Marketing Coach Q&A with In Touch Today questions answered by Gwen Buehler, Marketing Manager, In Touch Today |
As a free value-added service, we offer monthly Marketing Coach emails full of helpful marketing insight. If you are not already signed up for Marketing Coach mailings, please visit http://www.intouchtoday.com/emails-marketing/0508/emails.htm to subscribe. Below are examples of recent questions and answers. Question: How can I find buyers in this slow market? Answer: First time home buyers are one of the largest single segments of the housing market, so the buyers are out there, even in this slow market. The newlywed niche should be of particular interest, since they truly are typically an untapped market; there is not much competition and the buyers are in a great financial position. Use a booth to exhibit at wedding expo events and raffle off a prize to capture names and contact information of engaged couples. Begin sending direct mail pieces to them immediately to increase your name recognition; focus on the benefits and joys of owning a home. These couples will have many questions about owning their own home, so be sure to provide educational brochures that describe the home buying process and what they can expect. Market to this niche consistently and frequently, and it’ll be your phone bell that will be ringing once they tie the knot. Question: How can I reach more qualified borrowers? Answer: Widen your net. There are many niches in the housing market, such as public servants (including teachers, police officers and fire fighters). Many companies offer specialized loan programs for these borrowers that allow for easier qualifications and lower rates. Know Spanish, or some other language? Become the preferred lender for an immigrant population that continues to increase and participate in the housing industry. Obviously, you won’t know who the better qualified borrowers are when you first meet, but prequalification meetings will make this easier to determine. By all means, focus your immediate attention on those borrowers who prequalify for homes in your area. However, don’t make the mistake of ignoring those who may need some help with their credit scores. Offer them a free credit repair session and continue to market to them with postcards while they work on improving their credit scores. Once they become qualified borrowers, they will be contacting the professional they trust with their financial health and growth: you! © 2008 by In Touch Today Corporation and its licensors. This article may be reproduced only in its entirety. In Touch Today is a marketing company based in Denver, Colorado, that assists professionals in increasing their repeat and referral business as well as building professional referral sources and prospecting new clients. www.intouchtoday.com Question of the Month We're adding an exciting new feature to Top Producer Strategies! Each month we will pose an interesting and/or fun question for you to think about. Share your answers with us (just email them to newsletter@topproducerstrategies.com with "question of the month" in the subject line) and we'll compile them for a future article. This should be a great way for us all to learn more about each other and our industry! This Month's Question... What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done to market yourself? |
