Amidst all the news and debating about what could/should/will happen with a bailout, I wanted to post a quick reminder of what marketing tools you should have in your arsenal to keep your pipeline flowing. I was going to title this as a loan officer marketing post, but in reality, whether you are a loan officer, or a real estate agent, these tools need to be attached firmly to your “toolbelt.”
Call Capture -A call capture hotline is a wonderful thing. Rarely will you find such a versatile marketing tool that allows you to capture leads, track performance, and even distribute information in such a flexible manner.
Why it works: Call capture works because of the mindset of the consumer. Any time information is made available 24/7, and (most importantly) without having to talk to a salesperson… Well, there’s a winning combination!
Mistakes that cause failure: Take a quick look around and you’ll find many mistakes that can kill a call capture marketing campaigns right out of the gate. Often I see real estate ads just “giving away the farm” so to speak. Price, address, all the details you could want are right there on the page for the buyer to read. With all the details there, this person has everything needed to make a decision, and there is no reason for them to call.
Marketing is about “dangling the carrot” a bit. Sure, give some useful information, but leave a bit of mystery while you’re at it, or hint at something great they can learn by calling in now.
Next, I often see the call capture number posted as just another 800 number… This is a terrible abuse of the call capture line! The primary motivation to call is the ability to collect recorded information without speaking to a live party right? If you leave out the words: “Free Recorded Information 24/7″ then you’re effectively cutting your calls in half or even worse! Ouch! <That ouch came from your pipeline, not me>
Overall, therre are plenty of great things you can with a call capture line:
- Advertise listings
- Market First Time Buyer seminars
- Host teleseminars (Great for marketing to FSBO’s)
- Market special financing options
- Host a 24/7 question hotline
See? With a bit of creativity, there’s plenty of lead generating activities you can partake in. I’m sure you can easily double the size of this list. Just imagine what you can do with a blog, your call capture line, and a blank peice of paper… (I’m leaving that one to your imagination)
Make it a great one! I know it’s turbulent out there, but it’s critical that you let the news remain just that… The news, not a significant part of your day. It’s easy to waste hours each day watching and reading, and discussing. But at the end of the day when it’s time to pay the bills, which activities do you want to reap the rewards from?
Chad Weber – www.loanofficermarketinglab.com – www.fsboleadportal.com
PS – Next post we’re going to talk about drip email campaigns – Hope you’re ready.
Chad, great post during these trying times we need to keep our focus on what puts the food on the table and not worry about the sky and if it is falling or not. we need to still market or we will have no business. We have to use the tools in the toolbelt that we have and not remake the wheel. great words of wisdom.
Yeah, just ignore the history being made. Step aside, nothing to see here! The big ole splat is just the USA, just ignore her. Thanks comrades!
Hello Gayla, what an interesting comment. I’m curious, who made a recommendation to IGNORE what’s happening? What an odd conclusion to draw from a very pointed comment.
“Yeah, just ignore the history being made. Step aside, nothing to see here! The big ole splat is just the USA, just ignore her. Thanks comrades!”
That was sarcastic, and I apologize. I’m becoming a very bitter apartment dweller!
Those are all great points! Its now in these hard times that people are finally pulling out the biz model and looking at them. The costumers are the most important and they will remember people and companies, that treated them right! Look at Lendability.com for example they have based their entire model on exactly those same points that you brought up in the post.