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Using Intellicards to YOUR Advantage

Something to Look Forward to… Advanced Access' product development team is in the process of upgrading our Intellicards program to be easier to use, BETTER, and to contain MORE pre-designed marketing campaigns than ever before. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or comments please send them in to me and we will be happy to consider them as a part of this new upgrade! Be on the lookout for this new upgrade to be released within the next 60-90 days. The upgrade will include a new contact management system, easier ways to send out your Intellicards, a newly updated 'Campaign' section, and much more!

(This will be a FREE UPGRADE for current IntelliCard users!  If you don't already use this program, you can buy it today for $299.95 as a valued Advanced Access customer! The regular retail price is $399.95. See www.DemoCards.com for a brief overview, or ask me to put you on a "try before you buy" basis for one week.)

Many of our clients ask us how to gather e-mail addresses from prospective clients to use in their Intellicards pre-designed marketing campaigns, or just to use to keep in touch with prospects in the future. We wanted to share this wonderful article written by Allen F. Hainge from CyberStars. Whether or not you use the Intellicards program, these tips are FABULOUS for anyone who uses e-mail on a regular basis. Read on!

I write often about the value of an online newsletter, both from the standpoint of increasing your gross commissions and reducing your expenses. Whenever I include such an article in my newsletter, several readers email to ask for tips on collecting email addresses for your newsletter. Here are some of the ways you can build up your email address book.

• Don’t ever buy a list! I had a couple of readers ask about doing so, and my answer is don't do it. Never send unsolicited email. Your online newsletter is meant to foster a relationship with a consumer, the same objective as your Web site and other Web marketing tools. Unsolicited email is "spam"....it doesn't in any way foster the relationship you're looking for.
       

• Use what you have at hand. If you've been in the business a while, you've got a "snail mail" mailing list, postal addresses for prospects, buyers, sellers and your Sphere of Influence. Use this list to send out a special mailing. Tell the recipients that you'll be starting a free online newsletter, tell them what the benefit is to them, and ask them to email you if they want to be included.
        

• Set up situations where a prospect can get information only by providing his or her email address. You might, for example, offer a special buyer's kit in your real estate magazine ads. To get one, the prospect would have to email you at a particular email address. NOTE: If you're not using AOL, you can use a good email program, set up "mailboxes" behind the scenes, and have replies to particular ads go directly to specific mailboxes. Makes tracking your advertising effectiveness a snap!
       

• Put your email address on everything you distribute: your card, your ads, your flyers, your promotional giveaways, etc. I'm continually amazed by the number of sales associates who don't do this! Email usage is so prevalent today that most folks would rather contact you by email than by phone, and you've gotten their email address to add to your newsletter list.
       

• Make sure your voicemail message not only gives your Web site address but also your email address. Again, add a special giveaway here and ask them to email you to receive it.
       

• Do you have a good, deep consumer-oriented Web site? If so, you get a lot of responses via. email: add them to your newsletter list. If you don't have a good, deep Web site, get one today...you're getting left behind in today's real estate marketing world!
       

• Finally, the best tip: ask everyone for his or her email address! In today's world, this has to become a habit.

More Tips on Automated Email Campaigns 
from AA Customer Michele Michaels

I wanted to highlight a wonderful e-mail we received from Michele Michaels, a Realtor® in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Michelle uses Intellicards to create her OWN unique campaigns. YOU can create YOUR own campaigns as well! Here is how she does it:

"I am having great fun creating my first automated email campaign.

Level One is a seven message campaign automatically emailed over a 22 day period to first-time site visitors who have given me an email address; days 1, 2, 6, 10, 14, 18 and 22.

Each email (authored by me) has four paragraphs and five goals: give good information, a reason to re-visit my site, an offer to further assist, and an invitation to forward the email to a friend, family member or associate that may have an interest. The fifth goal, setting myself above the crowd in knowledge and service, is accomplished by seven different *tag* lines...short, to the point, and unique.

Each email has really cool stationery appropriate to the message, real attention-getters. I start very polite and professional, then work thru and bring in a little humor.

This program will accomplish another goal for me; after the 7th email I can pretty well tell who the real buyers are, so I'll take them to level 2 if they haven't already bought. The rest go on a monthly follow-up program. Level 2 won't be as intense as level 1, but consistent and a mix of information and fun.

I have about 200 nice folks I'm putting in the program so far. Took a year of web site traffic to get them, but it is really starting to pay off big time.

Rarely do I get a *Remove* request, which I always offer for
opting-out, on the many emails I've sent so far. I anticipate same for the *automated*.

With so much competition for buyers from so many Realtor sites out there, this discipline will make a real difference for me.

I composed my seven messages from my *Virtual Office* provided by my website company. They provide several excellent "canned" campaigns, but I always prefer to write my own.  They provide dozens of stationery choices.  I went through the choices and selected a different stationery choice for each message.

Message 1: (Use your own personality and style!) Thank You Note stationery 

a. Thank them for the visit, hope their stay was enjoyable, look
forward to their next visit.
b. (Valuable Info) Acknowledge their concern for privacy, briefly
state our policy, let them know we use firewall protection, as does our site host. They can feel free to return as often as they like with every assurance of privacy.
c. (Offer more) "If you'd like further information or assistance,
let us know. We're happy to help!"
d. Multiply your efforts: "Please feel free to forward this email to
a friend, family member or associate who may have an interest."
e. Set us apart from the rest via tag line. "Full Time Havasu
Realtors Since 1990"

Message 2: "Searching" stationery
a. Acknowledge primary reason most visit a r.e. site is to view homes for sale.
b. Tips on using our specific search screen and announce a couple of exciting new virtual tours just added to the site
c. Invite them to email us MLS #s of properties of interest; we'll
email back full detail sheets from our MLS. Explain they will come as a Microsoft Word document. If they have any difficulty opening, advise, as we have solutions. Advise our use of anti-virus software 24/7, updated regularly, scan hard drives daily. Open our attachments with confidence.
d. Word-for-word repeat of (d) above
e. Tag: Selling Havasu by the Millions- Nearly 1 Million a month for our Happy Clients!

Message 3: "You Are Invited" stationery

a. Havasu is such a dynamic, growing community, attracting wonderful, informed folks from all across the nation. (kind of a *hook* compliment to get them to opt-in further)
b. A brief description of my favorite 3 Free Reports (also the ones ordered most often) and how they can benefit from the info. More added regularly...check back often.
c. Advise them that they can order 24/7, report automatically emailed immediately; "order all you like...they're free!" Let us know if they have a topic they'd like us to address.
d. (d) above
e. Tag: Providing Our Clients With Tools For Success

Message 4: Stationery: Cool little *Flash* cartoon-card. *3 Important Items*: Maintain Contact, History of Success, Always Looking for Business

a. "Havasu is a *wired* little community..." Brief description of
the huge numbers our local online newspaper enjoys.
b. In addition to Dial-up, cable modem, DSL, and wireless services are now available..." Watch for new services coming under *Free Reports*
c. Offer to forward contact info on the above services.
d. (d) above
e. Tag: Get Well Connected in Havasu.  Contact Brent & Michele for all your real estate needs.

Message 5: Stationery: Another cute *multimedia* cartoon card: *Business is Moving*

a. Brief statement on past few years growth in Havasu.
b. Couple of good links for planning the physical move, with brief descriptions of each. Include a bit of info on average utility costs locally. Name a couple specific additional helpful links available on our site (they have to go there to get them, we don't just give them the link)
c. Let us know when you need contact info and procedures for
obtaining local services. Happy to provide!
d. (d) above
e. Tag: e-Pro 500 (Certified Internet Professional)

Message 6: Stationery, my personal favorite: Multimedia *ET (as in phone home) *Hi* card, very cute and playful

a. This emphasizes all the leisure-time activities available in and near Havasu. "Whatever Your Passion, This Is The Place!"
b. Check out our *More Fun Links" for Schedule of Events, Golf course info, Fishing reports & Stocking schedules, Outback and water tours, ghost towns, watercraft rentals, BLM site for off-road trails, rock hounding, hiking, etc....
c. "Have a favorite link for the area? Email it and we'll include
it, along with credit to you (by permission, of course). Looking for info on an activity we haven't covered? Let us know and we'll do the research."
d. (d) above
e. Tag: Life's Short. Be Happy.

Message 7: Stationery: Multimedia card *Serious*...Can a person ever to too serious about selling real estate? Not if you do it for a living.

a. "Searching the net for homes should be a Two-Step process. First, search current "For Sale" listings that meet your criteria. Second, search for "Sold" homes that meet your criteria. Pay attention to List vs. Sold prices, Offer date, and days on market. This exercise will give you a real "heads-up" on the marketplace and developing trends."
b. Instructions on how to access Sold info on our site
c. Invite to receive a detailed analysis on type of property they may be considering purchasing.
d. (d) above
e. Tag: Educated Buyers are Successful Investors. We Educate!

Whew! This took almost as long to *encapsulate*..haha...as it did to write the thing. Hope it helps!

Also, I developed this around my target market audience, baby boomer new retirees. Did lots of homework finding out about them.  ;-)  Except I'm not smart enough to be retired yet...

Go to AdvancedAccess.com  and click on Email Marketing and check out their excellent demo. Sample stationery can be viewed."

Brent Dewitt & Michele Michaels
Havasu Realty