I give credit to every real estate agent who makes an effort to keep in contact with current and past clients. They understand something important, which is that regardless of how much our clients like us, life gets in the way and we can't just assume they'll remember to call us in 3, 5 or 7 years, when it's time to sell that home.

(Not to mention send us their referrals along the way, which really takes front of mind presence.)

So I feel especially bad when I run into agents who understand the concept, but are spending good money on efforts that send an ineffective message. They've almost got it right! But they're not benefiting from it, and usually neither are their clients.

Case in point:
I just ran into an agent who sends out postcards to her previous clients every 3 months, of the pastoral scene or seasonal/patriotic motif variety. Each one has a short inscription on the back that's in poem form, reminding the recipients to call her for their real estate needs.

Now, I'm not saying this to be mean - and in fact, I have no right to, because I have sent out some stinkers myself.

(What rushes immediately to mind is a long-ago Thanksgiving season mailing, prepared by me, that inexplicably recounted the history of turkeys, Thanksgiving, turkey trivia and heaven knows what else. I do know I managed to throw in a quote from Benjamin Franklin, the number for a Turkey Baking Disaster Hotline, and a few other items equally strongly associated with Seattle-area real estate.)

To use a Dave Barry line, kind of makes you want to lie down on the couch and yell for someone to bring you a cold beer, doesn't it?

Anyway, back to someone else…
The problem with the postcard example I gave is that effectively the message she's sending is this: "Hello, still alive, and still in real estate."

That's fine if you combine this type of marketing with something substantial that meets your clients' needs to maximize their real estate investments. But if this is all or most of what you do don't be surprised if they look elsewhere when it comes time for a serious transaction.

It's not that they don't care about you. But consider this. What do you think is the one common denominator of nearly every real estate client, in absolutely every market?

Across the board, the number one common denominator is a shortage of time.

The less time we have, the more we are forced to concentrate our attention on items at the top of our priority heap. And items at the top of your clients' heap will always be those that are about them, not you.

If you want your message to hit home, make it about them! Yes, they need to know you're a good person, but that only helps them if you're also an expert in real estate. That's the priority message.

So find ways to show them that you know your stuff, by helping them to maximize the value, safety and enjoyment they get from their current or future homes. Good examples are market reports, remodeling trend updates, how-to tips, and home safety information.

When you provide this type of information consistently, you become your clients' expert resource - the obvious go-to person for all of their real estate needs.

By the way, if you want to send something that's not industry-related but still useful and about them, try looking up local events online and sending your clients a list of your top picks each month. If you send a postcard you can have the events on one side and a short housing market update on the back. (See, you're nice and an expert!)

When you handle your marketing this way, everybody gets a good return on their investment: You, on the time and expense you put into your sending your message, and your clients on the time they spend reading it.