Real Estate Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The fundamentals of real estate marketing
Before we go into the best practices of a personal marketing
program, it would be a good idea to touch on the key elements
that make up such a program. Call it "Personal Marketing in a
Nutshell."
Marketing is more than just blasting the neighborhoods with your
farming pieces. It's about how you present yourself (and how
your company presents itself) to prospects and customers.
Effective personal marketing combines elements of direct
marketing, public relations and education. It is the sum of all
your informational parts.
In this article, we'll be dissecting the direct marketing piece
of the pie. Specifically, we will examine personal marketing
mistakes and how to avoid them.
Where do real estate marketers go wrong?
First off, they put a greater emphasis on technology than they
put on the message that technology is designed to delivery. They
also ignore the fundamentals of persuasive writing.
Why?
Because it's quick and easy to use a boilerplate message (that's
been used 50,000 times before) and simply change the contact
info.
Because of the herd mentality.
Because it's easier to imitate than to create.
Because "I've seen other agents do it ... so it must work."
The field is primed for a leader
As far as marketing goes, the real estate industry is primed for
a breakout leader. The vast majority of real estate
professionals go about their personal marketing, recruiting and
general communications all wrong.
Imagine how could capitalize...
Picture this. You're a homeowner in a bustling real estate
market. You get 15 direct-mail pieces from real estate agents
every week.
Fourteen of those postcards say the same thing, obviously
borrowed from some stock message database somewhere. They use
worn-out phrases and talk about "superior service" ... "the
utmost commitment" ... and the classic "no-obligation
consultation."
But the last card -- the one out of 15 that tried something
different -- leaps out at you from the first line. It identifies
your problem and promises to solve it. It addresses the
questions burning in your mind and promises to answer them.
It offers something much more valuable than the no-obligation
consultation. It doesn't ramble on about the agent's accolades
and personal philosophy. It's written in honest, original
language, like one human being talking to another. How
refreshing!
Based on all that, which of the 15 agents would you call? An
easy decision, isn't it?
Why is it so important to get that first phone call? An NAR
survey sponsored by the Gooder Group (of Real Estate Rainmaker
fame) found that 74% of people shopping for a real estate
professional go with the first agent or REALTOR