One of the most common questions we get asked is, “What is the most important thing to consider when I set out on a postcard marketing campaign for my real estate farm?” If you don’t know the answer to this question, don’t feel bad. Like I said, we have people ask us this all the time. The most important key to any real estate postcard farming campaign is simply CONSISTENCY.

Why should I focus on consistency above and beyond all else in my real estate postcard farming? There are two main reasons that consistency is critical to the success of your real estate marketing programs.

1) It is simply IMPOSSIBLE to force somebody to sell their home

Unfortunately, whether you like it or not, you simply can’t force someone to sell their home. This presents an interesting problem. How can you market to people that “you know” are getting ready to sell their home? It’s simple. You cannot. I know there are companies out there that claim they have a “proprietary algorithm” that will predict which people in your farm area are most likely to sell their home in the next three, six, or whatever months. Don’t believe it.

At the end of the day, the only thing that is going to get you results is good, old fashioned elbow grease. Enter consistency. If you consistently market to somebody month, after month, after month, you will burn your brand in their minds as someone that specializes in real estate in their area. Then, when the need to sell their home, or buy another one arises, whenever that time may be, you will be at the forefront of their mind, as they consider who they should call for a listing appointment.

2) There are likely 99 other Realtors® in your farm area trying to get the same listings you are

Whether there are 99 other Realtors in your farm area, or three to four, the same logic applies here. The typical homeowner is going to contact three Realtors® for listing appointments when they are ready to get their home on the market. The purpose of marketing yourself in a farm area is to get the chance to win that listing. The only way you are going to win that listing is to get invited to do a listing appointment with the homeowner.

If you are inconsistent with your marketing, a homeowner may overlook you as a candidate for a listing appointment. This could happen for many reasons:

• Perhaps the homeowner doesn’t consider you a “big fish,” as you mail infrequently, bringing up concerns of the budget you would put forward to market their home.
• Perhaps the homeowner doesn’t think you are experienced enough to get the results they are looking for. If you never send out proof of production cards (e.g. Just Listed, Just Sold, Client Testimonials, etc.), how would a homeowner know you are very good at what you do?
• Perhaps you just haven’t been consistent enough, so much so that the homeowner doesn’t think of you when they think real estate. In this case, they’ll most likely be calling three other agents whose postcards show up in their mailbox regularly.

How Can I Get Consistent With My Marketing?

Like I’ve said numerous times, in this article alone, real estate is hard. Working for yourself and trying to wear all the hats can be very difficult. To those ends, here are a few tips you should consider when preparing your real estate farming campaigns with the best practices in mind:

1. Plan ahead. By definition, you have too much work on your plate. Not preparing ahead of time all but guarantees you are going to miss a marketing deadline, therefore losing your consistency.

2. Do your research. Consistency means nothing if you are not giving the people what they want. Do your research, define the personas of the ideal clients in your marketplace and base your content around that research.

3. Remember that this is not a single battle, but a war. Geographic farming in real estate is a long term process. Many Realtors® don’t consider this, and after a few months into it, they generally get discouraged and quit marketing to the farm. The problem with this is that the money they spent in the beginning simply becomes wasted funds. Besides being expensive and a waste, this does not make for a consistent marketing plan.

4. Hire a firm to help you with your marketing. Of course, I could be called a bit biased on this particular tip, but the fact of the matter is that there are some things that you simply shouldn’t have to learn. If you pair yourself with a Marketing Partner (NOT a vendor) that is committed to your success, this is one of those things you should offload.

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