Newsletters Keep You In Touch With Clients And Contacts
A valuable component of your marketing plan, newsletters are ideal vehicles for keeping in touch with prospects, clients and referral sources.
Well prepared
content offers readers interesting and useful information that will
help keep them up-to-date on the state of the real estate market.
By drawing on your current knowledge of your niche market, you remind readers of the professional services that you deliver to clients.
This reminder reinforces your position as agent of choice for repeat and referral business.
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Overall Benefits
Overall Drawbacks
- contribute to overall information overload clutter
- can be difficult to distinguish from other newsletters
- preparation can be demanding and time-consuming tasks
Benefits of Hard-Copy Format
- flexible distribution
- delivered by regular mail
- handed out when meeting others or door-knocking
- handed from client or contact to prospective clients when making referrals
- can be retained and reviewed from time to time without the necessity of a computer
Drawbacks of Hard-Copy Format
- require advance time to prepare and produce
- can be costly to prepare, produce and distribute
- many people prefer electronic format
Benefits Of
Electronic Format
- relatively easy, no-cost or low-cost to prepare
- virtually no lead time required allows you to send special editions in response to changing market conditions and new developments
- you can track who reads your newsletters
Drawbacks of Electronic Format
- recipients require Internet access
- speed and ease of preparation often result in poor quality communications
- SPAM filters can block your messages from the mail boxes of intended recipient
General Considerations For All Newsletters
Format: The best
format is the one that best reaches your intended readers.
Frequency: Weekly contact is too much for you and your contacts.
On the other hand annual contact is not frequent enough.
Once you start, regardless of format, under no circumstances stop this approach.
If you do stop, it will be only a mater of time before clients and prospects forget about you.
When this happens you will undoubtedly lose their repeat business and referrals.
Once again the best frequency is the one that clients prefer.
Content: Clients and contacts will probably want to know about trends and developments in their local neighborhoods.
You can also include basic information about enjoying and maintain their homes.
Preparation: To ensure maximum effectiveness, choose and use your words carefully.
As a component of your marketing communications, make sure your words help promote you and sell your services.
Match Your Needs With Client Preferences: If you don't know the format, frequency and content that clients and contacts prefer, ask them.
You can do this either as part of a client satisfaction survey, or in a format modeled on such a survey.
Frequency: Weekly contact is too much for you and your contacts.
On the other hand annual contact is not frequent enough.
Once you start, regardless of format, under no circumstances stop this approach.
If you do stop, it will be only a mater of time before clients and prospects forget about you.
When this happens you will undoubtedly lose their repeat business and referrals.
Once again the best frequency is the one that clients prefer.
Content: Clients and contacts will probably want to know about trends and developments in their local neighborhoods.
You can also include basic information about enjoying and maintain their homes.
Preparation: To ensure maximum effectiveness, choose and use your words carefully.
As a component of your marketing communications, make sure your words help promote you and sell your services.
Match Your Needs With Client Preferences: If you don't know the format, frequency and content that clients and contacts prefer, ask them.
You can do this either as part of a client satisfaction survey, or in a format modeled on such a survey.
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What Newsletter Users Say:
"I use an electronic
format and have found it very valuable and I can track who is
reading what and looking at what"
"For 8+ years I've done quarterly printed 8-page format for current property management clients, to use in property presentations for new property owners AND to keep in touch with clients whose I did property presentations to and did not hear back from.
"I also posted them on my website.
"I ended this in 2008 and am now featuring my blog on my monthly owner statements and in my e-mail signatures.
"It is more personal and timely and it is the reason many prospective clients now find me online....
"Yes, it takes more time; however, I do enjoy it and the less printing and postage means more money for effective marketing efforts!!!"
"I send a monthly edition via email and can track the results through Constant Contact.
"I still believe this is the best way to keep in touch without being intrusive.
"Case in point recently ... a client from 3 years ago called to schedule a consultation. She values my input and just wants to run a few things by me and get suggestions on paint colour."
The bottom line on client newsletters...they are fantastic!
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To Learn More...
...about preparing newsletters that distinguish you from the
competition
& generate more referrals...click here....about
- Distinguishing Yourself From Competition
- Communicating Your Distinctiveness
- Attracting Prospects
- Generating Referrals
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