Accompanied by an amused expression, I get asked that question from time to time by other real estate agents. Well... so I can talk about what's going on in Tucson Foothills real estate, and people who are interested in that can read about it, if they want to. It's how I market myself too, at least I think so.
But I'm also hooked on it. Because it's fun and because I learn a lot by researching and writing about what I've observed out on the street.
At the beginning I used to do postcard mailings, but you can't fit much on a postcard. And by the time you figure out what you want to say and have them printed and stamped and mailed, and they arrive in peoples mailboxes, it's at least ten days. And by then, if it's news you're sending, it's old news, and if it's fluff, which it probably is, who cares. Most people just toss that stuff anyway. I know I do.
Postcards seem to lend themselves to those short fluffy self promotion pieces, "I just sold..." or, "Homes are selling in your neighborhood, for a free ...... just call me"
Or how about those recipe postcards. Just what you need from your agent, chocolate chip cookie recipes. mmm-mmm good
Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure that even the most basic market information, delivered regularly via a blog, is more useful, and hopefully more appreciated, than a new cookie recipe.
But when I was a beginner I too mailed postcards, because I saw the other agents were all doing it, or so I was told, so I figured that's the thing to do, it must work. But I swear, I never sent a cookie recipe.
Eventually though, I didn't care whether it worked or not, it felt useless and I was embarrassed sending people this fluff stuff.
So I stopped doing it. And while we're on that (bygone) era, does anyone really still use the newspaper or a magazine to shop for a house.
On the other hand, many agents that do a lot more business than me, still like and use postcards and newspaper ads. And for them,
I guess it works. It just doesn't work for me.
But when other agents ask why..., I know better than to go on about it like that, so usually I just say, "cause I ran out of cookie recipes"
And that's the end of that discussion.
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