Agents - What Marketing Is Working For You?

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Agents - What Marketing Is Working For You?

Colin SmithBusiness Member
Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes

This seems to be an elusive answer on the web and answers can greatly vary from site to site, especially if the source is really trying to market themselves to begin with. Let's keep this discussion about our non-investing clients / retail clients.

What are you doing to attract listing leads?

What are you doing to attract buyer leads?

What has been working well for you?

What has not been working well for you?

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David Hunter
Residential Real Estate Agent · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2008 · 579 posts · 225 votes
11y

Talking about non-investing clients...

It's an oldie but a goodie... Farm an area with postcards!  Why, because it works!  You just need to offer something of value to get potential home sellers to raise their hand.  That's why we offered a free home seller's guide.

Also, had great response from a 3-step 3D mail campaign to expired listings.

We also got listings from Angie's List (actually a really great source).

Buyer leads?  Well, we didn't actively market to get buyers.  They just came with the listings.  That's why you should always concentrate on getting listings because that's where the money is.

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  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    11y

    Social Media & Signage work great for us.

    2Reply
  • Colin SmithBusiness Member
    OP
    Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes
    11y

    Hey @James Wise

    I just listened to your podcast, great info!

    Let me dig a little deeper into that.

    How exactly are using social media to reach out to the public? Which sites do you prefer?

    What type of signing are you talking about? Yard signs? Bill boards? Etc.

    Thanks!

    1Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Colin Smith:

    Hey @James Wise

    I just listened to your podcast, great info!

    Let me dig a little deeper into that.

    How exactly are using social media to reach out to the public? Which sites do you prefer?

    What type of signing are you talking about? Yard signs? Bill boards? Etc.

    Thanks!

    Thanks for the positive feedback Colin. Really appreciate it.

    I wrote a blog about Using social media You may find it helpful.

    Signage is great. The bigger the better. When possible utilize our properties for their advertising potential. Take a look at one of our apartment buildings. It is on a main road and provides a great canvas for a large sign. That sign is 4ft by 8ft.

    0Reply
  • Colin SmithBusiness Member
    OP
    Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes
    11y

    That is great thinking!

    0Reply
  • David Hunter
    Residential Real Estate Agent · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2008 · 579 posts · 225 votes
    11y

    Talking about non-investing clients...

    It's an oldie but a goodie... Farm an area with postcards!  Why, because it works!  You just need to offer something of value to get potential home sellers to raise their hand.  That's why we offered a free home seller's guide.

    Also, had great response from a 3-step 3D mail campaign to expired listings.

    We also got listings from Angie's List (actually a really great source).

    Buyer leads?  Well, we didn't actively market to get buyers.  They just came with the listings.  That's why you should always concentrate on getting listings because that's where the money is.

    5Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    11y

    @David Hunter made a great point about going after listings being the most important.

    I remember in licensing school they drilled this saying into our heads over and over

    "LISTERS LAST"

    2Reply
  • Account Closed
    Investor · Tustin, CA · Member since 2015 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    11y

    @David Hunter, How do you get listings from Angie's List?  

    0Reply
  • David Hunter
    Residential Real Estate Agent · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2008 · 579 posts · 225 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Account Closed:

    @David Hunter, How do you get listings from Angie's List?  

     This isn't a "get listing quick" technique.  And, for newbies it won't work right way either.

    So, you create a free business account (yes, it's free).  Then, you got to past and present clients and ask them to right you a review on Angie's List.

    Then, the more you get the better your results will be and people will contact you from there.  It takes time to build up, but it's worth t and everyone we ever had were high quality people (not the highest pricing, but high quality, great people to work with).

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Investor · Tustin, CA · Member since 2015 · 3 posts · 0 votes
    11y

    Thanks for your response.  I will certainly take advantage of this.  

    0Reply
  • Russell BrazilBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Agent · Washington, D.C. · Member since 2012 · 17k+ posts · 30k+ votes
    11y

    I focus most of my marketing on my sphere of influence, current and past clients.  I try to leverage my current relationships into referrals.  Establishing a FARM can be costly, especially in an area with a lot of agents.  My marketing is basically 1 email a month, 1 snail mail piece a month, and I try to get something of value into their hands every 2-3 months or so.  This helps keep my marketing budget relatively low, while producing pretty good leads.

    [email protected]301-893-4635Podcast Guest on Show #192
    District Invest Group545 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    2Reply
  • Dan MackinBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Erie, CO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 512 votes
    11y

    My neighborhood has a very lacking amount of farming being done to it. IF it is done it's just one card and then that is it. Not many reminders which is surprising. I am also pursuing the listing side of things. Especially considering the current market conditions. I will be doing neighborhood movie nights once a month and will see how that goes. I do live in a saturated area in terms of agents, but standing out is my goal and that means taking slightly different approaches.

    720-466-3378
    3Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    11y

    @Dan Mackin

    Can you provide a little more info on the movie night? That sounds interesting.

    0Reply
  • Colin SmithBusiness Member
    OP
    Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes
    11y

    I too would be curious to hear more about the movie night idea. How are you marketing it? How many are invited? How do you accommodate for a large group to watch a movie?

    @Dan Mackin

    0Reply
  • Dan MackinBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Erie, CO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 512 votes
    11y

    @James Wise & @Colin Smith

    I have purchased a full outdoor movie setup for these events. 16'x9' screen, full PA system, 1080p projector and a bluray player. This can cost you less than $1000 or a lot more. I am a DIY guy so I was able to get everything for a very good price since some of it had to be created/built. All quality parts too. 

    For the movie nights themselves I am going to be hosting them in HOA owned green spaces. All of the parks in my neighborhood are owned by the HOAs so I get to avoid town permits since it is private property. For permission I just sent a quick proposal to the HOA presidents. Both of them are into the idea and are checking with the other board members, but it is seeming very likely. Once it is all approved they did say they will help spread the word with the residents in the ways that they can (Email, Monthly letter, Posting on the community board). On top of that my town and the neighborhoods within have very popular facebook groups that everyone communicates through. I will just be throwing it out on those pages to let everyone know.

    For each month I am running 2 separate showings of the same movie. The green spaces I mentioned are not big enough to hold both neighborhoods (my neighborhood is half townhomes and half SFH). Each showing will be directed at either the townhomes or SFH portion of the neighborhood. To keep it legal I am getting copyright licensing for the showings. For 1 movie it is $250, but for every additional showing it is $125. So for two showings it comes out to $187.50 each. So excluding the equipment I figure each movie night will run me about $200 total plus a few hours of my time. I'll get to plaster my name all over the neighborhood including on a massive screen and hopefully become known as the one who gets the neighbors together.

    Since I am keeping the advertising local to the neighborhood I am expecting anywhere from 75 to 200 people per showing.

    720-466-3378
    2Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    11y

    Dan,

    Wow, all I can say is that is awesome! Great marketing. I shared this with all the agents in my office.

    Keep up the good work.

    0Reply
  • Dan MackinBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Erie, CO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 512 votes
    11y

    Initial test of the screen setup worked great, other than ripping the screen accidentally. You can see the tear in the bottom corner. I've got some sewing to do...

    2 things to note that I learned.

    1. Setup of everything takes about 40 minutes. Tear down is 20-30 minutes.

    2. Verify the sprinkler schedule or make sure they are off. There was a bit of a freak out moment. Thankfully my neighbors are quick on their feet and helped me get the electronics out fast.

    For size reference the bottom of the screen is 4 feet off the ground. My neighbor's son was able to walk under it without ducking.

    Yeah Tarzan. 

    720-466-3378
    1Reply
  • Colin SmithBusiness Member
    OP
    Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes
    11y

    @Dan Mackin

    Looks like a cool set up. So after it being all said and done, would you say it has brought any lead generation as of yet?

    0Reply
  • Dan MackinBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Erie, CO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 512 votes
    11y

    @Colin Smith it definitely hasn't yet. The first advertised movie night is on the 17th so we'll see how it goes after that.

    720-466-3378
    0Reply
  • Dan MackinBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Erie, CO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 512 votes
    11y

    I do have a question about sites like Zillow and Redfin. Does anyone use their programs and have any success? I do know Redfin can be helpful, but I'm just looking for more insight from others.

    720-466-3378
    0Reply
  • Colin SmithBusiness Member
    OP
    Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes
    11y

    Only a couple weeks away then and definitely understandable there is no progress yet. I'll be very curious to see if this works for you as I already own a projector and screen so this wouldn't take much for me to get going. But I would love to hear your success with it first. Please keep us updated as I will be eager to hear if you get any leads through it.

    Do you plan to do any self promotion during the movie night? (An add on the screen before and after the movie, talking before the movie starts promoting yourself, or perhaps handing out flyers with information and a business card on it)?

    I haven't used redfin or zillow yet but I am very curious about those as well. When I do research on zillow and trulia I would say that the zillow feedback on the zillow testimonials page sounds amazing, which isn't surprising as it would be biased. Then I go to other sites and see about 19 out 20 people say it's a waste of money and don't do it. I could perhaps see though that the people who didn't properly take advantage of the system complaining and those who it does work well for don't think to look twice at blogs asking if zillow and trulia leads really work. What are your thoughts about buying leads from those websites?

    @Dan Mackin

    0Reply
  • Qulia Brunson
    Real Estate Broker · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2014 · 76 posts · 21 votes
    11y

    I'm currently using Trulia as a lead generator for sellers. I'm paying for 4 leads in two zip codes and after the first month I did receive 8 leads. 2 were wrong numbers, 2 set up an appointment, 1 I still haven't gotten in touch with, and the rest were just looking or wanted to know their property estimate. Not too bad after one month but I plan to test it for at least 6 months. The account manager that I have is good about following up with me and will also replace junk leads. So far I'm satisfied but I'm not sure it would be necessary for an established agent to use this service, if they are using their sphere of influence correctly.

    1Reply
  • Colin SmithBusiness Member
    OP
    Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes
    11y
    @Qulia Brunson

    Thanks for chiming in!
    So let me get this straight... you are paying for a set number of leads (4) per month per zip code? And how much does that cost you?
    0Reply
  • Qulia Brunson
    Real Estate Broker · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2014 · 76 posts · 21 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Colin Smith:
    @Qulia Brunson

    Thanks for chiming in!
    So let me get this straight... you are paying for a set number of leads (4) per month per zip code? And how much does that cost you?

    Yes for a total of 8 seller leads that come directly to me and me only, It's a little over $200 a month. I didn't mention this in the last post but using this or any other lead generation marketing means you have to be comfortable calling people. Following up with the leads will ultimately lead to more conversion. I think it's well worth the cost even if I only get 1 listing a month from Trulia.

    0Reply
  • Colin SmithBusiness Member
    OP
    Realtor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2013 · 987 posts · 447 votes
    11y

    @Qulia Brunson

    Well I hope those work out for you. 1 listing month would definitely be worth it. Keep us updated on this thread to let us know how it goes for you over the next 6 months.

    1Reply
  • Barry Herbst
    Real Estate Professional · New York City, NY · Member since 2015 · 55 posts · 14 votes
    11y

    Hi,

    I work on a referral basis. Thankfully it's pretty strong. I also recommend using Contactually to stay in touch with past clients, and postcards generally help, too. Whenever you get a listing, I recommend you share it with your network on Facebook and Linkedin. This has gotten me lots of direct inquiries from people who've had no idea I was a broker until my post. Hope this helps!

    Best,

    Barry

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