Why Realtors are Great Marketers

Last week I got a GREAT piece of direct mail. It was from two realtors who market lofts in the neighborhood, Zephyr Realtors. I've never bought a place from them, the closest I've come to them is walking my dog Stan near their offices and talking to a neighbor that works for them. So how did they get me and why did I like it so much?

List

My guess is that they rented a list of people who live in certain zip codes. Could have been from InfoUSA or USA Data. They probably spent a few hundred bucks.

Creative

This is what got me. On the front of the 6 x 9 postcard they listed great restaurants in our area with addresses and  phone numbers with the message "What's Good in the Hood?" On the back a picture of the duo (a signature of a great realtor since they really are selling themselves before they sell any property) with a small paragraph introduction on who they are, what they specialize in, and a bit about the company. They focused on themselves first and foremost.

They also made sure to put a phone number, email address and address for quick contact information.

Offer

There was no hard offer included, it was simply an introduction piece, and that piece now resides in our drawer, the one where our take-out menus go so that when we need to look up ideas for where to go, we're staring at their card. We may even recognize them walking around since their picture is on it.

Realtors know how to get someone to keep their pieces around with ideas like this:

• A grid listing of upgrades to your house and increased value figures
• A sporting event schedule (One of these lies in our drawer too because we live next to a ball park)
• Recent homes in the area that have sold with pricing
• Just listed homes in the area or open house announcement
• Calendars

Got any ideas on how you market your product or service? Do share! And thanks realtors, you've given me some great ideas!