Is there anyone in your town that doesn‚Äôt know that you buy houses or that your are a real estate investor? If so, you aren‚Äôt performing as well at marketing or supplying real estate investing information about your real estate investing business concern as well you should be. I see real estate investors stating all the time that they aren‚Äôt getting seller calls and subsequently aren‚Äôt acquiring the leads they need to find the real estate deals they need to earn a living. I say  increase the marketing and the sellers will call. Not only that but if you are saturating the world (or at least your area) that you buy problem real estate properties, eventually you will be acknowledged for what you do and sellers will telephone you strictly on your reputation. this is what is called cost effective marketing.

One real estate investor was in a home, garden and hardware store a few weeks ago and passed by a couple of Guys in an aisle. A conversation was heard as he walked by, I overheard one say, ‚ÄúThat is the real estate man‚Äù. Now I had never seen either of those guys and have no idea who they are but that experience lets me know that I must be doing my job at letting the world to know my business is buying real estate in that area. There are many ways to let the world know that you are in the real estate investing business and getting information out there that helps people understand you buy foreclosures, distressed real estate, do real estate short sales and have a lot of real estate information and experience to flip properties. Some ways are cheap and some are more expensive. You are going to have to try many things and get a feel for what brings about for you the best results in your area to get the calls you need to transact real estate deals. I have tried many kinds of marketing techniques for real estate business concerns of all kinds and have come back to a few that constantly produce enough results for me to buy the 2 or 3 real estate properties and homes  I want to buy every single month. They are as follows:

Classified Ads

The classified advert in the largest paper in the area is by far the biggest producer of leads for local real estate investors that I have found. I know it is expensive and I acknowledge there are times it doesn‚Äôt generate calls but if you are going to remain in the real estate investing business just put it in there and leave it. Get used to it being part of the cost of doing the real estate business. You may pay about $300.00 a month for my 4 line ad and that is the commercial rate. I’d recommend running it 365 days a year to constantly remind everyone that you are a real estate investor and you buy real estate in their area.

Over the past five or so  years I have witnessed many ‚Äúreal estate investor‚Äù ads come and go. Most folks put them in for a few or even just a couple of weeks and then pull them or try just putting them in on the weekends. Real Estate Marketing just doesn’t work this way. Put your real estate ad  in the paper and leave it. It will more than pay for itself, believe me, and you’ll discover after you close your first deal. If you are concerned because there are real estate investors ads from several investors in there, don‚Äôt be. They are there because they are getting calls. Just be sure to and actually answer your phone and keep it on all the time otherwise you’ll be wasting money.

When a new ad for real estate investor information pops up  in my paper, I will always call on the ad. 9 times out of 10 I get a message recorder or answering machine. This is a big turn off to someone who needs a solution to their real estate problem now. They want to talk to someone who can calm their anxiety over their current issues with their property and tell them everything is going to be alright. Your answering machine won‚Äôt do that, they need a human being. As for what to put in the advert, you will have to work on this one. I have tried several idea and the one I have now hasn‚Äôt changed for over 2 years. I haven‚Äôt altered it because I get phone calls. My ad is:

I Pay CASH FOR HOUSES s
In 48 Hours!
Any area, price or condition
Call Today xxx-xxx-xxxx

Now I have had other real estate investors jockey for position and alter their ad copy to be ahead of mine in the column but it hasn’t made any difference, at least as far as I can distinguish. Don’t worry about those things, just get the advert out there and leave it. It could possibly take some time, perhaps a few weeks to get going but sellers will call. Once you have your classified advert running, then you should start working on your other methods right away. If you only implement one idea a week, within a couple of months you will have a tremendously powerful real estate buying machine.

Ads in the Freebie Papers

You may also run ads in the freebie papers in your local area or the area you want to transact real estate investment business. These are the ‚ÄúThrifty Nickel‚Äù, or whatever they are called in your area. I run both a column ad and a display in this paper and spend about $200.00 or so a month for these. They pull in seller leads fairly well and have always justified the costs. Remember that these guys are usually open to negotiating on your rates and you’ll probably get a better rate if you commit to a longer advertising contract.

Bandit Signs or Road Signs

Bandit signs are great. They are some of the best lead generating tools around. I have yet to put out a bunch and not be bombarded with calls right after I did my marketing. I just don‚Äôt put them out that often. I might put out a few to a half dozen or so a month and the ones that remain and don’t get taken down continue to pull in calls. At an average cost of less than $2.00 per sign, they are one of the best real estate marketing and advertising values around. Check the internet for sign companies for discount signage prices. . I use 18 x 24 signs and place them at high traffic intersection points around the town I want to buy property in.

You may place a sign in the front yard immediately after buying any house. I have bought several homes in the same neighborhoods as a result of marketing this way.

You can either use wood stakes or the wire stakes with your signs. I like the wood stakes because they don‚Äôt bend like the wire ones, in addition, they are cheaper and you can find just about any reasonablly sized stick of wood or stake at your local hardware store for a really good price.  Just get long lengths and reduce to fit. Then just nail the sign to it with the roofing nails with the orange or green plastic tops or you can use screws. There are many variations on what the wording on the sign can say. Keep in mind that traffic will be moving so you want to keep your message short and simple so it can be read. Plus your number must be big, large and easy to read.  

If you look the sign advertisement content, you’ll notice that it is the same as my newspaper ad.  I like to brand my advertising because I think that helps with recognition that is probably why the two guys noticed me as a Real Estate Investor..You want to have contrast, so a white sign with dark blue letters usually is the best draw. Some folks swear by black on yellow or black on orange. Again, I say it‚Äôs not what or how you say it rather simply that you’re out there marketing and putting out signs that counts. You’ll build a ‘brand image over time if you stay consistent with your real estate marketing efforts.  When dealing with bandit signs, be sure that your local code enforcement laws are tolerant of them. In some areas or counties they can lax on them but a few miles down the road in another county or city, they can be super strict and will fine you in a minute, pull the signs down and start looking for your next postings to go after you again.  Some retailers in high tax areas can’t put out any A board signage without getting them sized and then fined.

Flyers and Bulliten Board Postings

Flyers and related collateral are another inexpensive way to get the word out that you are a real estate investor buy houses, foreclosures or distressed properties. Just create a flyer with any one of the free online flyer software sites telling people that your are a real estate investor and how to get in contact with you. Make copies for few cents apiece and you have some reallyy inexpensive real estate marketing and advertising. It reallyy is that simple. Then place these flyers on every bulletin board in your town or area you would like to buy your property, foreclosure or distressed home.. I also recommend that you place some of them in those plastic sheet protectors so the rain won’t destroy them and put them up on telephone poles around neighborhoods I like to purchase property in.. While not as large as the bandit signs, on poles actually in the vicinity they still attract calls. I carry a file with me in my vehicle and place them up whenever I stop at a grocery store or major discount store or reallyy wherever. Some of the other places to put them are:

Laundromats
Taped to the inside of Phone Booths.
On the counter of any business that will let you place them at.
Bulletin boards at any local or major discount store (lots of traffic)
Grocery store bulletin boards
Fax to Mortgage Brokers, call first
Fax to Real Estate Agents, call first and they may get a lot of these.
Take them Door to Door in target neighborhoods
Employment Center Bulletin board
County Courthouse or public office Bulletin board

These are just a few examples. Any place that will allow you to put one is a good place. You can never let too many people know that you are a real estate investor and are in the foreclosure market.

Imprinted and/or Promotional Items

Optimum Real Estate Investor Marketing Ideas – These no miss ideas are sure to get you top hits on leads and calls for your Real Estate Investing Business.

These are some of my favorites and most fun. While they are not the top producers of leads or the least expensive, they will sure set you apart from the average investor.

Pen Knives – These tiny Swiss army knives are the coolest. They are actually key chains engraved with your message, mine being: WE BUY HOUSES- All cash or take over payments within 48 hours! Call xxx-xxx-xxx I guarantee if you give one of these to someone they will keep it and if they think of selling, they will think of you. They are about $1.50 apiece.

Key Chains – I give these to all my buyers with the keys to their new house on them and leave them all over the place. They come in the shape of a house or #1 or whatever style you like and have your message on them. You can guess what mine says. Cost – about $. 25 cents apiece.

Pens РI use these all the time. Whenever I sign a sales receipt or anything I leave my pen. I can’t tell you how many calls I have gotten off of these things and since I always need one, I always have one to give away. My attorney even has a supply on his closing table. I have two types printed. One for sellers says We Buy Houses! and one for buyers says Everyone Qualifies. Cost Рabout $.21 cents apiece.

Coin Holders – These you hardly find anymore so everyone is surprised when I have them. I leave these things everywhere. Mine are bright yellow with blue letters and my message. Cost – about $.30 cents apiece.

I leave all of these promotional items everywhere, on the top of gas pumps, on end-cap displays in grocery stores and in department stores. I look at it this way, if I give away 100 pens, 50 knives and 50 coin holders a month, that is only a little over $100 bucks a month. That is still cheap advertising. And with the money you can make in a real estate deal, it is ‘no cost’ marketing strategy. You can get any of these promotional advertising products at many major promotion marketing manfacturer, and you can find companies online as well.

Business Cards

I order business cards by the 1000’s and you should as well, there are a lot of great places online that can print up nice (and cheap) cards for you and that specialize in real estate as well. As for business cards, well, they are cheap, mine are about $50.00 for 2000, and I pass them out and leave them everywhere I possibly can. I leave my cards everywhere, in pay phones, on restaurant tables, my kids even have their own supply to pass out. Try to get a box a week out. The card doesn’t have to be fancy, in fact the simpler the better. My card is bright yellow with blue letters and says:

WE BUY HOUSES
Foreclosure? Need Repairs? Bad Tenants? Divorce?
CASH IN 48 HOURS!
OFFERS MADE ON ALL CALLS!
XXX-XXX-XXXX

Car Magnetics

Magnetics are one of those things where you spend once and get use for a long time. Mine cost about $75.00 and are yellow with blue letters. They say:

WE BUY HOUSES!
FA$T CA$H
XXX-XXX-XXXX

or

SELL YOUR HOME FAST
WE PAY CA$H
XXX-XXX-XXXX

I have gotten several deals from these signs. Remember to order a smaller set for the back of your car/truck. People have more of a chance to read the message when they are riding behind you.

Clothing

I like golf shirts and oxford dress shirts with my logo on them. There’s plenty of advertsing houses that will help you design a logo if you don‚Äôt have one or use the one you already have. There is no charge for set up and all items ordered include your embroidered logo free.

I pass custom imprinted hats out to everyone I know who wears one and have given away many shirts as well. They reallyy look nice and present a nice image for your business.

Other Advertising Tools

There are many other forms of advertising, some I have tried in the past such as billboards, door hangers, yellow pages, television and radio advertising. I even have a traveling billboard, an old SUV painted bright yellow with blue WE BUY HOUSES! and my phone number that I drive around and park overnight at different places. It gets the calls! Get the marketing going and let the world know who to call when they have a house to sell, a pre-foreclosure, distressed property or someone who just wants to get out of their house.. If that phone isn‚Äôt ringing, you aren‚Äôt making money so you need to get a good marketing strategy going and stick with it!   

I sincerely hope these tips will help you in your next real estate marketing efforts and get you the real estate investing deals you’re after.

When we buy physical items on line, there is obviously the need to wait for delivery. Make it as fast as possible, surely no problem in a world where things have to “absolutely, positively, get there overnight.”

And forget those shipping charges and express delivery upgrades. Are you aware that the biggest discouragement to online buying is shipping costs? Increase the price of every item by a dollar and make shipping and handling free. I’m not going to not order something because it’s a dollar or so higher in price and the lack of hassle on shipping will make me purr with satisfaction.

Even on an item that must be shipped, give me something immediate. Not just an e-mail that my order has been received but some information about what I’m getting, how smart was my decision to order, and where I can get additional information about related items that might interest me.

If I’m buying a product that doesn’t need to be shipped, such as a report or book, give it to me now. As soon as I’ve paid, or taken you up on a free offer, I want to right click, download, and read. I don’t want to have to go into my inbox and click to activate something.

If I receive a zip file that opens up to show a bewildering array of mysteriously labeled icons, I want clearly labeled instructions so I can go there first and learn what all the other stuff is. If it’s “so easy to use a child could do it” software, don’t make me feel stupid because I can’t figure out what to do next and the instructions are vague or non-existent.

If it’s a marketing report, I want to be able to read it first and decide whether I like it, not be immediately confronted with a page urging me to brand the book so I can resell it – how do I know I want to be associated with it before I’ve completely read it?

If you’re giving me a mini-course over a period of days, make sure each lesson is totally self-contained or indulge my impatience by allowing me to click onto the next chapter. If I’m interested, I want to read it now. By tomorrow morning, I may have forgotten that I ordered it, no matter being able to recall what was in part one.

There is real joy in reading something and feeling an immediate internal reaction: “I like that.” Those are the books we print out and pore over with our yellow highlighter. We take notes and write between the paragraphs, interacting with the material and thereby making it our own.

Give me something so engrossing that I can’t stop until I’ve devoured all of it. If I get to page 3 and decide to exit thinking that “I’ll read it later when I have the time,” you’ve already lost me. I may occasionally open it up again but if I couldn’t get into it at first read, I doubt that I ever will.

Mark it up to experience but it leaves a bad taste about the author who probably shouldn’t count on my continued patronage.

I’ve had this study on the back burner for ages and finally decided it was time to check it out. Here’s the deal… Tons of marketing “gurus” tell you that the best way to sell something is with a sales letter. I’m not disputing that (at least not in this study). These “gurus” then tell you that you should set up a one-page web-site that simulates a piece of white paper against a _____ background. That blank is what has been bothering me for awhile. Here’s why…

I keep seeing different colors for major marketers. I even see some major marketers switch colors from one site to another. It makes me wonder if they have done any testing. Does the color just not matter? If so, why do so many use dark blue, light blue and black?

Then I consider the major money makers on the ‘net and wonder why only one uses a colored background. I’m talking about Yahoo, Google, Ebay and Amazon. They all use a white background surrounding their “page” that is set in a limited width table in the center of the page. Only MSN.com uses a medium blue background.

It was high time for a study to find out the real answer. I did it in the usual way. I built a list of profitable and unprofitable sites by looking at the duration of ads being placed on Yahoo (Overture) and Google. If an ad had been shown for six months or longer, I placed the target page on a list of “profitable” sites. If an ad was placed and completely dropped in less that one month, the site was placed on an “unprofitable” list. The latter list would be less reliable, but the comparison between the two lists would still be statistically valid with a sufficient sample size. The latter list might only represent “average” sites, but even “average” sites would be less profitable than the known profitable list.

The results were very mixed. First of all, the white background sites were the vast majority on both lists. You simply can’t go wrong with a completely white background. However, it wasn’t actually the winner. Here is the breakdown:

Profitable sites with a white background: 85.2%

Unprofitable (or average) sites with a white background: 92.6%

A non-white background actually was more profitable a higher percentage of the time. I then studied the “darkness” of the background in those minority sites for both profitable and unprofitable sites. Looking at the RGB values, I split the colors into two buckets… those that were dark (191 or less average RGB value) and those that were light (192 or higher RGB value). The results were even more clear:

Looking only at non-white backgrounds of profitable sites with dark colors: 92.8%

Looking only at non-white backgrounds of unprofitable sites with light colors: 96.1%

Wow! That’s quite a correlation. Although a vast majority of profitable (and unprofitable) sites have a white background, those that do have a non-white background have a dark background whereas the unprofitable sites were more likely to have a light background… both with an extremly high correlation. That’s hard to ignore.

I next had to get the actual answer. What color background had the highest correlation with profitability. What’s the bottom line? The answer was just as clear:

53.3% of the profitable sites with non-white desktop background were black.

Now; I should be very clear about this result. The area under study is NOT the actual web-site text area. We are NOT talking about having white text on a black background. In a vast majority of cases, these sites actually had black text on a white background. The area under study is the theoretical area AROUND the virtual piece of paper. It is the “desktop” color if you pretend the web-site area is a piece of paper sitting on a virtual desktop. It isn’t the color of the piece of paper that is under study. It is the color of the virtual desktop that the piece of paper is virtually laying upon.

So what am I going to do about this result? I’ll probably eventually implement it. I don’t like it, but the result is very clear. Why don’t I like it? Well, take a look at one of my sites:

http://www.Glyphius.com

I use a virtual piece of white paper on a virtual white desktop. I like the fuzzed shadow I use around the edges. That fuzzed shadow won’t be possible with a black background. The shadow will simply disappear leaving (in my opinion) a less professional look of a crisp piece of white paper against a black backdrop.

The other reason I don’t like it is that it puts me out of the majority of profitable sites in general. It will make future studies more difficult. Instead of simply grabbing profitable sites and comparing them to unprofitable sites, I will need to grab only profitable and unprofitable sites that have a black background. Otherwise other results might not be valid if they come from the majority white background dataset. A good example would be a study of headline color. The most profitable headline color might be different between those sites with a black background and those with a standard white background.

I simply haven’t decided what to do yet. Will I stick with the safe standard white desktop behind my virtual piece of paper? Or will I go with the black desktop that is less standard, but has a higher correlation with profitability? What will you do?

One result from this study is very clear though. If you do choose a non-white background, it is foolhardy to choose yellow, blue (light or dark), pastel green, or any other color. The correct color for highest profitability is clearly black. The 2nd place color (and the color of the vast majority of sites) is white. All other colors failed miserably in this study.

Have you taken the plunge and started your own business? Good for you! Starting and establishing a new business is a challenging task in a competitive environment. Proper documentation with local and state agencies is necessary for any type of business. Sometimes, assistance from small business administrations or chambers of commerce is also advisable; these experts in the field of business can point you in the right direction and offer assistance on solving problems that you may encounter. Nowadays, online companies have created ways to provide similar and sometimes better business profiling strategies at affordable rates, which target those customer in need of faster and more convenient access to there business. This surely increases the online marketing to a next level for local businesses. What you have heard is true – everything is now available online!

An individual who runs a local business is of course looking to target and outrange local population. You may wonder to yourself, “How do I target this local business in an effective manner?” Traffic to a local business can increase by posting local business articles and press releases; such strategies will prove advantageous. Why? The fact is that customers will become informed after reading about your business. The next step is for these customers to come to you for your services. Give them the right knowledge and they will decide to use your business.

Another important marketing step is to issue small business coupons that a client can print out and take to your store. Through these coupons, you can offer potential customers a free gift, a percentage off on a service, or some other token to get them to visit your business. How do you get these coupons out there to the target market that you want? In this regard, assistance can be sought from local business articles and online experts who are available to issue coupons by zip code using an automated coupon system. Theses coupon are in varieties of selection and deals, in which other small business could also benefit and increase their sales. In such innovative marketing ideas could help put a business ahead of its competition. This works much like the old-fashioned direct mail pieces did years ago. These coupons are the trick to get people into your store. Even though technology has changed, the customers have not. They still all love to use coupons and get free items or discounts. The added benefit is that they cost a fraction of what those post office mailed letters do.

This surely does not mean that you have to forego traditional advertising methods altogether. You can surely combine some of the older strategies with the newer, more sophisticated methods which could lead to better strategies than your competitors. Many small business owners can secure local business registration by advertising locally through SEO-friendly local directory submission. Such modern techniques can be combined with traditional devices such as radio advertisements, Yellow Pages, print media, and other advertising media. Millions of small business owners have benefited by using such online methods for maximization of profits. This spells out to improved customer relationships, better word-of-mouth business, and the most important thing of all – higher revenues.

Have a business that’s purely local, such as a hair salon or dry cleaners? Or simply want to beef up your client roster with more folks from your local area?

Here are 10 simple solutions to your local marketing challenges …

1. Make sure that your website specifically targets your local market. People are increasingly heading online to find local vendors. Make sure to broadcast your site’s URL to all of your prospects and clients, and ask your web designer to ensure that the website is search-engine friendly for people seeking information about vendors in your city.

You might also investigate pay-per-click search engines such as Yahoo! and CitySearch, which offer targeted marketing to people in your local area.

2. Network. I know that the odds are good that you might consider the term “networking” to be almost as bad as a four-letter word, but I assure you that there are ways to meet other businesspeople in town that won’t make you feel uncomfortable. Most of us have access to local organizations that are full of nice people just like you who simply want to meet other like-minded people.

The local Chamber of Commerce and other industry-specific organizations in your area are a good starting point. Just make sure not to just go to meetings — make an effort to get to know people or even volunteer for a leadership position where you can show off your responsibility, reliability and talent.

3. Partner with other small businesses catering to the same group of prospects. This seemingly simplistic tactic works for both service- and product-based businesses very successfully.

If, for example, you are a graphic designer and are seeking additional design work, you will benefit from getting to know a local copywriter or printer who knows plenty of prospects who might need your services. Alternatively, come up with a plan that sells quantities of your wares to local businesses as gifts/rewards for their clients and employees. Either way, it means more business!

4. Give talks at local organization meetings. If you enjoy public speaking, seek out associations full of your target prospects and volunteer to give speeches for free in exchange for the chance to market yourself and your services/products.

5. Send direct mailings to local prospects, and make a quick phone call to each prospect a few days later. The beauty of local prospects is the fact that you can afford to call your prospects for free as a way of following up.

6. Write articles on your area of expertise for the local paper, organization newsletters or your local business rag. Here in the Los Angeles area, for example, there are quite a few possibilities to choose from in the immediate area, and looking beyond what’s in close proximity, there are dozens of others in Orange County, Ventura County and beyond.

7. Don’t underestimate the power of a good Yellow Pages ad. Local businesses still look in the phone book to find sources of assistance for many types of their needs. The key in all this is to use the space in your ad wisely — include more copy than your competitors and share insights in that copy about how to select a (Fill in the blank) and give them reasons to get to know you.

8. Hold a contest and get local press for it. Could your business benefit from the added attention of a contest? Get creative and go for it!

In all of these suggestions, I’ve focused on how you can find new clients, but don’t forget: One of the very best ways to make more profits is to get your current clients to spend more on each purchase and/or get them to come back to you more often.

With that in mind:

9. Make sure to educate your current clients about what you do. Regardless of how many clients you have, you need something in place to keep them up to date on what you and your business are capable of.

Recently a listmate on a discussion group I participate in mentioned that she lost business to another vendor because her client didn’t know that she could provide that particular service. How much business are you losing because your local clients don’t have a clue what you do?

10. Set up a loyalty program designed to keep your current clients coming back for more. Depending on your business, you might want to send out coupons, freebies or even simply send out an update of the types of products/services you offer.

The good thing about most of these methods is their low cost. Regardless of your business’s location, make sure to study your local competitors’ marketing methods and see what works. Then give it your own personal twist and reap the benefits.

15 Low Budget Ways Of Marketing Your Mortgage Business

Whether you’re new to the mortgage business or an old experienced hand at it…one challenge that is always there is…how to inexpensively get the word out about your mortgage business and generate new prospects and customers.

Yes, the traditional forms of advertising such as the yellow pages, newspaper ads, radio or television spots, and your local Chamber of Commerce are often times just too expensive and usually budget busters. Everyone in the mortgage business faces this same dilemma.

But, there are plenty of other options available to you that can be termed low budget. You need to think “outside of the box” and be a little creative.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Business Cards – You probably have a huge box of them…why not use them! Where ever you go, who ever you talk to, what ever you mail, make sure you leave a trail with your business card.

2. Bulletin Boards – The last time I checked they were still free to use. Take advantage of this and get the word out about your Mortgage Business.

3. Car Signs – Your very own moving bulletin board promoting your Mortgage Business…the cost per exposure is super low…this is truly no-brainer!

4. Windshield Flyers – A low cost activity and a super producer of leads. What more can you ask of an inexpensive idea?

5. Door Hangers – Another low cost idea that gets results. You’re the one doing the targeting with a message that you have picked.

6. School and Church Directories – There are lots of directories that offer low cost ad alternatives for your Mortgage Business. Don’t pass them by…there are some gems there.

7. Say “Thank You” – Use your phone, note cards, postcards, or letters…continue to thank people that help or assist you in any way.

8. Open Houses – Visit both Realtor/Agent and FSBO open houses. Prepare a flier for the property and leave a few copies. Working a few Sundays will do wonders for your business.

9. Banks – Visit banks and promote your loan programs. Most banks don’t offer the same programs that you do. You’ll be surprised how many referrals you can get.

10. Bookmarks – Design and create a special bookmark using your logo, contact information, and mortgage specialty. Visit the “Real Estate” section and embed them into each real estate book you can find. You can target specific readers such as investors or debt consolidation prospects.

11. Teach – Contact your library or community college and offer to teach a free evening class. Your subject could be “Credit,” “Mortgage 101,” or “Identity Theft” (hot topic right now).

12. Realtors/Agents – If you’re having a problem establishing relationships with these folks, offer a free service to them such as: writing a mortgage article for their newsletter; providing a second mortgage opinion for their customers; creating open house fliers for them (only if you’re very good at it).

13. Speaker – Give free talks to community organizations. This one of the most overlooked and yet effective ways of marketing your Mortgage Business.

14. Discount – Offer an incentive via a discount on credit reports, appraisal, or lower closing costs using an attractive certificate. Don’t miss an opportunity to hand out one of these coupons.

15. FSBOs – The FSBO market is a super niche market and a great lead generator. The really nice part is that it’s very inexpensive to get it going and producing. Take a close look at this one.

As you market your business, closely monitor the performance of your advertising. Ask new customers how they found you and then use this information to really direct your marketing.

If you’re looking for that one “magic bullet,” you know…the one idea that gets your phone ringing off the hook, the applications rolling in, and fills your pipeline…I don’t think it exists.

I do know that if one form of advertising is not bringing in customers for you, then you need to try something new immediately. Pick something fresh that recharges your batteries and motivates you. Find the right mix of advertising formats and ideas; add your personality and knowledge to the mix and you’ll guarantee your success.

Online marketing is often seen as an easy and cheap way to promote your business. However, if you are a beginner, there is only so much you can do to use online marketing without needing help of a specialist. But these little steps are certainly worthwhile considering if you don’t want to loose out in such a competitive world.

1. Email
When surfing the web I still find many companies using a generic email address such as mybusiness@yahoo.com or similar. If you want to use your email to contact customers or to be contacted, one of your first steps should be to set up a domain name and an email address with your business such as sales@mybusiness.com.

There are many providers on the internet, so you will have to search and compare cost and support service provided. But to do so is vital as an email address with your company name instils trust in your business and will increase the number of people choosing to contact you.

2. Website
A website does not have to be large and expensive. If you can get it designed interestingly and have resources to maintain it regularly, that’s great. But the least you should have is a small website such as www.mybusiness.com with a short description of the products and services you offer and your contact details.

When potential customers are searching for a supplier on the internet (and this is increasingly being done both by businesses and consumers) you have a chance to be found. And if they think you are suitable they’ll be happy to contact you by email or phone for more details. If you don’t have a presence on the web, they might not even know you exist.

Over time you can think of expanding your website and using professionals to improve your search engine optimisation (SEO improve your ranking in search engines).

3. Listings
The simplest use of online marketing is to use it to be found. You can register on free sites or on sites that cost you money to list your business. Again, the better the site you are listed in ranks on search engines the better the chance that a potential customer will find you.

One tip to consider is the yellow pages you might already be listed in them. For an additional payment you can feature in the local search in Google. E.g. enter “plumber yourtown” in Google and a map with local suppliers will come up these is pulled from yell.com and a great and cost effective marketing tool for small businesses targeting consumers.

4. Advertising
If online advertising is for you depends on your target audience and products. The same thought process as for offline advertising applies, but if you have little experience get an expert on board to advise you and to develop the adverts and banners.

5. Networking
Networking is very useful for small businesses to get in touch with the right people customers, suppliers and staff. You should consider using online sites such as linkedin.com or xing.com as well to publish your profile and to get in touch and stay in touch with people that could be useful to your business or are happy to recommend you.

6. Email newsletters
Email newsletters are considerably cheaper than direct mail but you need to know where to get the best addresses from and how much to pay. You shouldn’t do this without experts help as it is easy to damage your online reputation by accidentally spamming. Also your newsletters should be carefully designed just a letter copied into word is unlikely to be received positively by your customers.

Online marketing has many facet’s and if you are interested, I’d recommend to take an introduction course to find out what are the best options for you. I hope that above gives you some ideas at what to look first! I can also suggest some good software or give you links on the subject that will give you a more wellrounded and informative education. Leave me a msg and I’ll deffinately respond.

22/23
~~~
This will serve as a record to the freak occurrences of THE NUMBER 22 & 23
For a random day
Phone rings at 7:22 someone calling me about my Craig List Ad
I fall back to sleep
I wake the clock reads 11:22 skips to 23
I fall back to sleep wake again at 11:44
22 minutes later
Make coffee, take a walk, sit down to sign on, noticed the clock on the computer reads,
12:22 Odycc is posting when she is done I post 22 then clocks jumps to 23
Look over at coffee maker thinking there are more 22/23s that I do not notice
The time reads 11:39, 11 +3 + 9= 23
Go to google “satellite dish service” google shows me that all satellites obit at 22/23,000 miles above the earth…
Decide to watch voyager before I send it back to net flix noticing the stars surrounding the “Paramount” symbol there are 23
4 TIMES during the shows they use the number 23
Drive to the store they have place huge boulders a few miles from my home to block and access I pull over to count the mammoth rocks 23
In the thrift shop there is a clock that has a battery in it and the time reads 6:22
Get to the market put in IPod time reads 2:22
Pay bill $20.23
…
this is a rather Typical Day of 22/23 occurrences for me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22/23
~~~~

a Day is >>>”23″ hours, 56 minutes.

US catchphrase “23, skidoo” “Catch 22″
Uranium 235 is the atom we split >>>23 2 +3 = 5
Robert Anton Wilson’s book,
Cosmic Trigger I: Final Secret of the Illuminati,
lists 23 as a cosmic number
with strong connections to arcane magic
and synchronicity.
Numerous people have claimed to see 23’s everywhere
(the 23 curse)
A normal human has 22/23 (male female) pairs of chromosomes is every cell in the body,

The earth’s axis is tilted at a 23.4 degree angle.

Jim Carrey, in People Magazine, April 17, 2006,
is quoted as saying:
“I’ve [been fixated on] the number 23 for years.
It’s everywhere.

Jim Carrey starred in the movie titled
The number 23,

Clock Tower on $100 Dollar Bill 2:22

Avogadro’s number used in chemistry is 6.0221367E23.

Pop stars and writers are among those fascinated by it.

Late author William Burroughs was so gripped
by numeric coincidences surrounding 23,
he kept a scrapbook of his findings

CAR giant Nissan is touched by a numerical coincidence.
In Japanese, “ni” is 2, and “san” is 3. So Nissan would be 23.

The Latin alphabet has 23 letters.

The Hebrew Alphabet has 22/23 letters

PSALM 23; The lords Prayer

The German movie 23 explored an obsession with the number,
based on a real-life story.

On average, every 23rd wave crashing to shore is twice as large as normal.

It takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate through the body

IN THE Beatles film Yellow Submarine,
The Butterfly Stomper, who destroys all things of beauty,
wears a shirt with the number 23.

WEIRD pop band Psychic TV are so obsessed with 23
that at one point
they made the Guinness Book of World Records by
releasing 23 albums on the 23rd day of 23 months in a row.

The human biorhythm is generally 23 days.

***There are exactly 23 characters, numbers and letters, on the face of all U.S. coins

Paramont Pictures has 23 stars curved over a mountain

There is no No. 23 bus in Dublin (There is a 22a )

The ideal orbit for a satellite is 23,000 miles above the Earth (”Clarke’s Orbit”)

The international space station, orbits 230 miles above Earth

Apollo Lunar Landings 1 & 2
First landing on the Moon was in the Sea of Tranquility, 23.63 degrees East.
Second landing was in the Ocean of Storms, 23.42 degrees West.

Astrology: ZodiacThe days on which the signs of the Zodiac begin and end are the 22nd and 23rd of most months.

Harmonic ConvergenceThe harmonic convergence occurs every 23,000 years

TV:Star Trek: if a number is given it will usually be a 23 (or 23,000).

Gumby totaling 223 episodes over a 35 year period

TarotThere are 22 cards in the Major Arcana.

“WWW.” W, of course, occupies the 23rd position in the alphabet.

December 23, 2012 A huge cycle ends in the Mayan calendar.

The date the Mayans believed the world will end.

Have you ever opened a direct mail piece where everything inside it fell out like a gushing river?

Where everything get so cluttered and jumbled, that you weren’t sure what you were supposed to get to first?

Well, it seems that skimping and saving pennies by walking over pounds, pots of it, seems to be the way many marketers tread.

Imagine this:

You receive a letter in the post. It has multiple picture stamps on it. It has a hand written address on it. There’s no other identifying ‘clues’ to tell you who’s sent it.

When you open it, there’s a single page letter, attached to a more fuller letter. You look deeper into the envelope where there’s another envelope that has a hand written post-it note on it, saying…

… “Please read the letter first. Then open this enclosure.”

Here’s what that little strategy does:

1. It separates all the ‘accessories’ from the main selling device — The SALES LETTER.

2. It tells the recipient that you, the sender, has thought a lot about the sequence you want them to follow re the mail piece.

3. There’s no distractions from all the brochures, order forms, testimonial pages, additional flyers, up sell letters. Your focus and attention is systemised for you.

4. There’s no ” Oh hell, what’s all this bumph about” type reaction. (so engendering a positive feeling towards you from the outset).

5. Even if the customer or prospect doesn’t buy from you in this instance, you would have planted a seed of warm receptivity in the mind of the reader.

Now, I’m sure that there are some saying, ” doing that will murder our margins!” We can’t afford the extra expense of doing all that!

Well, it’s okay to have that type of response. Especially if you’re concerned about only achieving mediocre profits.

The only true decider is, TO TEST!

You see, doing a small sample test to a database or list, will tell us whether this has merit or not. Not doing it could be prove to be MORE COSTLIER than you thought.

Of course, if you’re going to mail to a real cold list where there’s no affinity or where there’s no history of PROVEN BUYING, then, you could be dumping a ton of dough into the rubbish bin.

If you’ve familiarity with a certain group of people, then this strategy could work, spectacularly.

You see, being taken for granted is not a great feeling to have. And, many businesses are guilty of doing exactly that… taking their existing customers for granted.

Imagine the thoughts that’ll run through one of your existing customers if they get a mail like the one described above. What do you think they’ll feel?

Giving a WOW! experience to existing customers and clients, is fundamental to keeping them interested, excited and curious to know what you’ll be sending them next.

It’s what builds the “can’t wait what they’re going to send me next” type response in their mind.

Getting that type of response is miles ahead from the “oh yuk” type reaction, where the letter flood gates get left open. Don’t you think?

Here’s a simple test you can try, without ever contemplating breaking open the piggy bank. As, you’ll only be writing to ONE PERSON.

Whether to your spouse, partner, children, friends, etc, do the following:

Send them a one-page letter on yellow, pink or green paper. In that letter, tell them how important they are to you, that you may not have paid them enough of the attention that they deserve, and you’re planning to make things better.

Tuck that letter into an envelope and address it as mentioned somewhere above. Before sealing though, in the envelope is another envelope that says…

“Please don’t open until you read the one-page letter”.

After they read the letter, they go to the second envelope. They open it. Inside is a little certificate that says something like;

“For being such a valuable treasure in my life, I’m honoured to be able to spend a whole day with you, anytime you say is okay for you”.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether this’ll work, or not, and what’ll be the type of reaction on the face of the person who receives it.

P.S. I’d love to hear of any stories regarding the above little technique. Do drop me a line and let me know. Thank you.