In business, it’s often said that it’s six to seven times more costly to add a client to your business than to invest time and effort into retaining a client you already have. Real estate is no exception; if you aren’t incorporating existing client outreach into your routine, make this the year that you change your approach!

Your yearly business plan should include goals to keep in touch with existing and past clients. Your interactions surrounding their home sale or purchase should be the beginning of your professional connection, but certainly not the end of them. In order to become and stay a top real estate agent, you’ll need to continue to nurture the connections you create with clients over the year.

Please keep in mind that the very first rule regarding existing client outreach is that you should only make that first step and reach out when you have something to say. It’s vital that you avoid spam emails, generic newsletters talking about what great business year you’re having, and phone calls made for the purpose of asking for referrals or repeat business.

The most successful real estate agents are diplomatic and thoughtful, genuinely taking an interest in the wellbeing of their clients.

With that in mind, here are 5 creative ways for you to keep up with your clients this year.

1.) Share Seasonal Recipes for the Home and Garden

If you have clients who mention that they are thrilled about their new home’s kitchen or garden, make a note. Next time you try an excellent recipe for home chefs, especially one that uses seasonal local produce, send it along to these clients along with a personalized note describing why you liked the recipe and how it made you think of them. Be sure to inquire after their wellbeing and send along your best wishes. This gesture is sure to be appreciated by your foodie clients.

2.) Send Home Maintenance Reminders

If you’ve discovered the easy and essential steps of setting up automated monthly newsletters, consider adding a section that has a brief, helpful list of home maintenance that homeowners need to perform each season.

If you have connections with outstanding local businesses who offer HVAC services, gutter cleaning, or seasonal arbor work, it would be helpful for your clients and those local businesses if you include their business names and a brief word about why you recommend them in particular. You’re likely to find that this creates a positive wave of referrals. It may start slow, but as your list of clients grows, so too will the returns on this nominal investment of effort.

3.) Promote Community Events

In your role as a real estate agent, you’re part of the fabric of your local business community. If you want to be a great ambassador for your town or city, why not keep your clients informed of upcoming local events? Things like outdoor community concerts, food truck events, pet adoption events, cook-offs, or nursery and garden shows make perfect entries on a community calendar sponsored by your business.

Include your photo and information on the calendar, and be sure to release a digital, interactive version that’s linked on your website in addition to the paper mailer type.

4.) Send “Happy Anniversary” or “Happy Birthday” Cards

In this digital era, most people don’t take the time to send physical cards for these occasions. However, every married couple has an anniversary, and everyone has a birthday. These events are the perfect opportunity for you to send a personal card marking the occasion and sending your warm regards.

Remember, if you don’t feel like your relationship with a client is personal enough to note such personal events, it’s always acceptable to send a card on the anniversary of their home purchase. Even this type of note can evoke strong positive emotions if you take the right approach.

For example, “It’s been three years already! I hope this finds you as happy as you were when you unlocked your front door for the first time,” is short, considerate, and connects strongly to the powerful experience—during which they were closest to you—of purchasing their beloved home.

5.) Send Clients a Hand-Selected, Unique Gift

If you send your clients gifts around the holidays or at the new year, consider sending something that will grab their attention. Whether you choose humor, nostalgia, food-related items, or personalized Moscow Mule mugs will depend on that particular client—and that’s the whole point.

Be sure you always include a personal note as well, making sure they connect your note with the gift, and the gift with YOU. Every time they see, use, or enjoy this gift, you want your smiling face popping into their heads.

As long as you’re creative, authentic, and considerate, your clients will truly appreciate your efforts.

One final tip, agents: Stay Organized!

However you decide to remain in touch with the clients you’ve worked so hard to gain, you’ll need to be detail-oriented, prompt, and consistent. The only way to accomplish all of that without having a breakdown lies in having established efficient systems of organization.

The systems you use to manage your clients will also have options for customer relationship management. Be sure to update and create these client data entries often so that you will be reminded ahead of time to acknowledge client anniversaries, send out birthday gifts, or let a client know about an event that would cater to their interests or current renovation needs, for example.

Being organized and staying on top of your contact with your client base will help you become and stay a top real estate agent, as well as helping refresh your clients on the benefits of choosing YOU as their agent time and time again.