What Are Pop-Bys? (And Why They’re An Effective Marketing Tool)

Every real estate agent needs to employ several different lead generation strategies to grow their business. While email drip campaigns and social media outreach are great places to start, there’s also something to be said for maintaining a personal connection with past clients as a means of generating referrals.

With that in mind, this post is all about using pop-bys as a marketing tool. Keep reading to learn what pop-bys are and how they can help you to secure future business.

What are pop-bys?

Instead of cold calls or impersonal emails, pop-bys involve a personalized visit to your past clients’ homes with a small, thoughtful gift. This simple gesture allows you to:

• Reconnect: Catch up, rekindle relationships, and stay fresh in their minds.
• Generate referrals: By showing you care; you subtly encourage them to recommend you to their network.
• Boost brand awareness: Your branding on the gift and a friendly conversation keep your name top-of-mind.

Why pop-bys work as a marketing tool

Pop-bys leverage two powerful psychological concepts:

• Memory: The gift acts as a tangible reminder of you and your services, increasing the chance they’ll think of you when buying or selling.
• Reciprocity: The act of giving triggers a subconscious desire to return the favor, potentially leading to referrals or future business.

5 well-timed ideas for effective pop-bys

Now that you know what a pop-by is and how the psychology behind this marketing strategy works, the next step is to learn how to create an effective pop-by.

1. Seasonal Refreshment Pop-By

• Target: Past clients and new prospects.
• Timing: Adapt based on season (e.g., spring cleaning kit in March, summer grilling essentials in June, fall harvest basket in October).
• Gift: A curated basket with themed items. For spring, include cleaning supplies, sponges, and a potted plant. For summer, add grilling tools, marinades, and a personalized ice cream scoop. For fall, provide candles, cozy socks, and a recipe for hot cider.
• Slogan: “Spring into a new home!,” “Let’s get your home sizzling!,” “Warm up your fall with a new space!”
• Personalization: Include a handwritten note mentioning their past transactions or recent interest in specific neighborhoods.

2. Local Business Collaboration Pop-By

• Target: New prospects in a specific neighborhood.
• Timing: Flexible but consider partnering with businesses near target properties.
• Gift: Collaboration with local businesses. Partner with a coffee shop for a branded mug and coupon, a bakery for cookies and information on your services, or a plant store for a succulent with a care guide and contact info.
• Slogan: “Supporting local, finding your dream home!”, “Sweet treats and a new address?”, “Grow your roots with us!”
• Personalization: Mention the nearby business and highlight its connection to the neighborhood.

3. DIY Project Assistance Pop-By

• Target: Past clients who recently purchased or moved.
• Timing: Within a month or two of their move.
• Gift: A toolbox or handyman kit with basic tools like a screwdriver, tape measure, and hammer. Include a pamphlet with DIY project ideas and resources.
• Slogan: “Making your new house a home!”, “Ready to tackle those fixer-uppers?”, “We’re here to lend a hand (and some tools)!”
• Personalization: Reference a specific project they mentioned wanting to do or congratulate them on their move.

4. Community-Focused Pop-By

• Target: New prospects in a specific neighborhood.
• Timing: Around community events or holidays.
• Gift: A bag with neighborhood essentials like reusable grocery bags, a map highlighting local attractions, and coupons for nearby businesses.
• Slogan: “Discover your new community!”, “Your guide to [neighborhood name],” “Feeling right at home in [neighborhood name]!”
• Personalization: Include information about upcoming events or highlight unique aspects of the neighborhood.

5. Personalized Hobby Pop-By

• Target: Past clients based on known interests.
• Timing: Flexible but consider their preferred activity schedule.
• Gift: A small gift related to their hobby, like a gardening kit for an avid gardener, a set of paints for an artist, or a travel guide for a frequent traveler.
• Slogan: “Homes for every passion!” ,”Fueling your passions, one home at a time,” “Let’s find your dream space and explore!”
• Personalization: Mention their specific hobby and how your services can accommodate their lifestyle.

Don’t forget to include your branding and contact info

The next component of your pop-by gift is your branding and contact info. Obviously, you’ll want to include your name so that your client knows who’s responsible for giving them the gift. However, you should also include your phone number, email address, and website so that your client can easily get in touch with you if they have a real estate inquiry.

Some real estate professionals simply attach a copy of their business card along to the gift, but doing so can get expensive. It’s perfectly okay to simply make a tag with your slogan and contact information on it that can be attached to the gift.

Consider making sure there’s a way to secure your gift to the doorknob

Lastly, you may want to make sure that there’s a way to attach the gift to the front door. In the event that your clients aren’t home when you drop off their pop-by, you’re going to have to leave it behind. If you simply leave it resting by the front door, there’s a chance that it could fall and someone could trip over it, which would not be good for business.

One way to counteract this possibility is by adding a knotted loop of ribbon to the gift (This can also be how you secure your tag with the slogan.) That way, you can simply place the loop around a doorknob and be on your way.