We Are GaREIA Issue 3, September/October 2015 | Page 9

willing to wait for your payoff. For example, many real estate investors tout
bandit signs as one of the cheapest (they can be free – I know a “guru” who
makes his using old moving boxes to this day) and most effective methods out
there when it comes to lead generation. However, they are time consuming
because you have to stake them out and pick them up and they don’t work the
same way in every market. With bandit signs, you need to allow time to refine
your message so that it resonates with motivated sellers in your market and then
you need to allow time for those sellers to see your signs and start calling. They
might start calling tomorrow, but it could take a few weeks or even, in some
cases, months. Determine how long your free, creative strategy is worth in terms of
experimentation, and then be ruthless. Cut it off if you don’t have your predetermined
definition of success in hand at the deadline.

Before you think I’m slamming the creative spirit in general, let me be clear: I love
free, creative marketing. I just don’t think that every single real estate investor
should be writing a monthly ebook, for example, or painting artistic murals in
public spaces in order to promote their business (yes, both of these are presented
as legitimate, viable ideas for every investor online). Creativity in marketing has its
place, but you must not sacrifice effectiveness in order to get it. What works for
one investor may work for you, but what is working for 1,000 investors is more
likely to work for you. Think about it: would you choose mural-painting or bandit
signs if you had to bet on just one marketing method? Most ideas fall somewhere
in the middle between these two extremes and, in many cases, will work when
diligently applied. Just be prepared to take yourself and your marketing seriously
so that you can get serious results.

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