There is something exciting about bringing a new property to market.

The photography is beautiful. The video is finished. The brochures arrive. The emails go out. The social media campaign begins. There's a new listing alert, an open house, and that initial burst of attention that comes with being the newest property on the market.

I love that part.

But after nearly 30 years of selling real estate, I also know something else:

A launch is not a marketing plan. It's the beginning of one.

And in the market we're experiencing today, I think that distinction matters more than it has in a long time.

Buyers Are Taking Their Time

Today's buyers have an extraordinary amount of information at their fingertips.

Before they ever schedule a showing, they've probably studied the photographs, watched the video, looked at the satellite view, checked the neighborhood, estimated the drive to town and compared the property to nearly everything else in their price range.

And they're taking their time.

I'm seeing buyers who are interested but not necessarily urgent. They're watching properties. Revisiting them online. Waiting to see what happens. Comparing one house against another.

That means we can't assume that the buyer who didn't act during the first week is gone forever.

Sometimes we need to give that buyer a reason to look again.

That's Why I Think in Terms of Campaigns

When I take a listing, I'm not thinking only about how I'm going to introduce it.

I'm thinking about how I'm going to keep telling its story.

A beautiful property rarely has just one story.

Maybe the first campaign focuses on the architecture and interiors.

The next might be about what it's like to spend a summer afternoon by the pool.

Another might focus on the guest house, vineyard, gardens, outdoor entertaining or proximity to Healdsburg.

A video can tell one story. An Instagram post can tell another. An email to my database can highlight something entirely different.

An open house creates one kind of exposure. A broker gathering or soirée creates another.

The property hasn't changed.

The reason someone should pay attention to it has.

Marketing Has to Keep Moving

This is one of the biggest changes I've seen in real estate.

Years ago, marketing a property was fairly linear. We put it in the MLS, advertised it, held open houses and waited for the right buyer.

Today we have so many more ways to reach people.

I can put a property in front of thousands of people through email, social media and video. I can reach agents directly. I can create events around a home. I can see how people are responding to digital marketing and which stories are getting their attention.

But having all of those tools doesn't matter if you use them once and stop.

That's why I believe marketing should evolve throughout the life of a listing.

Sometimes the Campaign Tells Us Something, Too

Of course, continued marketing doesn't mean ignoring what the market is telling us.

Quite the opposite.

Every showing gives us information.

Every open house gives us information.

Online engagement gives us information.

So do the homes that buyers ultimately choose instead.

If we're getting tremendous online interest but few showings, I want to know why.

If we're getting showings but no second visits, I want to know why.

If buyers consistently love the property but hesitate at the price, we need to pay attention to that too.

A good campaign isn't simply about creating more exposure.

It's also about learning from the exposure we're already getting and deciding what to do next.

Sometimes that means changing the message. Sometimes it means freshening the presentation. Sometimes it means reaching a different audience. And yes, sometimes it means having a conversation about price.

That's not a failed marketing campaign.

That's an active one.

Luxury Properties Especially Need More Than a Launch

This is particularly true in the Sonoma County luxury market.

Many of the properties I represent aren't interchangeable.

A vineyard estate outside Healdsburg isn't competing with every other house in Sonoma County. Neither is a private country property, a contemporary home near the Plaza or an estate with a guest house, pool, winery or significant acreage.

The buyer for a unique property may be local.

They may be in San Francisco.

They may be somewhere else in California—or across the country.

And they may not even realize they're looking for this particular property until the right story reaches them.

That's why I don't believe we can simply put a luxury property on the market and wait.

We have to keep creating opportunities for it to be discovered.

The Real Work Often Happens After the First Few Weeks

Everyone loves a listing that receives multiple offers immediately.

I certainly do.

But that's not every property, and it's especially not every luxury property.

Sometimes the right buyer arrives in week one.

Sometimes they arrive much later.

What matters to me is what we're doing in between.

Are we still creating?

Are we still communicating?

Are we studying what's happening?

Are we adjusting when necessary?

Are we finding new ways to put the property in front of people?

Because sellers don't hire me simply to list their home.

They hire me to represent it until we get where we're trying to go.

And that is why I've come to think of selling a home very differently.

It's not an event.

It's a campaign.

And a good campaign keeps working until the job is done.

— Kellie