Real Estate Postcard Talk

Your Guide to Online Postcard Printing Companies

2008-11-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can conduct a real estate postcard campaign without ever touching a piece of paper / card stock? It's true. Today, there are more than a dozen online postcard printing companies that will handle every aspect of your direct mail campaign. You can design your postcard online (or upload one you've already designed), purchase a mailing list, and then have the printing company mail them out for you.

This much is good news. But there's also a downside to the sheer number of postcard printing companies online these days. Choosing one to handle your print-and-mail campaign can be overwhelming!

It's also important to realize that not all printing services are created equal. I have worked for two online printers in the past, and I've done business with several more. Some were first-class operations, while other disappointed me greatly. In that regard, online postcard companies are like any other type of business -- there's a full spectrum of good and bad.

The key to choosing the right printing service for your needs is to understand how these companies work, what they offer, etc. I've provided that information in a new tutorial available here on the website. I've even gone a step further and recommended a few companies I've had luck with in the past. Hope you find it useful.

Go there now: Your Guide to Online Real Estate Postcard Printing

You can also learn about these types of companies (and the services they provide) by downloading a copy of my postcard marketing guide.

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

-Brandon

Promoting Your Real Estate Seminar With Postcards

2008-11-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

One of the things I like about postcards as a marketing tool is the sheer versatility they offer. You can use them to support almost any business objective. In this article we will talk about how to use direct mail postcards to promote a real estate seminar or an online webinar.

Seminars are a great business-building tool for those in the real estate industry. In a troubled economy, this is even more true, because the need for information among consumers becomes even greater. So a real estate seminar can be the perfect tool for attracting new clients who are seeking answers to their questions.

You can use postcards to announce your event and increase the attendance level. Once you have a real estate seminar planned out, you would simply put the primary benefit in the headline, and then offer multiple incentives for attending. Next, offer a web-based form that allows people to sign up easily, and you're well on your way to seminar success.

Like all good direct mail strategies, this concept starts with the big idea. It's the idea, the offer and the value that matters most -- the postcard simply conveys these things. In this case, the idea, offer and value all stem from the real estate seminar itself.

Additional Postcard Tips or Seminars

Convey the primary benefit of your seminar through a strong headline. For example, if it's a home buyer seminar you might say: "Free Real Estate Training Event: All Your Home Buying Questions Answered!"

Point to a website where people can learn more and sign up for the event.

Create a sense of urgency: "Space is limited, so reserve your seat today."

If possible, include a map showing the location.

Mention a free "take away," like a printout of the presentation or a special report. If at all possible, show an image of the freebie. People believe what they can see.

Before you do any of this, you need to make sure you have a seminar worth attending in the first place. This is the "big idea" that fuels this marketing strategy. If you sit down to write about the benefits on your postcard, but you're unable to come up with any, then you need to go back to the drawing board.

What is the end result of this approach? A room full of prospective clients who need the kind of real estate services this company provides! Can you even put a price on that?

Brandon Cornett has worked in the direct mail industry and has written a postcard marketing book for real estate agents and brokers. You can learn more, purchase the book, or contact the author by visiting http://www.realestatepostcardbook.com

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com. Comments are welcome. Use the comment link below.

-Brandon

Real Estate Prospecting Postcards - 2 Key Ingredients

2008-11-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Real estate prospecting postcards are one of the oldest and most reliable forms of marketing. They have been used nearly as long as the U.S. Postal Service has existed. They can be used to support a wide variety of business goals.

With that being said, there are many ways to wander astray when using prospecting postcards as part of your real estate marketing campaign. When this happens, you end up spending a lot of money without much to show for it. And in marketing, there is nothing worse than a dismal return-on-investment (ROI). It's a waste of money, not to mention being a huge disappointment.

One of the ways you can succeed with real estate prospecting postcards it to learn the common mistakes people make when using them. In my time working around this medium, I would say the two most common mistakes are the following:

Asking the postcard to do more than it's capable of doing (lack of realism).

Failing to offer a strong enough incentive for the desired action (lack of value).

So if you can avoid these same mistakes, you're already on the path to real estate prospecting success. Let's talk about each one in turn:

Set Realistic Postcard Goals

When you choose the marketing medium, you are sacrificing space in favor of directness. Sure, there's a good chance most of your recipients will read the postcard when they pull it from the mailbox. That's why they call it "direct" mail. But at the same time, you are reducing your entire pitch down to a double-sided piece of paper or card stock. So you have to be realistic with your postcard marketing objectives.

For example, you can't tell people everything about your company, products or services on a postcard. There's just no room for that. So limit your message to support a specific objective. Tell them only what's necessary to achieve the goal of your mailing, and make sure the goal is realistic.

Explain the Reward for the Action Taken

It's a general rule of thumb in marketing that you never ask somebody to do something without telling them what they get out of it. In other words, there must be a clear incentive or reward for taking a certain action. This goes double for direct mail postcards, because you don't have much room to get people motivated.

For example, instead of just saying, "Visit my website to learn more," you could clearly explain the value your website offers: "Visit my website for immediate access to virtual tours on select homes in the area!"

Conclusion

Obviously, there's more to postcard marketing than these two concepts. But if you can start your campaign by avoiding these two common mistakes, you have an edge right from the start. After that, just make sure you have something worth promoting in the first place -- a great product or service. The rest is mere logistics.

Brandon Cornett has worked in the direct mail industry and has written a postcard prospecting book for real estate agents and brokers. You can learn more, purchase the book, or contact the author by visiting http://www.realestatepostcardbook.com

Have questions about the postcard book?

Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com. Comments are welcome. Use the comment link below.

-Brandon

Real Estate Letters - New Article Posted

2008-10-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

I wrote my book on real estate postcard marketing because that's where my background lies -- with using postcards for prospecting / farming purposes. But I've also learned some lessons about direct mail letters over the years, and I want to share my trial-and-error experiences with you.

So I've posted a new article to the Real Estate Marketing Encyclopedia section of this website, and it offers quite a few tips on using letters as part of your overall prospecting program.

Here's an article excerpt:

If you plan to include farming letters as part of your overall real estate marketing program, you should spend some time learning the fundamentals of direct mail copywriting. Here's a short lesson on copywriting that you can apply to your real estate marketing letters and other promotional content ... read the rest.

-Brandon

Real Estate Marketing Encyclopedia - Just Launched

2008-10-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

I've recently launched a new section of the website that offers advice on all aspects of real estate marketing. The postcard book obviously covers the specific topic of direct mail, but there are many other forms of real estate marketing that can be used in conjunction with postcards. In fact, there's a chapter of the book on that very subject -- how to use postcards together with your website to generate more leads.

I feel this new section of the website will complement the book by painting a bigger picture of agent marketing. I have a list of more than 25 topics I plan to cover in the coming days, such as search engine marketing, blogging and much more. As of right now, you can find entries on the following topics:

I hope you find this new section of the site useful, and I welcome any suggestions you have for future development. There will be many more topics coming soon, and I'll update the blog here to reflect new content.

-Brandon

Postcard Marketing Success - Put the Product Before the Marketing

2008-03-02T23:06:00.000-08:00

After working in the direct mail postcard industry for a while, I've noticed some trends. I've seen which real estate postcard strategies work the best, and which ones should be avoided. And I'd like to share one of the most effective "secrets" of postcard marketing with you right now.

A Great Product or Service Markets Itself

A bad idea with glitzy marketing material wrapped around it is still a bad idea. All the "candy coating" in the world won't change that. Likewise, a mediocre product or service with heavy marketing is still just mediocre.

So before you start with your the design or message of your real estate postcard, start with the big idea behind the postcard. Start with the product or service you are trying to promote. How is it different and better from the competition? How will it change the lives your intended audience? If you can't answer these questions, you are not ready to market the item.

Here's an example taken from the "door hanger" marketing materials I get all the time. My home office is in the front of my house, and I live in a fairly new neighborhood with plenty of door-to-door marketers. So about once a day, I see somebody coming up the walk with a door-hanger or flyer destined for my front door.

Many of these marketing materials are from landscaping companies. But they all go straight into the trash because there is nothing unique about them. They all clamor about "quality service" ... a phrase that is entirely meaningless these days.

Here's an idea. How about creating a website with a scheduling tool so homeowners can request lawn service? How about showing me a "case study" with the smiling photo of one of my neighbors? How about doing something -- anything -- besides talking about your "quality service."

It's just laziness if you ask me, and I see the same thing in real estate postcard marketing all the time. In a rush, a real estate company will "announce" their real estate services to a market area without thinking their message through ... or without developing their service in a way that makes it unique. Then they'll try to compensate for their developmental shortcomings with a "kick-butt" marketing campaign.

Guess what? It doesn't work. Putting your postcard marketing before your product is a recipe for failure 99% of the time. Yet, it's still one of the most common marketing failures of all, within real estate postcard marketing and other media as well.

If you start with a great idea and turn it into an actual product or service, you have built the marketing right into the product!

Real Estate Postcard Company Creates a Version of My Book

2007-11-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

Some people say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. But when somebody imitates your entire business idea -- and takes actual elements of your product to apply to their product -- imitation becomes something far more sinister.

Such is the case with the folks over at RealEstatePostcardsOnline.com. Apparently, they were so impressed with my book on real estate postcard marketing that they decided to create one of their own. It looks like mine, it sounds like mine, and it even borrows entire concepts, bullet points, etc. from my book.

Do you think I'm making it up, or maybe reading too far into it? If so, you will quickly change your mind when you view the long list of striking "similarities" between my book on real estate postcard marketing and their book (which was published long after mine came onto the scene).

View the imitation alert

I'm not so sure about imitation being flattery in this case. In fact, I find the whole thing sad, pathetic and bothersome. This would be like me creating a website called www.RealEstatePostcardsOnlineAlso.com and borrowing their website's color scheme and layout.

Of course, I wouldn't do such a thing because it would be (A) a stupid business idea and (B) grossly unethical.

I guess some folks just don't share my ethical approach to online behavior.

Anyhoo ... if you're interested in reading the world's only unbiased book on real estate postcard marketing, you can download it today.

Sincerely,

Brandon Cornett
Often copied, never equaled...

"There comes a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance, that imitation is suicide, that he must take himself for better, or for worse as his portion." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

3 Ways to Design Real Estate Postcards

2007-08-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

There are several elements that go into a successful postcard marketing campaign. You need a targeted mailing list, a strong message, a motivating offer, and a clearly defined "next path."

But your real estate postcard needs to look nice too, or none of the other elements will even matter. This is where real estate postcard design comes into the picture, and it too is a critical element of postcard marketing success.

Basically, you have three ways to go about the design of your real estate postcard. You could do it yourself, hire a designer, or select a postcard design "template" and then fill in your personal information.

Three Options for Postcard Design

1. Design It Yourself -- This option obviously puts the most burden on you, but it also gives you the greatest control over the postcard design. Secondly, it ensures that your postcard's design will be truly unique and different from those of other real estate agents. But not all agents have the capability to design their own real estate postcard, so this option may not actually be an option for you.

2. Hire a Designer -- In my opinion, this is the best way to go for most real estate agents. This is for several reasons. First, it will ensure your postcard design is created by a professional. Second, it will remove the design burden from your shoulders. Third, it will allow you to create a unique design for your real estate postcards.

3. Use a Template -- Rarely, if ever, do I recommend postcard design templates to real estate agents. To me, the reasons why are obvious. Basically it boils down to the fact that your real estate postcard is going to have a "cookie cutter" design that your recipient has probably seen countless times in the past. A little hard to stand out with such an approach, wouldn't you say?

3 Truths of Real Estate Postcard Design

Whichever approach you take, there are three things to remember when designing your postcards.

First, you should remember that the design is always secondary to the message. A truly valuable offer on a sloppy postcard will usually outperform a weak offer on a well-designed postcard. Your offer and your message should be given primary consideration, long before you even worry about the postcard design.

Secondly, a unique design will help you capture the reader's attention, which is the first step to postcard marketing success. However, if you use the same postcard design layout that consumers have seen time and time again, on countless real estate postcards, then you are at a disadvantage from the start.

Thirdly, your real estate postcard's design should "mesh" with your audience. For instance, if you are selling high-end luxury homes, don't even bother sending cheaply produced postcards. Such a homeowner expects a certain level of quality in all things business-related, and that would include your marketing pieces. After all, you would be responsible for marketing this person's home, right? Match the postcard design to the intended audience.

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

Comments are welcome. Use the comment link below.

-Brandon

Real Estate Marketing With Postcards

2007-08-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Looking for real estate marketing ideas that you can apply to postcards? If so, you don't have to look any further than this book. With this book, you'll learn how to use real estate marketing postcards in a way that maximizes response rates while minimizing your cost and effort.

You'll learn how to create a "big idea" for maximum impact and then promote it with real estate marketing postcards. Home buying seminars, resource websites, special reports ... these are just a few of the things you can promote via postcard marketing, and you'll learn all about them from the real estate postcard book.

Have questions about the book?

Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

Comments are welcome. Use the comment link below.

-Brandon

Direct Mail Services - What Do They Do?

2007-06-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

Any real estate agent considering direct mail as an addition to their marketing program should consider using a direct mail service. These companies handle all of the logistics for you, which makes life a lot easier.

If you already use real estate direct mail but are handling the printing and mailing yourself, you should use a direct mail service for the convenience factor alone.

A Direct Mail Service Does All That?
A few years ago, when I worked for a direct mail postcard company, I attended the NAR conference in Orlando, Florida. It was 2004, if I remember correctly. Something I clearly remember were all of the real estate agents who came up to the booth inquiring about our services. What postcard services do you provide? How much does it cost? Etc.

I would tell them how the company handled everything -- postcard design, copywriting support, printing and mailing, etc. And most of the time they would respond with something like: "You do all of that? And for that price? Jeez, I've been killing myself trying to do it alone all this time!"

It's important to note that direct mail is not for everyone. It requires a certain commitment and willingness to learn. But for the real estate agents who use direct mail well, the rewards are worth the effort put into the program. The trick is to maximize the rewards while minimizing the efforts.

How do you maximize the rewards? Well, for one thing you can apply the proven techniques of direct mail marketing (like those outlined in my book). And to minimize the effort, you can use a direct mail service to handle the logistical side of things for you.

I've just posted a guide to direct mail services over at PostcardSmart.com. It explains what these services do, how to shop for one, etc. If you find the article helpful, be sure to check out the related articles mentioned at the end of it.

Go there now: A Guide to Direct Mail Services

~Brandon

Postcard Marketing With Website Assist

2007-05-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

Do you use real estate postcards as part of your marketing program? Do you also have a real estate website? (Sure you do, right?) In that case, you should be using your real estate postcards and your website to mutually reinforce one another.

These days, one of the best ways to use postcard marketing is in conjunction with a website landing page. When you use farming postcards that direct people to a specific section of your website for a specific (and beneficial reason), you have a golden opportunity to increase your postcard response rates.

But like anything else in real estate marketing, there's a right and a wrong way to go about this. I've posted a new article over at PostcardSmart.com to help you learn the right way:

Postcard Marketing: How to Incorporate Your Website

If you'd like more advice on using postcards and websites together, be sure to download your copy of the book.

-Brandon

New Article on Postcard Printing

2007-05-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've been on an article-writing kick lately, and the topic has been postcard printing companies. In a new article over at PostcardSmart.com, I've outlined some important considerations when choosing a postcard printing company, mainly from a convenience perspective.

Convenience is important when it comes to postcard marketing. There are a lot of steps involved in the design, printing and mailing of a real estate postcard, so the convenience factor will make a big difference in your overall success and satisfaction.

In this new article I've listed some specific, convenience-related criteria you should look for in a postcard printing company:

Postcard Printers - Measuring the Convenience Factor

Hope you find it helpful.

-Brandon

A Guide to Direct Mail Fulfillment

2007-05-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

So you are entering the exciting world of real estate direct mail, and you have some questions about the different levels of direct mail fulfillment. Have I got just the thing for you.

Typically, the information presented on this website and blog have to do with real estate postcard marketing. After all, I've written a book about real estate postcard strategies, so the site should naturally cater to that.

But I also know that a lot of real estate folks move into other areas of direct mail, such as letter kits, brochures and the like. If this describes you, you'll want to check out my new guide to direct mail fulfillment, posted over at PostcardSmart.com:

A Guide to Direct Mail Fulfillment

Hope you find it helpful!

~Brandon

Realtor Postcard Marketing - 3 Fundamental Flaws to Avoid

2007-05-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

In my experience with Realtor postcard marketing, I would categorize the most common postcard problems into three categories:

1. Over-reliance on technology
2. Over-reliance on vendors
3. Over-reliance on weak offers

Here are some tips to avoiding these Realtor postcard marketing flaws altogether -- and to create the kind of Realtor postcards that generate a response:

Postcard Marketing Flaw #1 - Over-Reliance on Technology

Technology, by itself, cannot deliver success in Realtor postcard marketing. If that were the case, most Realtors would enjoy record-breaking responses from their postcard marketing programs. And that's obviously not the case.

Believe it or not, technology is the most straightforward part of the real estate postcard equation. A postcard marketing service can handle all of the technology for you. But there's the rub. Technology can help you deliver a powerful message, but it cannot create that message in the first place. That's your job. Your real estate postcard message, and everything that brings it to life, must begin with you.

Don't rely on technology to produce a powerful, response-generating Realtor postcard. Rely on yourself, what you know about your audience, and what you know about postcard marketing ... the latter of which you'll find in my Realtor postcard book.

Postcard Marketing Flaw #2 - Over-Reliance on Vendors

Postcard printing services can certainly make your postcard marketing program easier to manage. I know this for a fact, because I've worked for a couple of printing / direct mail companies. But you shouldn't outsource the strategy of your postcard program to a printing service -- you should only outsource the logistics.

Here's why...

Postcard companies are experts at the logistics of printing and mailing. At least they should be. But it's unlikely they are Realtor marketing experts as well. Trust postcard companies with the logistics -- develop the strategy yourself. And if you download my book on Realtor postcard marketing, you'll have all the strategy you need, right at your fingertips.

Postcard Marketing Flaw #3 - Over-Reliance on Weak Offers

When it comes to Realtor postcards, strong offers generate a strong response. And weak offers generate ... you guessed it, a weak response.

A lot of Realtors use the same formula when creating their Realtor postcards. First, you have the Realtor's photo. Then you have the carbon-copy message that homeowners have seen hundreds of times. Lastly, you have the phrase, "Call today for a no-obligation consultation."

Do your Realtor postcards follow this pattern. If so, your Realtor postcards match what 85% of your competitors are doing. How could you possibly hope to stand out by being one of the masses? Answer -- you can't.

A "no-obligation consultation" is not an offer. It is expected. Homeowners know they're going to get a consultation visit from a Realtor, same as they would get one from a pool builder, a carpet cleaner, a landscaper ... you get the idea.

To succeed with Realtor postcards, you have to knock people's socks off. You heard me correctly. You have to be different, better and smarter than all the other Realtors using postcards. You have to offer something so unique ... or valuable ... or buzz-worthy, that it makes the recipient sit up and take notice.

You want people to respond to your Realtor postcards. You want people to call you, email you, visit your website and subscribe for information, or something that allows you to follow up with them.

And if you need ideas in how to do that, you'll find them in the book!

~Brandon

Download the Postcard Book!
If you like the kind of honest, nuts-and-bolts advice contained in this article, you'll love the author's book on real estate marketing with postcards.

On Vacation - Blog Highlights in the Meantime

2007-04-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

I'm off for a week's vacation. In the meantime, here are some blog highlights from the last few months.

-Brandon

Marketing Tips for Real Estate Agents

2007-04-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

Quick tips on real estate marketing:

1. Add value to your marketing message.
The more you build value into your marketing message, the more likely your prospects will be to respond. Give people a good reason to call you. Hint: the free consultation is not that reason. You need something more significant.

What can you offer? You tell me. Do you know an interior decorator? Why not partner with them to offer free design consultations to new clients. "But incentives are against the rules," I hear some agents say. To which I would respond, "Well, you better find a way around that rule."

Here's the bottom line: A marketing message without some form of offer, incentive or motivation is not a marketing message -- it's just a message. People may read it, but they won't respond to it.

2. Be professional with your marketing.
Real estate is a detail-oriented business. One paperwork slip can put the entire transaction off track. Your prospects know this, so don't ever show the a real estate postcard (or flyer, or blog, or website) that's less than perfect. It only takes one sloppy design to blow your reputation, especially when you're not present to compensate for the mistake.

I once came home to find a real estate agent's flyer taped onto my front door. It had been printed on a cheap office printer that looked like it was running out of toner. The photo was fading as if the agent were disappearing into thin air. I could only read about half of the text, and within that half I noticed a huge typo right off the bat. There were more explanation points than you'd find in a comic book.

My reaction? "Are you kidding me? Why would I want this person to represent me in anything, let alone something as important as selling my house? They obviously have zero attention-to-detail."

3. Write an irresistible headline.
Many of the first-draft real estate postcards I see have weak headlines, or no headline at all. I've never understood this. A postcard has mere seconds to capture the reader's attention. That's what headlines were born to do!

4. Make your offer noticeable.
Making a strong offer is crucial with any form of marketing. Making that offer highly visible is just as important. After all, what good is a great offer if nobody notices it? When you make an offer on a real estate postcard, email or website, make sure it's the dominant item in that portion of the design. Remove distractions and let your offer have center-stage.

Look at the sidebar of this blog, for instance. What's the most dominant thing over there? My offer for you to download the postcard book. Sure, I could have cluttered that area up with all kinds of graphics and links, the way a lot of people do. But that postcard book would not stand out nearly as much, would it?

5. Make your offer clear.
Now that your offer stands out on your real estate marketing postcard (or email, or website, etc.), you need to make sure the reader understands it. This is not the time to show off your vocabulary or use clever language and puns. Make your offer clear, simple to understand, and loaded with value: "18-page survey of local schools. Exclusive information — yours free! Call today."

6. Be unique.
If your real estate postcards look and sound like every other real estate postcard your prospect receives in the mail, what's to make them notice you? You can be unique in a number of ways. You can make a stronger offer, create a more professional postcard, use more specific information, personalize your message, brand yourself in some memorable way, etc.

7. Leverage your website
Using your real estate postcards in tandem with your website can improve the performance of both marketing channels. I offer you plenty of ways to do this in the postcard book, so I won't labor the point here.

Like most things in real estate marketing, your imagination is your only limit here. Unleash some ideas of your own. Good luck.

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

-Brandon

Real Estate Postcard Book - Reason #4 to Buy

2007-04-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Continuing our top-ten list of reasons to download the real estate postcard book, I'd like to present reason #4.

Reason #4 - Avoid costly postcard marketing mistakes.

Real estate postcard marketing is a numbers game, a game of attrition. In fact, almost every form of marketing is a numbers game. In marketing, the majority of those who receive your message will not respond to it. It's the minority who do respond that can make the difference.

With postcard marketing the minority "response group" can be fairly small. But even a small response can make the postcard mailing worthwhile. Say you sent 500 postcards and pulled a 1% response (5 people contacted you). Of those five, let's say that two went on to become clients. If you earned a standard commission off those two people, it would pay for your 500-postcard mailing many times over.

But what if you got a 0% response on your mailing? What if not a single person contacted you after sending those 500 real estate postcards? Well, you'd be out anywhere from $300 to $600, depending on the cost of the mailing. And if you repeated that same mailing (because a postcard company told you repetition was some kind of magic cure), you'd be out another $300 to $600. This is becoming an expensive habit!

These are the kinds of traps I teach you to avoid in my book on real estate postcard marketing. On the front end, I teach you about the kinds of postcards that generate a better response to begin with. And on the back end, I teach you how to monitor the performance of each mailing so you'll know when to adjust your approach. These two things used in conjunction will help you avoid costly postcard marketing mistakes.

Read the full list of reasons:
10 Reasons to Get the Real Estate Postcard Book

Have questions about the postcard book? Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

-Brandon

Real Estate Postcards - What is Your Offer?

2007-04-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

If you're using postcards as part of your real estate marketing program, but you're not making a strong offer ... you could be wasting a lot of time, money and effort.

With that harsh truth out of the way, let me tell you how to avoid this costly mistake.

Real estate postcard marketing is a direct response type of marketing. That's one of the reasons it's called "direct" mail -- it goes directly to your prospective client, and it has the potential to generate a direct response.

But here's the key to the whole thing. In order to generate those direct responses (which in turn could become clients), you have to make an offer. What's an offer? Well, if you read my postcard marketing book, you'll understand this concept inside and out. But let's look at the basics.

A postcard marketing offer is what you provide in exchange for the recipient's response. Turn on your television for a few minutes, and I guarantee you'll hear some offers. "Act now, and we will include this limited-edition collector's plate for no additional charge." That's an offer. Granted, it's probably not the kind of offer you would make on a real estate postcard, but you get the idea.

The bottom line is this. If you only offer the worn-out free consultation on your postcards, you have not offered enough to motivate your reader. [See related article: Go Beyond the Free Consultation]

So ask yourself, "What do I have to offer that will truly motivate my prospects? What unique idea or service do I have in my arsenal? How can I distinguish myself by making a more effective offer?"

And remember, if you need help answering these questions, just download the book!

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

-Brandon

Real Estate Marketing Tools: The Strongest One of All

2007-04-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Want to know what the most powerful real estate marketing tool is? I'll give you a hint. You see this powerful marketing tool each time you look in the mirror. That's right, it's you! As a knowledgeable real estate professional, you are your most powerful tool for real estate marketing (including postcard marketing).

Real Estate Marketing Tools - Exposed
Many companies clamor about the "power" of their real estate marketing tools. They make it seem like you simply have to turn them on and poof ... instant success with real estate. Here's a pitch from a company that makes real estate software. I've reworded it slightly for copyright purposes, but I assure you it's a nearly exact replication:

"Our revolutionary software will launch your real estate business into the stratosphere."

The stratosphere? Really? That sounds fantastic. But you'll notice there's an important ingredient missing from the above statement. And that ingredient is you! Whether you realize it or not, you are the most powerful real estate marketing tool you own. So the stratosphere claim would be more truthful if it added the words "will help you" ... as written below:

"Our revolutionary software will help you launch your real estate business into the stratosphere."

Now it's more accurate, because the advertising claim includes you. And you are by far the most important part of this equation.

You Are Your Best Marketing Tool
If you shop for a real estate marketing tool to take your business to the next level, you are going to be disappointed. Real estate marketing starts with great services and big ideas. The "tools" are just a way to communicate those services and ideas to your audience.

Top 5 Real Estate Marketing Tools
So what are some other important "tools" for marketing success? Here's my top-five:

1. You - Which we've covered already.

2. Imagination - Without imagination, you have no hope but to copy the marketing programs of other real estate agents. Mimicry will only get you so far, especially if you're copying a marketing strategy that's already being used in your area. Only imagination can help you find the next big idea in real estate marketing. And only big ideas can produce big results.

3. Persistence - Repetition is a big part of real estate marketing. You try a certain strategy, see how it works, modify it as needed, repeat it again, etc. This requires patience and persistence. Make sure you have these things before you try any form of marketing.

4. Enthusiasm - Whether you realize it or not, communicating with potential clients (and current clients) is a big part of your marketing program. When you communicate with professionalism and enthusiasm, your message becomes contagious. People will help you spread your message without even being asked.

5. Adaptability - Methods of communication change constantly. The Internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. For example, look at the current rise of real estate blogs we are witnessing. As the communication landscape changes, you must be able to change with it. You must be able to adapt to new mediums and methods. So make sure adaptability is part of your real estate marketing toolkit.

What do all of these real estate marketing tools have in common? For one thing, you can't buy them in a store or online. You're either born with them, or you work hard to acquire them along the way. But the good news is, you have the most powerful marketing tool already ... you have yourself. Everything else can be learned.

Haven't bought the real estate postcard book yet?
Join the hundreds of smart agents who have -- download yours today.

-Brandon

What Postcard Companies Won't Tell You (But Probably Should)

2007-03-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

After working for two postcard printing companies (and dealing with many more), I've learned quite a bit about the challenges real estate agents face when using real estate postcards. I've also learned the best practices of real estate postcard marketing, most of which are outlined in the postcard book.

The problem is, many of these challenges and best practices do not get communicated to the individual agent using real estate postcards. It's not that the postcard companies are being deceitful ... it's just not in their best interest to share certain facts with their real estate customers.

So, I would like to step in and fill that role. I'm sharing the following information so you have a realistic picture of postcard marketing today, and so you'll know how to get the best possible return on your real estate postcard investment.

With that said, here are three things postcard companies won't tell you (but probably should):

1. Real Estate Postcard Marketing is Hard

You may be under the impression that postcard marketing is easy. After all, you just fill in the postcard template with your information, have the postcard company print them and blanket the area with your message, and then sit back to watch the leads roll in? Right? Wrong.

If it were that easy, every real estate agent who ever used marketing postcards would be a success story. But clearly that's not the case. Some agents thrive with postcard marketing, while others fail. (That's a reality of marketing in general.) So it's obviously not a simple, one-size-fits-all approach.

Postcard marketing is a numbers game, a game of attrition. The more mistakes you make along the way, the lower your end numbers (responses) will be. If you don't optimize every aspect of your real estate postcard campaign -- from the initial idea to the final offer -- you will probably be disappointed with the results. The problem is, most postcard companies cannot afford to give each customer the individual attention they need to maximize all those postcard factors. With a dozen or so staff and thousands of customers, how could they?

But you can educate yourself about the many aspects of postcard marketing, by downloading a copy of the postcard book (10 more reasons to buy it). You can arm yourself with this knowledge before you even approach a postcard printing company.

2. Bad Mailings Do Not Get Better With Time

"Be patient and persistent. The results will come in time." If I had a nickel for every time I heard or saw a postcard company use this line, I would be able to retire. Well, almost. Some companies will tell you that a failed postcard mailing (one that produces zero responses) will get better with repetition. They will tell you that you're staying "top of mind" with your prospective audience, and that eventually these people will wake up to your message and contact you.

Not likely.

It is extremely rare that a weak postcard mailing gets better simply by repeating it. Usually, it will remain a failure, no matter how many times you repeat it. But here's the good news. If you start off with the kinds of techniques I teach in my book, you will likely enjoy good response rates from the beginning. Best of all, you'll know how to spot a weak mailing based on response numbers, and you'll know what to do about it.

Bottom line ... a postcard mailing that produces zero responses should never be repeated. If you repeat such a mailing, you are wasting time and money. Such a mailing should be modified until it does produce results. Then it can be repeated, and optimized, and tested again, and so on.

3. Templates are Usually Less Effective Than Original Postcards

Sure, postcard templates are easy to use. You just select a template, plug in your name and photo, and you're off to the races. Right? Well, not always. Here's the problem with real estate postcard templates (and you'll realize the logic of this after I explain it). When you use a real estate postcard template, you are making your postcard look like every other real estate postcard. That's what templates are -- a stock layout that many people can use.

Now ask yourself this. If my postcards look a lot like those sent by other real estate agents, how does that affect my ability to stand out? You already know the answer. It kills your ability to stand out!

In his book Purple Cow, marketing expert Seth Godin uses the analogy of brown cows. Brown cows lack uniqueness. They are everywhere. And as a result of their common appearance, people hardly notice brown cows. But what if you passed a purple cow standing in a field. You'd notice wouldn't you? That's because a purple cow is remarkable. It stands out and generates buzz.

Real estate postcard templates will not get you a purple cow. They produce brown cows, the kind of thing that's common to the point of being invisible.

In my book, I teach you how to transform your real estate postcards from "brown cow" commonality to "purple cow" uniqueness -- in order to grab people's attention and earn their response.

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

-Brandon

Just Listed Postcards - What Are They?

2007-03-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

"Just listed" postcards are some of the most commonly used of all real estate postcards. This type of postcard is exactly what it sounds like -- a postcard that announces a new home that has been listed.

The purpose of "Just listed" postcards is to generate awareness of a new property listing within the immediate area. For instance, if you listed a home on Main Street, you might send listed postcards to all residents in a ten-mile radius of the Main Street address.

This type of postcard is intended for two primary audience -- (1) apartment dwellers looking to buy a home, (2) homeowners with friends or family moving into the area, and (3) nearby homeowners planning to move up to a new home.

In the next few blog posts, we will talk more about the "Just listed" postcard. I'll offer some tips and tactics you can use to get your listed postcards noticed. Stay tuned for more!

~Brandon

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

Ordering Real Estate Postcards - Be Careful

2007-03-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Real estate postcards have been an effective marketing tool for real estate agents for decades. But if you don't know what you're doing, you could spend a lot of money only to get disappointment back in return.

So you need to use caution when ordering postcards online, and you need to have a plan for your real estate postcard marketing success.

Here's why...

There are quite a few real estate postcard companies these days, with new ones sprouting up all the time. Here's how it usually works. A printing company will learn that there's quite a market for real estate postcards, so they will launch a new website catering to real estate agents and proclaim, "We are experts in real estate postcard marketing!"

Here's the truth of the matter. Most of these companies are experts at the logistics of printing and mailing. And they should be! After all, that's what you're paying them for. But what you need to realize is that most postcard marketing companies are not experts at real estate marketing. There's a big difference between printing expertise and real estate marketing expertise.

So if you're serious about your real estate postcard success, you need to bring the marketing intelligence yourself.

Think about it for a moment. The postcard printing company makes its money from the number of postcards printed and mailed ... not from the number of responses you get. Often, when real estate agents question the fact that they're not getting any responses from their postcards, these companies will tell them to "be patient."

Let me make something perfectly clear. If you mail a thousand postcards and get nothing back in return -- not a single response -- you should not repeat that mailing. You should adjust your approach and apply some of the marketing fundamentals in my real estate postcard book.

(This is The book on real estate postcard marketing, by the way. Don't be fooled by imitators. This book is only available on the website www.RealEstatePostcardBook.com.)

My point is simply this:

There may be a few postcard companies with real estate marketing expertise, but they are few and far between. Personally, I have not found one yet. Nor do I expect a postcard printing company to have expertise in real estate marketing. They are printing experts, and that's what I expect from them. So when you use a real estate postcard company, it's a good idea to handle the marketing side of things yourself.

Good luck, and good marketing!

~Brandon

Have questions about the postcard book?
Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

Real Estate Recipe Postcards - Do They Work?

2007-03-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Are real estate recipe postcards a "delicious dish" for marketing success, or are they a waste of time and money?

This is probably a question that makes postcard marketing companies cringe, because many of them sell the virtues of real estate recipe postcards. But I'm not asking this question of the postcard marketing companies ... I'm asking you, the real estate agent who uses real estate postcards.

To my knowledge, there has never been any study on the effectiveness of real estate recipe postcards (when compared to a different form of real estate postcard). Sure, there are a handful of testimonials here and there, maybe a little "use real estate recipe postcards" promotional copy ... but that's probably it.

So here's my take on it, based on my professional experience in this industry.

Me personally, I wouldn't spend a dime on real estate recipe postcards. And do you want to know why? Because while a real estate recipe postcard might produce one response out of a thousands mailers, there are ways to get better response rates. You know ... those tried-and-true postcard marketing techniques, like making an offer of some kind.

These are the kinds of proven strategies I teach in my real estate postcard book. I take direct mail strategies that have worked for decades, and I show you how to improve upon them with modern techniques. So please don't buy the postcard book expecting tips on which recipe works best on real estate recipe postcards. You won't see any mention of that.

My book will certainly teach you how to create a "super card" that combines multiple marketing channels. It will teach you how to improve on the best practices of direct mail postcards. It will show you how to test your mailings and adjust them for continued improvement over time. But it won't teach you about real estate recipe postcards. Because frankly, I don't think they're worth the papery they're printed on.

Have questions about the postcard book?

Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

Comments are welcome. Use the comment link below.

-Brandon

Real Estate Postcards - Reason #3 to Buy the Book

2007-03-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

Continuing our list of top ten reasons to download the real estate postcard book, I'd like to present reason #3.

Reason #3 - Avoid real estate postcard marketing mistakes.

I used to work for a postcard company that (A) catered largely to the real estate industry and (B) was one of the largest companies of its kind in terms of volume. As a result, I saw thousands of real estate postcards churned out daily, for thousands of eager real estate agents.

But what frustrated me were the mistakes I saw on the real estate postcards ... the same mistakes, over and over again. Worst of all, they were mistakes that could have been easily fixed, thus resulting in much better response rates from the real estate postcards.

So without knowing it, these agents were close to real estate postcard success, but they weren't quite reaching it. Now you might say, "Well why didn't you help them?" Oh, we tried. With thousands of customers and 14 customer service reps, there's only so many ways you can reach them all. We did our best to publish articles on the website and offer an educational newsletter, but these things often go unread.

Now, I'm in a position to share these common mistakes with you, and that's exactly what I do in the real estate postcard marketing book. But I do more than just sharing the real estate postcard mistakes I've witnessed over the years -- I show you, in step-by-step fashion, how those mistakes can be remedied.

This is the first step to success with real estate postcard marketing. And to take this first step, all you have to do is download the real estate postcard book.

Read the full list of reasons:
10 Reasons to Get the Real Estate Postcard Book

Have questions about the postcard book? Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

Comments are welcome. Use the comment link below.

-Brandon

Do Real Estate Postcards Still Work?

2007-03-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, a real estate agent will ask me this question: "Do real estate postcards still work?" I usually respond with the same remark -- it's somewhat cryptic at first, but makes sense eventually.

I tell them that bad real estate postcards don't work today, and they didn't work ten years ago. But good real estate postcards work today, as much as they have always worked.

This response tends to produce more questions, so I go on to explain the following...

The strategies behind real estate postcard marketing have changed. You can certainly use real estate postcards to help you grow your business, even in this modern age of web communication. But you have to go about things differently than a postcard marketer from ten years ago.

For one thing, you have to boost the incentive on your real estate postcards. "Call for a free consultation" does not cut it anymore. You need to give people a good reason to contact you, or to respond in whatever way you seek. Actually, this is true of all marketing ... not just real estate postcards. In marketing terms, this is known as the offer. And you have to offer something on your real estate postcards in order to generate a response.

Another way that real estate postcard marketing has changed is the use of the Internet. The real estate agents who do best with real estate postcard marketing know how to incorporate their websites and/or blogs into their postcard marketing. They know that modern consumers are inclined to learn more about things online, so they cater to that. They create high-value websites with plenty of useful (and interesting) resources, and they point people to it with their real estate postcards.

And then, if they've built some form of lead capture into their website, they have a steady stream of inquiries that can become clients some day.

So in this regard, yes, real estate postcards work as well as they ever have. You just have to go about it differently than agents did ten years ago. You have to offer something. You have to be unique. And you have to incorporate other marketing channels, like your website.

By the way, I show you how to do all of these things in the real estate postcard book.

~Brandon

Have questions about the postcard book?

Email me here: brandon@realestatepostcardbook.com

Comments are welcome. Use the comment link below.

-Brandon