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What Is Your Most Successful Marketing Strategy in THIS Market?

By Leander McClain

Real Estate Agent

November 06, 2008 06:58 PM

First let me say

I LOVE ACTIVE RAIN & I LOVE REAL ESTATE

We all want to see the sold sign hanging outside of our listings. One of the things that I love about Active Rain is that we are a community of like minded people. We are Real Estate Professionals that are looking to succeed. Why else would we spend so much time populating a blog with information that is beneficial to our clients and Real Estate Professionals all across our country.

We are in a different market. It is a market that none of us has ever seen before. Some have seen a market similar, but not the same. So here is my question.

In 2008, What Has Been Your Most Successful Marketing Strategy?

I believe that the response may be helpful to others in the industry. I will give you my strategy first. It is pretty simple. I keep in touch with my potential clients and maintain a web presence. How do I do this? I blog just about every day. My blog comments are picked up within an hour by Google. Second, I send out a newsletter to my sphere of influenced and have been sending this for the past two years. When things got a little slim, I cut down the number of subscribers or I send every other month, but I stay in touch. I talk to everyone I meet and let them know that i am a Real Estate Consultant.

The Result

When I see those I have been in contact with, they will make comments like "we really appreciate the newsletter, your are still in real estate right?, I am going to have my friend call you, what do you think about the market, we are thinking about selling our house". I have gotten several listings as a direct result of blogging and my newsletter.

Now I NEED Your HELP

I need to know what you do to draw attention to a listing that is not getting the "looks" it deserves. We are priced competitively, the house is in good condition, but we are not getting the traffic I would like.

Thanks Again Active Rain Family

I Love You Guys

Leander McClain, Burlington County's Top Realtor & Real Estate Consultant 609-505-6578

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Russ Ravary ~ Metro Detroit Realtor call (248) 310-6239

Real Estate One - Commerce, MI

Michigan homes for sale ~ yesmyrealtor@gmail.com

my most successful marketing strategy is combining blogging with a good website

Nov 07, 2008 10:56 AM

Mina V. Garrey

Commercial Capital Properties - License #01768282 - West Los Angeles, CA

Commercial Capital Properties, Los Angeles, CA

Hi Leander, I think being involved in the community where you work is very important. Keeping in touch with existing, but also meeting and talking to new clients is key in my opinion.

Nov 07, 2008 11:02 AM

Kerry Lucasse

eXp Realty - Urban Nest Real Estate Group - Atlanta, GA

Your Urban Nest Atlanta Real Estate Consultant

My primary website is still a large source of my buyer leads, but keeping in regular contact with my friends, clients and client-friends via eNewsletters, birthday cards, etc has been critical to my business.

Nov 07, 2008 12:40 PM

Anonymous

A couple of Old but Great idea's

I have not done open houses for a very long time. The last agent open I did, years ago generated all of one agent who only came for the free hot dog,.. LOL

One thing we used to do that you might like to implement or try is to buy a bunch of half gallons of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream,.. all different kinds. The people that you gauge as better prospects,.. ask them what kind of Ice Cream they like,.. then give them the half gallon of ice cream to thank them for coming by.

The ice cream will melt if they don't get it in a freezer and will generally stop their viewing of other open houses,.. making you the last agent that shines and stands out,.. Always leave them wanting more.

Tie a message in with sweet and the card, so that when they see your name they will associate you with the sweet gift you gave them,...

I think with the internet and coming out of the easy economy we have enjoyed,.. many of us have forgotten some of the skills that once were honed,... we are very good at the computer,.. e-mails,.. web pages,.. seo,... etc. But we have grown rusty at pounding the pavement,.. once the staple of Real Estate agents.

We need to get back to basics,... stop selling the house and start selling ourselves and building personal, one on one relationships with those around us.

I also think that we take it for granted that everyone knows what we do,.. I have a long term friend that recently told me,... "That's what you do,.. I never realized you did that" What a slap in the face,.. if our own friends do not remember,.. how do we expect those who only meet us once or twice??

Just a thought

Nov 07, 2008 01:45 PM

#65

Christine McInerney

Great Life RE - Knoxville, TN

The McInerney Team, Knoxville TN Homes For Sale

My Real Estate partner and I target Expired and withdrawns homes and they are our main source of listings. As far as Buyers go, we advertise and syndicate our listings everywhere we can think of so Buyers can not escape them- on average we end up personally showing our own listings about 10-20% and helps us find new Buyers. Our goal is for every listing to pick up two new transactions, in addition to of course selling the listing.

Nov 07, 2008 01:52 PM

Roland Woodworth

Blue Cord Realty - Clarksville, TN

Blue Cord Realty

Leander.... I still believe in direct marketing... this is a vital way to market your listins

Nov 07, 2008 01:56 PM

Portsmouth NH Real Estate Agent - Rebecca Skane, Realtor®, e-PRO®

Keller Williams Coastal Realty - Portsmouth, NH

I have tried a bunch of things. For a while a ran a campaign on the Comcast real estate section on our on Demand channels on TV. That didn't do much. Right now I am running a Google adwords campaign which are very specific towards my property. It is getting traffic too. Of course, I have my listings submitted to every single place you could imagine.

Nov 07, 2008 02:18 PM

Brady Howard

The Cascade Team Gig Harbor - Gig Harbor, WA

Managing Broker, The Cascade Team Gig Harbor

Thanks for the post, We are doing a lot of this, I will work my sphere more though. Brady

Nov 07, 2008 02:26 PM

William Collins

ERA Queen City Realty - Scotch Plains, NJ

Property and Asset Management

Leander,

thanks for the post that has generated some good commentary and congratulations on being featured.

Nov 07, 2008 02:33 PM

Dionne Morgan

Realty World Solano Realty - Vallejo, CA

Broker REALTOR ,GRI, e-PRO

Leander, congrats on your featured post. I loved it and you solicited great feedback. I am will follow up on you soon. Best wishes on those 'Sold Signs'.

Nov 07, 2008 02:48 PM

Pippa Mac

Chevaux Group Realtor, The Woodlands and Spring - The Woodlands, TX

The Woodlands TX Real Estate

Leander ... the best of luck to you this next year in Real Estate! pippa

Nov 07, 2008 02:55 PM

Bill Jones

Discovery Real Estate Ltd. - "Homes By Jones" - Airdrie, AB

Realtor (403-701-1739) Airdrie & Calgary Area Homes and Condos

Leander, I too had a slow listing recently. I sent out a letter to each house in the community asking them to help their Neighbor and me select their new neighbor. Within one week of sending out he letters I SOLD the listing for 98% of List Price. This waas notmy priginal Idea but that of Walter Sanford (Author, speaker, trainer and coach).

Bill

Nov 07, 2008 03:13 PM

Freddie Gonzales

WEM PACIFIC Investments, Inc. - Daly City, CA

CRS, GRI, RDCPro

Nice post Leander. It is very informative and timely especially in the market we have now. Good luck.

Nov 07, 2008 05:09 PM

Leander McClain

North East, MD

Cecil & Harford County Realtor

Everyone - WOW - What Great Responses. I received so much more than I expected or gave myself. I am sorry that I won't time to respond individually, but I once again will try to stop by everyone's blog and leave a comment. I am now very busy researching all of the great info that has been left here. Not only for me, but this post will help many others on the site. Thank you once again.

Everyone have a great and Propserous day

Leander

Nov 09, 2008 09:46 PM

Frank D'Angelo

EXIT REALTY NEXUS Minneapolis & St. Paul MN - Coon Rapids, MN

Helping people is my business in Real Estate

Leander,

You rule! Nice post and a lovely string of comments. Yes I too love active rain, the amazing amount of networking capabilities and more importantly, how much sharing goes on with the real estate community.

You indicated you slacked off the Craigs List gig. I would piggy back your listings blogs with both E-Listing, Active Rain and Craigs list.

More on that on Nov 21st Webinar training with E-Listings, Susan Harrison and Myself as the co-hosts for the above strategies.

Hope you're on the webinar with us Leander :)

Frank D'Angelo Broker

EXIT Realty Executives of Minneapolis MN

Nov 11, 2008 08:31 AM

Yvette Smith

LONG & FOSTER - Williamsburg, VA

Realtor In Williamsburg VA, Homes for Sale

HI LEANDER!

Well, I've read all the comments & there a dozens of good advice here. As a newbie, I don't have anything to add that hasn't been written. However, I have learned lots from this very post & for that I thank you!

All the best w/selling that house!

Nov 12, 2008 11:11 AM

Frazier Oleary

National Association of Real Estate Agent-Investors - Alexandria, VA

Leander, did you talk about training wholesalers and bird dogs to find properties and then marketing the wholesale deals to your buyers list?

Mar 10, 2009 04:27 AM

Leander McClain

North East, MD

Cecil & Harford County Realtor

Frazier,

That's a tactic that is a little out of my league. Do you have some insight?

Leander

Mar 10, 2009 05:03 AM

Charles Stallions

Charles Stallions Real Estate Services - Pensacola, FL

850-476-4494 - Pensacola, Pace or Gulf Breeze, Fl.

I have just started some ole school things that have worked in the past and so far are looking good including open houses every weekend and yard sale style flyers for bullentin boards

Aug 05, 2009 03:45 PM

Freddie Gonzales

WEM PACIFIC Investments, Inc. - Daly City, CA

CRS, GRI, RDCPro

SOI, blogging, farming, open house, handing out cards everywhere, etc. Anything that will get your name out there.

Jan 18, 2010 12:05 PM