In today’s super competitive market for real estate agents, you need to make every effort and really strive to get your name and brand front and center for prospective clients. Here at Real Estate Leads, we are enthusiastic about providing realtors to have success with our online real estate lead generating system, but we’re also keen to help you make smarter choices on your own.
Today, we’re going to discuss which promotional items are best for getting increased exposure and how you can allocate your marketing and promotion budget more judiciously as a result of having the understanding. No matter how you tend to disperse this ‘swag’ as these types of promotional items have come to be referred to, there is plenty of it out there to choose from.
The key is to find products that will generate buzz and leave a lasting impression.
Pens, keychains, notepads, business-card holders, USB sticks and more. But does distributing your promotional materials really pay off, and if so – how much, and which items are your best choice?
Well, for starters, research has indicated quite clearly that they absolutely do pay off. Now how much and which are best will vary, but let’s move now to discussing the types and then we’ll discuss some of the variances in how swag can contribute to you generating greater numbers of new clients.
Putting Your Name & Agency In Front of Buyers & Sellers
Swag used for marketing purposes falls into one of two categories. Promotional products include useful or decorative items imprinted with the real estate agent’s name, logo or message and then distributed free to would-be clients. Imprinted items that are offered as an incentive for a specific action are known as premiums.
Manufactures of promotional products like those listed above report a consistently strong demand for these types of products from real estate agents, and that’s true of every region in the country.
Here are some interesting findings regarding how effective it is for realtors to distribute promotional materials to prospective clients:
84% of people remember the advertiser shown on a product they’ve received
42% develop a more favourable impression of an advertiser after they’ve received a specialty advertising product
24 % report being more likely to do business with an advertiser they’ve been reminded of via items they’ve received
62% of respondents have done business with the advertiser listed on a product after they’ve received it and it’s been in their possession for more than 2 weeks
And this last one is HUGE. Take especial note:
The average cost-per-impression attached to an advertising specialty item is $0.004, making it less expensive per impression than nearly any other medium
Other research has indicated that 58% of those responding to a survey said they kept these types of promotional products from anywhere between one to four years. Consider that even if the recipient only uses the item once per week, that adds up to a minimum of 52 impressions over the course of a year plus the possibility of more than 208 over the next five years.
Further, promotional products foster positive regarding of a business by:
Increasing in positive overall image;
Increasing the positive perception of that business;
Creating a higher likelihood of recommending that business
Creating a higher likelihood of their patronizing that business
The Importance of Useful
Promotional products that actually add value to a customer’s life in some way are light years more effective than any type of impractical stuff they will likely end up throwing out before long.
Useful promotional swag items for realtors should improve the prospective clients’ life in some way, while still being relatively affordable for you to buy it in quantity. In addition, it should be personalized with your real estate info so you will be the first tome come to mind when they think of acquiring the aid of a qualified real estate professional.
Best Ideas for Promotional Items
Two particularly smart choices for real estate agent swag are a branded tissue box sleeve and a branded pocket hand sanitizer sprayer. The tissue box sleeve will slide over a store-bought square issue box, and for most people that box will sit somewhere in regular view for months upon months. The cost per sleeve shouldn’t be much more than $3, if that.
Those branded hand sanitizers typically go for about $2.00 each and also will last for a good long while. Further, they show you care about the recipient and by that they are intended to create a more personal, authentic connection
Other good ideas for realtor swag are:
Credit card RFID protectors
Jar openers
Fridge magnets
Calendars
Keychains
Fly swatters
Tape measures
Smartphone desk stands
While all of these above are good choices, we’ll conclude today by saying that when you are considering any of them you should go through a series of questions regarding the specifics of your relationship with the prospective client. You should ask yourself
What is the potential return on investment?
What season of the year is it?
Is it more likely to be left at the office, or taken home?
Is it a novelty item, or useful item with some practical value?
What are your competitors doing similarly?
What have you yourself received that made an impact on you?
What will the cost of distribution be?
How long is this particular item likely to last / be retained?
Is it too overtly ‘saying’ that you are trying to buy their business?
And the most important question for any marketing strategy – can you measure its effectiveness?
We hope this communication is helpful for any of you who’ve been wondering where to best spend your marketing budget funds when it comes to promotional swag items. Whatever you can do to make you visible as a realtor is beneficial, in much the same way that signing up for Real Estate Leads here is a huge plus too, with qualified online-generated leads delivered to you exclusively each month and for your exclusive region of the country. Make sure you get your locale by signing up without delay!
