If you don’t work in the real estate industry or you are a newcomer, you may not be acquainted with some of the terms used to generate leads that attract new listings or buyers. While real estate agents use digital marketing extensively, they also profit from more traditional techniques, such as direct marketing.
That is because selling real estate involves both online and off-ine activities. Therefore, you cannot craft a marketing plan unless you promote your services in both venues. For a real estate agent to flourish locally, he or she must focus heavily on farming.
That does not mean he or she has to go out and buy a John Deere tractor. Naturally, that would be absurd. In this case, real estate farming has nothing to do with tilling a field for harvest or establishing a rural real estate office. Farming, in the real estate field, has to do with the methods used to obtain local leads and listings for real estate customers off-line.
To get these leads, you need to acquaint yourself with the geographic areas you wish to cover locally.
Some farming techniques might include knocking on doors, hanging door hangers that advertise a real estate agent’s services, or getting leads by holding open houses or sending out postcards.
Who Are Your Potential Customers?
Before you move ahead with your farming activities, you need to go online and research the following:
- Average income for an area
- Average resident age
- Community employers
- Sought-after real estate home designs and features
- Local conveniences
- Current and future construction plans.
- Number of real estate agents who already cover the area.
Sending Out Postcards
One of the most effective ways to enhance your presence and authority as a local agent, is to regularly send out postcards. This farming technique not only adds to your credibility and influence, it gets you recognized as the go-to agent in your community.
Setting up a postcard marketing campaign can really boost sales as a real estate “farmer.” In this case, you will “cultivate” and “harvest” a bountiful response, provided you send out postcards that capture the attention of your audience.
How to Generate Interest
The best way to do this is to use a simple design (no more than one heading and two subheadings) and two to three colors. Direct the reader’s eyes to the call-to-action (CTA). Send out postcards that announce new listings, pending sales, and closed sales. You can also mail postcards that cover real estate updates and trending statistics in your neighborhood.
Why Postcards Work
Most real estate customers will look at a farming postcard to check the sales price of nearby homes and compare its features with their property. Because people are typically more comfortable with staying in their neighborhood, they will contact a local agent if they want to buy or sell real estate.
Therefore, farming, when it applies to marketing in the real estate industry, is a major strategy. To get the most use out of the activity, buy postcards and mail them regularly. Doing so will give you the edge you need to make more sales and increase your impact as a real estate agent.
