Tag archive for "marketing strategy" | Blog.PropertiesOnline.com

Tips for Jump Starting a Direct Mail Strategy

Think print is dead? You may be missing out on the benefits direct mail can bring to your business. Response rate for direct mail to existing customers averages 2% in unspecified mass mailings and 3.4%, with targeted mailings, compared to just 0.12% for email contact. How can you take advantage? In today’s real estate selling tips, we’ll discuss a no-fail direct mail strategy.

Overcome inbox overload by putting a few new twists on this vintage marketing method:

• Avoid the standard #10 envelope.
Unless a #10 envelope is from someone a prospect knows, chances are it’s getting tossed.

• Think outside the box.
98% of people check their mail daily. Stand out from other boring mailers with freebies in your packages that help promote your business. These inexpensive promotional materials engage the prospect with a lumpy envelope (“Hmmm… wonder what’s inside…”), getting your message noticed. Not sure what we mean? Consider these promotional/message combos…

Stress reliever: “Take the stress out of home selling/buying…”
House-shaped bag clip: “Find out why we’re all that and a bag of chips.”
Magnifying glass: “Zero-in on success…”
Mints: “A fresh, new way to buying/selling your home…”

• Connect.
Use words that connect with the prop you included – and evoke an emotional connection or time sensitivity. An engaging message is what prompts readers to reach out via phone/text. And proof – never understate the importance of quality control.

Be on-target and offer incentives.
Avoid random blasts for targeted marketing, including a great coupon/promotion enticing prospects with an irresistible deal. Remember the 40/40/20 rule: Success/ROI depends 40% on your mailing list, 40% on your offer, and 20% on everything else (design, images, copy, delivery date and method…).
Don’t neglect follow-up.
Turning people into clients takes more than just a stamp.

Looking for relevant real estate selling techniques and compelling new ways of merging the old with the new? Properties Online can help. Contact us today.

Why Blogging is Good for Your Business

Twenty years ago, a solid marketing strategy for real estate involved putting ads in the newspaper and leaving signature FOR SALE posts on properties. Now, with the digital age among us, this type of marketing is just simply not enough. In order to stay on top, real estate businesses, as well as all types of businesses, have to learn how to get noticed online. One of the greatest tools for receiving online attention is blogging. And I’m going to spend the next few paragraphs telling you exactly why blogging is good for your business.

What is a Blog?

A blog is like an online, interactive journal. While they can be used for personal or public use, their function can often vary. Blogs are similar to articles, and can be found on designated websites to inform or entertain readers, who are often allowed to rate or comment on the material. For businesses, blogging is a great way to share knowledge, attract readers (or potential clients), gain credibility, advertise, and improve search engine page rank through better search engine optimization (SEO).

Making the Most Out of Blogs

In terms of improving business, blogs are an easy way to improve online popularity. When someone is searching for real estate agents online, you want your service to be the first to pop up on Google. Blogs have the power to make this happen and here’s how:

Search engines, like Google or Bing, rely on an intense algorithm to find websites when you search using a series of words. Websites that are frequently updated, well respected, contain large amounts of data, and are linked to other sites are typically the first websites to show up in a search. By posting blogs on your own site and by publishing more information, you are expanding the website and increasing its chance of hitting a lucky component in the search engine’s algorithm. When posting blogs on other sites, known as off-site optimization, it is important to include inbound links to your site and to write quality blogs. These components of blogging are targeted ingredients that a search engine look for and will make your site stand out from the rest.

Blog and Get Noticed

For real estate blogging, businesses tend to inform audiences on the housing market, quarterly reports, and events going on locally. This is an easy way to outreach readers (potential clients) and keep content current, all while improving your marketing strategy. When it comes down to it, a solid use of blogging not only makes your website look better, it can also improve your business’s SEO performance and land your website among the first pages in a search engine’s results.

Social Media Marketing for Real Estate

Social media marketing is essentially word of mouth marketing, but it is done on a much bigger scale thanks to the Internet.

The idea of social media is that you simply talk with people – you reach out and network and have discussions just as you would have in a real life business function. The fact that it is online social networking extends your reach far beyond your immediate area, and makes networking much easier, because it can be done from your home computer, your laptop, tablet, smartphone or from the office desktop.

The secret to having a successful social media marketing campaign is to be genuine, and this is true for any type of social media campaign, including real estate. Reach out to relevant people – don’t just follow anyone – and initiate real conversations. Try to be as helpful as you can! Many business owners are using Twitter Search to create an ongoing search for a certain keyword. Every time someone mentions that keyword on Twitter, you get the opportunity to respond.

For example, if you specialize in Phoenix, AZ, homes, you might want be alerted when people mention “Phoenix homes” or “Phoenix real estate” on Twitter. See if you can help or contribute to the conversation, and after you have contributed, follow that person.

This strategy will help you build a social media account that is not just active and vibrant but also very effective, because it focuses on your target market.

Establishing a Marketing Plan for Your Real Estate Business

Before you can really take advantage of all the great (and often free) real estate marketing options available to you, you need to set a few goals and ground rules. Establishing a marketing plan for your real estate business is the first step toward achieving your marketing goals, attracting new clients and finding more leads.

Read on for 8 steps you can take to establish your real estate marketing plan.

1. Name your business objective. Think of this like a mission statement. In one to two sentences, what are you, as a real estate professional, trying to achieve, and why?

2. Name your goals. Your business objective or mission statement covers your entire business and will likely remain stable for years. But you should have individual objectives and goals on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. To achieve them, you’ll need many action plans. Stay true to your wider business objective and maintain branding consistency. But don’t be scared to set big goals

3. Name your target market. Be specific here – who are the ideal home buyers and sellers for you? What areas and locations do you serve? Commercial or residential? You don’t have to focus on only one type or area, but the better you know your individual client types, the better you’ll be able to target your marketing strategies.

4. Name your USP. USP = Unique Selling Proposition. This can be difficult to pinpoint, but it’s crucial. What can do you offer or provide that others don’t? What sets you apart from the rest? If you can answer that question succinctly, you are light years ahead of the majority of your competitors.

5. Name your competition. Speaking of competitors, knowing who they are, how they operate and their USPs is a major piece of marketing strategy puzzle. There are A LOT of real estate agents out there. Why should a home seller choose you to list their property? Be sure you understand what you’re up against, and go back to your USP. Sometimes, it’s as simple as attitude and attentiveness.

6. Set your budget. How much money do you have to spend on marketing? This figure will help you to choose the best avenues for promotion and lead generation. Many online marketing tools are inexpensive or free. Investing in a quality agent website and individual property websites are costs that are no brainers – so much of your strategy will come back to having these things in place.

7. Write your To Do list. Now that you have established some markers, you’re ready to get started. Begin with a detailed action plan, step-by-step, and start ticking things off as you go. This is a great way to make a big job feel more manageable, and to make sure you don’t forget anything important. Include short- and long-term objectives. Refer back to your mission statement and your individual goals.

8. Ask and answer this question: “Did it work?” You need to be able to measure the success of each of your marketing attempts. If you set clear objectives and KPIs, this is easy to do. Familiarize yourself with conversion rates where applicable, website analytics, social media metrics, leads, etc. When things work, do them again. When they don’t, consider it a great learning experience. Either do it better or differently or try something else entirely.