Quarterly Reports: An Opportunity to Showcase Your Expertise Four Times a Year!
Wow your potential and past clients with this marketing strategy that offers value throughout the year!
Every three months, you have an opportunity to wow homeowners and past clients. How? With a quarterly market report. Sounds like a big project, right? Well, it can be, but we have a system for great quarterly reports. Here’s a checklist of things to consider:
SIZE MATTERS
A good quarterly report can be any size, but we recommend a 4-page newsletter (11” x 17” that folds down to four 8.5” x 11” pages. There’s plenty of room for great information and beautiful photos. Other good sizes include 8.5” x 11” flat postcards and 8.5” x 11” fold-over mailers. If you are only doing this 4 times a year, don’t skimp!
QUARTERLY STATS
It is imperative that you include quarterly statistics and that you understand them. Dig into the numbers for the area you live in. We recommend including new listings, pending listings, sold listings, median sales price, sales-to-list-price ratios, and average (or median) days on market and comparing them to the first quarter stats of the previous year.
- New listings tell you how much inventory has come on the market.
- Pending listings tell you how much demand has changed over the previous year, but remember! This will be dependent on how much supply there is, so if you see a drop in demand, first make sure there hasn’t been a corresponding drop in supply.
- Solds give you a good idea of the pace of the market over the previous year
- Median sales price can indicate price growth, but if it drops in your year-over-year comparison, you may want to explain why.
- Sale-to-list-price ratios over 100% indicates frequent multiple offer scenarios, while under 100% can indicates old inventory coming off the market or a market correction.
- Average (or median) days on market can give you an idea about how long homes are lasting on the market. (Months of inventory can tell you this as well, but readers not familiar with the metric may not understand it right away.)
Don’t forget to include a brief commentary about any stats that look interesting or concerning. Remember, your potential clients probably won’t know what it all means at a glance, to take this opportunity to share your knowledge.
GRAPHS
Maybe one of the stats looks a little funky. Or maybe you’ve been asked the same question from three potential clients. Create a graph that explores the data! Some of our favorite graphs include charting median sales prices over 10 years, measuring demand by comparing active and pending listings, and comparing specific kinds of properties (e.g. townhomes, new construction) to the overall residential market.
CONTENT
You can use content from our Club Zebra vault, but you should tailor it to the area you are covering such as mention the city or neighborhood by name. If you aren’t a Club Zebra Pro member, or if you want to be original, you can write about your experiences in the neighborhood. Been to any city planning meetings lately? Is there a light rail coming in? New construction around the corner? Updated zoning codes? Stay on top of the news in the area to determine what people might be interested in.
If you don’t have the time, design skills, or desire to do this sort of work,
we’ve got you covered!
We offer niche-mail-marketing services to help you get the advantage of a regular mail marketing campaign with fewer barriers.
Check out our LeadMagnet program or email solutions@thelonesgroup.com for more information.
YOUR RECENT SALES
It’s not brag-a-docious—it’s showing your experience and skill! Think of it as verifying your relevancy. Your future clients are more likely to trust you if you have proof of working on homes similar to theirs and/or in their area. Bonus points if you can get a client testimonial and/or client photo in front of your sold sign!
LOCAL LISTINGS
Even if you didn’t work on them, show your future clients the homes that recently sold in the area. One of our favorites is “Visualizing the Median Price,” with 3 homes that sold for near the median sales price. Another good one is “High, Median, Low,” which can show the range of home prices in the area. Group listings by type, bedroom count, view, access to water, or just share seller successes from your friends and co-workers. Just make sure you follow your MLS’s rules for sharing listings that aren’t yours.
QR CODES
Get your clients to a contact page on your website faster. These are easy to create and add another level of interactivity. In fact, some QR code services offer scan-tracking so you can see how many times a code is scanned. When possible, tie in QR codes to a call-to-action such as a way to get more data, download an e-book, fill out a form on your website, connect with you on social media, or even register for a class!
PERSONALITY
All-business-and-no-fun is no way to talk to your future clients. You’re human. They’re human. Add a little personality to make a better connection. This can cover anything from charities and volunteer work to exciting news in home construction technology to local events like farmers’ markets or art fairs, to inspirational photos of the area and fun quotes. Have a pet? Snap a picture with them. Going on a walk on a local trail or in a park? Take a moment to take the photo. Bonus points if you can add a funny caption!
I bet this all sounds like a lot of work—and it is! But it’s work that is worth it. This is a marketing strategy that offers value before asking for a listing.
Curious about how your personal style can be represented in a professional brand? Book a branding consultation today!
By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.