Some things in life require preventative maintenance: Rotating your tires. Getting your oil changed. Cleaning your air filter. Staying on top of your car’s needs can prevent more serious breakdowns, and save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Your business is the same way. If you don’t stay on top of the little things, you can run into serious problems down the road. Think of real estate marketing as basic maintenance for your business. Take care of your marketing, and your marketing will take care of you.
Real estate business cards are one of the most basic elements of your marketing plan, the thing that most real estate professionals put in place first. But once you have them in hand, it’s easy to go on autopilot and hand them out without ever stopping to look at them. If it’s been a couple of years since you first designed your cards, it’s time to look closely and see if your business cards are in need of a tune-up.
- Check the photo. It might seem like a pain to get a new head shot. But if you’re handing out a real estate business card with a photo, then an outdated pic of you with huge shoulder pads and huger hair isn’t doing you any favors. Luckily, the photo doesn’t always have to be professionally done: with today’s trend toward more casual business attitudes, any reasonably professional candid can work.
- Verify your contact information. A business card can’t do you any good if the information on it is wrong. It’s especially important to verify the information is accurate if you’ve changed your email, phone number, or address in the last year, but even if you haven’t you should still double-check the details. It’s very easy to miss a small mistake like transposed numbers or a missing letter. This is also a good time to evaluate what information needs to be on the card. Do you really still need a fax number listed, or do people who need to send a fax call first?
- Look at your social media options. Not all real estate professionals are active on social media, and most are not yet finding new clients through Twitter or Pinterest. However, social media does have an undeniable role in keeping in touch with past clients. You don’t want to overcrowd your card with too many contact details, but it’s worth it to spend some time thinking about how your clients are contacting you these days, and how they prefer to maintain a relationship.
Consider an upgrade. Just because they’re basic doesn’t have to mean they’re boring! Consider upgrading to an ultra thick real estate business card, or a foil-stamped design. And if you want to really stand out from the card, you can switch to a square business card or even a Keller Williams WOW! business card for added oomph.