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Need listings? 3 ways to endear those most likely to sell

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Services for Real Estate Pros with ProspectsPLUS!

If you’re a “typical” REALTOR®, you are female and 54 years old.

And, you’re just a youngster considering the oldest of the baby boomer generation will turn 75 this year. The youngest will celebrate their 57th birthday.

Most significantly, boomers make up the largest share of home sellers (43% of all sellers) and the second-largest group of homebuyers, at 32% (behind Millennials, at 37%).

So, you youngsters in your early-to-mid 50s, or Gen Xers as your cohort is known, and even you younger Millennial agents, read on to learn more about how to market to your most likely client.

Watch your words

It should go without saying, but just in case: “Ok Boomer,” Senior citizen,” and even “senior” may be offensive to many baby boomers. Wipe those terms from your vocabulary and delete them from your website and social media.

“It’s surprisingly hard to find a good term for people in late life,” understates Joe Pinsker at theatlantic.com. To back up his claim he cites a Marist poll that found 60% of the respondents age 18 and 29 thought that “… a 65-year-old qualified as old,” while just a smidge more than 15% of adults 60 and older said the same.

A funny thing happens to us as we age: Our insides don’t keep up with our outsides.

And the majority of boomers who respond to surveys and participate in studies say they look older than they feel.

This may be why boomers “… flat out reject the term ‘senior citizen’ with all of the implications that come with the phrase,” claims Inc. magazine contributing editor John Brandon.

We think you’re safe with “50+,” “older Americans” or “baby boomer” when addressing them in your marketing materials. “Retirees” is safe as well, but keep in mind that many boomers are still employed.

Engage with them on Facebook

Despite outdated beliefs, older Americans are neither tech-obtuse or tech-averse. Ninety percent use the internet daily, according to Pew Research. Their favorite social media platform?

Facebook. Nearly 70% say they visit Facebook daily and the cohort spends the most amount of time on the platform than any other generation.

The best way to engage with these potential clients is to blog and then share your posts on Facebook. Or, link to others’ blog posts on topics of interest on your Facebook page, asking your readers what they think.

If you’ll be blogging and sharing, here are some topics to consider:

The reasons why aging in place shouldn’t be an option.
The amount of equity the average homeowner is sitting on.
The advantages of downsizing (home maintenance costs are lower, they can travel more, etc.).
Selling to someone you know? The importance of getting a CMA from a real estate agent before doing so.
Decluttering may take some time, so start early (explain the process, give tips).

Use direct mail

Boomers grew up during a period in history when the only ways to communicate with those at a distance were telegram, telephone, and mail. Long-distance phone calls were prohibitively expensive for most, so mail was the preferred method.

Having a pen pal was trendy during their youth, so excitement over a visit from the “postman” was common. 

Today, that sense of excitement remains. The USPS routinely studies the effectiveness of direct mail marketing and recently found that nearly 90% of older Americans wholeheartedly agreed with the statement “I take time to look through my mail.”

The more personalized you can make the mail pieces the better as it makes people feel more important to your brand. Then, use a clean, crisp design with a simple, yet effective message on your direct mail piece.

To save time designing your marketing pieces, check out ProspectsPLUS!. We have postcard templates that speak directly to various niche markets including baby boomers and empty nesters. Check out some designs under the Life Event Series, Here.

To save even more time, schedule an Empty Nester Campaign. It takes just minutes to schedule a year or more of postcards. And, you don't pay until each month's postcard mailing goes out. You can cancel or change the mailing at any time up until the night before mailing.

Nowhere in the current pool of possible real estate clients will you find the volume of folks who need to both sell and buy than in the baby boomer population. Go get ‘em!

When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

 

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

 

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals.  – Click Here

 

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent each month automatically to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

 

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists, including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here

 

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

 

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here

 

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT” 

The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here

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