Thread: Advertizing/ Marketing Tools

I've tried coffee mugs, pens, note pads, chip clips, caculators and a few other trinkets.'
The most effective tool that every one seams to appreciate is tape measures.
I can directly credit over 100 inspections over the past two years from handing out apx 400

Over the past couple years I've been buying 16' tapes with my logo for $340.00 per 100.. from an on-line advertizing company.

Last month my wife sent me to the dollar tree for stuff and I found 16' tapes for $1 . I went to my local printer and he made stick on logos for .04 ea
$120. for 500. a couple min sticking my logos on the tape = $1.05 per tape. And they are decent tapes.
If your in the Phoenix area all of the stores in Tempe and West Mesa are sold out

What in- expensive marketing items have you found to be effective?

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The one which worked best for me were scratch pads each pad consisted of 50 pages, my company logo, et ceteras where on each one. The pads are 4"x5" its like handing out 50 biz cards.

CD business cards....nuff said...

The Report! It's the best advertising tool you have. Ours have made it around many a coffee table and other than the blood, sweat and tears that goes into them, not a penny extra from our end.

Originally Posted by Ross Neag

The Report! It's the best advertising tool you have. Ours have made it around many a coffee table and other than the blood, sweat and tears that goes into them, not a penny extra from our end.

Buyers yes.....agents, likely not... At least for me.

Good point. We're lucky to have a stable of long term and client focused agents who like to keep us around. Not a ton, but enough to make us happy.

Originally Posted by Ross Neag

Good point. We're lucky to have a stable of long term and client focused agents who like to keep us around. Not a ton, but enough to make us happy.

I had some JA sellers agent today hang out for my entire inspection, complaining the whole time about how he's been in business for 35 years and never been at an inspection that took sooo long. (2200 sq ft + pool @ 3.5 HRS) Whatever.... but I guess I'll save that for another thread.

Good stuff. I vote for the tape measure. Any gadgets out there equally as good?

Tape measures are without a doubt what has worked best for us. We've had clients and agents call us after several years, because they kept the tape measure. I think there are several reasons why they're kept so long:
1. They're big, so people can't just toss them out guilt-free. A pen is easy to toss in the trash.
2. They're useful.
3. They feel hefty, substantial and expensive, so people are more inclined to keep them.

Originally Posted by Marc M

I had some JA sellers agent today hang out for my entire inspection, complaining the whole time about how he's been in business for 35 years and never been at an inspection that took sooo long. (2200 sq ft + pool @ 3.5 HRS) Whatever.... but I guess I'll save that for another thread.

I posted this some time ago. I had a home flipper hang at the inspection and verbally bash me, I smiled, forcefully step quickly to get into my face, I smiled, all to tell me repeatedly that I was being anal and should be done already and to get on with it. A half hour after I started. Might have been slightly out of line but I told this well above 6 foot 80 something year old man to go back and sit on the window stoop where he was and leave me alone or I would leave and the buyer would not get the report he hired me for. He did but started up again and I told him he needed to go get a cup of coffee and come back in an hour or so. He did.

Anyway, back to the post, I gave out tape measures years ago and may very well do it again. It worked then I am sure it would work now.

As to you post once again. I have had many Agents over the years tell me that no inspector ever takes this long and they would have the report done as well. Same thing. a few hours.

My favorite is refrigerator magnet business cards. I leave one on the refrigerator, water heater or furnace of every inspection. Every seller is going to be looking for a new place. Magnetic cards have brought a lot of referrals. They are only a few cents apiece plus the cost of the card.

I glue a business card to the wall opposite the toilet in each room..... nothing like a captive audience

Dan,
Great idea on the tape measures, I too found some at the dollar store for a $1 and I am having labels made to attach to them. My question is…what’s the best way to give them out? I’ve been marketing to open houses and doing office visits but I could see running through these this pretty quick. Looking for the biggest impact

Great idea Dan. Where did you get labels made for .04 each? I received a quote for .40 each! Still, at my final cost of around $1.50 per tape measure, it's a great value. I priced a 12' tape measure at HD is $2.54.

Terry, customers frequently ask to borrow my tape measure to measure rooms and spaces for furniture and appliances. Great time to give them one. My labels are 1.5625" in diameter. I had them put my phone number instead of website on the labels.

Originally Posted by Hank Spinnler

Great idea Dan. Where did you get labels made for .04 each? I received a quote for .40 each! Still, at my final cost of around $1.50 per tape measure, it's a great value. I priced a 12' tape measure at HD is $2.54.

Terry, customers frequently ask to borrow my tape measure to measure rooms and spaces for furniture and appliances. Great time to give them one. My labels are 1.5625" in diameter. I had them put my phone number instead of website on the labels.

I got them from a llocal 2 man shop. I did have to order 500.
The label has my logo and 3 lines on it. Yellow back ground with black print.
I check the dollar store on-line a few weeks ago, no more tape measures, maybe they should send me a commisson, I only bought 600,

Terry. I hand them out to everyone at the inspection. When I sponsor a local realtor ce seminar I hand my info out in a plastic bag with my logo on it, in the bags I include a tape measure, rack card, pen and note pad.

Hi,
Just found a place online that sells 1 1/2" round label for about 16 cents
min order 24 labels. I just order 96 labels for $12.
Cheaper with quanities. If interested send me you email address and I'll send you a referral for and additional discount for trying their services.
Mike Richards

Originally Posted by Mike Richards

Hi,
Just found a place online that sells 1 1/2" round label for about 16 cents
min order 24 labels. I just order 96 labels for $12.
Cheaper with quanities. If interested send me you email address and I'll send you a referral for and additional discount for trying their services.
Mike Richards

So, there are a lot of companies out there that does that so we don't want to know who you used

Just kidding.

Sources are always welcome so give it up will yeah.

Originally Posted by Ted Menelly

So, there are a lot of companies out there that does that so we don't want to know who you used

Just kidding.

Sources are always welcome so give it up will yeah.

Here you are.

WWW.VISTAPRINT.COM

This thread inspired me to grab tape measures from the Dollar Tree. They still had them, round labels, will work out great. I've seen the same brand at Lowe's too!

Hi Nathan. I'm sorry I wasn't in the office on Friday when you came to visit.

LED microwave oven leak detectors. They light up. The advantage they have is that they are inspection related.

Originally Posted by Lisa Endza

Hi Nathan. I'm sorry I wasn't in the office on Friday when you came to visit.

LED microwave oven leak detectors. They light up. The advantage they have is that they are inspection related.

Ahhh lisa, a little marketing info for you..
The first thing a newby inspector learns real fast
[1] a new inspector gains nothing by marketing a HI org.
[2] an experienced or new inspector knows not everyone has a micro wave, and if one does a $8.00 micro wave tester will get used one or two times then it's tossed in a drawer and forgotten.
[3] An item like a .10 pen, note pad, or $1.00 tape measure, or any other commonly used small tool will be used mulitable times by any one that owns it.


I guess an inspector needs to make a choice what item, and what marketing approch works best for them.

Does an inspector give a item that costs xxxamount of $s advertizing a HI org that maybe 1 out of 5000 people knows about, and an org that markets 20-50 maybe 200 of his competors in his area. Or does an inspector give out an item with his marketing information on it so he, the person that spent his $s and time getting the new customer gets the next call .

Me thinks a smart inspector will spend his marketing $s advertizing his company, for .10 or $1.00 per customer, before spending $8.00 per customer to market all of his local competition, and some unknown HI org .

Market this way...belly to belly. Its free.
I should be a consultant...

Here they are! Thanks again guys- I bought out every Dollar Tree in Indy. Got to test these things before you buy, some of them stick.

(A pic of the tape measure with custom stickers)

http://www.nathanthornberry.com

Get the good heavy duty Tape Measures.
You can print your logo to a sticker on the side.

Bought my heavy duty 25" rolls at "Harbor Freight " for @ $2.50

Originally Posted by Bob Elliott

Get the good heavy duty Tape Measures.
You can print your logo to a sticker on the side.

Bought my heavy duty 25" rolls at "Harbor Freight " for @ $2.50

Not bad. I figure the typical room sizes are 12' and 14' dimensions, so this might be perfect for agents. We'll see how they respond to it!

Hey Guys, I got a call about this topic today from a national real estate magazine that's following this topic, if you have any other good ideas post them. You may get your suggestions published in the magazine.

Dan
Thanks for the advice - You Da Man!

I have had call back with my Pens, their made from Recycled Plastic and Cardboard with a Bamboo clip ($0.65 ea)

Nick J. Alati
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I used the dollar tree tapes also with round stickers from Vistaprint. You can order the tapes directly from the Dollar Tree website by the case.

I call it "the closer"...

Marc, that's an interesting idea... What do you put on your CD?

Its like a web site with video etc... $2500+ in case you were wondering.