us begin with the most basic of advertising mediums, the Business Card. If you do not have a business card, I suggest that you work on this project as soon as possible! These are extremely inexpensive and work incredibly well. Before you order any, you have a couple of things to consider:
Do you have a company name?
Do you have a number that you will have long term?
Do you have a logo?
Have you picked a color scheme?
If you haven’t done so already, consider setting up an account with ringcentral.com. This is a digital phone system. It allows you to keep your existing number or get a new one. The features are too many to list but some of the basics are that you can have unlimited extensions. I use a different extension for each property listed for sale so that callers can get all of the information they are seeking.
Another feature is that all of your voicemails are recorded and kept online unless you manually delete them. I have at times gone back several months to find a specifc message with information that I needed, usually contact information for that person. Ringcentral.com is not the only provider of this type of service, at the time you read this book there may be a new superior provider so do your own research! Google the topic and find the one that works best for you. Do this first to ensure all of the marketing materials advertise the same phone number.
Next decide what to put on the card. Keep it simple! There is no need to list every single service you provide on your card. ‘WE BUY HOUSES’ and a phone number are the most important information to have on your card. Your name, company name, email address, website and logo are secondary.
Try to find a card that stands out. Flouresant colors stand out. When desinging your card, remember that you are building a brand. All of your marketing materials need to have the same look and feel. When someone looks at your marketing materials, they should be able to recognize it as yours before they read the text if they have seen it before. A powerful brand should be able to explain the mission in a single paragraph—the fewer words, the better. A canvas enabling you to communicate the essence of your brand.
We live in a super-cluttered world where no one has time. We’re bombarded with text messages, TV commercials, billboards, and online ads. It’s a fact that a person cannot remember more than three television commercials in a row, let alone recall the design of the average business card. That is unless they manage to rise above the clutter and stand out in a way that’s completely relevant!
Why is this so important? Well, if you’re really serious about building a powerful brand, you will need to crack the code of creativity first. This will allow you to stand out in the crowd. More importantly, claim ownership of the humble business card.
It’s the simplest and most difficult thing to do. For your brand to stand out, you’ll have to condense what it stands for into as few words as possible. But once people have seen one of these distinct cards, they will not forget it.
So look at your business card with new eyes. Consider what will make your brand live, without having to explain it. The day you know your card has been saved, you can sit back, raise your glass and say, “Mission accomplished.” Not only that, you can also toast the fact that you’ve created the very foundation for your future mass communication strategy.
At the time of the writing of this book, I have a two year old son and he is constantly watching Curiuos George. This provides an excellent and yet simple example. “The Man with the Yellow Hat” has really done a great job at branding. Everything he wears is the same shade of yellow. His car is the same shade of yellow. You would know him from across the room or across the street if an actual person. Now, I am not suggesting you go with bright yellow. Only trying to make a point. As it is, kids the world over recognize this character and instantly associate it with a curious brown monkey named George.
Have on your card a referral statement. This ensures people will not throw your card away. It simply states :
‘SAVE THIS CARD….I WILL PAY YOU A $500 REFERRAL FEE FOR ANY LEAD THAT WE CLOSE ON’.
You can get cards extremely cheaply at Vistaprint.com.
Now that you have your cards, What do you do with them? Business cards cost on average about three cents. So do not be cheap with them. Give them to anyone and everyone you speak with throughout the day. Everybody in your market either has a house for sale or to rent or is looking for a house or knows someone who is interested! When giving these cards out, be sure to mention the referral fee paid if they find you a property. In some areas, you are not allowed to pay referral fees to unlicensed individuals. Make sure to check the regulations in your state.
I average about twenty business cards a day, every day. This amounts to profits but it takes time and patience.
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