‘Unfiltered’: Don’t fall for ‘the big lie’ about marketing 

Editor's note: The Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered podcast explores the people and forces that shape the real estate industry. Check out our top takeaways and this episode from NextHome co-CEOs James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the Real Estate Insiders podcast belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.

On this episode of Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered, relationship marketing strategist Luke Acree delves into the underrated value of an agent's database and explains why checking in with clients — even "just to say hello" — can make a difference.

In the ReminderMedia president's experience, there is no "secret formula" for real estate marketing. "There are principles that work, but the best marketing is the most targeted," he said.

Communicating with clients directly — and often — is vital. "The reason why I'm so adamant about at least touching base with your client base and your key relationships once a quarter is because now your email stands out in the inbox; now your ad actually is seen," Acree explained.

Which marketing strategy 'really works'? It's simple: "Actually talk to your database," Acree urged. "That will solve all your problems."

Call clients on the phone, meet them for coffee or engage in another way that feels casual and comfortable. For relationship marketing to work, an agent-client connection needs to exist first.

"What people fail to understand about marketing," Acree said, "is all the other money you spend — from billboards to shopping cart ads to magazines to postcards to everything else you do — gets amplified 10x when you have the actual human-to-human connection."

So how can agents accomplish this? Acree recommends calling five clients every day and spending five minutes on the phone catching up with each. By doing this, an agent can cover about 80% of their database within about a month while strengthening their client relationships.

Don't fall for the big marketing 'lie': Every agent should have multiple client connection touchpoints, such as emails, flyers and in-person events — and they shouldn't worry about overdoing it. 

"The big lie out there is, people think they can overcommunicate," Acree said, which is actually "so hard" to do. Not communicating enough, on the other hand, is "so easy."

Interrupt the pattern: It's also easy for real estate professionals to fall into the same marketing patterns. "The real key in marketing is, you've got to cut through the noise," Acree said.

As an example, he cited an ad Coinbase aired during Super Bowl LVI that featured nothing but a QR code bouncing across the screen. The "incredibly popular" ad worked because "it was a pattern interrupt," Acree explained.

In 2025, print ads can serve as pattern interrupts in a digital-first world. "Don't underestimate the power of print when it comes to the ability to have ad recall, make an emotional connection and also trigger the frequency illusion, where they see you on their coffee table every day," he said.

Learn to live with rejection: An agent won't win every client they try to land — but rejection is part of the job. "That silent pride of caring what someone thinks just kills," Acree said.

Staying focused is key to handling the kind of rejection that's common in real estate. Every agent should identify a couple of "accountability partners" to help stay on goal and keep moving forward, Acree suggested. "Choose the one or two people that you will allow in — and those people you make a commitment to listen to," he said. "Those people need to know what you're supposed to do and hold you to it."