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SIMPLE STAY IN TOUCH SOLUTION FAQS

Please take a moment to read the Frequently Asked Questions.
If you still have unanswered questions, please call or email our customer support team! 

The following items are included for each article offered as part of the Simple Stay in Touch Solution.

2 ready-to-mail articles (PDF) per headline

Ready-to-mail article

Ready-to-mail article ready to print and mail (PDF)

Customizable cover letter with call to action

Complete article text for use in a blog post or personal design

Most articles offer a print-and-go option, minor customization option, and complete personalization option.

Not included in the purchase of the Simple Stay in Touch Solution

  • Extended licensure for images
  • Permission to resell
  • Printing and postage
  • Graphic design support
  • Geographic exclusivity
Materials provided as part of the Simple Stay in Touch Solution® are copyright protected and intended for use only by those who have purchased them.  As a purchaser, you are given express permission to utilize the materials as a means of staying in touch with your prospects, clients, and other known contacts. This permission does not include the resale of any portion of the material, nor does it include permission to assume authorship (unless otherwise authorized in writing to do so). You may also want to read the answer to: What is the suggested language for introducing an article written by another author?
Every state has its own rules and regulations concerning brokerage and license disclosures. Additionally, those in non-real estate disciplines (i.e. financial services, healthcare, etc.) who may be participating in joint marketing ventures will likely also have specific disclosure requirements.  It is the responsibility of the purchaser of the product and/or those distributing the materials to ensure proper disclosures are included. If using the PDF versions of the articles provided, we encourage you to consult with your broker about how to best make such disclosures. 

The Simple Stay in Touch Solution articles are first and foremost intended for the purpose of staying in touch with those ALREADY in your sales funnel. We know that many longtime homeowners may take months or years to work through the stages of readiness and these articles are specifically intended to help them with this process. It’s a simple way for you to ensure you don’t forget about those who need a little more time.

By staying in touch monthly, you increase the likelihood you will be top of mind when they are ready to take action.

By personalizing the provided cover letter template and including a relevant article in a stamped envelope, you increase the likelihood of your prospect reading the materials (and even passing it along to others).

While email may seem like the easier distribution method (and less expensive) it is our experience that mailing the article to a select audience (those who have said they are “thinking about moving”) along with the cover letter has better outcomes than mailing or emailing to a “cold” list or those with whom you have no prior contact.

It may make sense to mail and email to those who are actively communicating with you via email. It is not, however, recommended that you mass distribute the materials to a list of people with whom you have no rapport.

The PDF files provided are NOT designed as full bleed and can easily be printed on your office color printer. If you choose to have them professionally printed, that is certainly your option. In the beta test phase of product development, consumers were pleased with the office-printed version of the article.

We recommend using a heavier stock bright white paper (not glossy) for best results with front and back printing. It is also recommended that you print on a high quality printer and verify that you have adequate toner before starting the print job.

As a purchaser of the Simple Stay in Touch Solution you are authorized to personalize certain sections of the articles provided when you are having them designed or personally branded or when using the text as a blog post, etc. Naming yourself as the author of the material is a copyright infringement and is strictly forbidden.
There are no territorial or geographic restrictions concerning the use of Simple Stay in Touch Solution headlines.
Plagiarism and violation of copyright are essentially stealing words, ideas, or creative works–intellectual property that rightfully belongs to someone else. We want to help you use the content in the Simple Stay in Touch Solution to your benefit, without crossing any lines that could be problematic. We all know that utilizing select content of other writers is common practice in most industries and disciplines. In order to do this in a way that does not infringe upon copyrights or cross the borders of plagiarism, there are certain acceptable means of introducing such material. One such way is by making sure you indicate you have permission to reprint the article. Something like this: Article reposted with permission from Seniors Real Estate Institute.  Additionally, you can start off an article you are using for or in a blog post by saying something like: We/I ran across an article recently written by Dr. Nikki Buckelew, Co-Founder of Seniors Real Estate Institute, and it was so insightful/helpful/enlightening/informative that I wanted to share it with you.  Naturally, if you wanted to really win browny points with the author, you would link back to their page, bio, or other location that would be beneficial for their website traffic as well. We are not saying you must link back as a purchaser of the Simple Stay in Touch Solution, however, you are welcome to do so if you choose. When utilizing the work of other authors in print collaterals, you cite the source of the content either at the end of the article or somewhere visible to the reader. This is an example: Source: Seniors Real Estate Institute, Staff Writer. 
Plagiarism and violation of copyright are essentially stealing words, ideas, or creative works–intellectual property that rightfully belongs to someone else. We want to help you use the content in the Simple Stay in Touch Solution to your benefit, without crossing any lines that could be problematic. If you choose to use an excerpt from a Simple Stay in Touch Solution headline in your own materials, all we ask is that you follow standard citation rules by citing your source and giving credit to authors appropriately. If you are uncertain as to how this should be done, there are many articles online that provide guidance on quoting sources and integrating copyright protected material into personal blogs, etc.
If you are designing your own materials using the Simple Stay in Touch Solution headlines, you will need to find images that assist you in illustrating the story. There are a number of places online where you can get such images and much of the availability depends upon where you are designing the materials. For instance, Canva has an excellent library of images. AdobeStock and other sites have numerous photos which can be purchased. We caution you in using “free” images found online, but if you do, be sure that you give proper credit. Of course you can always take your own photos and use as images on your blog or personally branded materials.  

As we have stated in the marketing of the Simple Stay in Touch Solution, the program is designed for helping people with whom you have already met move through the decision-making process. Naturally, you may utilize the articles in other campaigns, but it is important to us at SREI that we only offer materials and strategies that are proven to be effective. This product has not been beta tested as a lead generation campaign and so we can’t say for sure if it would work for that purpose at this time.

The cover letter template provided for each article is designed to help you get started, although many people have told us they use it just as written. We encourage you to put it on your own letterhead and to include any pertinent calls to action you deem important or timely. The cover letter is a simple way of making the article personally from YOU!

While we work hard to proofread our materials before sending them out to you, there is always a possibility we missed something. If so, simply email or call our office and we will correct it promptly and send you the updated file. We should note that sometimes we get feedback about grammar or punctuation. Because some people are very sensitive (black and white) while others are more casual (shades of gray/grey) in their writing style, we ask that you only provide feedback about grammar or punctuation if it is a major error that would be problematic to 99% of readers . For instance, if there is one extra space between the last word of a sentence and a period, that is not something we will likely correct immediately since it does not impact the overall spirit of the article . However, if we mistaken used the word too instead of to, we would want to know about that. Your image is important to us and we want you to appear as a true professional.      
The call to action at the end of each article should, as a best practice, be relevant to the content of the material. The PDF articles include such calls to action. If you are designing your own materials or using the article in a blog post, you can modify the call to action to make the most sense for you and your purpose. Examples of alternative calls to action may include an invitation to an upcoming seminar or event or a suggested article or website on the issue. You will also want to include a call to action in the P.S. section of your cover letter.      
Sometimes adding additional quotes to an article can be helpful as long as it adds value to the existing material. When adding quotes to an existing article authored by a specific person, it is best practice to include the quote in a separate “call out” box or as a sidebar notation. This way there is no need to get authorization from the author to change the text of the original article.      
Some of the names attributed to quotes are actual clients of the author and have been used with permission. This is why we do not allow for changes to quotes or names when redesigning the materials. Some names have been changed to protect the identity of those who were not available to grant permission at the time the article was written.