Ideally, you want a truly unique, high-quality, well-appreciated, personal closing gift that won’t break the bank and has the added benefit of consistently keeping you top of mind for referrals and repeat business.
In an industry such as real estate, where nurturing and managing customer relationships is a main driver of new, repeat, and referral business, client perception is crucial. To benefit their professional image, enhance their personal brand, and show genuine appreciation for their trust and business, real estate agents often give their clients a gift at closing. From plaques that display a homeowner’s new address to baskets of delicious baked goods, the gift options seem to be endless.
However, there are several distinct problems with some of the most common closing gifts:
- They’re impersonal. It’s not unusual for agents to find an all-purpose gift and order dozens of them at a time to keep in the office supply closet, ready to grab on the way to the closing table.
- They have a short shelf life. Items like food and drink, while appreciated, don’t last. In addition to potentially triggering allergies, once the snacking is finished and the bottle is empty, there’s nothing that remains to remind them of you. The same is true for gift cards.
- They miss the mark. It’s tempting to provide something your clients can display in their new dream home, but what are the odds that what you select is going to jive with their style and taste?
Ideally, you want a truly unique, high-quality, well-appreciated, personal closing gift that won’t break the bank and has the added benefit of consistently keeping you top of mind for referrals and repeat business.
Stick with me while I describe the many reasons why a bimonthly gift subscription to your own magazine from ReminderMedia—personally branded to you in six key locations with your headshot, business, and contact information—checks all the boxes, making it the best Realtor® closing gift for buyers.
It offers superior quality
The superiority of these personally branded magazine is noticeable upon first glance, with a remarkably rich and slick look and feel. Each issue of your magazine is printed on heavy-weight, glossy paper so that when your clients pick it up, the impression is substantial.
The covers are exceptionally impressive. Well-designed with gorgeous photos, with each printing you have the option of selecting from different images and layouts—all of them eye-catching and inviting.
The exclusive content within each 48-page issue features equally beautiful pictures and a range of engaging articles written by our professional team of in-house authors. There are four, differently-themed publications to choose from, and you can send a single title or any combination of titles you wish, specifying which clients get which magazine.
It’s highly affordable
Our lives as consumers have taught us that we usually get what we pay for . . . usually.
If we were any less efficient in our production process and if we didn’t have our own printing operation, a personally branded magazine of this caliber would be priced out of most agents’ budgets. But we are efficient, and we do our own printing and assembly, which makes the cost of each issue—wait for it—less than what you’d pay for a fancy coffee or Hallmark card.
It provides long-term value
“Value” is one of those amorphous terms marketers like to throw around. Not us. At ReminderMedia, we’re very clear about the true meaning of value, and we ensure that the products we offer, including our gold-standard personally branded magazines, deliver it in spades.
Every issue is filled with educational, entertaining, and endearing content (the 3 E’s essential to effective content marketing) expressly created to have wide appeal—and your clients are going to love it.
Check out some of the results we received after hiring an independent third party to conduct a readers’ survey*:
- 50% of recipients keep the magazine an average of four weeks; 20% keep it for 10 weeks or more.
- More than 80% of recipients keep it on the kitchen or coffee table where your brand remains highly visible.
- On average, recipients spend nearly a full hour (52 minutes) reading the magazine.
- 65% share their magazine with one or two other people in the house, while 29% share it with one or two people outside the house (giving even further exposure to your brand).
- 39% passed along an interesting article.
- 21% share the magazine or Tear Out Card to pass along contact information.
- 56% saved a Tear Out Card with a recipe, while 42% shared one.
- 38% saved an issue for future reference.
And here’s the really impressive number: 31% said they were prompted to refer their professional because they received the magazine.
It can be personalized at no additional cost
There are a host of options you can personalize and customize at no additional charge. You can:
Personalize your letter down to the individual level, and we’ll print it on the Front Inside Cover
Imagine the reaction as your newest clients begin reading, “Dear Susan and David. Let me congratulate you once again on the purchase of your beautiful new home and thank you for placing your trust in me. I’m thrilled that we found exactly what you wanted and can’t wait to see pictures of the new baby nursery once you’ve got it ready!”
Select from our massive collection of Tear Out Cards
As with your choice of magazine, you can mix and match the two Tear Out Cards we include in every issue according to the interests of your recipients. Choose from recipes (do you have a chocolate lover in your database?), DIY projects (for the weekend warrior), helpful tips (for decorators, pet owners, parents, and more), and other options.
Showcase your service on the Inside or Back Outside Cover
We’ll print an ad on the Inside or Back Outside Cover, giving you prime real estate (pardon the pun) to advertise your latest listing, introduce your team, or spread some good news. You can even promote your referral partners and have them share the cost. With every new issue, we provide different templates to suit different needs.
And we include automated, free shipping to your list of exclusive addresses—no other client is permitted to mail to the same addresses.
Finally, it’s a consistent touchpoint that keeps you top of mind and makes it easy for you to follow up with clients
Referrals are, by far, the best source of leads for real estate agents. They’re free, warm, and among the most likely to close. But referrals depend upon your clients remembering who you are—and that’s a challenge unless you consistently keep in touch with them.
We make sure your brand appears in your clients’ mailboxes every two months. That regularity solves the problem of consistency. But there’s more that needs to be done; no magazine, by itself, is going to generate business. You need to follow up.
After 20 years helping real estate agents grow their businesses, it’s been our experience that most agents don’t stay connected with their clients after the transaction, so, of course, their clients are going to forget who they are. As we see it, the problem that keeps agents from reaching out is that they don’t know what to say. They feel that any attempt to connect will only come across as self-serving, with clients seeing their calls as nothing but a pitch, which makes many agents feel awkward and hesitant.
The solution is to have a reason to call. Our magazines provide that reason.
Our marketing advisors coach our clients to call their clients after their magazine arrives. The script is simple: when you call, ask if they’ve received your magazine and whether they enjoy it. You strike up a conversation about an article, recipe, or something else in the issue that you know will be of interest to them. The conversation evolves organically and, at the end, you express your gratitude for their business and remind them that you’re always available to help them or anyone else they know who needs your services.
A routine touchpoint and a phone call is all it takes to generate more referral and repeat business.
Don’t miss the next mailing deadline!
Spring is traditionally the most active time for real estate agents, and you’re going to need closing gifts for your clients, but you can give a gift subscription to your own personally branded magazine any time of year.
The holiday edition with a selection of festive covers is always popular—it beats any greeting card, hands down. Clients also love our pet edition and often choose to feature their own and/or their clients pets on the Inside or Outside Back Cover. Every year, we also publish a special edition in support of a charity that allows you to show you’re a business that gives back. And then there are the issues with seasonal content to be enjoyed.
A personally branded magazine from ReminderMedia meets all your needs—it is genuinely appreciated by clients, provides lasting value, and it keeps you top of mind for new, referral, and repeat business with a new issue delivered to your recipients mailboxes every two months. It’s an investment in your business that makes you unforgettable with marketing that your clients want to receive—making it the best Realtor® closing gift for buyers and all your clients!
Go online and get your free estimate today. Become a client, and we’ll take 50% off your activation fee!
*2023 ReminderMedia Reader Study; conducted by GfK MRI-Simmons