Effective Marketing

Going through my mail the other day, I came across a newsletter-style advertisement from a Realtor who prospects my neighborhood for potential clients. I have to admit that I'm impressed by the display of marketing savvy - the Realtor in question is truly doing some very effective marketing for his business. The newsletter is designed to grab the attention and good will of its recipients, and does it well. Here's a short list of what the Realtor is doing right:

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  Uses humorous anecdotes from his own experiences to build a favorable impression in the cover letter.
  


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  Lists all recent sale prices of homes sold for the Realtor's targeted market neighborhoods. The information is organized by neighborhood, address, house features (number of bedrooms, bathrooms, garages, square footage) and is listed by price from highest to lowest.
  


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  Provides photos and information for all houses currently listed by the Realtor.
  


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  Emphasizes the values that define the relationship the Realtor seeks to achieve with clients. For example, "Our clients always come first," "Our integrity is our trademark," "We take the time to educate our clients and make sure all their questions are answered," et cetera.
  


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  Features a contest where the winner who's house is featured in a photo inset wins a gift certificate to a restaurant when they contact the Realtor.
  


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  Provides contact numbers, web site addresses and mini-ads outlining the services available through the Realtor on each page.
  


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  Notes the upcoming birthdays and anniversaries of current and former clients.
  


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  Provides classified ad space for local home improvement, decorating, and maintenance (cleaning, repair, etc.) businesses.
  

Basically, everything about the Realtor's brochure is designed to build a positive connection with potential clients before even meeting them. While I don't know if he's the top selling agent for my neck of the woods, it wouldn't surpise me if he's near the top. If he isn't there, I believe he soon will be - anybody good enough at putting an effective marketing package together for themselves can certainly do so for selling a house, and will sell a lot of them.