Thoughts on Real Estate Marketing…

There seems to be some debate over how often a real estate agent should reach out to his or her sphere of influence. Some say monthly, some say no, that’s way too often. Quarterly is better.

So how often should you contact people? It depends.

If you’re reaching out to ask for business or ask for referrals, quarterly is probably as often as they’ll want to hear from you. More often and you’ll be seen as a pest.

But what if you offer something of value instead?

You know that almost everyone is interested in the real estate market. Even those who rent want to know about the selling prices of homes in their neighborhood. So why not take the time to compile a brief over-view of what’s been happening in the market over the past 30, 60, or 90 days?

Why not go a step farther and compare it to what the news commentators are telling people about the market nationally? Not everyone realizes that real estate is local – not national. Even the state of the economy is local rather than national.

Think of how many communities you know of that have been “depressed” for the last 30 years or more – and contrast them to communities that are still thriving in spite of the current state of the economy.

Real estate trends follow the economic trends, but in some areas, real estate sales follow trends in some other area. In small rural towns that offer privacy, fresh air, and low crime rates, the real estate trends follow boom sales times in heavily populated metropolitan areas.

Explain some of that to your sphere of influence – they will be interested.

But perhaps you don’t want to do the same thing month after month.

Try sending your market report quarterly, and send something else in between.

You could create an actual newsletter – sharing information about businesses coming and going, local events, people in the community who have taken new positions, and of course, your new listings. In a newsletter you can include tips for home fix-up, or winterization. Or, you can include tips for buyers.

When I wrote a monthly newsletter for my company, I always included a few quotes that I loved, and sometimes a column of simple reflections. Once I wrote about my favorite Autumn sights and smells.

The good part – people used to call and thank me for including them in my mailing.

The most important thing is that you don’t just ask, and ask, and ask.

Give them something in return for keeping you at the top of their list of real estate agents to call and to refer. Whether it’s information they can use or simply entertainment, make your messages the kind that people look forward to reading.

That’s when they’ll open your mail (or e-mail) and that’s when you’ll gain that coveted “top of mind” position with the people in your sphere of influence.