Let’s face it. We live in a society that is “All About Me” and that doesn’t mean YOU! Customers want to know “what’s in it for them” – not what you look like or what your name is – but what you are offering them.
We all like to think that our reputations should promote us, and that what we have done in the past should be what works for us now. That fact is; it doesn’t – especially if you are new to the industry. If someone talks to you because of your reputation, then they didn’t find out about you from your own MARKETING materials, they already knew. Word of mouth or direct referrals are, of course, the best type of lead. However, prospective clients are not going to ask YOU if YOU are a great real estate agent.
Studies continue to show us that the best way to attract new customers is by telling them “what’s in it for them”. Your advertising should immediately give them something. The testing we have done locally has shown repeatedly that the more prominent the “search for a home” information is on a website, the more it is used. Newspaper advertising that utilizes its space to tell the customer “what they get” rather than a nice color picture of the realtor, produces far more results.
In a study we recently conducted, two newspaper ads were placed in the same paper for one of our clients. One ad was a large color picture of the agent and their well-known family name. It was a fairly expensive, very nice looking advertisement, and it was very easy to see within the publication. The second ad was simply a black and white, block type ad that listed the website address and “search for homes in [that city]”. Any guesses what happened? While the first ad produced zero results, the other brought several new potential customers to the web site and mailing list.
Take as an example the cold contact method of mailings. Another study recently showed that the success of a post card campaign directly relates to what it has on it. The cards that feature pictures of agents fail. The cards that offer the potential clients a “free market survey” or “no obligation” anything are always more successful , even for well-known agents.
Being unique can also be over rated. Being individual and personal is great once your foot is in the door. However – there is safety in numbers for many. If you belong to a nationally affiliated organization or even a large, local brokerage, let them help you. You are paying to be a part of and benefit from that name recognition. Don’t take off the “gold jacket” or let go of the “balloon” just so you can be unique. You pay for the type of comfort they provide through national advertising campaigns and slogans. This does not mean that you shouldn’t market your unique qualities at some point , but using the same colors or slogans to get customers interested is just smart.
Obviously, this is not going to be true for each one of you. Some of you have created reputations that go beyond the norm. We are only encouraging you to not get stuck in the rut of “I’ve always done it this way”. Give yourself permission to try something new. We research markets and marketing strategies across the country, stay up to date on the latest survey results, and know what is working in your market. All of those things involve real estate professionals who have been willing to “take a risk”. And, more often than not, the risk is worth the investment. You’ll never know until you try.
P.S. - Hey, existing HomeSurf USA customers!
Have you noticed less spam? Viruses? That’s because (if we are your email host) we have made some great new upgrades to our mail servers over the last couple of weeks. Also, you can now utilize webmail through the HomeSurfUSA.com website. You can now check your email from anywhere with internet! Thanks for letting us serve you.
Click here for details on how to access this great new feature.
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