That’s right, you need real estate marketing. A bold statement, but one that holds a lot of merit. I dare say that if you claim not to believe in marketing, it’s because you do not understand marketing.
As a brokerage firm, agent, builder, developer or businessman, not understanding the key role of marketing is sinful. Marketing is a critical component of any business, and it can tip the scales toward success or failure.
If the goal of your business is to gain more customers there are only two things you need:
- To provide a good service
- Marketing
First things first. Let’s begin by understanding the concept of marketing. Marketing encompasses everything including the way you do business and the way that you advertise.
Targeted marketing image via Shutterstock.
That is, it includes branding, public relations, marketing strategy, lead generation, direct mail, email blasts, your market position, digital advertising, your website and everything in between.
If you offer a great service that differentiates you from the competition, let the world know. It’s great that you believe your services to be the best, but your job is to have others know and firmly believe it.
Marketing not only generates awareness for you, but it also creates a perception for your audience. We can all agree that having a product or service that your target audience doesn’t know about will do you little good.
Now, I will caution you that marketing is not about selling clients something that they don’t want or need. We don’t trick on manipulate anyone into making a purchase. We figure out what the target audience needs, even when they don’t know it.
For example, a client might not know there is an alternative to a real estate transaction, but you might offer them a stress-free way to conduct the real estate transaction that they didn’t even know was possible.
Marketing communicates a message to your audience — to make it aware of a service or a product you offer. Now, if you are an agent, you have two different audiences: those who wish to sell a home and those who want to buy a home. It is your job to sell your services to sellers and a product to buyers.
In the case of a product such as a property, you might zero in on what makes the house unique or the lifestyle that they can expect to have.
Maybe they thought they wanted to live in a country club, but as the expert, you offered them an alternative: no maintenance costs. Therefore, an ad for a maintenance-free lifestyle might capture an audience who didn’t know that they wanted such a perk.
The key is to offer more and to let your customers know that you are better than the competition, and this can only be achieved through quality marketing, not marketing like it’s 2005.
If your goal is to gain customers, invest in your marketing.
Laura Ure is the CEO of Keenability, a marketing agency specializing in lifestyle marketing that targets the affluent buyer. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter.