Real Estate Marketing, Do You Use Direct Mail?Written by Barrett Niehus
Real Estate Marketing, Do You Use Direct Mail?By Barrett Niehus http://www.realtysoftware.org Prospecting for leads is by far most difficult part of being a Realtor or small business professional. In fact, lead development is by far most expensive and time consuming aspect of your job. However, you level of success in lead development will determine if you succeed or fail as a real estate agent or small business professional. So how do you develop leads? Well top selling professionals realize that they need to touch as many people as possible without spending a fortune or taking up a lot of their time. They also realize that they must make some form of contact with a prospect as many as eight times before that contact will even consider doing business with professional. Many of these professionals use direct mail to recruit prospects, and direct mail tools to close their deals. The fundamentals of direct mail are very simple. At is most basic level you are sending out message with an invitation for a prospect to contact you. The key is targeting your specific audience, and making your message stand out against all of other junk mail that you prospects receive. In addition, you must expose your prospects to message enough times to make them consider taking action. The first step in creating a direct mail program is to determine where you are going to focus your message. What type of client are you specifically looking for? How old are they, what are their interests, fears, income levels, etc. With this type of very specific demographic information you can customize your message to invoke them to call you. Next, determine how many people you are going to send your message to and what geography you are going to focus on. Keep in mind that a direct mail piece with more than a 1% response rate is considered exceptional, and that statistically, post cards get more attention than envelopes in peoples mail boxes. Essentially this means that if you mail 500 pieces and you get five phone calls, you are doing exceptionably well. After you know what your customer looks like and area in which they live, create your marketing message. It should invoke emotion and request a response. The most effective messages offer something for free such as a free home report, assessment, or giveaway such as a software program or product. Other useful messages show what has just been listed and invite prospects to "cash in" on their rising home values.
| | Top Ten Tips To Inspire and Anchor The Marketing Of You…Written by Mahalene Louis
Marketing is to realm of business what honesty is to realm of spirituality; they both trigger much resistance, and both have a bad rap! As farfetched as connection may appear, it takes honesty to market self successfully in today’s economy, just as it takes market place (community) to practice one’s honesty. The Greek philosopher Diogenes was known to walk streets of Athens with a lantern looking for an honest man. Those ten tips are offered to you as a lantern to turn on light on your marketing strategies. In doing so, they will soon transform into an enjoyable and meaningful process, and see your commerce to unavoidable prosperity …1. WHAT part of you? Most people resists marketing as they associate it to selling, which they dislike… Yet did you know that etymologically, word “marketing” comes from a Latin word merc r meaning “to buy!” Become honest about your fighting marketing, and ask yourself: WHAT part of you are you not buying that you cannot imagine yourself selling? (Oops, told you those were two delicate subjects!) 2. WHAT’s in a name? Did you know that Coca Cola is only brand that can “afford” to have their name written in script? The scripted font engenders feelings of casualness, and relaxation. Similarly, have you noticed how reassuring is golden “M” arch of McDonald’s? As soon as you see it, you know where you are, even if you were to be traveling in a country whose alphabet you cannot read, e.g. Greece. WHAT a relief! Ask yourself: what feeling is in my brand name? (I have no answer to why one would eat a Big Mac in Greece…) 3. WHEN is it time to market? Know thyself first! From knowing yourself you will have clarity to know what your name means, and WHEN to speak it. Furthermore, WHEN you know your unique strengths, passions, and talents, you live fully in your heART, you sing your own melody with an authenticity that is remarkably attractive and thoroughly irresistible… Ask yourself: what makes me be me that I truly like about myself? (Yes, I noticed too: after Diogenes came Socrates!) 4. WHEN did you say? Self-acceptance is your life work, until your life becomes your work! Look at what you have not forgiven or what you cannot love yet; there lays missing piece of your own puzzle! Possibly it is having insomnia, or maybe it is being a married to a maffioso… WHEN you learn lessons of your resisted experiences, your weaknesses turn into strengths, and you become like an invincible sun! Now you consistently and coherently offer quality and meaning to your clients. Ask yourself: What did I learn that can be of value to my clients? (Sing with me: “Amazing Greece, how sweet it is…”) 5. WHERE do I go to find it? Should your self-inquiry reach a plateau, tests and assessments are a great place to learn about yourself… To sort your temperament, you may take Myers-Briggs evaluation, www.myersbriggs.org or give Keirsey test a chance (www.keirsey.com). Another very simple way to see yourself is simply to ask your friends and your clients questions on how they see you, why they would choose to come to you, what they see as your main asset, etc… Do not forget to interview your family (siblings can be especially merciless on that subject, and so helpful!) When decoding their feedback, rather than thinking that this sounds like Greek to you, ask yourself: WHERE are words to best describe me? 6. WHERE is your niche? Your niche is like a home sweet home; it is WHERE your favorite people hang out, where clients are exactly whom you want to support, and where there is a need that you can easily fulfill by being precisely who you are… Very exciting concept here; hot stuff, truly, as hot as iron that brands cow! The more specific your offering is, more in demand you will be to your niche: it is where offering (the brand) and niche (your target market) belong together. It is cozy, and easy, and friendly. Between people, cows and goats, it may even feel like a Big Fat Greek Wedding… Ask yourself: Which scene, neighborhood or environment am I regularly returning to?
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