Day Six: E-Mail Broadcast Marketing - Past Leads
If you've read my previous Day Five post Titled, "E-Mail Broadcast Marketing - Realtors" then you can suspect that you have some marketing options for anyone that has contacted you in the past for real estate needs.
Buyers, Sellers and those that are just curious on lookers; if they have contacted you before then they are potential clients today. Even if these people have used your services to buy or sell in the past, there may be a need for your services once again OR they may have a friend or family member in need of buying or selling.
Like with marketing to local Realtors, be it that they are colleagues or competitors, you can't simply solicit old leads out of the blue. You must maintain and build upon a relationship so that they won't simply delete your e-mail communication to them.
For those that you've done business with in the past and from here on out, get into the habit of sending them some kind of gift basket each and every year. Ideally you should send them something on the day they closed on their new home or sold their previous home. You could take it a step further and send them a Christmas basket as well. You might end up spending $20 - $40 per basket each year but the gesture won't go un-noticed by past clients.
For those that have only inquired about a property or contacted you regarding some questions they had about the local real estate market, it might be best that you keep a cheat sheet containing what they were interested in. When anything changes on that topic or if another property matching the one they were asking about comes on the market again you can easily contact them with the information and a small call to action.
I work with MANY Realtors and I often find that my clients talk about how a large part of their client base is based off of referrals. Other Realtors often include something like, "Referrals are the best compliment you can give me..." or the likes.
Having a successful transaction with a buyer or seller doesn't always mean that you'll be remembered time and time again or referred to when your past client has a friend or family member looking to buy a home. You often have to take that extra step and remain in contact with them in such a way that they don't forget you.
Be generous by the way. Everyone receives birthday and Christmas cards from their dentist, doctors and mechanics these days. These are discarded most of the time because there is always a hint of, "Come back and see us soon!". Be generous in what you give and be genuine. Count the years of communication and gift giving as part of your marketing expenses and stick to it!
Here are just a few ideas of what to pass along to your past clients:
- Gift Baskets - Hand delivered is best but you can mail them as well.
- Gift Cards - Typically you can send a gift card within a card but spend the time on a nice card as well.
- Carpet Cleaning - Pay for a carpet cleaning and allow them to set up the date and time.
- Window Washing - Same concept, pay for this cleaning and allow them to set up the date and time.
- Newspaper Subscription - Cover their newspaper subscription from year to year if the price isn't too much.
- Lawn Care - Give your past buyers a break every now and then with a lawn care provider service.
Lastly, hold an annual BBQ during the summer at a local park. Spare no expenses with the food and beverages and if you deal with a lot of families with children rent one of those jumpers as they go a very long way with children.
If you've done all or some of these things then it isn't likely that an e-mail broadcast will get deleted by past leads. Funny how online marketing takes a little of social activity and offline marketing isn't it?
Tomorrow: Press Releases
Sincerely,
John F. Jones III
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My Previous Post In This Series: Day Five - Online Property Marketing
Good tips - regular contact is the key to referrals.