“If you don’t list, you don’t last” is one of the oldest sayings in real estate. Winning high quality listings, and being contacted by buyers for those listings, is the primary goal of real estate marketing. Traditionally, Realtors and managing brokers work hard to create and maintain their market presence, and to attract would-be sellers and buyers.
They go door-knocking in their farm area, they send out postcards and newsletters, they run advertisements in local papers, they host open houses, and they sponsor local events. A lot of time, effort and money go into marketing your brand, your experience, your results, and encouraging potential sellers and buyers to contact you.
Most real estate marketing, as we all know, is more ‘hope’ than ‘succeed’ and more ‘spend’ than ‘return’. You can do better.
Effective marketing brings in planned-for results. Effective digital marketing brings in superior planned-for results.
There are six reasons behind those greater results. When you understand and apply them enough, you will outpace your competition. In this, the first article in the series, we will list them so you have the basics. In later articles we will discuss them so you can make best use of them – to get those greater and planned-for results.
The Main Reasons Behind Better Marketing Results
To be really effective, the marketing campaign must:-
- Have clear, quantified objectives instead of simply hoping ‘to build momentum for my business’ or ‘to get my name out there in the new farm area or new market segment I want to impact’. Those results must quantify intended responses, leads and conversions from each part of the campaign
- Be part of a coordinated process that sends the right message(s) to the right segments in the right form(s) rather than just copying what other Realtors or other managing brokers are doing
- Be directed at the pre-determined market segments you want to succeed with (sellers of raw land, move-up sellers, empty-nesters, new or experienced property investors, first-time buyers, high-end buyers, vacation property buyers, etc)
- Have a message that will attract and interest each target market enough for them to respond to the specific calls-to-action built into what they see, hear or read in your marketing
- Have simple (and automatic) processes to measure their responses
- Be monitored and modified or developed so it continually generates results in line with the objectives
Final Note
If you do send out postcards, you want to give useful information and attract attention. Use the card to direct the reader to your website or your latest video where they can learn more.
If you want to attract buyers, your postcard can tell them, for example, they will learn how the new TILA-RESPA rules may cause delays, so they should work with you to ensure their purchase goes smoothly.
You tell your existing contacts about this via your emails, Facebook or Twitter group programs, and post it in the Latest News Update section of your website.
If you target would-be sellers, you can direct them to a different video where you explain how you successfully market properties like theirs.
You add everyone to your online groups, and continue to build the relationship.
Having every person in your market area expecting – and wanting – to hear from you via online groups, videos, downloadable reports, market updates, etc, you will be able to monitor, measure and respond in ways that will give you real control, and get really effective results. In today’s ‘give me immediate results’ world, the more you understand and use digital marketing methods, the less you will spend on traditional methods – and you will get better results.