In real estate, Info-Box Flyer marketing works because home buyers are not always willing to call and speak to a live person just to satisfy their curiosity. Your flyer will break the ice and give them a reason to engage with you that goes beyond the property right in front of them.
There is a front of flyer and back of flyer strategy. Use both together.
Front of flyer strategy
This is the side where you tell about the listing itself. You don’t want to tell everything about the house. Often, too much information diminishes the number of calls you receive. You cannot sell the home from a flyer, so don’t try. Instead, use your flyer copy to qualify and entice buyers to call for more information.
But don’t ask them to call you.
Instead, ask them to call a free recorded message about the property. This is an old strategy that’s been around the real estate world for quite a while, often promoted by Terry Hunnefeld when he was at By Referral Only, but originally used in ads for other industries.
These days, you can use a variety of internet virtual phone systems to pre-record messages and then get SMS text messages when someone calls so you can get back to them right away. (I like Grasshopper and CallFire, though I have a little more faith in the stability of CallFire at the moment. The cost is about $20 to $25/month if you use the “pay as you go” pricing model.) But if you’re just starting out and aren’t ready for a virtual phone service, you can also just use your personal voicemail. Just let people know at the start that if they’re calling to reach you directly, to skip the message by clicking whatever it is on your phone that skips forward.
What to put into your messages. Keep your message under 2 minutes. Tell a short story about the property by highlighting the most interesting aspects…sell the sizzle. Help them take the next step…contact your lender for special financing, set up a showing, get access to your hot properties list, apply for your home buyer rebate program, etc.
Should you put the price in your flyers? I say yes, but it may be a matter of taste. I’d rather have someone qualify themselves by price before making them jump through hoops to get more information. If the home is in their range, then they’ll want to know more, and be more excited about calling the recorded message.
That’s the front or main side of the flyer. Now for the back…
Back of the flyer strategy
This is absolutely the best targeted advertising space you could ask for. Real, active buyers are picking up your flyer. Use the backside to engage with them! How many flyers do you think you use on a listing? 50, 100? Multiply that times the number of listings you have, and you can get your targeted message in front of the most active leads. You’d have to pay a big chunk of advertising money to get guaranteed placement in front of that many active prospects. Cost to you is nothing, since you’re already doing the flyers.
The purpose of the back side is to get buyers to call or go online and get something you’re offering. You can take this to the next level by incorporating your offer with an email autorsponder, such as MailChimp or ActiveCampaign.
Here are a few back of flyer ideas:
- Promote your home buyer class
- Offer a free ebook/ebooklet/special report on any home buying topic
- Create a HOTLIST of properties (You can also add recorded messages for each of those properties, too.)
- Introduce your home buyer rebate program
- Market to sellers
- Tell about your real estate newsletter; give an incentive to sign up
- Show a special financing program (partner with a lender)
- Partner with other service businesses who either pay for the space or exchange marketing with you
Reminders
- Make sure to use the words FREE Recorded Message on the front of the flyer.
- Record a message that entices them to reach out to you personally to see the house/get more info/set an appointment with you.
- Use the back of the flyer to make offers. The more enticing and wonderful the free offers, the better.
- Experiment with different offers. On some listings, a home buyer class might work best. On other listings a list of homes for sale in the area might work best. Also try using two or three offers on one flyer…a “call me” offer, a “get this free on my website” offer, and a “text me” offer.
- FOLLOW UP QUICKLY. As soon as someone calls your recorded message or downloads your freebie, call them. If you have multiple listings, use a service like CallFire. Link each extension to an SMS so you get notified when they leave a message. Be open and service-oriented. But do try to get an appointment with them to either show a house or have an initial consultation. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
What if you don’t have a listing? If you have a great relationship with an experienced agent in your office, ask if you can use the back of their flyers. They may let you out of the goodness of their heart, or you may have to offer to pay for their flyers.
If you have any unique ideas for things that could go onto the back of a real estate listing box flyer, let us know in the comments.