Check out these simple flyer printing ideas for business… and feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments.

[From top left to bottom right]

1. Mini-concert poster or event flyer (Credit: Danny PiG on Flickr)
2. Product spec sheet / sales sheet
3. Coupon for services
4. House flyer for real estate / home services
5. Kid’s restaurant menu or placemat (Credit: Denny’s Restaurant Flintstones kids menu, c 1988)
6. Calendar to highlight special events or sales
7. Daily specials
8. Price sheet

Do you have any creative uses for this media type? Share your ideas by posting a comment.

OBJECTIVES:

The purpose of the campaign is to nurture existing agency leads while showcasing how new digital technologies could help them streamline, track, and grow their clients’ direct mail activities. Additionally, QuantumDigital needed to break any existing assumptions that positioned their company as simply a direct mail fulfillment and print facility. The target audience was comprised of key decision makers within the advertising/marketing industry who develop direct mail campaigns for enterprise-level clients.

CHALLENGE:

The challenge was to develop an integrated, multi-channel lead-generation campaign to capture the attention of target prospects, generate awareness of QuantumDigital’s technology driven direct marketing capabilities, and secure strategic brainstorming sessions. Furthermore, direct mail and web components of the campaign needed to demonstrate the variable-data personalization technologies, tracking abilities, and exceptional quality of QuantumDigital’s products and services.

COMPONENTS:

The campaign included 11 personalized touches—alternating between direct mail, email, and phone calls. QuantumDigital used the latest digital technologies, including unique QR codes and advanced variable-data printing, on mailed campaign pieces to attract interest, track individual responses, and demonstrate service capabilities.

Campaign components were selected in an effort to showcase QuantumDigital’s range of capabilities and thought leadership in the direct marketing space.

CAMPAIGN TOUCHPOINTS (in order of delivery):

11 direct touches included:

• Initial phone call to qualify prospects and get a brief understanding of their current direct marketing challenges.
• Personalized, follow-up greeting card including a Starbucks gift card. The card featured a variable map directing recipients to the nearest Starbucks location. They were able to scan a QR code to get driving directions, from their office to the Starbucks location, delivered to their smartphone. (mailed piece)
• Follow-up phone call
• Personalized booklet describing how QuantumDigital’s capabilities could help optimize and track direct mail campaigns (mailed piece)
• Personalized email inviting prospects to explore QuantumDigital’s capabilities in further detail via a personalized landing page/microsite
• Personalized poster featuring a unique QR code that directed prospects to a personalized landing page featuring case studies (mailed piece)
• Personalized email inviting prospects to read case studies and success stories of companies that have benefited from partnering with QuantumDigital
• A personalized note pad with a request to schedule a brainstorming session (mailed piece)
• Follow-up email requesting a brainstorming session
• A direct mail postcard directing prospects to downloadable whitepapers and QuantumDigital’s social platforms
• Follow-up email encouraging participation in a brainstorming session

RESULTS:

The campaign was budgeted around $400 per month. Due to the ongoing nature of the campaign, specific ROI cannot be disclosed. However, QuantumDigital did receive multiple requests by agencies to replicate the mailings (specifically, the first direct mail touch featuring the variable-data map w/ driving directions) for their clients’ marketing initiatives. Additionally, QuantumDigital’s team was able to secure face-to-face and over-the-phone brainstorming sessions.

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Following is a video that was incorporated into the personalized microsites to further describe our capabilities.

“The interesting part about this one is you’ve got a recession and at the very same time you’ve got technological advancements that have changed the business environment. It used to be if the economy went bad, you suffered through it, cut some expenses, and, a year later, things went back to business as usual. Now… the fact is, you need to continue to spend money to stay up with the new technologies in the changing marketplace.”

For SMB’s to stay competitive, or even simply remain in business today, they need to utilize available technologies to streamline processes, uncover new efficiencies, and better connect with consumers whenever and wherever they can.

Some of these technological advances are already being incorporated into traditional media channels such as direct mail and print. Digital variable-data printing and the integration of offline-to-online technologies like QR codes, SMS texting, and PURLS (personalized URLS) allow small business owners to get their message out faster, interact with prospects on a very personal level, and measure the efficacy of campaigns with greater detail than ever before.

The challenge for business owners is not only to understand the various emerging technologies, but also to determine which ones will deliver value and help them achieve their business goals. Taking a look at the wide range of apps, platforms, digital technologies, and integration strategies available today can be overwhelming. It can also open the doors to new opportunities that were previously considered not possible.

It’s an exciting time to be in business.

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To learn how you can integrate new digital technologies with direct mail and print, take a look at these articles:

• 5 Resources for DIY Small Business Marketers
• Using QR Codes, Direct Mail, and Video to Ramp up Local Marketing
• Why Unique QR Codes Aren’t Just Another Nerdy Marketing Gimmick
• Direct Mail Growing in Popularity Among Young People?

Here are three ways savvy marketers are using direct mail to build, qualify and nurture leads while saving time and money.

Spreading the Word Offline to Get People Online

Businesses are quickly starting to realize that social media marketing is not a passing trend but a valuable way to find prospects and nurture leads. Participating in conversations with consumers online is now a necessity for influencing the public’s perception of brand and their purchasing behavior.

With this in mind, how do marketers capture the attention of new prospects that aren’t already online and get them to join the conversation? They use targeted direct mail to drive new leads to websites and social networking profiles.

Use direct mail to:

• Announce a webinar, whitepaper, online social event or contest
• Direct consumers to a downloadable coupon, available in exchange for data
• Inform consumers about a website, blog or a social media profile
• Say “hello” to existing clients and ask them to provide feedback through online platforms such as Twitter, Yelp, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Promote participation in surveys that allow marketers to learn more about their client’s needs and fine tune future campaigns, products and services based on feedback

Once prospects are online, marketers can use eNewsletters, videos, social networking, etc. to nurture them.

Using Direct Mail and Multi-Channel Marketing to Pre-Qualify Leads

One of the challenges in many lead-generation campaigns is getting more consumer data, not only for follow-up efforts, but also to determine if the respondent has the right elements to be considered as an optimal lead. By including compelling, actionable promotional offers such as coupons, whitepaper downloads, or free service consultations on direct mail pieces, marketers can succeed in increasing campaign response rates and obtaining more information about a potential lead.

A study conducted by Coupons, Inc. noted that more than 70% of users would provide basic information about themselves like email address, first and last name, and would even answer survey questions, all for a $2 coupon. This same principle applies for B2B marketers that care to offer prospects a whitepaper or valuable information in exchange for more data.

An Affordable Way to Stay in Front of Prospects

Many books used to teach marketing suggest that it takes anywhere between seven to 12 impressions, or touches, to forge memory of a message and/or to motivate action. Of course, that range is debatable—especially in today’s highly saturated and media-rich environment. Arguments can also be made as to effect based on the quality of touches. Therefore, many marketers are turning to a new strategy of assigning a point system to different interactions, or touchpoints. I found a great explanation of this method from Greg on LinkedIn:

Well thought out direct mail pieces that are part of a consistent string of communications DO get noticed by prospects and leads. Here are some ways to pepper direct mail postcards into your lead-generation campaigns:

• Use direct mail as a primer before emailing or calling a prospect. This will not only give the recipient a heads up, it can also serve as a talking point to help ease into conversation.
• Send a personalized postcard to a prospect directly following a call thanking them for their time. Digital printing allows a marketer to create and mail a one-of-a-kind, personalized piece within a matter of minutes.
• Use AutoMail to schedule monthly, quarterly, or yearly direct mail touchpoints in advance. Automation helps to relieve pressure on busy marketers and ensure no prospect is left behind.
• Pre-schedule birthday messages, communications that mark major holidays, or other general events.

Need more examples? See how QuantumDigital used direct mail as part of an integrated, multi-touch campaign that led to a 51% response rate AND conversion of prospects into leads into actual business.

There’s an email in my inbox from a company name I recognize. It’s from a large company, a national brand, one I have not given permission to email me. Studying marketing messages we receive from other companies and analyzing our personal reactions to them can help us learn and improve our own email marketing practices.

Let’s take a look at the email.

Here’s the subject line: “Connect 2012 – 5 Reasons to Connect.” Not super enticing, but there’s a smidgeon of interest. It’s from a Fortune 500 company, so I’m inclined to open it. But since I never signed up to receive emails from this sender, there’s hesitation. It’s probably spam. Spammers are smart like that.

Tip: Even though your recipients know who you are, if you send to them without their permission, they may think you’re a spammer.

Out of curiosity, I open it.

Yikes! Maybe it’s spam, after all! There’s a link to view the online version and a bunch of broken images. Should I click to view online? No way. Too risky. I’m not even sure I want to enable images because it looks very much like spam.

Tip: Your message and call to action should be visible even when images are turned off. This is the default setting for most email clients, including those on the web.

I’m going to take a chance (most wouldn’t) and click to display images, anyway.

Hmmm . . . it appears to be legit. Okay, so it’s nice to look at. Balance and colors look good. But I’m still not sure it’s safe to click, so I Google the headline. It’s the real deal. This must be a genuine email from the genuine company. I wonder how many other recipients have ventured this far . . .

Tip: Visually appealing emails are nice, but good looks don’t motivate recipients to read or click. When it comes to effective email marketing, content is always king.

Notice how the message copy trails off the right side of the screen? That’s how it appears on a desktop. When opened on a mobile device, some parts are missing so you can’t see the entire message. This isn’t good, considering email marketers “are heading rapidly toward a situation where potentially half our subscribers could view at least some of our emails on a mobile device,” according to a recent post from Email Marketing Reports.

Tip: Before sending an email, test to be sure it’s readable on mobile devices, as well as on desktops.

In order to see the entire email, it had to be maximized.

Oh, look! There’s a QR code in the corner! How cute. Not only is there no information about where it resolves, but why would someone scan a QR code with their mobile device when they can just click a link from their desktop? And if they are reading the email from a mobile device, what then? There might be times when including a QR code in an email makes sense, but they are most useful in the physical world.

Tip: Don’t use the latest marketing buzz-trends just because they’re considered “hip.” Be sure to consider their functionality before using them in your communications.

By the way, this QR code links to the same landing page as the email image, so it is absolutely useless here. Except to sit there and look cool. Or, in this case, stupid.

Well, that was fun.

I’d love to see examples of emails you’ve received that stood out in your inbox with your thoughts about why they were successes or failures. Any takers out there?

Happy email marketing!

Here are some best practices to follow for effective email design.

Understanding the objective of an email

Understanding the main purpose and goal of an email communication is critical to developing effective email design. The design strategy will change based upon the objective and intended goal. For example, newsletters should have a different design and layout than a sales email or brand-building email. This is because recipients look for visual cues to guide them through the email’s content and to determine how it should be read.

The main goal of an email message is also important to understand prior to developing design because it helps designate where to place different elements such as call-to-action buttons, links, phone numbers and images within the email.

Anatomy of an email

Email design is not solely confined within the main body of a message. Good design starts before a recipient even opens and views the content contained within an email message. Following are the five parts on an email as viewed by the recipient:

THE ‘FROM’ NAME

The ‘From’ of an email tells the recipient about the sender. Typically, it’s also the first field recipients see when viewing all the emails collected in their inbox. Having a clear and recognizable name will prevent an email from being immediately deleted by the recipient. The Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC), reports that 73% of opted-in recipients delete email or report it as spam based on the information in the ‘From’ field. So, by using a company name, the name of a familiar associate or product name in the ‘From’ field, marketers may cut down on the rate at which recipients delete or report emails as spam.

SUBJECT LINE

The subject line of an email is the second chance for marketers to make an impression on email recipients. It’s also the second chance recipients have to decide whether they want to open or report an email as spam. And, according to industry studies, they’ll make that decision in less than six seconds. Therefore, the more precise and relevant the subject line can be, the better.

Tip: Limit subject line messages to 50 characters or less. Extending subject line messages past 50 characters is a fruitless effort since most email platforms ‘cut off’ messages beyond that point. Additionally, recipients viewing emails on portable devices will see even less.

PREVIEW PANE

Many email platforms display messages for recipients in preview panes. A preview pane allows recipients to take a sneak peek at the email’s contents. Often, only a portion of an email is visible via the preview pane—a few inches of the email’s top portion when viewed in a horizontal preview pane or a few inches of the left side of an email when viewed via a vertical preview pane. Therefore, critical information such as a company logo, offer or call-to-action button should be placed as close to the top left of an email as possible to accommodate preview panes.

AN OPENED EMAIL

Once a recipient opens a message, they are presented with the content that makes up the body of the email. However, many recipients do not immediately see the entire contents of the email message. Initially, recipients see content that resides above the fold. The term ‘above the fold’ refers to the content seen before viewers need to scroll. This area’s dimensions depend upon the viewer’s screen resolution, which varies. According to ClickZ, 60% of people viewing emails only see or read 50% of the message. Some of this is due to much of an email’s content residing below the fold.

Tip: Place call-to-action buttons, phone numbers and promotional offers towards the top of emails—above the fold. Email newsletters that contain lengthy copy should include a table of contents describing topics covered in the email. Marketers should also consider including only portions of articles within the email—using links leading to a website landing page for continuation of the article. This tactic will provide tracking and analytical data.

THE FULL EMAIL

Marketer’s that have guided viewers beyond the four steps as listed above are ahead of the curve. The real test is in how viewers engage with the full email. First and foremost, marketers should make the full body of the email easy to navigate and include relevant content.

How people read emails

It would be great if recipients carefully read each word included in an email message. However, studies have shown that people naturally scan for information that peek their interest rather than digest content word for word. They look for visual cues to guide them through landing pages and email messages. One method that describes how people read web content is called the ‘F-Shaped Pattern of Scanning.’ By tracking eye movement using heat mapping technology, researchers discovered that readers move through web pages by starting on the top left of a page, then moving horizontally to the right. The left to right pattern is followed once again, then readers scan the remainder of the page vertically forming a shape similar to the letter ‘F.’ Additionally, readers tend to scan or follow information that is sectioned or blocked. By understanding and using this knowledge, marketers are able to structure emails to maximize visibility of content.

Effective email layout / structure

Optimal layout and structure will vary depending on business type and objective of the email message. Following are some key elements to consider when designing an email message.

SIMPLICITY

On average, people spend about 50 seconds reading e-newsletters. This period drops for other types of email messages. Therefore, the content and design of an email should be clear, concise, easy to read and relevant to the recipient. Utilize bullet points, paragraph breaks, bolded headlines and images to present content in organized groups.

MINDING THE FOLD

Although many email recipients are familiar with scrolling, many do not take the time to look below the fold of an email.  Marketers should keep the most important information towards the top of the email message area. Promotional offers, contact information, company logos and call-to-action buttons should be accessible to readers without having to scroll down the page of the email. For e-newsletters or other potentially lengthy messages, marketers should utilize a table of contents and place it above the fold so that readers can quickly scan topics without having to scroll.

The area of an email located above the fold varies depending on the recipient’s computer screen resolution and the email platform used. A general estimation of this area is 600 pixels wide by 750 pixels high.

TOP-DOWN FORMAT

Used in newspaper writing, the top-down format is a writing style that places the most important information at the top of an article and supporting information below, organized in decreasing importance. This is done because most people just scan headline articles for a topic that is of interest to them. Journalists are taught to compress the most critical information about a story in the headline and first paragraph of a story. All other supporting information and details follow. The same tactic should be used for email design.

USING IMAGES

Images add visual appeal and interest to email messages. They can also help to organize content within a message. However, they come with a special set of issues to consider. According to MarketingSherpa, one out of four consumers use preview panes, 59% of which block images. Therefore, it is suggested that marketers design emails to be visually appealing and functional even when images are not visible to the viewer. This may be accomplished by using a healthy balance of imagery and text.

Tip: Use image alt tags to support missing images. An image alt tag is HTML language that offers a text description of the image. If a browser does not load an image, then the contents of the alt tag will be displayed. Additional, marketers can include a link within an email that allows users to view the message in a browser window. A message viewed in a browser window should display all images along with text.

USING TEXT

Marketers have the ability to format text in a way that guides the reader and provides visual appeal. Adjusting font size, using bold and italics, and displaying text in color are ways to accomplish this. Marketers must note, though, that extensive formatting can result in emails being blocked by content filters. So, simplicity in text formatting is stressed.

In terms of functionality, it is recommended to provide an alternate, text-only version of email messages to accompany HTML versions. Not all email platforms display HTML. Also, text-only versions are valuable for recipients viewing emails on portable devices where images make reading the contents of an email difficult.

Fact: A MarketingSherpa survey revealed that 64% of key decision makers use portable devices such as a smartphone to view emails.

Content Filters

Another challenge facing marketers is understanding the benefits and pitfalls of content filters. A content filter is a function of email platforms that help to manage the delivery of emails—separating spam email from opt-in or valid email messages. Content filters look for specific elements within an email in order to determine whether an email should be classified as spam or not. In order to prevent being blocked by content filters, marketers should avoid:

• Excessive images and/or images with large file size
• Poor spelling
• Using all caps
• Copy written in red or blue
• Excessive use of certain words such as free and click here
• Messy HTML code
• Missing subject lines

Done responsibly, email can be a powerful tool for marketers. Following best practice in email design will give marketers a good foundation on which to develop and fine tune messages.

Here are some ideas that can help you maintain productivity and stay visible in your local market during the holiday season.

Engage with audiences on community social sites: Even though you’ve got your footie pajamas on and you’re enjoying the warmth of your fireplace from the comfort of your couch, you can still participate in conversations happening online.  Blogging, commenting on local news articles, and staying active on social networks will keep you in front of your audience during the holidays.

Volunteer or sponsor local charitable organizations and events: ‘Tis the season for helping others in your community. Doing so will not only give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, but reaching out to those in need builds a great foundation for networking and generating more business in 2012.  For sponsoring events—like a food, blanket, or gift drive—local charitable organizations may provide some marketing value in kind such as: including your logo on their website and/or on promotional materials relating to an event; allowing you to send a mailer to their donor base; linking to your website via press releases; and so on.

Dial up past clients, helpful colleagues, and new prospects: Think back starting from the beginning of 2011 and make a list of clients, colleagues, mentors, and new connections that have contributed to the success of your business. Set aside a couple of hours to call and personally connect with them. They’ll appreciate your time and you’ll make a positive lasting impression that could lead to referrals and increased business in the new year.

Send holiday greeting cards or postcards to top customers: Uh, this piece of advice is a no-brainer. For tips on making sure your holiday greeting is well received, read the post titled, “5 Elements of a Great Business Greeting Card.”

Educate yourself on the latest marketing technologies, strategies, and trends: Busy, hard-working professionals tend to get so busy and involved in their own marketing efforts during the year, it’s easy for them to miss information that can actually help them streamline campaigns and make them more effective. Let the holiday season be your opportunity to catch up on what others in marketing are doing to grow business.

Discover tools and technologies to streamline business: Keeping up with all the mobile applications, CRM platforms, project management tools, and digital marketing technologies can turn into a full-time job. Many new ones worth checking out are released into the marketplace on a daily basis. The holiday season is a perfect time to identify the top three challenges that hindered business and then focus your research on finding tools and technologies to solve those pains. Do you need to improve speed-to-market of direct mail campaigns? Do you need a better way to identify targeted mailing areas? Would marketing automation help lighten workload?

Update, clean up, and optimize your website and social profiles: Refresh the content on your website and prepare posts for your social sites. Add fresh pictures, customer testimonials, product highlights, etc. that will keep your audience engaged. Optimize your site so that it can be easily found by search engine crawlers and ranked favorably.

What will you do to make the most out of this holiday season?

By getting creative with substrate and by including different information, you can keep business cards within your customers’ reach and your business in front of their eyes. Printing business cards on magnetic paper is one classic option.

Here are 4 fresh ways to use magnetic business cards:

Strengthen customer loyalty and encourage repeat business

Include a coupon code on your magnetic business card that loyal customers can use throughout the year. Easy access to even a small discount on goods and services can motivate repeat and just-in-time purchases. This tactic is ideal for take-out/food delivery franchises, salons or hair care providers, carpet cleaning services and other service-based businesses.

Provide a mobile “shortcut” to weekly deals or to your ordering platform

Include a QR code on your magnetic business card that links to a page on your website hosting weekly deals or special offers. If you have a mobile-friendly ordering platform or website, the QR code can link to it, acting as a convenient bridge between business and consumer. By doing so, businesses can help to reduce calls and streamline service during peek ordering times.

Start building trust by offering helpful checklists and maintenance tips

With magnetic business cards, service-based businesses can start delivering great customer support and building trust even before an initial sale. For example, a plumber can include a checklist of things to do before calling for service should a pipe burst or water leak occur. An air conditioning and heating company can offer maintenance tips to ensure efficient performance of systems or adequate energy savings throughout the year.

Remind customers of important dates and schedules

Magnetic business cards may be used as helpful reminders for holidays, important dates, and schedules for reoccurring services. Greenling, an Austin-based grocery delivery service, provides magnetic business cards to their consumers to remind them of ordering and delivery schedules. Other businesses that offer reoccurring services, like a trash/recycling company, can include a calendar of alternating trash and recycling days.

There are plenty of options that benefit both the consumer and business. Magnetic business cards are a great way to stay top-of-mind with audiences.

Ready to try these ideas out? Order your magnetic business cards now.

QuantumDigital’s mission this year was also focused on delivering time-saving technologies to busy real estate professionals. TriggerMarketing® was featured at QuantumDigital’s booth. It’s an instant just listed/sold program that uses the best of traditional mail, mobile response technologies, the web and social media to deliver warm, local leads directly to the agents inbox.  Agents, brokers and top decision makers alike all commented that the program was a “no brainer” and could save them valuable time. The goal, many said, is to get more listings in this competitive market and they could see how TriggerMarketing could help them quickly build awareness in their communities.

The TriggerMarketing program integrates with property listing databases. Within seconds of adding a new listing or changing the status of an existing listing in a database, the program sends the listing agent an email asking if they would like to launch a campaign. Postcards are immediately designed using key information about the listed or sold property, along with photos and trackable technologies. When a recipient responds to the direct mail postcard by scanning a QR code, texting a short code, or typing a unique code on a landing page, the agent receives a real-time warm-lead alert which allows them to immediately follow up.

Agents no longer have to worry about designing a piece, picking a mailing area or going to the Post Office. TriggerMarketing does it all for them, even integrating a Facebook and Twitter element. All of the information is delivered back to the agent in the form of reports that helps them determine how their direct mail efforts are working.

It will be interesting to see how the next-gen real estate agent continues to evolve and change their strategy based on consumer behavior. One thing we can be certain of, the REALTORS® Conference & Expo will only continue to see a shift in how attendees collect information while on the show floor. Mobile devices are everywhere and companies that match that demand with programs, products and services will only continue to grow.  Ignore the trend and, well…you might get ignored.

To see highlights from QuantumDigital’s time at the show, visit their site now.

These are common principles to hear in business marketing. They suggest that if a marketer simply focuses on improving customer retention and loyalty, they can maintain revenue or even increase revenue over time. As Fred Reichheld states in his book, The Loyalty Effect, “a five percent improvement in customer retention rates will yield between a 25 to 100% increase in profits across a wide range of industries.” Keeping this in mind, why do many small businesses seem to ignore easy opportunities to ask for repeat business from existing customers?

I’m asking because just recently I realized that it had been over three years since my last eye exam, just under a year since my last hair cut, and a really long time since I had someone clean out my home’s air ducts. Receiving an email communication or direct mail postcard from my providers could not only act as a reminder for me to schedule an appointment but would also let me know that they’re thinking of me; that they want my repeat business.

As a consumer and fellow marketer, my advice is to maintain consistent, relevant communication with your existing customers. I guarantee that it will lead to repeat business as well as referrals. Think you don’t have time to run continuous customer retention marketing campaigns? Find an easy to use marketing solution that allows you to schedule monthly, quarterly, or yearly mailings in advance. QuantumDigital’s Scheduled Mail and AutoMail services are examples of tools that make it easy for businesses to stay in touch with customers.

Here are some industries/scenarios where pre–scheduled marketing communications can encourage repeat business:

Stylist/Hair Care: Each evening or at the end of each week, reserve some time to set up direct mail postcard reminders for your clients. Schedule out a mail touch to remind them four weeks after their last cut/service date that they should call to set up an appointment. People are busy; they forget. A mailed reminder won’t get caught in a spam email folder. An investment in a 99–cents–or–less postcard could turn into a $60 hair cut, $80 dye job, or other revenue–generating service.

Real Estate Agent: Just listed/sold campaigns* are great for capturing attention and seeking out more listing opportunities. Considering today’s unsteady housing market, however, new listings or sales may not come as often as one would like. To forge memory of your name/brand, set up monthly or quarterly postcard mailings to key neighborhoods where you do business. Use a monthly eNewsletter to stay connected with past customers and your sphere of influence. Doing this will keep you top of mind with consumers when the time comes to make a real estate transaction.

*Interested in an automated program that instantly prepares just listed/sold campaigns for you and delivers warm, local leads right to your inbox? Learn about TriggerMarketing^® for real estate.

Home Maintenance: Many homeowners don’t realize all the things they need to do in order to effectively maintain the integrity of their property.  Set up quarterly or yearly postcard reminders to ensure homeowners are current on necessary maintanence and repairs (keeping air ducts and lint traps clean, pest control/inspections, furnace and air conditioning tune ups, etc). Reminding homeowners of these and other seasonal activities is a great way to keep lines of communication open and encourage repeat business.

These are just a few examples of missed marketing opportunities that I’ve seen lately. What do you do to ensure you keep customers coming back?