Real Estate Marketing (and All Marketing) Requires Patience

A common misconception that we often see from agents ramping up their marketing efforts is that they should be crushing it only a month or two into their marketing campaign.

This is something we see from new Realtors and veterans alike. On one hand, I understand their frustration. These days, we live in an "immediate gratification" society. The Internet has sped things up, so much so that things like ordering a product online and receiving it on your doorstep is even a same-day activity.

The problem when you expand this expectation into different facets of your life is that it doesn't always work out. In this case, marketing is exactly one of those things. Marketing and building your business require persistence and patience. As frustrating as this can be, it actually works to your advantage in the long run.

Today, I'll share a couple reasons why the fact that marketing success isn't an instant gratification process can work to your advantage, and why when you get frustrated about this, you need to stay on course and have faith.

Why it's a good thing that real estate marketing takes time, patience and persistence to pay off

When meeting with Realtors, we always explain that whether they are embarking on a postcard marketing campaign, a Facebook digital farming campaign, or even a door knocking campaign, farming is a process. Agents are going to be spending their hard earned money on these initiatives, so it's understandable that they would push back a little against this reality.

The truth, however, is that this is the best possible thing for you. How? It's easy. The fact that these things take time and persistence work in your favor because most people don't have the patience. So if you keep your head down, do what you are supposed to be doing and stick with it, you will outlast your competitors in your marketplace—thereby becoming the top producer in your farm.

Besides that, consider that you don't want the barrier of entry into real estate to be too easy. If it were truly just as simple as "send one or two marketing pieces in the mail and you will get all the listings," you'd see everyone want to become a real estate agent, and you'd have even more competition than the already huge number of competitors you are facing on a daily basis.

So the next time someone suggests marketing takes time to become established, remember that time represents a tangible advantage you can exploit—if you are willing to do the work.

Basic, core reasons real estate marketing success doesn't happen overnight

Still need some convincing on why your real estate marketing campaigns are a marathon and not a sprint? Let's examine two core thoughts and behaviors of homeowners in your marketplace that illustrate why instant success just isn't a reality.

1. You cannot force somebody to sell their home

It's true. The reality of the situation is you are going to be marketing your real estate practice and spreading your brand to a bunch of homeowners that currently have no need for your services. Remember, you aren't selling a pair of shoes or a Keurig coffee maker on Amazon.com. You are selling houses. Big transactions like that don't happen overnight. You cannot hold a gun to somebody's head and make them sell their home, so the trick here is that you want to be top of mind when that homeowner does finally decide that they want to sell their home.

How do you do this? Being relentlessly consistent in touching them regularly with marketing materials, so when they do become ready, they will think to call you for a listing appointment first.

2. Homeowners tend to have the attention span of mosquitoes these days

I do not mean this in a bad way. Homeowners are not ignorant. They are inundated. They are inundated with mass media, social media, print media and just about every other distraction you can imagine. (Did I mention yet that they are also getting tons of conflicting marketing messages from your competition?)

Because of this, when you start marketing in a new farm area, it takes time for homeowners to immediately think of you when they think of real estate. In fact, it could take 6-8 times of seeing your marketing pieces before it actually sinks in. So if you are doing a smart postcard farming campaign and sending cards to your farm once a month, that means six to eight months of ramp up to get them to remember that you are a Realtor.

If your budget permits, you can of course hedge that bet and try to speed things up by touching them more often. Many agents we work with, for example, will touch homeowners two to three times per month for the first three of four months of a new campaign, giving themselves every opportunity to be able to win early. No matter how you do it, though, the point is that it takes time to get inside the heads of homeowners.

It is understandable that if you are embarking on a marketing program and spending your own hard-earned cash that you want results as quickly as possible. But remember these key facts I've shared today so you stay the course, make the transition from "secret agent" to "real estate area thought leader" in the minds of homeowners in your farm, and win all the listings.

As they say, "Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy." The same is true with growing your real estate practice, so get out there and crush it today!

To view the original article, visit the Leading Agent blog.