I need some ideas for some short texts to put on the post cards I will be sending out to my SOI to announce that I am now a Real Estate agent. It will of course have my picture along with my phone numbers, email address, and url on the back. The standard card starts out with just the word Announcement on the front with some marketing type of picture. But there is room for a couple of text boxes and I am looking for some good ideas for what I might put in those text boxes.

Thanks!!

Kevin Boylan

Real Living Realty Services
South Dayton, OH

My company has pre-printed note cards that state "I am pleased to announce that I have joined a select group of sales professionals associated with XXX Realty to better serve all of your residential and investment real estate needs. Please keep my card handy and call me whenever you need answers to any of your real estate questions. " ...that might be a little long. Also, if I could have had the text changes I would have mentioned something about referrals..."if you know anyone who could use my services..."

I like note cards better than postcards for this purpose, they give you space to hand write something too.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Seattlegal, that is what I am looking for I can work with that. I agree about the notecards but the postcards are free so I will take advantage of that and then follow up with something a little more substantial after that.

Thanks!

I am somewhat opposed to these announcements. I think it's much better to kind of drift into "being in real estate" with regards to your SOI. Most of your more casual friends probably aren't keeping up with your daily routine, so if you are suddenly 'in real estate' they might think you've been doing it awhile and they just forgot. To me, announcing that you are brand new might be counterproductive.

What I recommend is that you just start communicating with your SOI as a real estate agent. Send out a Happy New Year newsletter, casually mentioning that you are loving being a real estate agent. Or send out your business cards with a note that you've "recently changed your contact information" and want to make sure your friends know where to find you if they have any real estate needs.

Then you can create an effective SOI communication strategy as if you're experienced and not "fresh off the turnip truck"

Just my two pennies.

Hi Jennifer,

I agree somewhat and have actually been considering whether to just go ahead and send out a non-new-agent type of direct mail instead. I might just do that, but haven't made up my mind completely yet.

Thanks!

Kevin

Sometimes I need a little something to get the creative juices flowing. It might help you to take a look at some of the postcards that you can buy to help you generate ideas.
www.sellsmart.com
www.reamark.com
Of course, I am not advocating that you copy these cards and commit copywrite infringement - you just may be able to read a couple, and combine some phrasing until you get what you want. Just use them as examples. It helps me when I am stuck to do something like that and get you in the "real estate zone." It gets my mind working. Also, microsoft has free real estate templates you can download. They might help you too.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/results.aspx?qu=real+estate&av=TPL000
I agree with you uniquename, if it is free, take all you can get!

One thing I can say about postcards I see on these websites is that most look cheesy. They dont seem to have character. They all look like they have been cut from the same piece of cloth, so to speak.
If you have MS Publisher or something similar, you can start from a blank postcard, add maybe a photo or two from your area that is known, like something in an area park, something in your community that stands out and alot of people will recognize. Doing this with your company's logo, your contact info, and whatever you are trying to convey will probably work best.

I sent out post cards around Thanksgiving/Christmas one year. It was a home made personal one like Joey said.

I had a picture of a nice turkey dinner spread out over the table with the message "Where else can you give your friends and family the bird after they told you to stuff it? Happy Holidays!"

My broker didn't like it. I would not recommend that card.

But I do like your originality Jollymon!!

Hi Kevin.

I might be opening a can of worms here, but I recommend avoiding "new agent" announcements completely.

Postcard prices can really add up over time. I know, I've worked for two postcard marketing companies. So if you send out mailers with nothing more than an occupational announcement on them, you're spending good money with little hope of ROI.

Like Jennifer said above, just kick off your first mailer as a professional agent without any mention of being brand new. I also recommend having some kind of offer on your postcard to increase your chances of a response. Postcard marketing is not as easy as it once was. You have to work harder to generate a response, so you really have to step it up in the offer / value department.

Here are a couple of informational resources that might help you out:

* http://www.postcardsmart.com/realestate.php

* http://www.realestatepostcardbook.com/bonus

Good luck!

-Brandon

Hi Brandon,
I checked out the postcardsmart.com site. I really liked it! I am going to pass it on to my agents. I may even do a blog post about it. Thanks for sharing such great and helpful information!
Nancy

Brandon,

Thanks for the info. I'm definitely considering that approach, its sounding better all the time.

Kevin

I agree 100% with Jennifer. I regret sending out that announcement when I got my license close to three years ago. People want something of value and want to know what is it it for them. With the high turnover of new agents most people aren't impressed that you are a new agent beginning your career. I think sending out your updated contact information is much better and productive. There is a difference.

I like postcards from The Personal Marketing Company. I use their newsletters, so maybe you can send those every 30-60 days. http://www.tpmco.com/

What about a letter to your SOI when you change agencies?

Any GOOD excuse to communicate with your SOI is a good thing. If your contact information has changed (although it shouldn't have - NEVER use your company's phone number or email address as your primary contact info), it's probably a good idea to send out your new business card along with a quick note. If your new company truly offers something of value to your SOI, mention that.

If you've been out of touch with your SOI for awhile (like.... 6 years...it happens!), this might be a great opportunity to reconnect. Just keep in mind that your SOI probably doesn't care much which company you work for, so if you're gonna spend the money on printing and postage, make sure you're giving them a good reason to remember you... and to keep your fancy new business card.

I'm a big fan of magnetic cards. Not necessarily business cards , but something bright and attractive (with your contact info of course) that someone would feel bad about throwing away. Send out both a regular business card and a magnet for full coverage!

While many of the online post card companies have great ideas, creating a personalized post card from the heart is more impressive for introductions. Sure, you can use other online cards to put your creative thoughts into process but from the heart is better. That is another reason why it is imperative that you are familiar with the area.

Once you have sent out your introduction card, then you can apply a post card campaign. You can use a company like The Personal Marketing Company, www.tpmco.com or create 12 post cards in advance and schedule each to be shipped to your sphere, circle, or farm area on a monthly basis.

Magnetic cards are great and you can personalize it to make your own statement or use for general marketing and informational purposes. Customize a card that will match your farm or target area. If you include the picture of a house on the magnets or post cards, remember that the picture use should be reflective of the farm area. Meaning, do not put a picture of a $1 million home on a promo that will be mailed to an area where the average price is $200k and vice versa.

Remember to remain consistent.