My personal opinion of this method is:  What a waste of time and bandwidth!  I never even open the flyers for the most part because anything that I want to know is in the MLS and will come up in a properly conducted search.  I get inundated with over a hundred emails a day in my business account and about half of them are deleted without even opening if I recognize it as a flyer or property announcement.  I DO tend to open flyers from builders because a lot of that inventory ISN'T in the MLS and if it is, then buyer incentives and bonuses are not usually in the MLS...so that helps to keep on top of the inventory in the area!

I have to admit.... I get more listing flyers in my Bulk Mail Bin than anywhere else.  I get them from one broker that is (no lie) 2 states and about 75 miles away.  (And I have no idea who he is).  I'm not sure why anyone would think that could be effective.

Locally I think it's a good idea.  I do it but I mainly do commercial so I can't accurately comment on anything other than that. For the new construction we do, I  get good leads.  I think many people seem to open ones from New Construction.  I know I do. I think if they get read, they are an "ok" way to expand your marketing.  If you send 3000 copies to the same few agents every few days "touting" the same listing, I think they will get deleted or blocked.

When I was sending out via email listing flyers to other agents, my email box filled up with hate mail. LOL   The agents just did not want to see it and most of them did not even know the area or did not sell country properties. The best thing I did was go to postlets or vflyers and create an eflyer that way and just had it posted to several search engines. I have had results from buyers.  good luck and keep us posted...

They are nothing more than SPAM in my opinion.  I find it unbelievable that agents actually spend money to SPAM other agents with information that is readily available via the MLS which we are all paying for already.

Save your money and your REPUTATION!

Ron:

Thanks for the input, you touch upon some really good points.

Brian:

Great feel back, and good info.

Ken and Linda:

Sorry to hear about the hate mail. I do like the postlets or vflyer idea.

Tim:

I am glad that I posed this question -- thanks for your comment.

Not a good thing to send out to agents. As for us we do not even open them, since we are looking for the criteria that our clients are asking us for at the time and we can find it on the MLS. 

Emailing the flyers to your sphere of influence, as a "who do you know that maybe interested" in a home like this is has a better shot of getting noticed.

Post the flyer using postlets onto Craigslist, be sure to update it every 48 hours so that it will stay near the top and be seen. See Craigslist rules.

Patty & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX Equity Group Vancouver WA

The Carroll's:

I am quickly getting the sense that this is not the best way of marketing. Love you area.

L&L,

I delete or block them immediately. I typically get somewhere between 300-500 emails an hour so I don't have time to deal with unsolicited flyers.

These emails are for the most part annoying and ineffective. SPAM by the definition of the word.

I always delete as soon as I read the subject.  If it sounds like a flyer delete.  I will return feedback forms for homes I have shown but flyers delete.

yes, I read them if they are from other agents.  yes, my clients do, too.  I have sold my own listings by providing the flyers:)

It's a Good Life!

Fran

I think they could be a good idea.  My wife is a new homes agent and uses them for specials and incentives.  Do they work?  No way to track them.

I think most agents have a rule set up in their email tools to send them right to the trash bin... 

I have had good results emailing them to the best buyer's agents in my market place!

I see alot of flyers coming threw e-mail. It is good to see them. I need to send more out... Parked for more results on this.

When sending electronic flyers was a new concept, I sent them out and used a company called Electronic Flyer (www.electronicflyerco.com). They were among the first to do this, and I used to get a lot of calls from other agents who, after getting my flyers, wanted to know how to do it, too. I was pleased to say that depending on the headline, I got very good response. The most responses I received were for residential income properties.

But the best responses were from three of my former classmates in grade school and high school (from the Philippines!) who are also realtors in the Bay area where I am based, and they contacted me. I haven't seen them since the 60's! I have since enjoyed some reunions with them and I credit e-flyers for reconnecting.

Because more and more e-flyers are being distributed ---- some quite good with fade in/fade out pictures and scrolling marquees ---I stopped sending them since the message is being diluted and these flyers are now becoming like spam. 

I have kept up with my craigslist postings, however, since I get the best responses from those.

We use 2 formats for these flyers.  One is pretty basic and goes out to agents in our area.  The other is a little more substantial and goes to our buyers, seller prospects and media.  All have tracking.  In the past month these emails have gotten us thousands of web hits that we can track back as well as 2 newspaper articles about us and our sale event.  One was a feature.

We use 2 formats for these flyers.  One is pretty basic and goes out to agents in our area.  The other is a little more substantial and goes to our buyers, seller prospects and media.  All have tracking.  In the past month these emails have gotten us thousands of web hits that we can track back as well as 2 newspaper articles about us and our sale event.  One was a feature.

Richard:

It seem that most of the agents are not excited about this way of communicating.

Rod:

Spam seems to be the applicable word that is being used for this marketing method.

Dee Dee:

Your comment is in good company. Thanks.

Gene:

Thanks for the comment, I sold new homes at one time, and I would have loved to send out e-flyers--my sales manager could not see the wisdom in doing it.

Frances:

My question is how often do you send the flyer's out?

Steve:

A fellow real estate associates uses that method to eliminate getting them.

Micheal:

You are one of the few that has positive feed back. Thank you.

Roland:

It has been a very interesting inquiry. I think the majority feel that it is a non-productive marketing strategy.

Pacita:

WOW!I am glad that you  were able to re-connect with your friends. You're the second person to speak highly of Craigs list.

Rich Kruse:

Congratulations, on such wonderful results. I am glad that you took the time to respond to this post.

Just a note of caution:  Success does not make SPAM a 'right' thing to do.  Certainly it is a fact that SPAM works but is SPAM an ethical means of getting business for our profession?  I am a firm believer in the idea that "IT works doesn't make IT right".  In fact, I wrote a blog on this very concept awhile back. 

The Fennell's:

I will look up your blog on this subject. Thanks for your input.

Im not poking at anyone here, but I do notice that when you send information such as a press release out to a reporter they thank you up and down.  If you send information to a real estate agent who has their contact information (and picture) posted all over town you are accused of spam.  The biggest cry babies are the agents who advertise themselves as always available and always in the know on everything, etc.  Ironic. 

Next agents will tell you that if you send out emails then they will never do business with you.  You are giving yourself a bad reputation, etc.  On the client side you will hear them ask "are you going to do web and email advertising".  

I would suggest that you read the Spam Act and decide for yourself if sending real estate releated emails to real estate business professionals in the business of selling property and a member of your local and national trade associations is actually and officially spam.  Does being in a business where it is common to call someone you don't know about their listing, etc. create an overall implied general business relationship between real estate agents? 

All of that said, the definitions in the Spam Act are only one factor however.  If you plan to send the emails from your own server then you also need to comply with the policies of your host or email blast vendor.  These policies are generally more restrictive than the law.  For example, with some email blast vendors you can have someone join your mailing list and then receive an email from you.  If they report you as sending spam, you are guilty and the vendor shuts you down.  An agent in my area did that to me.

Rich:

I am in need of more information, I am the first to say that I do not have all the information that is needed to qualify what is spam and what is not. Thanks for the returning comment.

I use "Constant Contact" and it lets me track everything you just asked. I can even seehow many times each agent has opened an e-mail and how many times they clicked on each link that I have embedded. Best of all you can try it out for free.

I feel that in this age of e mail, junk mail and spam why bother.  I am a big fan of the regular US Mail, to a targeted group, with a personal touch if possible.  We are all too busy and rushed to pay attention to something that does not seem to pertain to us in particular...

Getting back to the Pros (vs. Cons). If you received an e-mail that in the subject title that said:

"EARN A 5% COMMISSION FOR YOUR BUYERS"

do you think most agents in your area would ignore that and consider that junk e-mail?

When I listed a preforeclosure listing in the NJ/NYC metro area then used an e-blast campaign with that as the e-mail subject title it got me 2 offers in 30 days and that was in a soft RE market.

But obviously if your listings are overpriced and your commissions are too low of course no e-marketing will compensate for that in this market.

I send out a flyer when I have a new listing, to my own database.  I have sold my own listings due to this product, so, yes, I like it and use it:)  The statistics are now 82% of consumers are shopping or looking at homes, online.  I do my personal notes, daily.  They are my personal touch..

It's a Good Life!

Fran

Wow i did not know that so many agents here get upset by the emails.

I do use it as a tool but only send to the agents that are currently working in a 6 block radius of my listing or had one that sold recently there. I also only send them out if there is an above average commission for the agent that brings the buyer.

I use the receipt method and find that more than 70% of the emails are opened, and alot of times those agents are showing my listings.

I know that on my end if someone sends me something with an above average commission, I'll take a look.(Providing it's in my area)

I've actually started putting my listings on myspace as well, just to remind my sphere that I sell homes. I just got a listing from an old freind.

I tried it, but as a bulk email, I do not think it works.  I think it is better to agents that you actually know and possibly have a relationship with.

As common sense an idea as this is most receiving agents frown on this and don't want me sending the flyer, preferring rather to do MLS searches. I do email flyers after showing to interested parties (buyers and agents).

Delete, delete, delete.  That is what I do with these. 

90% of the flyers come to me for homes an hour or more away, which is frustrating.  I have had some in my inbox from communities that are 3 hours away too!  Absurd.

In our opinion, it was something that went in and out of vogue very quickly.  As someone already said, why open a flyer from a stranger when you can find it on the MLS?  The only reason I can think of to do it is for some special kind of promotion, like an auction or a brokers open perhaps to your own office.  Otherwise, save your time and money.  ~Debbie

Linda:

I just the other day spoke with a friend about email out a flyer and he in no uncertain terms, told me that he feels they are the biggest waste of time. What I find is at issue is what about the seller, would this not be a good way to prove that you are working on their behalf?

Mike, Debbie & Leah:

I agree, that special promotions seem to be the key to getting an agents attention.

Brenda:

Thanks for the comment.

Gary:

It seems that most agents do not like to receive email flyers. Many feel they do not have the time to review.

Andrew:

It seems that most of the agents only want an announcement on or about a listings if its something special. Open House, special incentives, or Builders announcing a new phase release.

I don't read them either.  I get so much email on a daily basis that I'm selective about what I spend time looking at.  I can easily go to my MLS to find out about a listing. 

Before I delete, I hit unsubscribe though

Nancy:

Thanks for you input, it seems that this is not the most efficient method to use for marketing.

as an agent I delete them before I open them. They are great to use to your sphere to show them you are IN Business and Doing Business