Real Estate Investing Coaching - Brian Gibbons

Best RE Investing Marketing Source - Richard Roop and Dan Doran

Article - Real Riches in Niches - Part 1

Web or Direct Mail?

WHO SAYS THE FUTURE OF REAL ESTATE INVESTING MARKET IS THE WEB?

O.K., there’s a lot of hype out there that the future of real estate investing marketing is the web (think Craigs List, email buyers lists, blogs, ebay stores, Facebook company listings, and online video here)

That said, let me cut to the chase. We are admittedly internet marketing junkies BUT direct mail still remains my favorite media and here’s why.

A key finding from the International Communications research Study released last year, found that despite today’s digital world consumers clearly prefer old fashioned mail to all other communication vehicles, most notably email.

Here are some of the highlights of this study:

* 73% prefer mail for receiving new product-service announcements, offers and newsletters from companies they do business with vs. 18% who prefer receiving the same content by email.

* 70% prefer mail for receiving information from companies they are not doing business with. This makes lead generation tough if you do not do direct mail (email was 10% in this study).

* 31% of consumers say they frequently toss mail as possible junk, but 53.2% say they frequently delete such email unopened. These stats also don’t consider deliverability of emails.

Based on my research, I estimate that 80% of the emails we send out never make it past the SPAM filters. So let’s work the math here. 1000 pieces of direct mail get sent. 31% gets tossed. That leaves me with 621 opportunities to get my marketing message read. On the other hand, if you send out 1000 emails, 200 might get read, but 53.2% get automatically deleted. That means only 94 get read.

So, if you are a real estate investor that has spent considerable time and money building a buyers list that contains email, but not a mailing address, you’re asking for marketing trouble. Based on these numbers, you would need to send out 6634 emails to get the equivalent reach of a 1000 piece direct mail campaign.

The counterargument to this is that emails are free and you are saving on postage. Are the emails really free? How much time did they take to collect? What good are they if they don’t get read.

My point: Do the email campaigns to move your inventory but if you want to maximize your result, make sure you lick a few stamps every now and then!

Author: Dave Zehala, Executive Director Columbus REIA, Founder 800-PAYCASH

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Paul Lemberg’s clients call him “the unreasonable business coach,” because he insists they pursue goals and take actions that far exceed their comfort zone. What results do they get from taking such drastic measures? Sky-high profits, stellar revenue growth, systems breakthroughs and greater life satisfaction. Paul’s clients include hundreds of companies both large and small. Some of the more recognizable ones are Cisco Systems, Adobe Systems, and Mass Mutual. He has also worked with ... [More]

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These Five Fatal Errors Will KILL Your Marketing Efforts

by Bob Massey

AAARGH! Gasp! Wheeze!

Do you hear that?
It’s the sound of your marketing campaign dying. How could that be, you wonder. You put a lot of work into it, dropped a lot of cash. And still you’re not getting the results you expected.

Before you pronounce the patient dead, consider that you may be making one or more of these common fatal errors.

1. The Egg Basket Error

“I’ve tried advertising,” a small business owner told me. “It isn’t working, so I think I’m going to try public relations instead.”

Whoa! What makes you think they’re mutually exclusive? The most effective marketing programs comprise several disciplines. Ads, press releases, media events, article placements – all work together in synthesis, sometimes toward different goals. One may be better for building awareness, another for gaining credibility, still another for generating leads.

Putting all of your eggs in one marketing basket narrows your playing field – and minimizes your effectiveness.

2. The Spike Slip

Marketing is a continual endeavor, one that needs to be exercised in the boom seasons as well as the dry. If you stop marketing when business is good, where will customers come from when it starts to taper off?

In a similar vein, don’t depend on residual results from one public relations event or one ad or one media placement. People who read an article about you in the paper will patronize your business – at least for a week or two. Then the slump will hit.

You need a supporting marketing program so that customer activity doesn’t die out as soon as the spike is over.

3. The First Date Fallacy

You meet someone, decide to go on a first date, and everything goes just fine. At the end of the evening, your date assures you it was wonderful, and wants to see you again – soon.

You wait eagerly by the phone; it doesn’t’ ring. A day goes by. Two days. Five. Naturally you assume that, despite what your instincts (and your date) told you the first time out, there’s no interest. Meanwhile, your date has assumed the same of you, figuring that if you were interested, you would have called.

What’s missing in this fledgling relationship is the same thing absent from a lot of marketing materials – clear direction of what the next step is. It’s great to have ads, publicity pieces and direct marketing campaigns that are on target when it comes to attracting the interest of potential customers. But too many leave those same potential customers high and dry.

You don’t snag a game fish and neglect to reel it in because it’s hooked! Customers are looking for direction. Give it to them.

Make your offer compelling ... then make it easy for your customer to take the next step in the buying process.

4. The Membership Misconception

I once attended a large church obsessed with its own size. They would offer special concerts and events for the sole purpose of increasing membership. Once you became a member, they didn’t seem to give a hang about you. Of course, once folks realized that, they moved on, so the church never got as big as it could have been, because its congregation was always in flux.

It’s easy for that same “membership drive” attitude to seep into your marketing and defile it. It’s not enough to generate interest – you’ve got to convert leads into sales. And it’s not enough to make sales – you’ve got to turn purchasers into loyal customers.

Authors and marketing experts Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba advocate the development of “customer evangelists” – people who are so pleased with your product or service, they go out and tell the world. “This group of satisfied believers can be converted into a potent marketing force to grow your universe of customers,” they claim. To which I reply “Amen.”

5. The Me First Mistake

This is the most common error I see – as well as the most deadly. It occurs when a business puts its own merits at the forefront of its advertising and public relations messages, instead of concentrating on the needs of the potential consumer.

A real estate agent recently confessed to me that he hates the way his peers promote themselves – by the amount of properties they’ve sold or awards they’ve won – rather than focusing on what the consumer wants. Show me a marketing campaign that touts the size of the company, the magnificence of the product (as opposed to it benefits the consumer), prizes won, what the corporate office building looks like ... or oozes copy so slick with self-aggrandizing tripe you want to hold it with a doily ... and I’ll show you a business that’s ignoring the very people it’s trying to attract.

Consumers want two things from you:

    * Recognize (or make them aware of) a problem or need that they have
    * Offer them the means to solve or satisfy it.

Provide compelling evidence that your business is the obvious and only logical choice to solve that problem, and your results should go through the roof.

Make sure none of these errors have infected your marketing campaign. If so, amputate immediately. The prognosis will be a healthier cash register.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Bob Massey is the Florida Gulf Coast Branch Manager for KSR, a Miami-based full-service marketing agency, and has been an award-winning business writer and editor. You can contact him at (941) 255-1055, or e-mail bob@ksrteam.com. 

How to Buy Houses…Let’s talk Marketing

from Wealth Builder News Letter by tjmarrs

 

Presented by T.J. Marrs, author of the “Foreclosure Profit Machine”, now available at www.Amazon.com, and creators of multiple course on real estate investing found at www.Creclub.com and Creator of the Living free and Clear Mortgage Debt Elimination system at www.Livingfreeandclear.com

 

 

When getting started, I suggest you initially put most of your focus on marketing and calling some For Sale By Owner sellers to screen some initial transactions. The more transactions you screen, the better you’ll get at this important skill. When your first real deal comes along you should have dress rehearsed everything in the screening and writing up the offer process.

 

You need to implement at least three different marketing methods at any given

time. And run them at least Three Times Each.

 

 

Here are some examples of advertising you should do:

 

* Ads:   Weekly or community papers like the Penny Saver, Valley Shopper and The Nickel Ads give you a great bang for your buck .

* Signs:  I have had great success putting up signs in the neighborhoods where I invest. Think about it. Haven’t you noticed all those signs stapled, nailed and taped to telephone poles? How about all the signs stuck in the ground at what seems like every intersection? Of course, be sure you are not breaking any laws or ordinances in your local area before you use this method. I use basic fluorescent copy paper or plastic sign material. Keep it very simple. Use a one-sentence statement along with your phone number and web site address.

*Door Hangers: Have you ever received a door hanger on your front door? I have. Did you look at yours? I did. Ever bought a pizza from one? Ordered Chinese food? How about calling a landscaper, maintenance person, window or house cleaner? They all use door hangers and you should too. Use some of the ads that we talked about earlier.

Most print shops will design and cut door hangers for you for just pennies apiece. You can even buy door hanger stock paper at most office supply stores today. Door hangers work. Hire high school students to hang them for you. Or, hang them yourself.  It’s a great form of leverage. Where else can you exercise, do market research, become educated (listening to my tapes of course) and make money all at the same time? So get out there and do this one now. Do it at least three times per neighborhood.

Beware: In the United States, the U.S. Postal Service considers it a felony to tamper with the mail. If you live in the U.S., do not place your flyers or hangers in mailboxes.

* Bulletin Boards:  If you look around, these are available all over town. Look at your Community Center, unemployment center and Town Hall. Use the same ads you’ve already been using

* Realtors: Many realtors spend a great deal of their money and time trying to get listings. They often fail due to poor marketing and unrealistic expectations. As an investor, you must teach them what you need - be specific. Tell them you are willing to make a wholesale offer (cash or terms depending on your niche) on every property they list. Don’t shortchange them. Pay them the normal commission (usually 3%) on the acquisition.

* Mailers:   Contact a mailing house (found in your yellow pages) and get a list of all the residential homes in your area(s). Often a local title company can give you targeted lists free.

These are just a few of the many marketing techniques out there, be creative. Visit my website for more details! www.tjmarrs.com 

Along with good marketing again comes phone calling and follow up these are just as important, once you get the leads you have to follow up! So practice by calling landlords and FSBO weekly! Not only will this make you more comfortable and confident but also find you motivated sellers. Without costing you a dime!

TJ

Plan to attend T.J.’s next FREE real estate coaching teleseminar by registering at:

http://www.creclub.com/seminars.html

 

Why you need to do PR with Marketing

12 min

The following recording will discuss:

Why you need to do PR with Marketing.