people and that you will have two salespeople in the home while its going on. You will have an ample supply of brochures and maps. Ask them if they might prepare some sort of refreshment. Inform them we will be there and be gone within fifteen to twenty minutes (watch or hear the smile).

Also, mention that your lender will be present to pre-qualify, that there will be a sign announcing the event in their yard, and that some of their neighbors will be invited by written invitation. If you can’t find enough of your own sellers to make the event, try the in house listings. Everyone needs an open house to be done.

Next, contact your lender and request his/her services. Explain they will be meeting most potential sellers and buyers for a given geographical area. Then explain that they will be made famous for their ingenious service and they will share in the glow that comes from a unique, effective real estate system. Tell them to have their notebook computer for pre-quals and see if you can get their help in a joint ad that announces:

Walter Sanford of Sanford Systems and Dixon Judd of XYZ Mortgage announce a wonderful real estate event — eight homes in the Riverview District will be open in 15-minute intervals with five-minute travel times.

Here they are:

1026 Cobb Blvd. Open 1 - 1:15
825 S. Chicago Open 1:20 - 1:35
etc.

Dixon will be on hand to pre-qualify buyers, and he will be giving out pre-qualification certificates with the amount of loan that you qualify for.

Refreshments will be served at many of these fine homes (watch the crumbs).

Maps of the tour will be available including a brochure on each home.
Walter will be on hand to inform you about all the recent sales in the neighborhood and even tell you what your home is worth!
NOT TO BE REPEATED FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

Bring your tennis shoes, your car, your appetite, and, maybe if you like a house, your wallet!

P.S. You will be given a ticket for every home you and your family visit. All tickets will be put in a bowl at the end of the tour. At the last home, we will pull out one ticket and the lucky visitor will win a $100.00 gift certificate to our new local restaurant, PICCOLOS!

You can probably split the cost of the gift certificate with your lender. Heck, how many new buyers, sellers, and refinance connections is he/she going to make?

We now should have the sellers and their properties. Make sure you have keys. Next, start making a tour map to hand out to everyone and include all your contact info. Have up to 200 brochures ready on each property. Also, get plenty of business cards or personal brochures ready.

Counsel the sellers on what it means to have a “show ready” home. Explain to your lender that their real job is to quickly determine buyers from sellers. Then they are to sort the ready buyers from the not so ready buyers and introduce only the ready buyers and sellers to me. The contest tickets will be the foundation of your database. Place the ad so it runs a week before the event.

Some finishing touches are to get out the reverse directory and invite ten neighbors, via postcard, from around the block of the homes on tour. Furthermore, you will need a minimum of ten yard signs that need to put up at least five days before the event. They should have your name on them. You should get the credit!

There should also be someplace to announce ?Open House 1pm to 1:15 p.m.? (or whatever time), the day, and the date. I had chalkboard signs made up after I got tired of taping paper signs over my regular signs! You might want some directional signs, especially for the first house. Once you have them at the first house, you probably have them for the tour.

It’s Sunday at 12:50 pm; you, your lender, and one helper (family member is okay) are at house number one. It is not unusual to have 20 - 40 people waiting to get in. You let them in and the fifteen minutes are up. Your helper stays behind to clean up and lock up.

You and your lender go to house number two. You and your lender are both pre-qualing and pressing the flesh like crazy! There is certainly not enough time to be bored! People are slapping you on the back and telling you this is a great idea! They’re telling you that you are a real estate genius!

House number three is across the street from a competitor’s listing. The seller of that house is out mowing the lawn. He sees 85 people go into the home across the street (the pied piper effect) and he goes in to call his listing agent to ask where his buyers are!

As you move on to new houses, you are meeting more sellers and buyers - some want you to make an appointment with them! At house number four, two buyers come up to you at the same time and tell you they “love this home!” Both see each other and return to separate rooms to plan their acquisition strategy.

You get to house seven — but wait, in the newspaper ad, house seven was only listed as a SECRET, NEVER BEFORE SEEN, SUPER BONUS LISTING ! It’s true. I actually called two FSBOs, whose houses met the criteria, negotiated a fee over the phone and told them to get their homes ready for a lot of buyers at 3pm! Those FSBOs haven’t seen or heard that many buyers in one place, except in urban legends. You’re a hero!

Everyone has a great time. The nice young couple wins the dinner at the last home. Your helper picks up the signs and flags then you sit down to look at your winnings!

Both FSBOs thought it was great, and one of them wants to talk to you in a week. You double ended one of the properties by the Wednesday after the event, and one of the lookers brought their agent back to see house number five again. All of the sellers cannot believe the amount of activity. You have two “down the road” new sellers to follow-up with. Three “ready to buy” new buyers that are pre-qualified have appointments with you this week. Your lender has a couple of refis and some more buyers to work with on financing challenges, plus all the new business you are going to give him/her!

You now have new database entries to add to your follow-up system, and don’t forget to write thank you letters to everyone. Don’t forget the sellers! Call the local paper and tell them about the success - maybe they will cover the next one. Maybe you can start a local neighborhood renaissance.

Walter Sanford is a top producing real estate agent and speaker who travels the country delivering systems and strategies to top producers for higher productivity and client satisfaction.

by Robert Boduch

Postcards can be valuable marketing tools for any business. Here are a few ideas that will help you get the most from your own postcard marketing campaign.

The magic of these eye-catchers is that they deliver short, concise messages in the minimum amount of time - perfect for the “time-poor” society we live in today. They get the important information across rapidly, with a quick and easy flip of the wrist.

You can take your idea from concept to distribution within just days. Since they can be produced in any quantity to suit any budget, postcards are great for businesses of all sizes. You could save a bundle on your marketing expenses by utilizing these simple two-sided pieces, instead of other more costly tools.

Currently — at least in the U.S. — postage costs are considerably lower for postcards vs. first-class mail. Unfortunately, this advantage is not available to marketers in other countries such as Canada. Full rates apply. Even still… these attention-grabbers offer tremendous marketing opportunities to entrepreneurs and small business owners — at any rate.

Postcards are most effective and profitable when used to:

generate new leads
follow-up with prospects as part of a campaign
make an announcement to your existing mailing list
thank customers for their patronage and invite them back with a special offer
draw traffic to your web site

The key to success is to deliver instant impact. You’ve got to make your piece command immediate attention in your prospect’s crowded mailbox. Catch the eye… pique curiosity… and unload your magnetic marketing message as quickly as possible.

Every card has two sides — a front and back. Use the front side as leverage with maximum appeal to compel your prospect to flip the card over and get the full impact of your complete message.

Use the back of the card to unveil all the key benefits of your product or service… provide an strong offer to trigger action… and list prominently your contact information. You’ve got to make it lightening quick and unquestionably easy to respond. Eliminate any obstacles that might be in the way to getting the results you want.

As with any type of advertising, be sure to include a powerful headline. Your headline is key. It’s the most important part of your postcard and should be featured prominently on the front side.

When you’re sure you’ve got a headline that works, try enhancing it visually to make it figuratively jump off the card. One method is to use reverse-type (white text on a dark-colored background). Always use a larger font size, preferably in a bold typeface. Make it clear and unmistakable… so prospects are sure to understand the message.

Consider employing graphic options such as cartoons only if they assist you in getting your message across. Use topnotch color photographs (like popular tourist postcards) when you can clearly tie the visual to the message in your headline.

The text of your postcard should be benefit-laden. Communicate to your prospect in clear, vivid detail all the advantages that s/he will enjoy by taking advantage of your offer TODAY. Stress the unique benefits unavailable elsewhere. Include a few testimonials — even if you have to shoehorn them in. Actually, this can be extremely effective as the eye is naturally drawn to anything on the page that is a little out of the ordinary.

Testimonials act as proof of your claims and help build your credibility as a reliable supplier. They also help overcome the fear many people have in trusting a vendor they haven’t done business with before.

One absolutely essential ingredient of successful postcards is the offer. It must be promising and compelling. Give the reader an incentive to act now. Be clear and specific. Make responding a simple, one-step process.

If your postcard is sent as a “thank-you” to new customers after their first purchase, entice them back with a 17% discount on the next. This approach transforms your postcard into a valuable coupon that’s worth something in terms of redeemable value. Since recipients have already bought from you, most would be happy to do it again at a substantial discount.
The mission of your postcard is to inspire a positive response. Always keep that objective clear in your mind as you plan your strategy.

To maximize results, craft a targeted message and make it easy for recipients to take action. This means providing clearly legible contact information — whether it’s a telephone number, fax, mailing address, or web site. Keep in mind that everyone has a preferred method — people like to respond in different ways.

Providing various response options eliminates another cause of inaction. The more of these objections you address, the more likely it is your postcard campaign will be a rousing success!

By David Frey

Direct mail is perhaps, one of the most powerful marketing mediums in use today. Few other marketing tools can deliver your message with exact precision at such a low cost. The amount of mail in your mailbox everyday attests to the effectiveness of this medium (If it didn’t work, your mailbox would be empty!).

Here are eight reasons why I believe direct mail is still king of the marketing mediums:

Reason # 1: It works when you’re not: Like the old saying goes, “In rain, sleet, or snow” the mail arrives. Whether you’re sleeping, vacationing, working, or walking, your direct mail is working for you. It gives your best sales presentation over and over again without you having to be present.

Reason # 2: It leverages your efforts: Do you want to know how to waste your time? Give your best sales presentation to one person at a time. If you do this, you’ll only sell one widget at a time. Send out thousands of letters and your best sales pitch is being presented to thousands of people simultaneously. That’s called “leverage!”

Reason # 3: Allows you to target with precision: Instead of “spraying and praying” your message to people who may or may not be interested or even qualified to take advantage of your offer, direct mail allows you to pinpoint the people who fit your psychographic, demographic, and geographic profile.

Reason # 4: You get an immediate response: Once you send out your direct mail piece it doesn’t take long to get a response. Within one to two weeks you’ll receive about 80 percent to 90 percent of all those who are going to respond. If your campaign works, you’ll know about it quickly. If it’s a bomb, you’ll that quickly as well.

Reason # 5: It’s easy to track your return on investment: If you’re a small business owner you can’t afford to waste a single penny on wasteful marketing. With direct mail marketing you can code your mail pieces to determine the exact number of responses you received from each campaign.

And as I said before, the results of your direct mail campaign come back fast, so once you know what worked and what didn’t, you can immediately start to “tweak” your mail piece to increase your response and hold your marketing dollars accountable.

Reason # 6: It’s relatively inexpensive: With just $.34 (at the time of this writing) you can send out a direct mail piece that includes your full marketing message. It is amazing what you can get into a small business size envelope and keep under the $.34 limit. Photos, newspaper articles, letters, special reports, and more can be put in these envelopes for under $.34. This means you can reach 100 target prospects for only $34. Comparatively speaking, that’s a bargain!

Reason # 7: It gets one-on-one attention: One of the best things about direct mail is that it gets one-on-one attention from your target prospect. Unlike billboards or radio and television commercials that get your attention while two to three other things also have your attention. Direct mail is opened one piece at a time and read one piece at a time. It gives you the best chance of catching your prospect’s attention and keeping it for a period of time.

Reason # 8: It’s something you can touch and feel—it hangs around: Direct mail is something that you can hold in your hand. It’s not made of electrons that can be deleted with the twitch of a finger. It’s not a radio frequency signal that is here and then gone a moment later. It is physical. It is something that can hang around for a period of time. It has “lingering” marketing effects.

All these reasons I’ve mentioned make direct mail a very powerful marketing medium that, if done right, can have a very high return on your marketing dollar.

David Frey, President of Marketing Best Practices Inc., a Houston-based small business marketing consulting firm.

by Brandon Cornett

Your postcard-marketing program can benefit from a good checklist. Checklists keep us focused on the task at hand and help us remember all of the finer points. Doctors use them. Mechanics use them. And yes, postcard marketers use them — at least those who take postcard marketing seriously.

As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, you’ll have a list of things that have worked well for you (as well as those that haven’t). And that’s a valuable checklist to have!