There is a old but improved way to market yourself these days, talking. Yes that is right, good ole chit chat.
I say that this is old because that is how everyone communicated before, cell phones, internet and the like. You saw someone somewhere and would ask them about the weather or family or whatever.
Having just moved from a large city (San Antonio) to a smaller one (Pleasanton), people in SA forgot how to converse. And don't get me wrong SA is a friendly town but people just don't talk. It doesn't have to be much, especially in Pleasanton, where people will chat about anything.
Just waiting in line at the grocery store people will strike up a conversation with anyone willing. I find this is the best time to market myself. I will usually bring up something about real estate, whether it is the interest rates, land prices, or whatever. The thing for me is that I always keep business cards handy and keep myself approachable.
Living in a smaller town I will run into the same people more often. When I tell them about myself and real estate the next time I see them I will usually get asked about land we had listed in the paper or our website.
What I have found that works is the face-time you get with people that really sticks in their memory. I've been at a functions before with friends on my mail-out list and they won't remember the marketing material I sent them. But find a stranger in the post office line chit chat about real estate and then see them again a month later in the grocery store and they will ask how is real estate going, or any new listings?
Word of mouth advertising is still the number one way to get your name out there, especially if you start the conversation.
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