marketing your sphere: mail and beyond

! !BRANDING !

Why brand? Consistent and strategic branding builds “brand equity.” The value intrinsic to brand equity is in perceived quality or emotional attachment. As a service industry, our clients can only judge our services after they have decided to engage. Building a strong brand lays the ground work for influencing how the public views us. !Repetition creates credibility. As a group, we lift each other as we market our listings and engage with the public using our company brand and logo. !Strong branding encourages customers to pay for the intangible benefits they get from associating themselves with a brand that makes them feel good, appear “cool”, or socially conscientious. Does this brand reflect their values? !

What represents the Living Room Realty brand? Pinwheel logo Cartoon Banners Colors Fonts Web presence; is your most up to date information accurate on line and company logo used where available? Most people will Google you prior to making contact. Hashtags #makeroomtolive #wegetit #lovewhereyoulive #wheresyourlivingroom #lovewhereyouwork #BCorporation When in doubt, refer to our style guide or use a designer (give the designer our style guide)! !

Branding as a whole also includes the demonstration of our values as a company. B Corp Monthly Workshops Last Thursday Collaborative, open workspaces Client focused store fronts Locally sourced and natural products (no anti-bacterial soap!) Paperless transactions Etcetera… !

Engaging Your Sphere of Influence Get your database in order. Make time for yourself and your business. Once it’s organized and set up, then it should just need a bit of maintenance. Add “update database” to your transaction checklist. !Choose an action plan and schedule then STICK TO IT. Being on a strict schedule sends a meta-message to your sphere that you are organized, consistent, and trustworthy. Your business appears successful and steady. Nothing is more important than consistency and timeliness when it comes to touching your sphere. When you reach out randomly and unscheduled, you create an

NE 1401 NE ALBERTA ST. PORTLAND, OR 97211 | SE 2625 SE 26TH AVE, PORTLAND, OR 97202 T 503-719-5588 | F 503-914-1779 | W WWW.LIVINGROOMRE.COM | E [email protected]

image that your business is also random and unscheduled. People may think you are reaching out only during a slump or down time! !You need to create enough frequency to achieve “top of mind awareness” or “unaided recall.” If someone is talking real estate, you want to be the first to come to mind. Or, when your friends and clients see Living Room signs or marketing, you want them to think of you. !If you are targeting your sphere and past clients, they already know you. When it comes to direct mail marketing, every other month should be enough. If your budget allows for every month, go for it as long as you are sending an item of value that they will appreciate. !Send relevant and client focused messaging. What’s in it for the client? !

Beyond Mail There are other ways to connect with your sphere, and many agents in our company have great stories to tell about what has worked for them. Here are a few things that have worked for me to connect with my clients and friends. !Host an appreciation party. This can be as low-key or high end as you’d like. Make it authentic to you. I’ve found that a nice short window of time, like after work 5-7, works well to get people through. I’ve done wine tasting at a local wine shop, pie pick up during the holidays, an outdoor BBQ with live music and bouncy house for the kids, and I’ve hosted an artist’s reception. All have been fun! !Popping by. As a slight introvert, just popping by takes me a little out of my comfort zone, but it’s always worth it! Every October, I would deliver a pumpkin to my top 150 clients. Running into folks on their porch with gift in hand was a hoot. I would get thank you cards and emails for weeks after. Tracey Henkles shows up with a watermelon in July! Brilliant! Whatever you choose, do it every year. !Valentine, holiday, or special event contact. Who doesn’t love to get a valentine?! Whatever you choose, do it every year. Living Room designs a unique holiday card and a Valentine’s card every year for you to use. !House purchase anniversary acknowledgement/gifts. I’ve taken clients out for an anniversary lunch or swung by with a bottle of champagne for them after their first year. You could acknowledge every anniversary. If you choose to do it, do it every year. !Closing statements. In January, I mail out the prior year’s closing statements with a note that it might be helpful for their taxes. !FB/Instagram/Google+/Linkedin. Connect with your clients this way. Share Living Room news and your blog posts. Mix it in with your own life adventures! Consider refraining from any negative messaging if you are mingling clients and friends on your social media. !Hand written notes. Brian Buffini states that only .07% of all mail is handwritten. I believe it! Every person who refers a potential client to me gets a hand written thank you note and a small gift. I don’t wait for the client to commit to me, or the transaction to close. I send it the next day! Also, if I happen to run into someone at the store, a restaurant, or on the street, I always send a note


saying how nice it was to run into them. Have a file folder with cards and stamps at the ready and this will be very easy. You can purchase stamps at the NE office if you want to avoid the post office. !

Building Your Sphere Join your local PTA, neighborhood association, book club, volunteer group or other club/board where you can demonstrate leadership and meet new people. Be the person on your block who initiates the block party. !Sponsor your local school’s auction or other group’s fundraising events that you associate with. !Keep a list of prospective clients who decide to wait. Consider adding them to your campaign if you had a connection. !

Prospecting Versus Farming Prospecting is a strategy to generate leads now or in the near future. Examples: open houses, “I have a buyer looking for” postcard mailing, Zillow ads, just listed or just sold postcards, contacting expired listings, contacting FSBO, hosting a workshop, leading a group tour of a neighborhood, or any one-time effort. !Farming is a deliberate, scheduled, and long-term marketing plan to cultivate business within a group or geographic area. !If you are interested in Farming, come to my class in October. !

Measure Your Results At the end of the year, you should look back at each transaction and detail where the client came from. Use this information to fill holes or bolster your well spring.


DIANEMOREAUREAL ESTATE [email protected]

We’re happy to announce the opening of our coast office. Come by and visit us at:

507 Laneda Avenue, Suite 4Manzanita, OR 97130

[email protected]

DIANEMOREAUREAL ESTATE [email protected]

marketing your sphere: mail and beyond

Real Estate