Offline methods:
1. Door-to-door – As you're just starting you need to introduce yourself to the members of the community you are farming in. So go knock on their doors. Don't try to aggressively sell yourself. Instead, focus on their needs: what they want in a real estate agent, whether they plan to sell or buy a house, if they want to receive your newsletter. Take their contact information and continue to keep in touch.
2. Referrals from friends- According to the 2004 National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey, over 58% of people use agents recommended by their friends. Offer your clients quality services and you can be sure they will talk with their friends and colleagues about you.
3. Direct mail- Start a consistent direct-mail campaign to gain more exposure for your business. Direct-mailing has the advantage that you can reach large audiences with minimum costs. Use professional-looking direct-mail pieces with a well-written copy to catch your prospects' attention.
4. Printed newsletters- Keep in touch with your clients by sending them newsletters filled with useful information. Choose subjects of interest for the community you are farming in, include testimonials and write about your experience as a real estate professional.
5. Printed materials: flyers, brochures, postcards - Brochures and flyers are an effective way to present your services to new customers. They can be placed in a variety of public places such as local stores, libraries, restaurants, car windshields.
Eye-catchy postcards sent on special occasions are also a good method to build an ongoing trusting relationship with your prospects.
6. Ads: local newspapers, TV, radio - Place classified ads in newspapers. Local newspapers often have great advertising rates that can help you promote your business.
You can also buy time on local cable TVs and radio stations. Sometimes this can be surprisingly affordable. If you pay for an advertising campaign, don't forget to include in your advertisement your contact information with your website address.
- Networking: Take part in the neighborhood activities and get involved in the community charity events. This is a perfect opportunity to become more familiar with your prospects and to get exposure among the media representatives who usually attend these events.
- Other promotion methods – When setting up your real estate business, don't forget about sale signs, bumper stickers or voicemail.
Your "For Sale" front lawn or directional signs for the open house should have your web site address on them.
An outgoing message on your answering machine or voicemail system with additional service information will work for you even in the middle of the night.
Online methods :
1. Website – When your prospects want to learn more about you, your website is the first place to look for information. Create an well-designed website with information about your services in clear and intuitive format. Then promote it through search engines, directories and link exchanges.
2. Banners – Banners are a good method to promote your business and increase your website traffic. Create banners that are pleasant to look at and blend in well with the web page where they are displayed.
3. Press releases – Whenever you have news that you feel worth telling, submit a press release about it. A press release is the best method of increasing your ranking by linkage and it can also get a great exposure.
4. Direct email campaign – A good alternative to the print direct mail pieces are the electronic emails, because they are cheaper and more flexible regarding the content and the format. To avoid your mail being taken for a spam, use personalized emails instead of email software.
5. Newsletter campaign – Newsletters are one of the most efficient and cost effective methods to keep in touch with your prospects and to build up interest and trust. They are highly customizable, contain as much information as you want and provide fast, direct feed-back. One of their most obvious advantage is frequency. You can send them as often as twice a week.
6. Articles- Use your expertise to create articles about relevant issues to your clients. Include your URL and your data in your articles and promote them for free in articles directories.
7. Affiliate programs. You can create your affiliate program with people who will recommend your services on their web site for a percentage of any sale they refer. Thus you don't have to go out and spend money on salespeople and advertising.
8. Other methods - Attach a signature to your emails, including your name and personal data (your phone/fax number) and do not forget to add your website URL if you have one. Make clear what you can do for your prospects so that they will get familiar with your business much easier.
To promote your website, you can also participate in online activities related with real estate such as online discussion groups, newsgroups and message boards.
When starting his real estate business, each agent chooses the methods he considers the most suitable for his needs. You should keep in mind however that you don't have to spend huge sums to get your business promoted. Often the most efficient and cost-effective methods are at the tip of your fingers. All you have to do is give them a chance.
