Nancy Robbers
June 24, 2015
6 Minute Read
There are many schools of thought on real estate promotional items: Keep them small, make them useful, don’t bother. Real estate agents use marketing giveaways in different ways: thank you gifts at closing, customer appreciation or anniversaries.
Whether they’re conventional or creative, promotional items are primarily meant to remind clients of who helped them buy or sell their homes, and who could use their referrals and repeat business. It’s important your giveaways work as hard as you do.
Here are five real estate agents who are getting the most bang for their buck on real estate promotional items.
When Atlanta-based real estate agent Glennda Baker closes a transaction, everyone gets a customized cake. If Baker represents the buyer, the cake says “Welcome Home.” Sellers get one that says “Sold” or, humorously, “Too Late.” The loan officer, mortgage rep — even the other agent — each get their own cake customized with their logo.
“I have a huge percentage of people who didn’t use me in the transaction, but when they go to buy or sell again, they remember me because of the cakes and then that person winds up choosing me,” Baker pointed out. “So the return on investment I get on the cakes is acquiring new business, building my brand, and making me memorable in the eyes of someone I didn’t originally have contact with.”
The extra mileage Baker gets from her treats comes when happy customers and delighted partners snap themselves holding their customized cakes and then post the photos on social media. Recently, a client posted a collage to Facebook that celebrated their two-year anniversary in the home. The collage included a shot of Baker and her closing cake.
“It makes you feel so great to know that you’re part of someone’s life, who is raising a family in a home I sold them,” Baker marveled. “And they tagged me, so that’s hundreds of people in their network who’ve seen my cake about selling their home; it would be cost prohibitive to touch that many people through a postcard.”
Hannah Tai also follows the gastronomical path to connect with contacts and clients in Corte Madera, CA. Her creations are hand-painted masterpieces embellished with hand-painted cookie tiles, lifelike florals, and swaths of gold icing.
“I want to set myself apart, and I find cakes are a wonderful way for people to remember me at open houses and other events,” Tai remarked. “You form a relationship with people when you help them buy or sell a home, so I want to thank my clients for trusting me with what usually is the biggest purchase of their life.”
Tai diversifies with other giveaways that fit each individual client. For example, she gave meal delivery gift certificates to a couple with a newborn, and a Frank Lloyd Wright coffee-table book for a family who purchased a mid-century modern home through her. Though she also gives gift cards from local shops to help newcomers to the area, the cakes are right in Tai’s wheelhouse.
“People don't usually think I made the cakes because they're pretty fancy, but I used to be a professional wedding and special event cakemaker,” she explained. “Whipping up a cake is a nice way to bring something nice to what can at times be a very stressful experience. And to be honest, who doesn’t like cake?”
Home might be where you lay your hat, but for Jolene Cingiser, home is where her clients settle comfortably on a personalized pillow of her own design. When the Malvern, Pennsylvania real estate agent needed a special gift for clients at closing, she chose wine or gift cards, but found that once those items were used or consumed, clients forgot about her. So she started her own company to create home-themed pillows that would serve as a long-term reminder of her services.
“I wanted something in the house so they would see it every day and remember me because I personalized it especially for them,” Cingiser remarked. “Sometimes I’ll still send wine, but you always want to do something that looks like you put some thought into it, not something that looks like you picked it up five minutes ago.”
Cingiser finds a different pillow design that’s perfect for each client: Sometimes it’s a quote; sometimes it’s an image specific to the client’s interest, such as a beach theme. Every pillow has the clients’ name or initials and the closing date, and a sewn-on tag includes Cingiser’s logo, contact information or a personal message from her.
“Now my clients can be on the phone with somebody and say, ‘Oh, let me get my agent’s number for you,’ and then just go get it because it’s right there on the pillow in their foyer,” Cingiser said.
For Groton, MA-based real estate agent Louise Knight, Cutco knives made the biggest impact on her clients. She branded them on one side with her name, company logo and cell number so that recipients remembered her — and what business she’s in — and put the client’s name on the other side.
“Not everyone knows about Cutco, but those who do are blown away by the great gift,” Knight said. “One of the things that I liked about giving these knives is that the rep goes out once a year to sharpen them for free and reinforce my brand at the same time.”
Knight eventually opted to replace the knives with personalized cutting boards that are made in Vermont. When she uses them as a closing gift, she again personalizes the boards with the client’s name on one side, and her name, logo, website and closing date on the other.
“That makes it 100 percent tax deductible since it is considered advertising,” Knight said.
Successful real estate agents know that being the local expert can draw more leads to them and Bellevue, WA real estate agent Mary Mathison uses her favorite giveaway to remind clients how well she knows her area.
“We like to support local businesses, so we do a basket that I call a Neighborhood Passport and fill it with items like gift cards to different restaurants people can walk to, furniture shops they might like and places they can explore,” Mathison remarked. “We try to make it pretty personal because it’s really important to give experiences the family will enjoy.”
Mathison doesn’t track the ROI from the baskets, but knows that clients who send her a referral do it because they’re happy with her customer service, not obliged because of the goodies.
“For me, the basket is a reflection of our mutual relationship,” Mathison explained. “If I think of the perfect gift for each client, it’s because we were the perfect fit: I got to know them really well and listened to them, and in the end, they were happy.”
For many real estate agents, promotional items are a necessary chore; other agents enjoy finding just the right giveaway. For these five agents, the key to getting the most bang for the buck is giving customized items that clients see or use on a daily basis. Personalizing your promotional items says you value and appreciate their business; the novelty and usefulness of it says, “Remember me.”
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