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With regular maintenance, it’s easy to take care of your knives. Discover our top tips for knife care along with a handy guide for sharpening and honing your blades for the best performance.  How to Take Care of a KnifeThe quality collections of kitchen knives from LifeLong Gifts™ are carefully crafted from high-carbon German steel to last a lifetime. Superior to stainless steel in that they hold a sharper edge and resist deformation, the blades of carbon steel knives do require regular care and maintenance for the best performance. Learn how to care for a knife the right way with these kitchen knife care tips. Plus, discover how to sharpen and hone your kitchen cutlery to keep the blades sharp and in premium condition.  Kitchen Knife Care TipsRegardless of what type of kitchen knives you own, basic knife care and maintenance is paramount to extending their life and keeping the blades sharper longer. Following are our top knife care tips to keep your blades in optimal shape. Whether you own Damascus kitchen knives, Chef’s knives, Santoku knives, an Ulu knife, or simply an everyday set of kitchen knives, these valuable pointers will ensure you always make the perfect cut!
How to Keep Knives SharpA sharp knife is a safe knife. In addition to the knife care tips previously mentioned, you can also keep your knives in tip-top shape with regular honing and sharpening.  How to Hone a Kitchen KnifeYou may recall having seen professional chefs using a honing steel. This rod is made of either steel, diamond-coated steel or ceramic. Unlike a knife sharpener, a honing steel won’t sharpen the knife blade. As no steel is removed from the edge when it is used. Despite this, honing does play an important role in regular knife maintenance and care. So, what does honing do? And why is it associated with knife sharpening? With regular use, the edge of your knife blade will start to bend. A honing steel straightens the edge back to the correct angle for proper alignment. To hone a knife blade, place it against the base of the honing rod. Then place the blade along the steel at a 20°-22° angle. Slide it diagonally away from yourself while holding the honing rod in a fixed position. This action is then completed between 5 and ten times per side of the knife blade. Using a honing steel correctly, however, does require some level of both skill and practice. For this reason, LifeLong Gifts™ offers an everyday sharpener for your kitchen knives. This tool hones the blade of your carbon steel cutlery. It also sharpens the blade at the same time, by removing a very small amount of steel to account for small nicks.  How to Sharpen Kitchen KnivesThe everyday knife sharpener makes it a breeze for even beginners to sharpen a knife. This fool-proof method eliminates the need to hold the blade at a precise angle. It also takes the guesswork out of trying to figure out the proper way to use a whetstone. To sharpen a knife with a handheld knife sharpener, follow these easy steps:
 Knife Care and Maintenance FAQHave additional questions on how to properly take care of a knife? We’ve got you covered! Following are answers to common questions on knife care and maintenance. Why Won’t My Knives Stay Sharp?There are several reasons that your knives won’t stay sharp. The angle you use when making cuts as well as the surface material you are cutting on both determine how quickly knives may dull. When sharpening knives on a whetstone, it’s important to sharpen them at the proper angle. Otherwise, your kitchen cutlery may take longer to sharpen. There's also the potential to dull the blade. If the angle is too high, it will take longer to sharpen the blades. Additionally, if you rock the blade during sharpening, you’ll end up with a dull rounded edge. Likewise, not using a cutting board, or using the wrong type of cutting board, can also dull the blade faster. We recommend using a wood cutting board, like these cherry cutting boards, to extend the life of the blade between sharpening.  Further, the materials in which the blades are made also impact how quickly it dulls. Stainless-steel knives, for example, dull faster than carbon steel knives which are made from a harder material than stainless. In general, knives forged from harder materials hold an edge longer. Therefore, if you find you are having to sharpen your stainless-steel knives more often than you like, consider upgrading to a higher quality set of carbon steel kitchen knives. Will a Dishwasher Dull Knives?The harsh detergents, water and extreme temperatures of a dishwasher will not only damage the handle of your knives, but they can also dull and warp the blade. We therefore recommend that you always hand wash your kitchen knives. Do Knives Dull in Water?Leaving your knives soaking in water is never a good idea. Not only is it dangerous to leave a knife in a sink, but the water also has the potential to damage the blade. Not only is there an increased possibility of the blade rusting, but it will almost always cause the handle to degrade. In addition, most stainless-steel blades result in microscopic loss of metal when left to soak. Leaving a knife in water may cause the blade to dull more quickly. However, it can also cause more serious damage — and safety issues — that you want to avoid.  Should I Oil Kitchen Knives?It’s a good idea to oil your carbon steel kitchen knives a few times a year to help prevent rust and corrosion. Oiling knives can also help to condition the metal and keep the blade sharp depending on the type of oil used. How Often Should You Oil A Knife?To properly maintain an expensive kitchen knife, it’s recommended that you oil carbon steel knives after each use. Stainless steel knives, on the other hand, can be oiled once or twice weekly. What Oil Do You Use for Knives?There are several types of oil you can use on your kitchen knives. We recommend that you use synthetic oil as it lubricates the blade, resists dust and won’t go rancid like natural oils, such as olive oil. Food grade knife oil is non-toxic, odorless, and flavorless, making it the best option. You can also use food grade mineral oil. If you prefer to use a natural oil, then we suggest using camellia seed oil. This natural oil is similar in composition to fractionated coconut oil. It is odorless and flavorless and has a lengthy shelf-life. However, unlike other natural oils, it won’t make the blades feel greasy or go rancid. Nor will it leave behind a sticky residue.  Are Dull Kitchen Knives More Dangerous?Using dull knives can be more dangerous than using a sharp knife. While you can get cut with a sharp blade, these wounds are generally not as deep or as serious as those caused by a dull knife. The reason being is that you need to use more force than usual when making cuts. Therefore, should the knife slip, the resulting injury is more severe due to the additional pressure that was used. Can You Clean a Knife with Rubbing Alcohol?As most steel is non-porous, it’s not necessary to sterilize a knife after use. Typically, rinsing and drying a knife before food has a chance to stick is sufficient. However, you can use 70% isopropyl (or rubbing) alcohol to clean and sterilize the blade if desired. To clean a knife with rubbing alcohol, just wipe the blade with alcohol, then put it away. There’s no need to rinse or dry the blade afterwards. However, it is important to note that alcohol is a solvent. As such, it will remove any oils from the surface of the steel blade. Therefore, you may want to oil your blade after sterilizing to help prevent corrosion.  Why Do High Carbon Steel Knives Discolor?The blades of carbon steel knives tend to tarnish and develop a blue-gray or purplish patina over time. This happens when the blade is exposed to either air or acids. This type of oxidization is common and no cause for concern. While rust will damage your blades, patina does not. It can also aid in the prevention of damaging rust. Foods that promote discoloration include fatty fish and meat, fruits and acidic or alkaline vegetables. How Do You Remove Oxidation from a Knife?Sometimes, despite all precautions and proper knife care, high carbon steel knives do rust. If your blades develop rust or tarnish, there are several methods you can employ to remove oxidation from your knives. Here is how to remove oxidation from a knife:
Regardless of what method you choose to remove oxidation from a knife, we do recommend that you apply a lubricant to the blade afterwards. Oiling your knife is an important step in knife care and maintenance to help prevent future or further rusting.  Where to Buy Custom Kitchen KnivesWe hope these knife care tips instruct you on the proper use and care of a kitchen knife. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a new kitchen knife set, or if you need personal or corporate gift ideas, be sure to check out the line of custom kitchen knives from LifeLong Gifts™.
Just as the name implies, LifeLong Gifts™ offers superior-quality, heirloom-worthy products designed to last a lifetime. Fall in love with our engraved kitchen cutlery, custom cutting boards, wood wine gift boxes and more! Shop this unique line of luxury gifts today. Or sign up to receive the latest deals and promotions. Like any business, you need a solid marketing plan to flourish. This can be a challenge for both new and established agents. However, once you understand how to create a real estate marketing plan to grow your business, you’ll quickly realize how effective it is to make advertising a priority.  Marketing Plan for Real Estate AgentsThe adage that you must spend money to make money still rings true regardless of your industry. But how and where is that money best spent? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the advertising choices that now exist with the ever-evolving digital age. That’s where we can help! Our step-by-step 12-month real estate marketing plan instructs you on how to use print media marketing to grow your client base. So, you make real connections that generate referrals down the road. By automating your real estate marketing strategy using our magnets for marketing, tools and tips, you can effectively advertise your real estate business without taking on more work than necessary. In addition, you’ll also learn how to incorporate print media into a simple marketing plan for real estate agents that works! Our direct mail marketing methods have a proven success rate with a high ROI (return on investment.) Let us put our 30+ years of real estate marketing experience to work for you! Keep reading to learn more about how to develop a real estate business plan to strengthen your marketing. Plus, discover our easy, print media marketing template that spells out when to connect with your target audience and what to send them.  What Is a Marketing Plan in Real Estate?A real estate marketing plan is an outline for a course of action to promote your real estate business. It details your annual sales goals and growth opportunities. In addition, this guide also describes the specific steps to take throughout the course of the year to advertise your services, develop new leads and gain referrals from your existing client base. As real estate marketing is heavily dependent on referrals from word-of-mouth endorsements, it’s important that your business plan gives you credibility in addition to familiarizing others with your brand. How Do I Write a Real Estate Marketing Plan?This overview guides you on how to create a real estate marketing plan for your business. We also provide information on how much to spend on your advertising when formulating your advertising budget. Research Your Industry Research your industry and review your competition. Then identify your target audience and farming areas. (Real estate farming is also known as real estate prospecting.) You want to consider demographics, or who your customer is, as well as psychographics, the reasons why your client base may buy or sell a home. Once you’ve done this, use this information to help you develop a strong mission statement that speaks to your core audience and helps you stand out from your competitors. Some of the questions you should ask yourself include:
Determine Sales GoalsAfter you’ve researched your target audience, you now need to set a sales goal for the year. (You can also set monthly and quarterly goals depending on what works best for you.) To do this, look back on past years sales as well as the current market. Then use this information to make an estimated guess as to the sales volume and commission you think you can make over the course of the year.  Set a Detailed Real Estate Marketing BudgetOnce you’ve set a sales goal, it’s time to determine an advertising budget for your real estate marketing plan. Figuring out how much your annual sales revenue should go toward your marketing budget may seem daunting at first. However, there are basic guidelines to help you get started. The average amount most businesses spend on advertising is between 2% and 12% of net revenue. Small businesses typically spend a smaller percentage of their net income on marketing. However, if you are a new business trying to gain traction, then you’ll want to spend more on advertising while you work toward becoming established. The amount spent is also determined by your industry. B2B (business to business) companies generally allot 2-5% toward advertising. Whereas B2C (business to consumer) industries normally spend between 5% and 10% on marketing expenses. Your budget encompasses more than just the cost of branded marketing products and advertisements. When allocating money for a real estate marketing plan, you need to consider the different types of advertising along with all associated costs. These include, but aren’t limited to, the following:
How Much Should REALTORS® Spend on Marketing? Finding the right amount to spend on your marketing as a REALTOR® largely depends on your income. Obviously, new agents have less funds to spend than those who are already established. While the 2-12% is provided as a guide, most real estate agents spend an average of 10% of their commission income on their advertising efforts. Analyze Past Real Estate Marketing StrategiesLooking back on past marketing strategies to determine what worked in the past — or what didn’t — can help you choose what direction go for the new year. By analyzing what worked previously and seeing where you can make improvements, you can help you form a more successful marketing plan going forward. You can then use your past performance as a starting point for expanding on profitable campaigns to make them even more effective.  Create a Real Estate Marketing CalendarOnce you’ve determined your marketing budget, use this information to create a marketing calendar for your real estate business. This calendar will outline the type of media used for each day/week/month of the year as well as how it’s to be distributed. Track Your ProgressOnce you put your marketing plan into action, you need to track your progress. Track your sales and overall ad performance as well as advertising costs. You should then make changes or updates as needed. If something’s not working, figure out why. Then either adapt it to perform better or scrap it for another alternative. Now that you have the basics of creating a real estate agent marketing plan, keep reading to discover how to use print media marketing for your services. You’ll also find our template for creating a real estate marketing plan specifically for print media marketing.  What is Print Media Marketing?Print media advertising consists of physically printed materials that you used to communicate with and market to an audience. These materials include newspapers, magazines, postcards, billboards, and brochures. It may also include other physical products such as custom magnets that are branded with the company logo and information. Why is Print Marketing Important to a Real Estate Business Plan?Print media is a classic marketing strategy in real estate. However, it continues to work despite the digital age. Even better, it can be used to complement your other advertising strategies to keep you top-of-mind. Not only does print media have a high ROI, but you’re practically guaranteed a high engagement rate. Where you may struggle with your email open rate or social media likes, print marketing doesn’t face the same challenges. There’s also less competition. Not only do 86% of consumers read their mail, but direct mail marketing has shown a 10% increase in new customers when utilized as a marketing activity. As print mediums are tangible, they are a more durable and longer lasting option than digital media. They are also more likely to reintroduce the consumer to your advertisement through repetition. By incorporating our print media real estate marketing plan you’re your advertising strategy, you’ll not only save time and stay on budget, but you’ll also see increased growth over time. Once you’ve learned how to create a real estate marketing plan, you should allocate a percentage of your advertising budget to print media. Why is Repetition Key to Real Estate Marketing?Applying your branding across all your print media materials helps to reinforce your brand. Just like with digital marketing, your target audience will start to recognize you immediately as they are repeatedly exposed to your real estate agent marketing efforts. Repetition branding can mean bigger profits, better name recognition and more referrals. With this in mind, we recommend sending out at least four promotional items of value throughout the year.  12-Month Real Estate Marketing PlanFollowing is our template for a 12-month real estate marketing plan for print media. This plan breaks down the steps to take each quarter to follow up with your target audience and make new connections to gain leads. Just like in retail, it’s important create a marketing plan for real estate a quarter ahead. This gives you ample time to schedule out your strategy based off the prior year’s results. It also allows for the time it takes for print materials to be produced and mailed out to prospects and clients. This ensures materials arrive in a timely manner and your advertising doesn’t miss a beat. First Quarter Marketing Plan for Real Estate Baseball SchedulesBaseball season starts each year either in late March or early April. Therefore, magnetic baseball schedules are the perfect way to kickstart your advertising for Q2. To ensure your baseball schedule magnets arrive in customers’ hands before the season starts, we recommend that you place your order as early as possible in Q1. Not only does this allow adequate time to customize your sports schedules and ship them, but it also guarantees you the best pricing. Pre-orders for our baseball team magnets start around mid-December with the absolute best product deals. If you need to increase your spending before the end of the year, this is a great opportunity to get additional tax deductions along with significant savings. Otherwise, baseball team sports schedules for the current year officially launch in January. As the season starts around the same time as Q2, we advise you purchase these products in January, but no later than February to reach customers at the start of the new season. Household Reference Magnets If baseball isn’t big in your area or your target audience isn’t receptive to sports team promotions, then we recommend you send out a non-dated, custom magnet instead. Our household reference magnets are always a hit. Featuring local phone directories, emergency tips, home maintenance tips, or kitchen measurements, these fridge magnets are a great way to represent your business! Not only do these magnets provide information that customer’s will want to keep handy on the fridge, each one can be fully customized with your business branding and contact information.  Magnet NotepadsAnother alternative to baseball schedules this time of year are our line of magnetic notepads. Notepads are an inexpensive and practical way to provide the recognition you want. Designed with a card stock backer and non-toxic magnet, these memo pads and to do lists also have a kitchen conversion chart and password keeper on the back. So, it will stick around on the refrigerator even after the pages are gone. Second Quarter Real Estate Marketing Plan for AgentsStaying a quarter ahead with print marketing materials, second is the best time to buy football and festival schedules as well as magnetic tear-off calendars. Here are the products we suggest ordering during Q2: Promotional Football Schedule MagnetsSecond quarter places a huge emphasis on football! After all, it is considered one of America’s favorite pastimes. Our real estate football schedule magnets are incredibly popular among prospects and clients. They are also one of the must have magnets for real estate marketing each and every year. We launch our football schedule magnets in April. This gives you plenty of time to customize and distribute them before kick off in September. Choose up to 14 teams to customize your NFL or college fb schedules. Then let our magnetic sports schedules keep your contact information in view for the duration of season. By ordering your schedules in Q2, you can ensure they are delivered ahead of football season which kicks off in the beginning of Q3. Festival and Event SchedulesSummer is peak festival season. Therefore, creating a magnetic festival or event schedule around local festivals, events and celebrations is a great way to connect with your audience. You can even create magnetic schedules that give a line of musical events for an area music festival or highlight weekly family activities that take place at your city’s farmer’s market. Make sure you plan and order festival schedules as early in Q2 as possible, so they reach your audience in time. Alternately, you can also purchase these customized magnets in Q1 as soon as you have the details you need from area businesses to complete your custom content. Magnetic Tear-Off CalendarsTear-off real estate calendars are one of our top-selling products each year — and for good reason! Not only are we home to the ORIGINAL magnetic tear-off calendars — Yep, we made them FIRST! — but this product is PROVEN to work. A customer favorite, our yearly refrigerator pad calendars present dozens of ideas to elevate your marketing strategy. You’ll love our exclusive backer design that meets the needs of professional industries and real estate agents. While our house-shaped toppers are perfect for REALTORS®. While most agents schedule their calendar mailings to arrive either just before or directly after Thanksgiving, we launch the new calendar lineup for the following year in June. Therefore, the end of Q2 is the optimal time to order your promotional calendars for your real estate marketing plan. Not only will you be guaranteed to the best selection, but you will also receive the best price. Third Quarter Real Estate Business PlanYour 3rd quarter marketing plan for your real estate business includes these products:
 Real Estate Magnetic CalendarsPlanning ahead remains key! If you didn’t order magnetic calendars in Q2, then you don’t want to miss this opportunity in Q3. Our tear-off calendars are an affordable year-round marketing solution that you don’t want to skip! If you missed buying your branded calendars for your real estate marketing plan early on, then we advise you complete your customization and make your purchase no later than the beginning of October. This ensures that your calendars get mailed out before the end of the year. Otherwise, you’ll want to consider a New Year mailing instead. Or, for mid-year calendar magnets, try our year-at-a-glance calendars. You can further explore ways to use promotional calendars for your marketing here. Custom School Calendar MagnetsBack-to-school season is always a momentous occasion for households with children. Help parents and teachers keep track of important dates throughout the school year while also keeping your contact information visible. School schedule calendar magnets are a great way to show that you care. Clients will be sure to show their appreciation with repeat business and referrals when you incorporate this useful marketing tool into a business plan for real estate. For schools starting in early August, we recommend jumping the gun on these during 2nd quarter to be delivered in July. Otherwise, if kids head back to school after Labor Day, order your magnetic schedules in July to be distributed the month in August. Basketball and Hockey Sports SchedulesLike baseball and football, basketball and hockey are also huge with sports fan. Therefore, these custom sports schedule magnets are another great addition to a yearly marketing plan for real estate agents. Whether your town has a college team or your community roots for one of the pros, our basketball schedule magnets are a slam dunk when it comes to growing connections. Not only do we customize each of these sport schedules with up to any three teams, but your branding is also prominently displayed on every magnet card, regardless of the format. Together, millions of Americans and Canadians follow a favorite hockey team. Pulling some of the most avid and devoted sports fans in the arena, hockey is a no-brainer for marketing real estate if your community can't stay out of the rink. Our hockey schedule magnets are available in three die-cut shapes with your choice of both American and Canadian teams. Fourth Quarter Print Media REALTOR® Marketing PlanThe end of the year aligns with the largest holiday season of this. Therefore, 4th quarter is a prime opportunity to thank clients for their business, loyalty, and referrals. It’s also a great chance to refresh for image for the upcoming year. Recommended fourth quarter real estate marketing products include: Real Estate Magnetic CalendarsGreat things bear repeating. That’s one reason why we keep pushing our calendar magnets — they really are effective! If you’re late getting started on your 12-month real estate marketing plan, not to worry. Our tear-off calendars make a big impact even as a first of the year mailing. If you waited too long to send calendars out before Christmas, we recommend sending out a calendar in the new year. Our New Year’s themed calendars are perfect for January. Or mail out our popular recipe calendars. Not sold on either of these options? We also provide additional cover themes to fit any niche! Client Gifts from REALTORS®Magnets USA® and LifeLong Gifts™ both feature a unique lines of client gift ideas for real estate pop-bys, referral thank you's, and small tokens of appreciation. All of our marketing gifts can be personalized in full color with your information and custom branding. Choose from our amazing selection of branded bottle openers and kitchen scrapers for affordable everyday marketing products. Or choose from our selection of upscale gifts including personalized kitchen cutlery, kitchen gadgets, and custom wood cutting boards. As the holidays are the perfect opportunity to send thank you gifts, we set this as a 4th quarter task. However, there’s not wrong time to send a gift. So, don’t miss the chance to give real estate closing gifts or other thank you gifts in addition to client holiday gifts, throughout the year. Custom Business Cards The New Year is the perfect time to refresh your image! That makes 4th quarter the perfect time to stock up on custom business cards for upcoming conferences and networking events. If you haven’t updated your photo for your business within the past 5 years, add this expense to your real estate marketing plan for the year! (Discover pointers for your next business portrait along with other great real estate marketing tips here.) You can also find tips on how to design a business card here. More Ways to Build Business Relationships through REALTOR® Marketing In addition to these quarterly gentle marketing methods for your 12-month real estate marketing plan, we also advise making personal connections with your customer base in between your advertising efforts. This includes sending out personalized notecards or greeting cards. Creating custom cards is a wonderful way to nurture your business relationships. Not only are they well received by clients, but they are also an easy and affordable way to increase your profits. Increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%, This clearly illustrates how setting aside a small amount of time to build and maintain quality relationships with clients can help you generate not only more sales, but referrals as well. Therefore, we highly promote using custom greeting cards monthly as part of every 12-month marketing plan for real estate agents. Reasons to Send Greeting Cards as Part of a Real Estate Marketing PlanThere are so many wonderful reasons to send greeting cards to clients. Whether you buy and write out custom notecards in bulk or use a greeting card service for business, here are just a few of the many occasions you can take advantage of to stay in communication with prospects and existing customers as part of your marketing efforts:
Real Estate Marketing Ideas to Help You Implement Your Business PlanOnce you’ve established a marketing plan for your real estate business, it’s time to put it into action. If you aren’t sure how to best go about advertising your business, we’ve put together some great REALTOR® marketing tips, tricks, and ideas to help you get the most reward from your efforts.
From real estate branding to writing a killer real estate bio, we have the marketing advice you need to help you propel your business forward into the new year. Explore more real estate marketing ideas here. Baseball schedule magnets are a great way to connect with your target audience over one of their favorite pastimes. Not only do these custom fridge magnets familiarize clients with your branding through repetition, but they also keep you top-of-mind. After all, what better way to make sure your message is seen every day than by having it displayed on your customers’ refrigerators? Keep reading to learn more about our line of personalized baseball magnets and how they can help you grow your business. Plus, explore the many ways you can distribute our real estate baseball schedules to new prospects and existing clients to get the sales and leads you need for your best year ever! Baseball Schedule MagnetsBaseball is back! While sports fans have been thrown quite a few curve balls recently, we’re all ready to get back into the game. Don't strike out and miss this amazing opportunity to stay top-of-mind as we embark on the new year. Instead, share that new season excitement with our custom magnetic baseball schedules. This easy marketing solution keeps you top-of-mind when clients are ready to put their own ball into play. An effortless way to keep your business ahead of the game, magnetic baseball schedules are a key component of our 12-month real estate marketing plan.  Why Baseball Is the Perfect Real Estate Marketing OpportunityIt’s common knowledge that the majority of homes sell during the months of May, June, July and August. This time frame accounts for 40% of annual home sales. While baseball starts around the end of March or the beginning of April, the average season lasts about 6-months overall. This aligns perfectly with peak home sales during the same time frame. Thereby, setting up baseball schedule magnets as the perfect product to promote your real estate business the second, and into the third, quarter. That our sports schedules are magnetic is just the icing on the cake. As most custom magnets end up on the refrigerator, this gives you a branded marketing product with both high visibility and repetition. It’s been shown time and again that sticky marketing is your best choice for generating leads. So, why not take advantage of this gentle marketing opportunity? Make this the year that rivals sales goals of years past. Ways to Distribute Real Estate Baseball Schedule MagnetsThere are many ways that you can distribute your real estate baseball schedules to clients. In addition to sending them as part of a direct mail marketing campaign, there are also lots of other ways to reach new prospects. Following are our top ideas for getting your branded baseball magnets into community members’ hands.  Local BusinessesCoffee shops, your doctor's office, a favorite sports bar — you're probably visiting these locations anyway. So, why not leave behind some awesome marketing pieces? Our baseball schedule magnets are like prime real estate for sports bars. Friends and FamilyGive a stack of your branded sports schedules to your biggest supporters. Friends and family can help you distribute them while they're out and about. They can also gift them to coworkers. Hair Salons and Barber ShopsBarber shops are especially great for distributing sports and baseball schedule magnets. Their core customer base is male and men tend to be huge sports fans. Elementary SchoolsSend magnetic sports schedules home with students, their parents become your new prospective clients! Chamber of CommerceLeave a stack of baseball team magnets at your local chamber. This is an easy and effective way to get your name out there to everyone who visits. Social MediaPost a photo of your team sports schedules to your social media accounts, like Facebook and Instagram. Then ask followers to contact you if they'd like one of their own. Don't underestimate the power of a real estate social media post! Minor League Baseball TeamsAs minor league teams usually have very tight budgets, most are happy to partner with you to distribute their minor league baseball schedules for the season. Neighborhood CanvassingAs spring makes its way to your town, going door-to-door with your magnetic baseball schedules is a tried-and-true way to interact with potential clients. Convenience Stores and Gas StationsNext time you fill up at the gas station, leave a stack of baseball schedules by the register.  Personalize Your Baseball Magnets Even FurtherWe know how important it is to make the most of the marketing materials you buy. You not only want to them to fit within your budget, but you also need them to be effective. That’s we also offer several options to upgrade your custom baseball magnets and sports schedules to help boost your ROI (return on investment.) Small touches like full-color envelopes ensure your advertisements are being opened. While custom written notes help you establish the personal relationships that the real estate industry is so reliant upon. We can even help you canvas the neighborhoods you serve through full-service direct mail.  Magnetic Baseball Schedule GiftNotes™Upgrade your marketing with personalized GiftNotes™ and turn your sports schedule magnets into more than just an advertisement. It's so simply to use them as an opportunity to make personal connections! GiftNotes™ are essential business builders designed to help you connect with clients and prospects on a more personal level. These lightweight, greeting card-style notes allow you to introduce yourself to your mailing contacts and subtly ask for their business. They can also be distributed in person. Not sure what to say? We provide pre-written copy that you can use. Make changes to customize it for your audience. Or create your own message from scratch to accompany your branded baseball team magnets.  GiftNote™ Messages and Writing SamplesIf you need ideas for messages you can include with your baseball schedule magnets, here are some writing samples that you can use: Dear neighbor, Spring is finally here! I’m so excited to see nature bringing so many bright colors back into play. Not to mention a new season of baseball! Enclosed you’ll find a magnetic baseball schedule to help you keep track of your favorite teams. With that, the end of spring into the beginning of summer is the best time to buy or sell a home! If you’re thinking of making a residence change, please give me a call to discuss your options. I’m also happy to mail out additional sports schedules to your friends or family members. Simply email me their address and I’ll make sure they don’t strike out and miss a game. Best regards, Your Name Dear neighbor, Baseball is back! While sports fans have been thrown quite a few curve balls recently, we’re all ready to get back into the game. To share in the excitement of a new season, I’m sending along a magnetic sports schedule to make it easy to plan out game night with family and friends. In the meantime, don’t strike out when it comes time to sell or buy your next home. My expertise is exactly what you need to hit a home run in today’s market. So, feel free to call or email when you’re ready to but the ball into play! (I’m even happy to pass on more baseball schedules if you need them.) Your neighbor and local real estate agent, Your Name  Full-Service Mailing for Baseball Marketing MagnetsYour time is valuable as a real estate agent. And let’s face it, sometimes marketing falls to the wayside as a result. There’s simply not enough time in your work week to stay on top of every task. Fortunately, we offer a solution that saves you time and keeps you on top of your marketing game — full-service mailing. If you don’t have the time to distribute schedules yourself; we completely understand. That’s why we offer full-service mailing. This benefit is available for not only our real estate baseball schedule magnets, but our other magnets for marketing as well. From stuffing and sealing to addressing and shipping your envelopes, we mail your custom magnets directly to your mailing list. Don't have a mailing list? Need some fresh contacts? Our direct mailing service can help with that, too! For about $1 per contact, we can take the stress out of your next magnetic marketing campaign. So, you’re practically guaranteed to hit a home run for your real estate sales goals from spring into summer when the market heats up.  When Should You Buy Baseball Schedule Magnets?You should purchase baseball schedules as part of your marketing plan for real estate as early as possible in the first quarter. Not only does this allow adequate time to customize your sports schedules and ship them, but it also guarantees you the best pricing. Pre-orders for our baseball team magnets start around mid-December with the absolute best product deals. If you need to increase your spending before the end of the year, this is a great opportunity to get additional tax deductions along with significant savings. Otherwise, baseball team sports schedules for the current year officially launch in January. As the season starts around the same time as Q2, we advise you purchase these products in January, but no later than February, in order to reach customers at the start of the new season. Ready to hit a home run with your marketing? Order your magnetic sports schedules today! 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Put a fresh spin on Valentine’s Day with this collection of Valentine’s Day card design ideas and messages. Plus, learn where you can purchase and send greeting cards and gifts together for around $5 each — postage included!  Make Your Own Personalized Valentine Cards Approximately 190 million valentines are mailed out each year in the United States. While this number has yet to rival the number of birthday cards sent during the same time frame, it does provide undeniable proof that romantic love is still alive and well. Are you ready to celebrate but need ideas for making homemade valentines? We have you covered with our large collection of design ideas for both cute and funny Valentine’s Day cards. In addition, we also provide suggestions for Valentine’s Day card messages and quotes for the cards you buy! Personalize your greeting cards using handwritten fonts, your own custom photos, and a tuck in gift to make your valentine cards a unique gift experience.  Celebrating Valentine’s DayValentine’s Day has quite the macabre past. However, it evolved through the 14th and 15th centuries to become associated with romantic love. Handwritten valentines then later became an annual tradition 18th century England. As the holiday became widespread throughout popular culture, it has grown into the custom we know and celebrate today. This includes giving romantic gifts of flowers, candy, and greeting cards as way to express love to someone special. Keep reading to explore our wonderful selection of card design ideas along with suggestions on what you can write inside your Valentine’s Day cards. In addition, you’ll also find Valentine quotes that you can include in lieu of your own personal message. This is especially handy if your wordsmithing skills evade you on this particular holiday.  Valentine’s Day Card IdeasThese ideas for Valentine’s Day cards are perfect if you’re making your own homemade cards. Not only do these suggestions work well for DIY cards, but they also work great as messages inside blank cards with a decorative design. Following are our best ideas for cute and funny cards for Valentine’s Day.  Valentine’s Day Card Ideas for Him or Her (Couples)Here are some DIY ideas for making homemade cards for a significant other or someone that you’re sweet on:
 Card Ideas for KidsHere are several cute ideas for greeting cards that you can make for kids for Valentine’s Day or that they can gift to one another:
 Valentine’s Day Card MessagesOnce you chosen a greeting card for your intended recipient, the question now becomes, what do I write inside? Unless you have something really important to express to your recipient, you can keep your communication short and sweet. Following are some easy, one and two sentence ideas for what to write inside Valentine’s Day cards. Here are our favorite messages to use inside a valentine greeting card or gift note:
 What are some Popular Valentine quotes?If you still can’t find the right sentiment to write inside your Valentine’s Day cards, you use a valentine quote instead. Here are some of our favorite quotes to use for Valentine’s Day:
 Where to Buy Valentine’s Day Cards OnlineObviously, we can’t all be Pinterest stars. So, if making homemade Valentine’s Day cards surpasses your skill set (or you simply don’t have the time) we have the perfect solution!
Minute Mail Gifts specializes in greeting cards and gifts. Not only does this unique greeting card service allow you to upload and personalize cards with your own photos and text, but we also mail the cards for you along with a gift! Choose from blue or black ink for your handwritten message as part of the personalization. You can also select up to two photos to be printed inside your personalized Valentine’s Day cards. Then pull it all together by selecting a small keepsake gift. Minute Mail gifts will then professionally print your design and Valentine’s Day message inside and mail it, along with a tuck in gift, to your recipient on the date you select. Not only is this online greeting card service an affordable way to mail cards and gifts together this Valentine’s Day, it’s also fast and user-friendly! Get started today. Learn how you can improve your real estate marketing strategy with these tops tips for agents.  Real Estate Marketing TipsLike most entrepreneurs, agents wear many hats and have to multi-task a variety of responsibilities. Not only do you help clients buy and sell homes, but a large part of your job is also marketing. Without new leads and referrals, your business can’t grow. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day to make things happen. While advertising sometimes gets pushed aside, it should remain a primary focus. However, that doesn’t mean it has to be time-consuming. By focusing on key components of your marketing, such as branding and website optimization, you can set yourself up for success without taking on a constant barrage of yet more work. Following are our best real estate marketing tips to help you streamline your advertising. So, it’s both more efficient and highly effective.  Build Your BrandOur top real estate marketing tip focuses on branding. Real estate branding is vital to your success as a REALTOR®. Your brand reflects both you and the services you offer. It’s also what makes you stand out in a crowd. Your brand should cover all aspects of your business. From your own website and social media to the real estate marketing materials you send out. You should also have your own logo. If you don’t already have a website for your real estate business, then it should be a priority for the New Year. NAR (National Association of REALTORS®) indicated that 82% of agents who had their own website made $150K or more in 2019. So, it does make an influential difference. If you need help developing your brand, then we’ve provided a helpful guide on branding for real estate agents here.  Optimize Your WebsiteYou can create the most beautiful website in the world. However, if pages load slowly, especially on mobile, it’s going to result in a high bounce rate. What that means is that prospective clients will click onto your site, but then leave immediately if it doesn’t load quickly. If you have large images on your site, they will quickly slow it down. These days, google not only looks at SEO to determine your rank, but website optimization and load times also play a part. If you aren’t resizing images so the file size is small and loads quickly, then it will have a negative impact on your traffic. Luckily, you don’t need to be a tech guru or graphic design professional to resize images. Canva Pro allows you to resize images and choose the quality and file size. You can also use websites, such as TinyPNG, to compress your images. Alternately, if you want to retain your original photographs (and spend less time editing) Cloudflare Pro will automatically resize your image files or serve them in web-friendly formats such as a WebP image across your entire domain. You simply configure the settings once and forget about it. There are other services that resize images as well, especially if you’re using a self-hosted WordPress platform for your website. However, for any host, Cloudflare is the easiest, quickest, and most efficient option. Additionally, 50% or more of web users are using mobile devices to visit websites. Therefore, you also want to make sure your real estate website is optimized for mobile. No exceptions. Otherwise, you are likely to lose a potential customer to someone else. Most website themes are now mobile friendly. If yours isn’t, then redesign your site with a new theme that is. In addition to these key website changes, here are other aspects of your site you should focus on:
 Utilize Social MediaWhether we like it or not, social media is a huge part of most people’s daily lives. It’s also here to stay. Even if it’s not your favorite platform for your business, it is a great way to find new clients and keep your existing customer base engaged. Best of all, the only thing it costs you is time. To create effective social media posts, however, you do need to have a strategy in place. You can discover some great tips for utilizing social media for your business along with real estate social media post ideas here.  Create Real Estate Marketing VideosIf you aren’t using real estate videography to market your business, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. Recent data indicates that 73% of homeowners are more likely to list with an agent who uses video to sell their properties. Additionally, it’s been shown that 70% of buyers watch video tours before choosing an agent. Here are other ways video marketing helps real estate agents:
In short, video is a great way to increase your client base and make your services more attractive to sellers. Need help getting started? You can find real estate video marketing tips here to assist you in the creation process. Plus, discover ideas on where to share your videos to drive the best results.  Incorporate Magnetic Marketing Marketing with magnets is another great real estate marketing tip. Magnetic marketing has been proven time and again to generate referrals and nurture lifelong relationships. Whether you send out promotional calendar magnets or branded bottle openers, you’re providing your customer base not just with products they can use, but also ones guaranteed to get constant exposure. The best part about this advertising strategy is that it provides the repetition that keeps you top of mind all from a single product. This makes magnet marketing economical as well as persuasive. Explore the various products you can brand to promote your business. Plus, learn how to use magnets for marketing here.  Automate Your Real Estate MarketingThis marketing tip for real estate agents will save you exactly what you need more of — time! Automating your direct mail marketing is great way to reach new and existing clients. It’s cost-effective and it frees up time for you to do what you’re best at! Industry studies show that direct mail works! It has a higher ROI (return on investment) than both paid search and online ads. You’ll gain 10% more new customers using this method. And with the right media, you’ll also make sure you’re not forgotten. Discover how a full mailing service can give your real estate business the boost it needs inside this informational post! Alternately, if you prefer to be more hands on, you can also utilize self-mailers as a viable way to increase revenue.  Update Your HeadshotAre you still using the exact same headshot from 5, 10, even 15 years ago? Then you need a refresh! You shouldn’t still be using an outdated image of yourself to market your real estate business. While you may not quite be ready to embrace your new look, it doesn’t mean you’re old! Today headshots are a lot less formal. Clients love modern portraits that are casual and fun! Consider taking a new photo outside in front of historic landmark or recognizable hotspot in your area for increased interest. Once you have a fresh look that represents your image, use your photo on business cards as well as other branded marketing products.  Build Relationships Relationships are one of the biggest assets for any REALTOR®. You can connect with potential clients and grow your bonds with existing customers in a number of ways. These, in turn, mean more sales and referrals down the road. Here are just a few ideas to help you build relationships:
 Provide ValueNo matter what type of marketing you use to grow your real estate business, it should provide value. Whether you gift marketing products that consumers can use, provide informational articles, or build relationships through social networking, the best way to make an impact is to provide something of value to your target audience. We hope that these real estate marketing tips and tricks help you make more knowledgeable choices when determining your advertising strategy. By employing these techniques, you can grow your business faster, establish the relationships that are the core of your industry, and increase your year-over-year revenue. For more estate marketing tips and tricks, be sure to subscribe to the Magnets USA® newsletter. We our home to the original magnetic tear-off calendar for REALTORS® and have the experience and knowledge to help you succeed. In addition, you can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram for more ideas to help you get more leads.
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