Each month I am going to feature a template postcard with a crazy savings designed to help you keep in touch with your client base, farm, and/or sphere. Statistics show you need to be in contact with people AT A MINIMUM of every 4 weeks. A slower market is the best time to focus on your marketing efforts.
This month's postcard reminds your clients to the fall time change. I encourage them to hang the postcard on their fridge, maximizing your exposure. Why use my template postcards?
No design set up fee - yes, it will be customized with your own contact information, picture & logo on the back
Super low price! Template postcards are a crazy .12 each! That's .08 off the normal price!
No minimums!
click on each picture for a larger view
Let's get started! Let me know how many you'd like and we'll get your marketing going in full swing. I work with you to make this process easy for you. Want to automate these mailings every month? We can do that, too.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
NEW Template Postcards
Saturday, September 13, 2008
In the Moonlight
Looking to make your open house stand out and tap a new open house market? Try hosting a Twilight Open House from around 5-8pm. Turn all of the porch lights on, use the outdoor firepit if there is one, have appetizers & background music. Everyone is so busy on weekends. Maybe a weekday would be easier for people to come to. Try a Thursday night. Not everyone has the weekend off. The thought of something new might entice them. Host it like an event, not just and open house. How to get them there?
- Send out an eflyer to local agents or mail invitations.
- Send out an invitation via mail to the neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods. If you're feeling up to it, walk the neighborhood and hand out the invitations.
- Give some invitations to your sellers to invite their friends & family. Sellers can be your best resource for word-of-mouth advertising.
- Post an ad on Craigslist and other classified sites.
P.S. Twilight can be a great time to get beautiful home shots that really say Welcome Home.
Search Engine Happiness
Now, search engine placement is all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. You know that mantra, don't you? Search engines want to see that you have a real prescence online, not just a web page that you stuck up there and forgot about. They are looking for content, yes, but they are really looking for how many other websites link to yours AND crawlers will also rank those sites to make sure they are relevant sites and not simply pointers. So, if YouTube.com links to your site, you get mad kudos for that. You page rank goes up. If ActiveRain links to your site, your page ranks goes up. Take it further- if the Chamber of Commerce, Craigslist, REALTOR.com, etc link to your site your page rank goes up.
So, how do you utilize web 2.0 (see definition in the link above) to increase your page rank?
- Start and maintain a blog
- Join social networking sites and use them - comment on others' blogs and put your web address in your signature (if the site allows this). Such networking and blogging sites include:
- ActiveRain - My profile
- MySpace - My profile
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Blog service providers: Typepad, Wordpress, Blogger - Change the name of your website to brand yourself. Don't name your home page 'South Bend real estate'. When people search 'South Bend real estate' almost every link in the results say something generic. Nothing stands out. Instead, use something like 'John Smith Getting Real Estate SOLD in South Bend'.
- Market your listings online using any of the classified site outlets. My favorite is Postlets. Use them, use them, use them. Search engines & your sellers will love you for it.
You need to have a presence online in order to have a presence online. Sounds a bit like a Catch-22 but it really helps searchers to find relevant sites from people who really ARE online and not just throwing out blank/outdated/irrelevant pages.
I can help you with any social networking you may need. I can get you set up with a MySpace, Twitter, ActiveRain and Blog account and can even maintain them for you or I can just answer questions if you have them.
Cute Little Netbook
Backup in case your other computer crashes.
MLS access on the road.
Zip forms
Traveler lappy so you don't open your sensitive files to loss of theft.
Kids' Use
I am sure there are other benefits to the mini laptop - what are your ideas? I'd love to hear them.
Harvest Time
-Mail Holiday cards.
-Host a neighborhood garage sale.
-Hand out seasonal promotional items - walk your neighborhood to pass them out. (mini pumpkins, boxes of pencils, etc. - all with a card featuring a real estate theme)
-Take walks and talk to people.
-Need an ice breaker? Buy a box of popsicles and hand them out on a hot summer day to the kids playing (with their parents' permission first - this will get you talking to them).
Slow times are the best times to market and to get to know the people in your neighborhood. These times force us to focus on the much needed fertilizer that will grant us a good crop for years to come.
What is your favorite way to farm your own neighborhood? I'd love to hear your ideas.
Friday, September 12, 2008
How to Make Your Listing Look Old
- Take the date off of the pictures. You may need to read your user's manual but for goodness sake - get them off. A fresh date is only fresh for a week. Then it's old.
- Keep your pictures in tune with the season. I'm not even just referring to summer vs. winter. I mean, take spring, fall, etc. A listing someone is viewing in the fall still has a summer picture. Yes, the summer picture is nice but it immediately says "This house didn't sell even during the summer". Make a habit of going out 4 times a year AT LEAST and make a day out of taking all new pictures of all of your listings. No time? Hire someone.
- Speaking of pictures, take good ones! Don't use your camera phone. Keep vertical lines straight so the house doesn't look crooked. If the incandescent lighting is overly yellow, use a photo editing program to fix it. Use a good pixel camera - nothing DOESN'T say 'home' like a grainy, yellow photo. Take a not-so-good photo? Fix it or find someone who can.
- Remove outdated remarks, especially 'no showings until xx/xx/xxx'. Perhaps even if they don't want showings until a later date, don't list it until that date.
- Wait until the house is clean and uncluttered to take pictures. Those are the pictures that will be syndicated to other websites (even if you don't do it yourself). Those are the pictures that go out to prospective buyers IMMEDIATELY when it's listed. Get the nice pictures first, then list the house.
- Change the verbiage to match the season's desires. Play up football in the fall, baseball in the summer, etc. Appeal to the senses of the seasons. Buyers want to feel what it's like to live in the home - in every season.
- Write descriptions under the photos on the MLS
These are all things you can do for cheap or free that can really enhance your buyer's experience and help get them into your listing. More tips? Please share!
Point 2 & Broker Reciprocity
The MLS only has Rules that apply to you if you participate in the MLS Broker Reciprocity program by displaying other Listing Office’s active listings on your website.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Nit-Picking at Homes & Lifestyles
Ad #1 Names
This is a simple real estate team ad. You have your standard catchphrase, phone numbers, agent photos and email addresses as well as a web address. But there is something critical missing. NAMES!!! When I call a phone number I’d like a name to use. I can assume one of the agents is John Everitt based solely on his email address but the other address is even vaguer. ‘JWilkinson88’ could be anything and if this is a company email (@kw.com is Keller Williams) why is there an ‘88’ in the email address? That resembles more of an AOL account. It seems like it would be a no-brainer but apparently it’s not. ALWAYS USE YOUR NAME! You are paying to advertise yourself.
BOTTOM LINE: Use your name.
Ad #2 Photos
Many times agencies will line up their agents photos in their ads and place their contact information alongside. I’m not sure about other consumers but for me that is a really difficult way to pick out a real estate agent. So, what do consumers do? They judge by a picture to see who they want to investigate further. An agent can’t expect a consumer to go through all of the agents. Consumers do a quick analysis and if you just give them your photo and name, they will judge based on the information provided. It’s only natural. So, use your best photo! The middle and the end agents in this line up are blurred and pixilated. I would immediately rule out these agents simply based on the bad pictures. Horrible but true. If I can’t see your face in your photo I will quickly eliminate you and I’m afraid other consumers will pass you over just as quickly. Take the time to provide a high quality photo for your advertisements or you are wasting your money. The same can be said for listing photos. Take the time and care to make your listings look good. You owe it to your sellers. I’ve seen million dollar properties that have blurry photos. If I were the seller I would feel cheated, especially when I see other agents providing professional real estate photos taken by a photographer for their listings. I would consider relisting with another agent. And, the aforementioned home was a builder’s personal home- a client that could possibly lead to much more business.
BOTTOM LINE: Use high-quality photos.
Ad #3 Design Elements
I can’t spend the amount of time necessary to analyze this ad because it hurts my head to look at it! The background is nice but it’s too prominent. It makes it difficult to focus on what I, the consumer, should be paying attention to – the homes! The text is way too small and uses all caps in a font that is not easy to read. This font should only be used for headlines and it must be bigger. It is a bit stretched out as well, but not everywhere. One more thing to mention – it’s hard to figure out which descriptions match up with each photo. It took me a while to figure out why. I mean, they line up and that should be enough, right? Apparently not to the mind’s eye. The photos are not all of exterior shots. So, the interior shots make me feel like they are all part of the same house.
BOTTOM LINE(S): Use easy to read text (no stretching, use proper case, consistent sizing)
Don’t let your background overpower the content
Keep it consistent
It was really fun to look through the Homes Illustrated magazine and I will make it a point to do so more frequently at home. It was a wonderful learning experience. Do the same with your own magazine. It’s easier to critique others’ ads than your own. Analyze what works for you as a consumer and take it to your next campaign.
P.S. I find it is easier to do this with a magazine from an area that is not your own. You won’t go into the magazine with biases or assumptions. regarding the agents. Have fun!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Marketing at 70mph
Monday, May 26, 2008
Do You Twitter?
P.S. I've also added my Twitter to my website and blog.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
60 day program & pre-pay discount
Please note that effective June 1, 2008 the 60-day payment option will no longer be available. All invoices will be due upon receipt. Payments not received within 30 days will result in work cessation and finance charges of $10 or 1.75%, whichever is greater. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
NOW INTRODUCING a 10% PRE-PAY DISCOUNT! For those customers who routinely use My Assistant, this program may be of benefit to you. As we approach the summer months and more homes are selling, you may want to consider pre-paying for the fall & winter. Any pre-paid amount will result in a 10% discount. So, if you pre-pay $100 you’ll received $110 or work performed. ‘Minutes’ don’t expire and can be rolled over month to month. You can use it to pre-pay for the slower months or use it to access savings. Couldn’t we all stand to save money these days? If you’re interested, let me know.
Email Address
P.S. If you are using your broker's email address (remax.net; coldwellbanker.com; cressyeverett.com) then you may want to consider obtaining your own personal email address JUST IN CASE you ever switch companies. You still will want your clients to find you.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Need Repeat Traffic?
So, for everyone out there - if you ever need something converted to pdf form, please visit my site and you can do so there for FREE. All you do is upload your document or paste in your url and you will receive an email back with the pdf attached. I hope you enjoy pdf conversion as much as I do. Really, I do.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
And the Winner is...
To everyone who contributed a feedback form, I greatly appreciate it. I can only improve when I realize where I need to improve. Now I know more of what I am doing right and ways I can expand my service to you. Many thanks!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Where do you draw the line?
What's Your Color Q Profile?
So why is all of this important? I think it's good to know what makes you tick, what your downfalls are, and where you need to ask for help from others who are more inclined to a certain talent. As difficult as it is for me to admit that I'm not perfect, I'm reminded of it time and time again. It's comforting to know that there are others to help me where I lack and that I have not failed simply because I am not good at everything. The Color Q Profile system also goes into depth about how to relate to the other color profiles (how to lead them, how to 'sell' them, how to be lead by them).
Check out a mini-assessment I'd be interested in knowing which color you think you are.
All items provided with permission of the author.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Farming Contest Idea
Select a farming area
Send ALL Just Listed/Just Sold/Farming postcards to this area ONLY
Start a contest that goes like this - the first person to collect and keep 10 of the agent's postcards and calls the agent will receive a $50 or $100 restaurant gift certificate.
Here's what this would accomplish:
1.Several, if not many, people will start collecting the postcards and holding onto them, giving them more of a shelf life and more effective marketing
2.Residents will be excited to collect another postcard and will watch for them in anticipation
3. Many people will collect 10. They will ALL call into the office to speak to the agent. A relationship is born and the agent will stick out in their minds when they think of listing their homes.
Tangent Thought Here's something I don't understand and maybe someone can enlighten me. Wouldn't it be more effective to send Just Sold postcards to the same farming area every time instead of just doing the homes around the house an agent just sold? I mean, the neighborhood around the home MAY have someone looking to sell and they may not. This postcard could be the only postcard the homeowner ever receives from the agent and so the agent is pushed out of their minds just like the other agents who only send them one card. If the agent send the postcards to a selected farm area each and every time they will see how much work the agent is doing, how much they are selling, and agent recognition is much more promising.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Ideas I want to use
Video Virtual Tours: Upload guided video tours to You Tube, embed in your website. Not only is this embracing new technology but it also creates a higher SEO rating for your website since You Tube is pointing to your site. The best part - it's free if you have a good digital camera and someone to run it.
Farming Postcard: What can $xxxxxx buy in today's market? Front of the postcard would feature several homes currently listed at that price. For instance, feature 5 listings between $149,500 and $150,000. Might get buyers interested in purchasing when they see what they can afford.
High Dynamic Range Photography: href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging"> Now that I have my Canon Powershot G9 I have become increasingly interested in photo composition and real estate photography. HDR is something I'm trying to learn in hopes of including it as a service. Interested in Real Estate Photography? Here is a great blog featuring great industry tips.
Have a suggestion for services you'd like to see? Let me know.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
$1400 Clubhouse
Argh! Sometimes I don't like my best friend - my computer. This is now my 2nd time writing this post. NOTE TO SELF - do not press the backspce button unless you are editing something.
Anyway, this post will be much shorter than what it was previously. I've had 5 printers in the last 6 months. Clarification - I STILL have 5 printers.
With the amount of printers I've had, my kids know to get excited when the Dell boxes are unloaded from the DHL truck. Tai & Baylee made no exception to the rule when my newest printer was delivered last week, bringing along with it a huge & sturdy box to convert into a clubhouse. Well worth the price if it occupies them for 3 days straight. The packing foam is a whole other story.
The Dell 5110cn is an upgrade from my 3-week old Dell 3110cn color laser printer. I needed something that would be more compatible with my 6,000/month printing cycle. The 5110cn offers a duplex printing option, a 500-sheet capacity tray, super fast speeds (40ppm black & 35ppm color) and fantastic graphics. I now print twice as fast with less work in between. I just have to wonder - by the end of summer, will I still have the same printer?? I hope not.
By the way - if you are looking for a good color laser printer, I have my Dell 3110cn printer for sale for $200 ($550 from Dell) - no toner or usb printer cord included. Comes with a transferable 3-year next-day on site service warranty.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
A 'Widget' WHAT??
We all know to get listings on the internet because that is where the buyers are looking. Period. My Assistant provides a service to our agents that syndicates their listings to 10-12 classified websites. We do this via a Postlet (www.postlets.com). It's a free site (we charge $7 for the input, maintenance, and upload to Craigslist). We also design a flyer for the agent to give to their sellers (printing costs extra). Postlets provides a property widget (3 size samples below). I'm trying to find ways to use these widgets and would love your input. Here are my ideas thus far - 1) websites to feature listings, 2) blogs 3) would love to be able to embed in an email - any ideas?
Small:
Medium:
Large:
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
RESPA / IDOI Compliant
Quality Laser Prints
Flyer on 32lb glossy stock - .30
1/4 page postcard - .18
1/2 page postcard - .35
Design Fees
Flyer - $7
Postcard - $10
More prices
Samples Slideshow
Monday, January 14, 2008
New Slideshow
I've recently (today) added a flyer/postcard/misc. slideshow to my blog page. It's awesome! I can't wait to add more to it as I do more work.
I know what you are thinking - "Why do I care?" Well here's my thought:
On your own webpage you could add a slideshow of your featured properties or maybe on your testimonials page add a slideshow of satisfied customers. Pictures are worth 1,000 words. Make those pictures work for you.
Need more info on setting up a slideshow for your webpage? Call or email me.
Any Farmers Out There?
- You don't have the time to come up with an idea for a mailer?
- You don't have the time to design a mailer?
- You don't have a farm list set up?
- You don't have the time to set up a farm list?
If you want to be a farmer but for one of the reasons above haven't dug in, let me help you. I have the systems and knowledge to:
- Create a farm list - $20/hour (I can usually pull around 300 records/hour)
- Design a 12-month campaign for your farm area - $100 (or $10 each)
- Print your mailer (FEES)
- Process address verification and bulk mail - $20/hour
If you've been thinking of farming but haven't gotten around to it, now is the time. Let's work together for your continued success in 2008 and to take your business to the next level.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Looking to get FSBO listings?
Looking for a new edge this year to get more listings? Tried marketing to FSBOs before with no or little results? Let me help. With my follow up program, you purchase a zip code (only one agent per zip code) and I will:
Look up FSBOs in the South Bend Tribune, MichianaByOwner.com & ForSaleByOwner.com weekly
Send you a list of new addresses & phone numbers, if available
Mail out a PowerPoint presentation customized to your business on CD & printed out in a folder (1st week only)
Send out postcards (weeks 2 and higher)
Set Up Cost (includes PowerPoint Presentation): $150
Cost Per Month: $7/week per listing (includes all printing, postage, postcard creation & labor).
You can cap your cost per month to any amount you wish.
Zip code costs vary but range between $100-$200 per zip code. Email me for a quote on your requested zip code(s). All inactive zip codes will be released for purchase after 3 months.
HURRY! Once the zip code is purchased, it's gone.
The Talking House - 2.0
The Texting House.
With Cell Signs, you can assign mobile IDs to your listings. You then place signs outside your listings, showing the mobile ID. Buyers drive by and text the home's ID to receive a message back with all of the details of the house, including pictures.
But it doesn't end there. If they are interested in seeing the house they can request a showing right then and there, request a call back from you, or request a property brochure via email. If the buyer makes any of these requests then you are provided with the buyer's contact information to complete the contact. You get high-interest buyer leads.
I know you want to know how much it costs. As I cruised around the site and got more excited, I prepared myself to be shocked at a high price. I was pleasantly surprised.
3 Signs - $25/month
5 Signs - $30/month
10 Signs - $50/month
There is a set up fee in the amount of 10x the number of signs (so $30 for 3 signs, $50 for 5 signs, $100 for 10 signs).
If you've been wondering how to set yourself apart from the crowd, this may be a good option for you this year.
More Information:
How it Works
FAQ
About Me
- Renee Crabtree
- South Bend, IN, United States
- I am a hard-working, organized and computer proficient Virtual Assistant. My expertise is in the real estate field. My mom has been a REALTOR since I was 12 so it was only natural to become an assistant to one of the top 50 agents in Indiana when I was in college. After college I went to work at the area's most respected title insurance company as a title production specialist. I then moved into my true calling area - Marketing. I spent 5 years in Marketing and just love helping people out and getting their problems solved...fast! I am now combining my three loves: Real Estate, Administrative/Marketing Support and my children into My Assistant ~ Virtual Assistance to the Real Estate Industry.