Real Estate Internet Marketing: Local Gossip Is Good for Repeat Business

In real estate, customer retention is a long haul proposition. NAR reports that the average American moves once every seven years. Doing an excellent job for your client the first time is not enough. Even the best selling experiences fade with time. An ongoing email newsletter to your existing customers is a cost effective way of staying in touch. And it's cheaper than mailing out refrigerator magnets!

The three biggest challenges to sending a newsletter are: consistency, content, and delivery. I have suggestions in each area.

Consistency: I find consistently putting out a newsletter a great challenge. For me, procrastinating on working on a newsletter is the easiest thing in the world. I hate the thought of sitting down and facing a blank screen every month. Solution #1 – Don't send out the newsletter too often. Kinda obvious, but true. I suggest sending out a quarterly newsletter. There is a fine line between top-of-mind awareness and spam. Err on the side of not being spammy. Next, put the 'Sit down and write it' date in your calendar and treat it just like a meeting with a client. Just do it!

Content: Local gossip is good. I've included a partial list below of topics that you get new information about all the time. Much of it comes through casual conversation and you probably never give it much thought. You may take it for granted, but it is relevant to your clients. As you include relevant information about the local area, you establish yourself as the local expert.