DIRECT MARKETING
as the software records the email addresses of those who have clicked through. It generates vital marketing information which allows an agent to follow up with what is likely to be a welcome call or at least give a clearer steer on a property buyer’s preferences. The application does much more too; an
agent can send a customer survey to all his database for whatever reason he may have. It can also send simple one-page messages to the database, or to any filtered list – large or small – within the database. It’s an immensely clever tool, with a
simple and familiar functionality and can work for any business that wants to communicate with its customers or even within its own company, if it has enough employees to make it worthwhile. BriefYourMarket operates on a licence
model and monthly fees depend on the size of the database. “We like to keep our pricing model simple – so we base it on the number of subscribed contacts within the system starting from £99 pcm for up to 1,000 contacts – we also include training, support and a full ongoing Account Management process, which focuses on ensuring the estate agent gets the full benefit of the BriefYourMarket system.” For more basic email marketing, there
are some good online tools for managing email marketing campaigns, such as Mailchimp and Constant Contact. They not only allow an agent to maintain mailing lists online (letting clients sign up via the website), but also offer good management reporting capabilities. With email marketing there is also
regulation to consider. While the broad brush provisions are not difficult to understand, he says, it’s easy to trip up on the detail. For instance, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003 says you can promote “similar products and services only” to customers – so an agent which has a financial services arm may find it is not, strictly speaking, able to promote its mortgage or insurance advice to someone who has made contact on the property side. Multi-branch agents could also find this an issue. A development in BriefYourMarket’s
offering – dovetailing traditional mailing with digital marketing – is the addition and integration of a post mailing facility, as Rick explains, “It will allow clients to send targeted letter campaigns to specific tailored groups of people as well as email campaigns – at the click of a button.” Sounds like the best of both worlds.
22 SEPTEMBER 2010 PROPERTYdrum
PaPer still cuts the mustard All that said, leaflet mailing remains a staple of the estate agent’s marketing armoury and still offers an effective way of getting the brand out there and highlighting an agent’s USPs. Ravensworth is probably the best known
specialist in this field offering a complete range of marketing services that include direct mail and leaflet production. Suzie Pattison says, “This is a key service for us but it’s not just about the print. We aim to provide a managed and supportive approach taking the time to ensure mailings are focused in terms of design, message and what the customer is trying to achieve. We have found that those clients willing to work with us over a sustained period of time get the best out their marketing activity as we can build up an understanding of their business and develop products, campaigns, ideas and ordering methods that suit their needs. We believe having a strategy is fundamental
‘Leaflet distribution is also a powerful way of generating
quick sales results; the turnaround time for producing flyers is
relatively short.’ aaron Perks Woodblock Print
Leaflets can convey complex messages visually – and you can’t delete them from your inbox!
whether you are a 200 branch corporate or a single office and taking the time to plan any marketing, mailing or leafleting activity will mean you are better prepared to cope with changing market conditions.” Another specialist printer of leaflets who
sees no let-up in demand from the sector and bucking the online trend, is Woodblock Print. Aaron Perks says, “Since the early ’nineties door-to-door promotional flyers have been the fastest growing media with 96 per cent of consumers acknowledging the receipt of fliers and 76 per cent of consumers admitting to acting on a promotional leaflet dropped through their letterbox. “Leaflet distribution is also a powerful
way of generating quick sales results, as the turnaround time for producing flyers is relatively short. This enables you to react quickly if you want to promote a particular aspect of your business and it is also still one of the cheapest methods around for generating mass interest in your company.” He has a point. Price does come into the
equation when you are getting your marketing mix right and while we all have computers at work there are, believe it or not many people who still respond more to the printed word. As seen in PROPERTYdrum’s August
feature, a number of agents already produce print magazines on a regular basis. Now, many of them are putting that content online, usually in the form of PDF files on their websites, and some are sending out the magazines by email. For instance, Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward launched ‘Completely London’ magazine in September 2009, and publishes three issues
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68