Most of us have sent a just-listed/sold/pending postcard to a neighborhood. These can be an effective way to touch more potential sellers and unlock new listings.

But what if we had a different twist on this traditional marketing approach, that is more effective? Here are two different techniques which may dramatically improve your results: 

The first is a pre-listing letter that you send out before you launch your next listing. Let's assume your sellers have given you permission to put their home on the market but strategically you are doing a coming soon campaign so you have a few days before the listing goes live in the MLS. This is a perfect time to do a pre-listing letter which will say something like:

"I will be marketing a new listing in you neighborhood in the next few days. As a courtesy I wanted to let you know will see some some increased activity. Also because I've done a ton of research in the area I thought I would reach out to you and offer my services. If...

What is a mini brochure card?

These are over-sized business card sized brochures which feature a couple pictures of your listing, a few key bullet points, along with the price and address of the home. On the reverse side of the card is your contact information in the form of a traditional business card.

How do you use a Mini-Brochure Card for marketing and lead generation?

First when you take a listing provide these cards to your sellers as a way for them to provide information about their listing to family and friends. You might say:

"I am providing you with a stack of mini-brochures to provide to family and friends. I like to cover all bases with my marketing. The card has a link to my website so they see the virtual tour and HD photos."

The cards not only market the home, they market you as the listing agent. In addition they could go into a flyer box and be used at open houses. Another use for a mini-brochure is to use them when talking to the neighborhood, for...

What do you do with a disloyal client?

Barbara Brown an amazing principal broker told me a story that can help all of us. It's a story of forgiveness. She had a client that she had worked with for years, be disloyal and list their house with another agent. It hurts but we have all had it happen.

When the holiday season came around, she said to herself - Should I delete these people off my database list and not send them a holiday card or should I keep them on my list?

She struggled with the decision and thought about it for a long time. Finally she decided to take the high road keep and them in her database. She sent them her traditional Holiday Card.

Guess what happened?

Those disloyal clients circled all the way back. Their listing didn't sell and they called Barbara to come list the property. Of course Barbara had to ask the question - Why didn't you call me the first time?

Turns out in their previous transaction with Barbara there had been some little rub around closing...

When you look at in the NBA, the NHL, or the NFL, what do great teams do before an important game? They sit down and study the competition. They look at the plays that have been run by their competitors. They look at the defense, the offense, they look at the individual players and how they are going to approach this game.

We need to do the same thing as a corporate athletes.

We need to be looking at our competitors and define how we can compete at a high level. What can we learn from what they're doing? What can we avoid that they're doing wrong? What can we do to get better than we already are?

Once you've identified your top five competitors. Start by reviewing their personal website. Check out their their bio or about me section, study the content, the structure, and the brand elements of how they have written their ad copy. Who is it speaking to? How does it come across? Next look at the photos. Are they using multiple photos throughout the website? Are they using video...

Interesting news - Facebook is quietly testing the use of hashtags.

We all know that Facebook owns Instagram. They have for years and hashtags are big on Instagram. So we always tend to place hashtags behind every post. Why do we do that? Because hashtags are searchable! If you click on a hashtag you will see all the posts that have used that hashtag recently. 

Now that hashtags are going becoming searchable on Facebook, you can get ahead of the crowd and be somebody that is showing up at the top of one of these hashtags early. 

Check out this quick video for a quick demonstration!

Looking for a way to build your social media presence, add visitors to your website, drive buyer and seller leads, or connect with your sphere of influence?

Check out this quick coaching segment on creating Facebook Ads featuring marketing expert Jon Reinhart and Jim Remley.

To watch the whole coaching video and take advantage of 14 Days of FREE Coaching explore the Path Performance Coaching Platform!

Is Facebook quietly rolling out hashtags?

According to marketing experts the answer is yes. Facebook owns Instagram which has long used hashtags as a marketing tool. Not only can you attach hashtags to your posts, you can search, and even follow hashtags on Instagram. It appears that Facebook may be implementing a similar strategy.

It wouldn't be the fist time Facebook has followed Instagram.

The best example may be the roll out of Facebook Stories which has quickly become a game changer for social media content.

Check out this quick video to learn more and discover how you may be able to use the quiet roll out to your advantage!

Have you replaced your business cards with a virtual business card yet?

Watch this quick video on the benefits of using a V-Card as a part of your "new" normal. In today's world we may not have an opportunity to physically meet a client until much later in the relationship. By using a V-Card you can share you contact data quickly and easily. 

The advantages of using a V-Card (even without Coid-19) as a key part of your marketing plan are incredible check out these quick advantages:

• Easier to Capture Potential Client Information 
• Higher Conversion Rates (More People Say Yes)
• Scaled Messages (Send Your VCard to Hundreds of People)
• Print + Digital Combinations Using QR Codes

Every year, Gallup conducts a survey of Americans to determine their choice for the best long-term investment. Respondents are asked to select real estate, stocks/mutual funds, gold, savings accounts/CDs, or bonds.

For the seventh year in a row, real estate has come out on top as the best long-term investment.

Gallup explained: “Real estate remains the most favored investment to Americans, as has been the case since 2013, when the housing market was on the rebound. More than a third of Americans have named real estate as the top investment since 2016.”

This year’s results indicated 35% of Americans chose real estate, followed by stocks at 21%.

Check out this video for post/message to share with your sphere of influence, social audience, or farm area.