Brandie,

What Corinne Guest, Managing Broker stated perfectly...Magic is in working hard, follow through, and common sense. A

I get mine from.... Click Here: 

Get out and meet face to face with your best referral sources. Build a bigger referral network in the new year.  Send regular email messages to the thousands of contacts in your database.

door knocking, ho ho ho here is my card....

anyone buying and selling???? 

Blogging here at ActiveRain and elsewhere.

F2F, SOI, and Internet Presence.

     With respect, do not ever pay for leads from any web service... you will only lose money.

Get on the phone, knock on doors, get serious about blogging, and send out a few cards.

More social media.

1. Know your market

2. Know your niche

3. Choose the type of marketing that is appropriate for your market and niche. I prefer direct mail and Barbara Todaro is our resident expert on all things direct mail. And Corinne Guest, Managing Broker is spot on with her advice.

I don't buy leads...buying leads reminds me of that old expression "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life".

Generate new leads. The problem with that question is too many will answer without asking you one single question.

A good question to ask is, 'What do you have the most of, time or money?'

As you can see from the chart below, money will be needed to get quick results from online marketing. These are very generic categories and ignore the more expensive and quick results of real inbound marketing. (inbound marketing IS NOT email)

It is important to note one should not rely solely on on-line marketing.

Direct mail with a relevant and assuring offer like CIS Score is a way to brand in the market identified in your business plan.

But wait...there MORE!!!

What about G & G stategies. Or the ever popular gorrilla campains.

Prospecting

Blogging works and having good information on your website. That causes people to want to hang around.

Call everyone you know

Hold open house events even at other agents' listings

Press the flesh and save your money! It is cheaper and more effective.

No silver bullet, or as Corinne Guest, Managing Broker said... no magic... just hard work. My past clients and data base are my referral site.

What Corinne Guest, Managing Broker said, especially the no magic part.

sellers are found with offline marketing like direct mail postcard campaigns...

buyers are found with online marketing like writing blog posts and being found with a Google search for keywords used most frequently by buyers....

I use my Active Rain Blog, other than referrals and calls from listings. AR is the next leading place for leads from people who read my blogs

Brandie Thomas You can't beat face-to-face networking.

Direct mail, with a call to action.

Hi Brandie,

Thanks for your question! You've undoubtedly already received an abundance of quality feedback and suggestions!

Are you on social media (more specifically, Facebook)? Setting up a Business Page with (or without) online ads can definitely give you a boost. We wrote a couple of articles about it, not too long ago: Can Facebook Ads Increase Listings and Leads? You Bet! & 5 Best Ways To Connect With Homebuyers & Sellers On Facebook

The company I represent (PropertyMinder) also offers a fully loaded website and marketing platform that's helping real estate pros with many of their professional goals, generating solid and successful results.

Happy to chat more, if you're interested. 
Welcome to ActiveRain and the exciting world of real estate!
- Tim
tim@propertyminder.com

Brandie Thomas Hi Brandie, I am originally from Atlanta and my best friend is a builder in Hiawassee ... nice to see you on AR.

I will actually answer your question and not just tell you to door knock, blah blah blog or call your sphere. Yes you can do those but you will be searching for a needle in a haystack. 

Here is not only what I suggest but also what I do:

1. Zillow - purchase a portion of your local zip codes and work the leads. You will need to spend enough money to capture about 50 leads per month in order to see a good return. You do not need to sign a contract but they will give you an ad bonus if you agree to six months. Z has a new agent back-end platform that allows you to go in and make purchases yourself. LEARN THIS PLATFORM AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE WHO YOUR COMPETITION IS AND SEE WHERE AND WHERE NOT TO BUY. 

2. Realtor.com - spend some money here on your zip codes. They require a contract but we have very good success with R.com

As for referral sites.... I have two that I work with regularly with very good success for listings. I will not post it on here but you can message me and would be happy to share. 

Brandie Thomas face to face, social media, etc.

Call sphere

Thats the million dollar question. Volunteer, get to know your nieghbors and make the rounds. You just never know

1. Pick up the phone and call a FSBO. Fastest. Source. Business. Opportunity

Shoo do luck

Referrals and blogging. 

I guess, mailing, social Media and referrals. 

I have found hand written notes are more personal and have a better response rate that mass mailings that are generated with  canned letter.

Working by referral - the best idea for sure.

Best way to generate new leads is to get in front of as many people as you can, and let them know you are in real estate. It is strictly a numbers game, and eventually you will be able to build up a referral network, but you have to keep pounding the pavement.

Like others have said, no magic in real estate.  I would stay away from the referral sites too, you will be throwing your money away.