Agent Resources

Make your estate agent marketing materials work

The housing market is one of the first industries to feel the nerves of the economy, and following the global crisis of 2008, the impending Brexit has made potential sellers think twice about listing their homes.

So how do you allay vendors’ fears and get some more stock for your business? Getting potential customers to agree to a house valuation is your first step. The valuation will not be charged, so the key is the conversion. It’s a mass-market message, so the media has to be appropriate. Press advertising is costly, and not as effective as a leaflet door-drop. You want to be certain you will get across the threshold into someone’s home, where they have the opportunity to consider your message.

Value for money

If you print 10,000 leaflets, and they generate ten valuations, you need to be confident of converting at least 3 of those to listings. Remember though that you don’t recoup any of the money unless you make a sale. Having all the staff out on free valuations is also potentially costly, when you factor in their hourly rates.

A basic law of averages suggests that getting your name on 10,000 doormats will hit a few that want to sell, and will hit at the right time. Costs are reasonable for print, though it is delivery that will be the bulk of your expenditure.

Make your message stand out. Lots of your competitors will be offering 0% fees, or properties wanted, but if a homeowner receives something similar every week, what will make your name stick?

Stand-out messages

The short answer is ‘dwell-time.’ How long does someone spend looking at your leaflet, compared to someone else’s? The longer they spend, the better. Tell them something interesting and relevant to them. Target your leaflet drop to a particular area or even an estate. Talk about something they want to read, something they will remember in the future, even if they don’t want to sell now.

People want to know how much their house is worth, so tell them in your leaflet about average house prices in their area. It’s relevant and interesting, and demonstrates that you know your stuff. You keep them interested without having to send someone to do a free of charge valuation.

You won’t get a flood of listings after each door-drop, but it’s the cumulative effect of retargeting the same area with relevant content, that will pay off in the longer term. Targeting a specific area means your print and distribution costs are kept lower. Keep your contact details consistent, and consider putting them in the same place each time. Track the sold property prices in the area and use these to make your marketing activity work smarter.