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Real Estate Flyers-Don’t Work

August 19, 2010 By 6 Comments

Got flyers?  I sure hope not.  If you do, I can tell a lot about you and your marketing.  In case you don’t know what a flyer is, its an 8.5×11 piece of paper with colors on it, those colors usually consist of a picture of a house, a logo of a real estate company, a picture of a real estate agent, a phone number of a real estate agent and a brief description of the home.  Sometimes you will get lucky and find one with extra information from a loan officer or get this ……a title company.  I know that I really didn’t have to describe to you what a flyer is, I wish I didn’t, I was hoping that flyers would go the way of the record store by now.  Why?  Well because they don’t work and they are a waste of money, and they are a waste of paper and they are a waste of ink.

I am a title rep with a national title insurance company based in Phoenix, Arizona.  I help my clients-real estate professionals- get found on the internet where more and more of their customers are.  It’s been a long time since an agent has asked me for a flyer but it happened again today.  Here is how it went down.  (start the dramatic music)

Realtor: Stephen, I need some flyers.

Me: Why?

Realtor: Because I am sitting an open house this weekend and I want to give them something to take with them.

Me: Do you keep flyers when you go to an open house?

Realtor: No, but i want to give them my facebook fanpage address.

Me: Don’t give them any info about the home. Write a post on your blog about the home with all the selling points (write as a person-not a sales person) and direct everyone to that.

Me: If they are interested in the home or the area they will go to your blog and then they can search for other homes, discover your value proposition, AND become a fan of your page if they choose. They can also come back again and again and again.  Can a flyer do that?

Realtor: No.

Realtor.com iPhone App

Realtor.com iPhone App

Realtor.com iPhone App

I am quite surprised that Real estate agents still use flyers.  I can’t believe that agents believe they work, I know they don’t work on me, or anyone I know, because I am a digital citizen.  If I want more information about a home, I won’t even get out of my car.  I will simply pull out my iPhone, Drooooooid, HTC, Palm, etc and use any one of the hundreds of real estate applications to get the info I want.  Many agents still use them because the seller demands them.  Well folks, you are the professional, the seller hired you to sell their home, you may need to overcome a few objections to do that, but that means that you need to talk to them-in some capacity.  Maybe you should save a tree and some time and some money and some ink and, (well you get the point) tell the seller that they don’t work.  What about the people that don’t have smart phones Stephen? Well, give them an outlet to get more information.  A text messaging system would do the trick or call capture or even better, a post on your blog.  Most people I know are more likely to go to the internet than they are to pick up the phone-we are becoming more and more anti-social, people just don’t really like to talk anymore, anyone with teenagers can tell you that most kids would rather text than talk, sometimes my wife texts me from the kitchen! Take advantage of that and give the consumer a way to contact you in a way they prefer.

I hope to see a real estate flyer in a museum one day.

If you are a real estate agent that still uses flyers, all is not lost.  I can help.  Call or email me, lets meet for coffee to discuss how I can help you grow your business without flyers…

Flyers Stink!

Stephen

Hi I'm Stephen Garner, I'm just a guy in the title industry {in Phoenix} trying to change how real estate agents market themselves and their services. To that end, I teach my clients HOW TO leverage sales technologies like WordPress, Content, Video, Camtasia, Final Cut X, iMovie and indexable IDX solutions to convey value and help your ideal client find you online when they are most interested in learning about you and your services. I work for escrows. Hire me!

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  • http://mc.searcharizonarealestate.com matthew coates

    glad i could help contribute to your article stephen!

  • I Love Flyers

    So what I gather is because the Realtors don’t include title people as contacts on their flyers they shouldn’t have them? Ive looked at hundreds of homes and each one that has a flyer I take, write notes on it and reference it later. You don’t always get to go into a home when your out driving around looking at properties. Sometimes the Realtor wait for it…. doesn’t list the property on the internet. Gasp! Not all of us have access to MLS. What?! Not all Realtors are tech geniuses like yourself?! Thats crazy talk!

    • http://mytitleguy.net MyTitleGuy

      Thanks for stopping by. I think flyers do have a place in real estate, a lot of things do. My argument is that they offer no opportunity for engagement – for conversation – to discover the need. If there is a flyer (if) and it does not properly convey the value of the property to the consumer OR it’s a 4 bedroom 2 bath when the consumer is looking for a 3 bedroom 2 bath, it goes in the garbage – there is no opportunity to discover the need. Telling isn’t selling and that is what flyers do – tell. It makes more sense to me that agents leverage mobile applications and websites to engage. As far as your comment “because Realtors don’t include title people, they shouldn’t have them” that’s comical. Title people provide flyers to agents to help them grow their business – not to market the title company or rep. Most consumer could care less what title company they use or even know what they do. Consumers have shifted online, a flyer simply isn’t – online. I see you are a flyer company, maybe you should consider providing other solutions that offer your clients the opportunity to get found online at the exact moment a consumer has identified a need. A flyer (no matter how pretty it is) isn’t going to help an agent grow their business if someone in Michigan is sick of shoveling snow and goes to the Internet to look for information. #justsayin
      I respect your position and acknowledge that flyers do have a place (maybe a small one) in the overall marketing strategy

      • SMH

        “Telling isn’t selling and that’s what flyers do – tell.” Ever heard of copywriting?  It’s written words that sell.  Plus, the interior pictures help a little, too.

        Lousy Realtors sell as well as lousy flyers, but that doesn’t mean quality marketing must come directly from an agent.

        • Stephen

          Thanks John, you are correct, marketing is a bigger picture than just flyers or postcards. These days, marketing is about telling a story, being the solution to someone else’s problem – in my experience, its hard to convey that kind of value or confidence using direct mail. Video……. now that is where its at.

        • http://mytitleguy.com Stephen Garner

          Thanks John, you are correct, marketing is a bigger picture than just flyers or postcards. These days, marketing is about telling a story, being the solution to someone else’s problem – in my experience, its hard to convey that kind of value or confidence using direct mail. Video……. now that is where its at.

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