Auto-Responders and Real Estate Marketing

You’ve probably heard of Auto Responders, but do you really know what they are and how you can use them to make more money?

I’m guessing “probably not,” as many real estate agents aren’t as up to speed with Internet marketing strategies as other on-line marketers are.

However, my bet is once you know more about them you'll better understand how you to use them to gain an a "one up advantage over your competitors and significantly increase your earnings. 

But before we completely put the cart before the horse let’s define what an auto responder is! In a nutshell, an auto responder is an email marketing system that provides automatic responses to prospects requesting information from you; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. 

With an auto responder you can set up your email messages once, and from then on you'll be able to provide automatic follow up until you program it to stop.

I’ve been using auto responders in my on-line real estate businesses since November 04, and have used them to grow my email subscriber lists from none to more than 1,100 people interested in my information and services. I went from enrolling a few subscribers a month in December 04 to more than 100 a month.

Admittedly, there are faster growing lists than mine are, but I am okay with adding a hundred prospects a month to my business. Slow and steady has proven to be more enduring than a take the money and run approach!  Case in point; I’m still in business while some of my competitors aren’t.

Ways To Use An Auto Responder

Imagine this! It’s 2:00 AM and you’re fast asleep.  But your auto responder, like the good virtual secretary it is, has just received another email request from a prospect wanting a copy of your free report that you’re offering to first time home buyers.   And in less time than it takes to blink an eye it emails a copy of the report to the prospect.

Congratulations!  You’ve just secured the best kind of lead there is  – somebody who has contacted you for additional information.  And, they just provided you with all the information you need to provide adequate follow up; phone number, email address, etc.

So, now you can get to doing what other good marketers do – following up until you make a sale.  However, you’re doing it automatically, while other agents are plugging away one misery inducing cold call after another. 

Practical Use of Auto Responders

It’s pretty much accepted as fact that it can take up to 7 times of contacting someone before they do business with you.  Still, many agents are applying old practices of selling to a fast paced society without any automation whatsoever; no web site, no auto responder, no nothing!  It’s a game they can’t win and may soon be out of business because of it!

You, on the other hand, are reading this article and may see the plausibility of this idea and how you can use it to your advantage.

Take the following idea, for example.  Let’s say you want to target first time home buyers living in high end apartment complexes, and your theme is “buy for the same as rent.”  Do you think renters paying $1,800 to $2,500, or even $1,000 a month for that matter might be interested in buying homes if the mortgage payments are the same as their rent fees? I do, and think this strategy has the potential to be a  multi million dollar idea!

Start Today! Here's What To Do

1. Get an auto responder! Try this one for free! I've been using this particular one for more than ten years and it's everything you could hope for; it's affordable, easy to use and the customer service is great.
2. Next, create one or more special reports to be delivered in a series of 7 emails over 7 days, or time and sequence of your choice.  Here's Some Preritten Real Estate Marketing Content For Almost Any Imaginable Campaign

Click Here For More Informtion

A Special Report could look something like this:

1. First Report: Ten “No-No’s” For The Home Buyer
2. Second Report: Ten Tips For The First Time Home Buyer
3. Third Report: Ten Common Mistakes People Make When Buying A Home
4. Fourth Report: FHA Loans: What Are They And Do You Qualify?
5. Fifth Report: Title Insurance: Do You Need It? What Is It?
6. Sixth Report: Everything But The Kitchen Sink: What Stays And What Goes. The Importance Of A Contract
7. Seventh Reort: Interest Only Loans Vs A Traditional Loan: What Is The Difference?

Again, you can find these and other prewritten reports here... and when each and everyone of them is branded with your personal information you'll be list building in no time.

Here's An Idea For Your First Campaign

Circulate postcards, flyers and letters soliciting buyers by offering them special reports on how they can “Buy a Home For The Same As Renting.”

Tell them they can get a FREE copy of your report by emailing you at an auto responder email address you provide. Once they email the address the entire series of reports will be automatically emailed to them over a period of time yo control. 

Then, get ready for some business. Prospects will sign up for your email course because they want the information, and they like being able to get it without being pushed. And when they’re ready, they’ll call or email you for additional information. When they do you’ll know that they’re serious about moving forward with the idea of buying a home.

Here’s Another Idea To Generate Leads

Take the same idea above and apply it to newspaper ads and vary the theme to target buyers, sellers and/or investors. There are pre-written reports available for for them too.

Specifically, look in your real estate classified ads section for ads similar to the one described above. My bet is you won’t find many of them! Why? Because many agents are still marketing real estate the old fashioned way.  Specifically they try to get a listing and advertise it versus getting a buyer and finding them a home. 

You Can Dominate Your Market With Auto-responders

Auto responders are affordable with costs ranging from FREE to $40.00 or so a month.  The free ones are loaded with ads that you have no control over. So, be forewarned that you’ll come across as tacky and unprofessional if you use them permanently.

However, a FREE one is a great way to get a sense of what they can do. You can always upgrade to a paid subscription and have the ads removed later on. I pay $17.98 a month for mine (Get Response) and recommend it unconditionally. Features include... 

• Unlimited auto responders
• Personalization of emails
• Unlimited follow-ups
• Complete import and export features
• Plus a host of other features!

You now know about the awesomeness of auto responders and how you can use them to become a more effective marketer. All that's left now is to just do it! Happy Prospecting!

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