Happy Agent Co. - Real Estate Agent Podcast for Women - Hosted by Lindsay Dreyer, Real Estate Coach

5 Offline Real Estate Marketing Strategies That Still Work

• Lindsay Dreyer • Season 1 • Episode 40

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Feeling stuck on the social media hamster wheel? You’re not alone. In this episode, Lindsay Dreyer pulls back the curtain on five offline marketing strategies that actually work for real estate agents who are over the algorithm.

From handwritten notes that feel personal, to pop-bys that don’t suck, to small client appreciation events that spark referrals—you’ll learn how to create simple, human touches that keep you top of mind without spending hours on Canva or stressing about your next Reel.

You’ll walk away with:

  • 5 offline strategies that build real trust and referrals
  • Practical execution tips to make them manageable (no burnout required)
  • A mindset shift from chasing visibility online to cultivating meaningful relationships offline

Whether you’re craving more connection, consistency, or just freedom from the algorithm, this episode is your permission slip to show up differently in your business—and actually enjoy it.

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Speaker 1:

Hello real estate friends, thank you for joining us. I am Lindsay Dreyer, your host. I am a coach, brokerage owner, mom of three, and I love delivering some real talk, real, actionable advice for you. Today we are getting into five offline marketing strategies that actually work, because I really truly believe social media isn't the end all be all when it comes to building a real estate business. We are in a relationship based business and there are still offline strategies that absolutely work.

Speaker 1:

So if you have been telling yourself at least once a week because I know we've all been there I should really post something today, and then you end up spending 45 minutes looking for a real idea Hello, been there. You open up Canva, you start tweaking around exploring templates and then you realize 45 minutes have gone by. Or maybe you're just second guessing everything your caption and then finally you end up just posting that lame, just listed graphic from your brokerage with a caption like hot home alert. Okay, here's the deal. There is absolutely a better way. So if you are feeling like you are over the algorithm which, honestly, I kind of am just over the algorithm we can absolutely build simple, human moments that are going to build trust with your clients. It helps you stay memorable and it also can help spark referrals. So let's get into how you can stay in touch and nurture those relationships offline.

Speaker 1:

I really believe that we have been sold this lie that if you're not visible online, you're going to be forgotten. But in real estate, visibility isn't just about reach, it's about relationships and your clients aren't thinking, wow, I haven't seen a reel from her lately. Let me go see if she's still a real estate agent. They're thinking who do I trust, who shows up for me? Who has made me feel seen and valued the last time we interacted or talked? Offline marketing works because people are tired of being sold to constantly. I don't know about you, but I am over my feed. Honestly, in Instagram and Facebook, it's all just like ads or suggested follows and because of that, real connection is so rare. But because it's so rare, it's remembered. People are going to remember how you made them feel and that they felt valued by you and, honestly, I'm the type of person that I don't want to be on Instagram 24-7. And, truthfully, my clients aren't necessarily on there all the time anyway. So let's talk about how we can create connection, become top of mind without chasing the algorithm, without being on that content hamster wheel.

Speaker 1:

And that brings me to point number one, which are handwritten notes. This one is a classic. Now, if you are a ninja selling guru, it's on the list. This is your ninja nine. Right, you got to send your two handwritten notes a day. But handwritten notes still work and they are a classic for a reason they are intimate, they are unexpected, and it doesn't get lost in a feed. There's no algorithm that's going to block it or decide who it's showing up to. You address it to someone. It is getting delivered to their mailbox and guaranteed it's not going to sit on their counter necessarily for a week. So here is the twist Don't just send thank you cards or gratitude cards, but I really am a big fan of thinking of you notes.

Speaker 1:

I saw this and thought of you notes. Or here's something that I ran across and I thought you would love to notes, so like it could just be like a magazine clipping or a printout of an article or some stickers or literally anything. Now, I don't think that they need to be branded per se, especially if it's like really just like nurturing the relationship. It can be branded if you feel like that's appropriate. But I do feel like being able to just execute quickly is super important. So keeping that stack of your note cards and envelopes on your desk or in your car or wherever you're going to be writing these notes. Also, using your CRM to track birthdays, house-aversaries, key dates in their lives, I will tell you, like kid birthdays, that's a big one that a lot of people don't keep track of. And then you just set your recurring tasks. So maybe you're going to write three notes every Tuesday, and these don't always have to be to clients necessarily, like this could be to people in your sphere, it could be to teachers, it could be to anything Like people like getting meaningful mail or meaningful notes. So this is totally doable and I don't think a lot of agents are doing it, but it is memorable. So if you have an assistant, you could have them pull your weekly list and so that way it's just like ready to go, ready for you. But this is like what I like to say is emotional retargeting. You're popping into their life in a way that is sticky and meaningful.

Speaker 1:

Okay, moving on to number two, which can be a controversial topic, which is pop buys. That don't suck. So a pop buy, I mean if you've been in real estate, you know what a pop buy is. But if you do not know what it is, it is a little gift that says, hey, I just thought of you, not here's like a branded pen or a branded tote and the best pop bys that I have seen feel useful. So it's not junk, seasonal or just plain fun. I know that there's a pop by group on Facebook which I really love. Just like perusing Some of the stuff's a little cheesy, but some of it is actually really great.

Speaker 1:

But some things that I think are not super cheesy and that I think are great are like getting mums or pumpkins for the fall, so like dropping those off at people's doorsteps Valentine's Day little like baskets, so it could be like candy. Or like in with like a little Valentine love beach toys for the summer. Also, who has a dingy old welcome mat? Hello, all of mine are disgusting. So like dropping off like welcome mats could also be a jar of local honey or a candle, or if they have dogs, it could just be like a little dog basket.

Speaker 1:

But it's all about just doing what's manageable for you. So I don't think you have to do this every month, although agents do, which props to you if you do. But this could be just prepping, like 10 to 20 per quarter, and so that way, if you're doing one or two a year for each client, it really depends on the size of your database, but I would say some is better than none. So schedule those delivery dates in your calendar. You can have a showing assistant or just hire like a high school kid to like drop them off. So if you're not planning on like knocking and you're just doing a drop and dash, you could do that Also batching ahead.

Speaker 1:

So you can just like prep all your Popeyes for the year if they're not perishable, like Moms and Pumpkins, obviously and then also making sure that you're segmenting in your CRM who your top referrers are, or your VIPs or past clients, and so you're making sure that you're keeping your list up to date and that you have those people like ready to roll. Even tagging them with like Popeye would be super helpful. The other thing is don't forget your vendors with like pop by would be super helpful. The other thing is don't forget your vendors, so it could be your mortgage professionals, your title, your home inspectors, like they also would probably love to get a pop by. So if you think you could get referrals from them or those are relationships that you want to nurture, like, go ahead and pop by. Other ones can be your kids, teachers, sports coaches, like, just get creative. This doesn't necessarily have to be just your database. The other added bonus is that a lot of times with these offline touches especially with Popeyes is that they make their way onto social media and you get tagged in them. So, yes, this is a no social media showing up offline, but a lot of this showing up offline ends up being online too, so you almost get like a two for one. The meat of this one is that when you show up with something thoughtful, people talk about you, and that's really where referrals are born is like we want to stay top of mind and we want to be thoughtful and thought about.

Speaker 1:

Number three I know for the millennials in the room probably for sure is catch up calls that are not salesy. So this one is not necessarily my favorite, but I do do it and it is free, it is fast and it is powerful. So pick one person a week. Could be a past client, could be a vendor, could be a friend and just call to say hi or, if you don't feel like they're the type of person who would like a call, you could always do a voice note. So this isn't a pitch, this isn't to ask for referrals. This is literally just to connect. So it could be something like hey, you just popped into my head and I was just curious like how are things? Or hey, I just drove past your neighborhood and thought of you, how's life? That's it. Just let them feel that you are a warm person, which hopefully you are, and that you don't have an agenda, and then the trust builds from there. It's so funny because inevitably they always say oh my gosh, I was thinking of you too. It's like the universe is sending psychic signals. So call one person to your Friday checklist or rotate through your top 20 contacts each quarter, and this is again where you can stay organized in your CRM. So maybe you are tagging people Q1 or Q2 or the month, or just quarterly check-in. So however you organize it, it's just important to be organized and I know for so many people I've coached they think that people are annoyed if we call them. But I am telling you like nine times out of 10, if you're not salesy and you don't have an agenda and you're just really calling to connect. They are thrilled and they're so grateful that you called them. So we need to get out of our head and just say hi and check on people, all right.

Speaker 1:

Number four on the showing up offline list is client appreciation events, and these do not have to be expensive. They do not have to be a 200 person gala that costs like $25,000. It is all about small thoughtful gatherings that say I see you and I appreciate you. Now, if you're like me, I have clients who are in a bunch of different life phases. So I have everywhere, from a single woman buying her first place, to a family buying their forever house, to a retiree buying their retirement home or a second home. So what I like to do is divide my clients into buckets where they're similar. So, for example, I will lump together all of my single lady clients into one group. I will lump together all my families with younger kids. Maybe the empty nesters are all together. So I will basically create groups of clients that then I can do small micro appreciation events with. And this is what I'm all about.

Speaker 1:

I'm about micro appreciation events because that gives you the ability to not only be there but also to interact, because I know if I have all of my clients in one place at the same time, it's too overwhelming and I'm not getting quality interactions with any of them. So ideas for these just run the gamut. So, for example, I'm just going to break it down into my example clients. So I have my single lady friends. Maybe I'm doing like a Galentine's Day nail party or a Galentine's Day flower arranging event For my people with young kids. Maybe it's like a babysitting night and I'm just like outsourcing that and I'm hiring a bunch of teenagers and I'm hosting it at my house. Or maybe it's like a dinner party or it could be a family-friendly, like field day or just an outdoor movie night or holiday photos that's a big one with families. For my empty nesters it could be something like a wine tasting or like a hike or really anything that they would want to go and be interested in. So it is all about tailoring something to those microgroups and then executing it.

Speaker 1:

So, if you can, one event per quarter for one microgroup is an awesome goal to have. Or if you want to start somewhere, two per year is a really great way to do it. I also want you to have like your execution plan and make sure that you're executing your 60 days in advance checklist. So it would be your save the date, your invites, the venue, ordering the food if there's food and then making sure that you are inviting people with mail, email and text and phone call. It is a great way to get in touch with people and people need repetition. I know if you send me an invite once, it's probably not getting responded to, so I need to hear it or know that it's going on many times in advance.

Speaker 1:

The other thing is if you use the same theme or the same format each year. So, for example, if you always have Galentine's Day, that's awesome. That can be an amazing tradition and you can also use like the automated invite services like paperless post or evite and I know Canva has like so many great templates for this so people will absolutely remember who invited them, like they're going to know that you throw these incredible awesome parties or events and if, even if they can't make it, you still get credit for it because the gesture builds brand loyalty and these are. It's like a personal VIP invite, like I know I would all. I would feel so honored and excited to go to an intimate gathering of something that was like really fun and had people that were similar to me. So it's really fun, not only to do this for your business but personally. Like so many, personal connections get formed. I know clients of mine have become friends, so it's really rewarding to be able to connect people together at these events.

Speaker 1:

And last, on our showing up offline list is number five, which is direct mail that actually feels like you. So, yes, I'm a firm believer in direct mail. I think it still works, especially if it doesn't feel like a stupid template pulled from 2005. Make it feel like a letter from a friend. It's not a pitch from a stranger. So this could be a monthly postcard with a client story or a tip. It could be a seasonal checklist with home maintenance tips. It could be a seasonal checklist with home maintenance tips. It could be a quick like here's what I'm seeing right now or a local spotlight of a business or a coupon. But I still believe that direct mail works. So execution tips on this plan a quarter at a time.

Speaker 1:

So batch three months of postcards at once, which is the design, the print, the prep. Get it scheduled, also setting those mailing dates on your calendar. So I know for me, our postcard goes out the fourth Tuesday of every month and just making sure that you stick to those dates and you can always use a marketing assistant. But so many of these have schedulers now so you could literally just schedule those three months in advance. So, when everyone else is chasing the algorithm, like you can be quietly building trust in people's actual mailboxes, which I feel like is not very full. Like I know, I get maybe like two or three pieces of mail, so you can absolutely get eyeballs on it and build that reputation and stay top of mind, all right.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about making this all manageable, which I know you're probably like Lindsay oh my god, this sounds like hell. I do not think you need to become a full-time note writer or a full-time gift dropper or full-time event planner. So here's what I recommend. If you're like, ooh, that sounded fun, that's what you should focus on. So, of these five things, maybe there was one or two of them that you were like, ooh, these sound really doable or fun to execute, because fun to execute or fun to plan or fun to be at is so important. So choose one or two of them to focus on each quarter. Also use batching and calendaring so you know when the deadlines are, what needs to be done and if you need to delegate the prep where it's possible, like, go for it Hello my kids, hello teen interns, hello VAs and then just build systems for this the way that you would for social media.

Speaker 1:

It is all about just consistency, because consistency beats complexity every single time. Showing up meaningfully once a month is so much more effective than showing up frantically once a quarter. And this is a big thing I work with with my coaching clients is getting into a cadence of consistency, because once you start operating consistently, it becomes like clockwork and then you can start adding more things. So I wouldn't shoot for the stars. It's like just chew off one or two things, get that going and then feel really good about it going consistently, and then you can add to it. I can tell you I didn't do everything at once when I first started and now all the stuff we execute on a consistent basis is astonishing to me, but it's because I have a team and we've built it up over time.

Speaker 1:

I know what you might be thinking is offline strategies are so old school, but really they are not and you can put your modern spin on them. They are real and they are timeless because they actually work. So when the market is noisy or your energy is low or you're just tired of being on your phone oh my gosh, hello, so tired of that these are the things that will still push your business forward. So here's your challenge Pick one of the five forward. So here's your challenge Pick one of the five. Batch something for the next 30 days, put it on your calendar, and I think that you will find you feel more in control, your clients will feel more connected to you and your business will feel a whole lot more like yours, which isn't this what this is all about. So thank you for tuning in. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. If we are not friends on Instagram or Facebook, go find me Lindsay Dreyer on Facebook and lindsaydreyer on Instagram and until next time, stay happy.

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Lindsay Dreyer

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