How to Succeed at Geo-Farming in 2020

admin

Posted on

Are you looking to succeed at geographic farming in 2020? If so, make sure you aren’t neglecting the methods that always work.

To make it in the digital age, savvy real estate agents are cultivating their brands on social media, offering value via blog posts and videos, and even generating leads through social media platforms like Facebook Ads Manager.

These things are all important in their own way. But, despite the undeniable value of a digital presence, the fact is that direct mail remains incredibly powerful.

Consider these statistics:

  • Direct mail gets a response rate 5 to 9 times higher than email, social media, or paid search.*
  • 76% of consumers trust direct mail when making a purchasing decision. They also trust direct mail more than digital channels.**
  • Direct mail is 21% easier for the brain to process than digital media, and garners higher recall.***
  • It is 20% more persuasive than digital media.***

*ANA/DMA Response Rate Report 2018
**MarketingSherpa, 2017
***“A Bias for Action,” CanadaPost, 2015

Ultimately, the persuasive power of direct mail is why so many agents still rely on postcards to make connections within their geographic farms. Keep reading to find out how you can use postcards to become the go-to agent in your farm.

Use postcards to promote your listings.

"Earn one listing for every 50 people you target by direct mail for 12 months"

For many agents, postcards are a great way to get the word out about listings and open houses—but that’s not the only benefit.

When you’ve got a new house on the market and spread the word around the neighborhood, you’re not just increasing the odds you’ll sell that one property—you’re also showing people in your farm that you’re willing to go the extra mile.

In addition to promoting your active listings, don’t be afraid to subtly brag about the ones you’ve already closed. A “Just Sold” listing will instill confidence in people who might be on the fence about using your services.

Supplement your postcard mailings with in-person outreach.

Remember how we mentioned earlier that it’s still important for you to have a digital presence? That’s because your success as an agent won’t come from one single marketing effort. Instead, you’ll dominate your market based on your ability to create top-of-mind awareness.

You can do this by providing amazing customer service and becoming omnipresent in your community. That means you need to supplement your postcard campaigns by actually getting out into the community and meeting your neighbors.

Go door to door, introducing yourself to your neighbors. See if there’s anything you might be able to help them with, whether that’s a real estate transaction or something as small as the name of a good contractor.

Ask if they’ve been receiving the postcards you’ve sent out. When you do this, they’ll have a small “a-ha” moment the next time one of your postcards arrive in the mail.

Volunteer for local charitable organizations, or spend time coaching or refereeing little league games. Become a vibrant, valuable member of the community, and people will grow to know, like, and trust you. Then, when it comes time for them to buy or sell, they’ll know exactly who they want to work with.

Connect with a postcard every single month.

Connect with a postcard every single month

Of all the tips we’ve shared so far, this is the single most important one.

That’s because consistency is key when it comes to farming.

While direct mail pieces are more difficult to ignore than digital outreach, you still shouldn’t expect to make a strong impression right away. Instead, farming is a cumulative effort—one that it practiced with the goal of building mindshare and making yourself industry-synonymous in the market you serve.

As Gary Keller writes in his best-selling book, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, you can expect to get one listing for every 50 people you target by direct mail for 12 months. Of course, that only works if you’re reaching out at least once a month.

Postcards are a cost-effective way to get your messaging out to your entire geographic farm on a regular basis. It’s true that many people will discard your first few postcards without thinking much about it. But, with each mailing, you’re doing a little more to increase awareness of your business.

Vary your messaging to offer value.

Market Analysis postcard

When you’re connecting with your farm once a month, you want to be sure that you’re not just sending them the same thing over and over again. People don’t want to be hit over the head with sales pitches, and, if you simply advertise your services month after month, you aren’t going to make a lasting impression.

Instead, you should focus on offering value. You can do this in a number of ways, but the two most effective approaches are education and entertainment.

Here are some examples of educational content you can include on your postcards:

  • DIY home improvement projects
  • Seasonal home maintenance tips
  • A comparative market analysis/offer a free estimate
  • Tips for sellers looking to increase the value of their homes

Alternatively, you can offer your recipients seasonal recipes, fun facts about the neighborhood, or a calendar of community events.

These things have nothing to do with your business, but they are deeply relevant to the people in your farm.

When you give your recipients content that resonates on a personal level, they will look forward to your monthly mailings. In turn, they’ll be that much more likely to remember you when they’re looking to buy or sell (or when they know someone else who is).

This might all sound like a ton of work. But, fortunately, it doesn’t have to be.

ReminderMedia has created a 12 Direct program designed to help you dominate your geo-farm in 2020. Each month, we’ll design, brand, and send a new postcard to an audience you choose—one that’s based on geographic location and demographic.

Over the course of the next 12 months, your recipients will get to know, like, and trust you as an agent. And, as a result, they’ll be far more likely to work with you.

Best of all, our 12 Direct program takes just a few minutes to set up, and you’ll have your farming outreach in place for the entire year.

ReminderMedia 12 Direct Postcards

Sound good? If so, click here to get started.

Free E-book: Lead Generation For Real Estate Agents

Written by admin