How Do You Know What Marketing Works Best? TRACK IT!

This is so important. I don't care what kind of advertising you spend your money on, you need to know if it works. Trends don't matter. Results matter.


Below I will describe some ways to track the leads you're getting. As silly as this may sound, write down all your advertising methods on a piece of paper and track where every email/call comes from. Make sure you have the results in one spot so you can analyze them after each week, month, year.

Call Capture Numbers - You can tell exactly what ad leads are coming from by the extension that was used. Placing these extensions on your yard signs tells you how many people are calling from your sign.

Google Analytics - Need I say more? It's great and easy to use. See where new visitors came from and where they went on your site. This provides enlightening information as to the most and least viewed pages on your site. Most likely, this will tell you that you need to do some updating to your site.

Landing Pages - Create specific web pages that you place on direct mail pieces, print ads, Internet ads, or in email newsletters. When people go to each specific landing page than you know exactly what ad generated the lead.

Email Newsletters - This is almost too simple. Use an online program like ConstantContact to send your email newsletters and it will do the rest! Track your open rates, click throughs, bounces, etc. A great tool to see who is opening your emails. It even tells you want section of the email they clicked on, so you know what your clients/sphere wants to read.

Asking - Oh yeah, if you just a get a call from a lead, don't forget to simply ask then how they got your number!

The only way you will be able to generate leads proficiently is by implementing an advertising tracking program. What works for one agent may not work for you and your database of clients.

Hope this helps you create a more productive marketing year for everyone.

TC Business Management, LLC - www.TCMandD.com - is a full service marketing firm that specializes in real estate. Search our blog for great marketing tips or feel free to call or email!

What's Wrong with my Postcards?

Have you sent a lot of postcards to your database or farm and not gotten any response? Well, there could be a couple reasons why. The number one rule to marketing is consistency. If you send postcards for 2 months then stop for 6 and send for another month and stop again, you're wasting your time. Some say something is better than nothing, but in the previous case, it's not. Don't waste your money.

Now, if you have the consistency, but no results than you're doing something wrong. Poor content, bad design, no call to action...People don't like what your sending them and it's not making them think of you as a Real Estate Expert that they would call.

Let's start with content. Send people information that they are going to be interested in and that will also make your look like a neighborhood expert. Market statistics, recent sales, neighborhood news, home maintenance tips, local vendors, real estate news, your real estate buying/selling statistics, etc., that is what people want from their realtor. Make yourself look like an expert. Don't send recipe cards - you're not a chef!

Bad design is another issue. Use a great headline and a lot of white space. You want this card to be easy to read and understand. Don't make it too boring though. A little bit of design sense is worth the modest cost. Just don't let an artist put their vision on your design. Try to work with someone who understands design AND marketing.

Always include a call to action. Make sure to ask for referrals or direct them to visit your website for more valuable information. If you don't ask them to do anything, they won't!

TC Business Management, LLC, www.TCMandD.com, is a firm specializing in marketing. Your time should be spent with clients, not designing and maintaining marketing systems. TC believes in result driven marketing. We want to grow your business as much as you do!