This sounds like a great marketing idea, but, why am I not hearing much buzz about it?

I think of it this way. Every time I get a post card in the mail it gets about 1 second before going in the trash. It has to be pretty darn special to keep.

I mail out magnets.  I have kitchen conversion ones, days to fly the flag ones, and every December I mail out refrigerator calendars.  I actually have folks call me in December and want to know where their calendar is every single year.  I find them keeping it is key.

I do most advertising on the internet becuase I know how many inserts I toss without reading unless I have a specific need then they might get a second glance. 

I was thinking today about marketing to apartments with the First Time Buyer tax credit...but in past years with other ideas this has not worked.

We do alot of it in the Mooresville/Lake Norman area.  It makes perfect sense.....low rates and first time buyer tax cedit.  Renters should be jumping at this opportunity.

Tina - Why don't you sponsor a Shredd-it day and provide a shredder truck to a local apartment complex. Then they can shred all of the other agents materials while you hand out brochures aimed at first time buyers.

This has worked for us and we can usually find a company to donate the truck and their services.

Tina, I think I got really discouraged about handouts when I handed a person a postcard and they threw it away right there in a can at the door.  I probably shouldn't let that get to me but I paid for that piece of trash.

Tina ---- we believe in mail-outs --- our agent/owners send out the large post card on a regular basis. AgentOwned Realty  offers this to their agent/owners at no extra expense. Michael Johnson just has a blog on today regarding this --- http://activerain.com/blogsview/1026903/Postcards-or-Letters

He had very interesting comments. You may want to take a look.

Hello Tina. Another thing with mailing to the apartments is often management doesn't want you soliciting their tenants. Mailouts can work, or they can be lumped into a lot of junk mail we all get. You just have to test it in your farm and see if it works.

Tina ,

I am with ou on this i have 200 letters going out today. I wrote a nice letter explaining the $8000 tax credit. I have placed them in white envelopes and hand addressed them Just in hopes to get them opened. i plan to mail to the same renters again and again for 6 months. There is lots to mail. My next mailing will be loan programs geared toward a first time buyer. Then the next maybe a lower priced home in the area with payment break downs on it. My thoughts it is very cheap to print this out and mail it bulk .. If just on buyer comes along that pays me back for my costs. Second buyer pure profit.. At the very least am getting in front of there face and trying to gather there e mail and or phone numbers.

As Gary says - I clean out mailboxes from my rental properties after tenants leave and usually Realtor literature comes 3rd class which means it is not forwarded in most cases....that's a shame as getting it there is half the battle.

I think the important thing is to closely track whatever you do. If you've been mailing out 300 pieces to the same farm for 2 years and not gotten anything, it might be time to change your mailing list. Too often, I find agents don't do enough tracking of whatever promotions they do--whether its ads in the local Real Estate Book, classifieds, regular mailings, email lists, billboards, etc. One of the first questions every agent should be asking when a new client calls is, "How did you hear about me?" Then track that in your database.

And don't forget about publicity. It's just as important--if not more so--than marketing. It helps build your credibility and it's far cheaper.