We continue our series inspired by an insightful discussion which occurred in response to a blog post entitled "A Sure Fire Method to Rapidly Increase Your Income." The post opened with this statement about the reality which many in the real estate community are facing as we enter into the holiday season...

• "As the holiday season approaches, many in the real estate community have two head bangers to deal with. The prospect of having to buy gifts and other holiday fare at a time when there's traditionally a slow down in home sales AND the spectre of looming tax bills around the corner just after the holiday season winds down. This can definitely put a damper on enjoying the festivities."

If you have not read the first segment of this series covering Market Trends Analysis, it would be helpful to pause and read it before continuing.  Today we are discussing Professional Marketing Enhancements, another Real Estate Speciality Tool which Realtors® can utilize to generate additional streams of income and make money NOW! 

Professional Marketing Enhancements:

Gone are the days when real estate agents can count on responding to the question: "What are you going to do for me?" with simply saying..."I'll put a sign in the yard, place your listing on the MLS, make a brochure and hold Open Houses."  In case you haven't heard...consumers are saying that these TASKS alone are not worth thousands of dollars in commissions to them.  After all, they are fully capable of putting a sign in the yard and most of them own computers and printers!

Instead of reducing the Value of Your Professional Services to the mundane, I would suggest that you highlight some Creative Marketing Solutions. Real Estate agents are the experts when it comes to moving real estate; we know more about how to sell it than anyone else.  We also have access to all sorts of services which can benefit our clients.  We do ourselves and our potential clients a disservice when we do not present these options in a comprehensive way during our presentations.  Let's take a look at some specific services which can be incorporated into a Marketing Presentation.

Some Professional Marketing Promotional Tools

• Utilize the Services Available Through Your Website or Agent Contact Software

Today's real estate professional has so many options at their disposal.  If you're not really good with the computer, there are still a number of ways that you can present a home effectively.  Most of us have websites or software through programs like Top Producer which can produce a very professional looking marketing piece with minimal effort.  Take the time to learn how to take quality pictures and let your software do the rest.

• Maximize the Value of Your Contact Database!

To ADD real VALUE, show your prospective client HOW you can now send their Professionally Enhanced Promotional Piece to ALL the contacts on your database. Ah...hem...You DO have a database don't you.  If not....that's step one.  Start building your list of contacts to include: all your past clients, friends, associates, neighbors, family members.  The point is...you do KNOW people that your potential clients DO NOT. This will significantly increases the exposure & consequently chances of a successful sale.

There are also professional services such as Pulse Mailing which will send a professional postcard to announce a New Listing or Sale for approximately $50 for 100 mailing pieces sent to the neighborhood of a home listing..

NOW, Take this one step further...Ask them for a list of people they would like you to mail the "NEWS" of their home listing to. Or, you can offer to send them a link which they can forward to their friends and associates.  Of course, this will be branded with your name and contact information.

• Generate Hyper Local Content Online

Creating a Blog Post about a Listing is also an excellent way generate a huge amount of exposure and to have the added benefit of a Listing address show up on a Search Engine result.  Show your clients HOW you will submit your post to Localism and/or a Group dedicated to highlighting Local Content.  Now, be creative about how you do this.  If you simply replicate what is currently available on your website, you're not really doing your client a big favor above the increased exposure. 

• Create A Viral Tale!

Here are some suggestions about how to truly create buzz about a listing. Write a story about a listing rather than simply giving listing facts. Clients are thrilled to read about stories of their home.   Stories are viral. They generate curiosity and interest. Or you can create a video with a voice over about the listing and then post it on your blog & YouTube.  Generating interest by creating a Real Estate Show about the listing complete with pictures and mood music is something which home owners appreciate and are likely to forward on to others. 

• Feature Your Listings Through Your Blog Posts & E-Mail Correspondence.

Another easy way to enhance exposure through professional marketing is to attach a Link to all your Blog Posts and/or e-mails which highlights the listings that you are currently featuring.  Every time there is a visit to your Blog or you send out an e-mail, your clients are gaining additional VALUE added Exposure.  During your listing presentation, TELL clients about this!

• Fling the Info to the Farthest Reaches!

Lastly, offer to place a listing on at least THREE other sites in addition to the MLS.  Now, the truth is that there are hundreds of different sites on which listing data can be placed nowadays.  Our clients know this and sometimes wonder if their homes are getting the fullest extent of exposure possible.  By offering to do this for them, you have demonstrated Above & Beyond Service. 

Now, this doesn't need to be complicated.  It can be as simple as saying...I'll do a Blog Post on your home and include it as a link on a post or I'll upload your listing to Trulia, Google & Zillow . OR  you can utilize a service which will do this for a minimal monthly fee and Fling your listing to the furthest reach of the Blogosphere.

• Market Your Enhanced Promotional Services to Non-Represented Sellers who need HELP!

When we do this sort of marketing and present it as a package, it now becomes a Value Added SERVICE which you can market to people who don't want their home listed.  For instance, this is a service which can be marketed to Seller's Who are Currently not Represented... aka FSBO's.  Charging for this service is definitely an option you should seriously consider. When you demonstrate VALUE, people are not opposed to paying for a service. You might decide to forgo charging upfront with the understanding that your personal branding is incorporated into the marketing pieces. 

In addition, you should ask the Currently Non-Represented Seller for a list of people to whom you can forward this professional marketing piece of their home or forward them a link which they can utilize. Obtain permission from them in writing about your right to utilize the results from your marketing efforts in future marketing pieces.  Better, yet ask them to give you a testimonial in writing or on a video!

• Don't Forget to Take the Credit!

Lastly, don't forget to share the results.  Make sure your clients know the Value of your Enhanced Professional Marketing by sharing with them the NUMBER of hits that their home is getting through your website, MLS and other promotional vehicles. As real estate agents, we have a tendency to marginalize the Value of what we bring to the table. Professional Marketing companies charge millions of dollars for their services and clients are willing to pay because they understand the return on their investment. Very few people truly understand what it takes to market a home successfully.  It's up to you & I to tell them!

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