It may seem odd to be writing about calendars in April. But we’re not talking about the typical yearly calendar, or even about the practice of sending out real estate calendars as promotional items (which can be a great strategy!).

Instead, what we want to talk about today is why you should have a real estate marketing idea calendar, and how it can help you stay on top of your marketing all year long.

Before we get started, let’s clarify a little terminology. A marketing idea calendar is not the same thing as a marketing plan, which is usually created in December or January and lays out the campaigns and marketing strategies you want to use for the coming year. In an ideal world, that one document would be all you need to get your marketing done for the year.

Unfortunately, the real world doesn’t always work that way, which is where a marketing idea calendar can come in handy. Setting one up usually requires a bit of time up front, but makes it much easier to get your marketing done on the fly for the rest of the year.

Here’s how it works: grab a calendar. In most cases, they’ll come with standard holidays already marked (if not, fill in all the big holidays). Then, write down all the other occasions you could use to reach out to potential clients: the start of daylight savings (both fall and spring); the start of baseball season and football season (plus soccer or hockey, if those are popular in your area); the first official day of spring/ summer/ fall/ winter; the start and end of the school year; local holidays or events that are widely celebrated.

Then, as you go through the year and find yourself with a stack of prospects you’d like to reach out to, you’ve got a calendar full of ready-made reasons to reach out.

Let’s say you have a list of hot prospects you’ve met so far this year. You’ve already sent out a prospecting postcard, but you want to keep in touch without sending out another sales message so soon. By checking the calendar, you’ll see that you’ve got the perfect opportunity to send out a baseball schedule magnet – a high-value promotional item that you know will have longevity. And if you want to catch them again in a couple of weeks, you can have a Mother’s Day postcard campaign ready to roll out.

With just a little bit of time invested up front, a real estate marketing idea calendar will keep you on time with your marketing all year round.v