10 Costly, Agent Marketing Mistakes - Part I

Look around and see if you're seeing the same marketing mistakes being made out in the marketplace as I am. You may even be doing a couple of them yourself.

10 Costly, Agent Marketing Mistakes I See Agents Making Daily:

• #10 - Un-branded E-Mail Addresses
  If you're only using one e-mail address for both your business and personal purposes, you're making a big mistake. Too many agents are using an AOL, Juno, hotmail, comcast, bellsouth, etc as their primary e-mail address. When you use those services, you're marketing them, not you. You need to have multiple e-mail addresses, including one for branding you, i.e. dan@danweis.com and one for for branding your real estate business, i.e. bob@(yourcity)realestate.com. Keep it as short as possible. You can come up with a lot of creative names, but select a brand name that will be easily salable in the future when you decide to sell your real estate business.

• #9 - Not Using Signature Files
  Many agents don't even use a signature at the end of their email. You can design one that you just insert or copy & paste at the end of each e-mail you write. You should add links to have people stay at your sites longer or to provide additional information for them. Here's an example of one I use for clients and prospects:
  
  

Dan Weis
Real Estate Consultant since 1985
RE/MAX Unlimited Realtors
Cincinnati, OH
cell: 513-615-1890
fax: 513-842-8830
E-mail: dan@DanWeis.com

My Web site: http://www.CincinnatiRealEstateGuy.com
My Blog: http://www.CincinnatiRealEstateNews.com

Who's the next person you know planning to buy or sell?
Call me & I'll take great care of them!
Need Help with Identity Theft or Legal Issues?www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/danweis

• #8 - Lack of Staging
  We've all been through properties that looked like a tornado had just gone through the home and the sellers knew someone was coming through. Since it's a buyer's market in most areas, it's critical that you help your sellers prepare their home to show in its best light possible. If they aren't willing to do much, then you need to price it accordingly or decide if you want the listing.
  
• #7 - Poorly-Taken Interior Photos
  Wow, looking at the photos of properties that are online! I'm amazed at how many homes are cluttered, have too much furniture in the rooms, show kitchen counters full of stuff, are dark photos, etc. If a home isn't ready to be photographed, you have to wonder if it's really even ready to be put on the market and available for showings. Make sure that your listing's photos are as good as possible. Sellers are costing themselves thousands of dollars and lost sales, because consumers look at their online photos and move on to the next home.
  
• #6 - ZERO or One Photo
  What you have to find out is how many photos does your MLS allow you to post online? Last year, my Cincinnati MLS went from increasing the number of allowable photos from 6 to 15 photos. That's more than double, yet there are still many listings with no photos or just one photo. Some have 3, 4, or 5 photos, but it's rare for listings to have all 15 photos posted...I'd say less than 10% of listings have the maximum allowable number. Now I understand that some properties just aren't that photogenic, but if buyers don't see photos online, they're going to wonder what's wrong with the home. If there aren't enough good photos of the interior then why not take some photos of the neighborhood amenities or schools, etc.
  
• #5 - Ineffective Classified & Magazine Advertising
  
  With approximately 80% of all buyers searching the Internet for real estate, why are you still advertising in the newspaper and real estate magazines? Now, if you track your numbers and are getting proven results from these advertising mediums, then continue using them. But if you're spending money on these mediums and you're not even getting any calls, then it's time to re-allocate your money into the Internet. It's important to track where your business comes from, because when sellers say why aren't you advertising in the newspaper, etc, you can show them that it's a waste of time and money. If you decide to use classified or magazine advertising, then make sure you promote your web site or offer a free report. That may help you increase your responses.
  

Often times, you look at these different mistakes that others are making and wonder to yourself, "Wow, I'm glad I'm not spending my money that way." But sometimes it's easy to get sucked into using a product or service that on the surface looks like it will work or that it will appease the seller, when in reality it's not going to benefit anyone except the vendor.

Next week, I'll go over the other 5 costly marketing mistakes agents are making.

To your success,

Dan

What's your BIGGEST FRUSTRATION in your business? E-mail me at: dan@agentsuccesscoach.com

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