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You're Branded and Positioned: Now What?

A recent post by Tony Gallegos, Thank God You Don't Have To Look Like George Clooney To Be Successful, got me to thinking about the importance of marketing fundamentals. Don't mistake this post for being anti SEO or anti internet marketing. It's not intended as such. I'm the greatest believer in the power of Active Rain and all that it has to offer the cyber faithful.

Remember a movie named The Blair Witch Project. It was released in the summer of 1999 amidst a media frenzy and remains to this day the most profitable film of all time in terms of production costs vs box office revenue. I doubt seriously that any of you regard it as your favorite movie. I certainly don't.

The creators of the film recognized the relative simplicity and cost effectiveness of marketing online. The movie appears to be a documentary about the death of 3 students while filming a documentary about a witch purported to haunt the woods surrounding Burkittsville, MD.

While the film probably didn't frighten anyone, an ingeniously designed website launched well in advance certainly did. People first saw the adds for the movie, then, by using search engines, found a site that expertly brought a fabricated myth to life.

Audiences world wide waited in line when the film was released because they believed the frightening content found online.

The legend itself was entirely made up. The town of Burkittsville, MD is, however, very real and was for sometime the destination of hordes of people hoping to catch a glimpse of the Blair Witch.

My point: We would all like to believe that search engine hits and our expertly crafted SEO strategies will result in enormous amounts of business. I hope that it's true for you, but unfortunately it's not for me. The internet keeps me moderately busy, but there's plenty of downtime to fill productively. It's important that we don't completely abandon the mass marketing and relationship building approaches that worked so well in the past.

I'm starting to become involved with Baltimore's business community the way that I did as the owner of a title company. I'm hoping to once again serve on the boards of local chambers of commerce and nonprofit corporations. I intend to become actively involved in raising funds for political candidates and causes in which I believe. I'm also going to start advertising in industry publications. People typing my name into a search engine will have plenty to read and quickly learn my opinion on just about anything. That's the real power of the internet.

Ricardo Bueno wrote an excellent post, Marketing ... are you doing it right?, that shares the time tested elements of his marketing mix. He strikes me as an ambitious and hard working young man. Personally, I'd prefer to do business with someone like Ricardo who has the gumption to go door to door. Keep in mind: Ricardo expertly used his blog to portray the "get things done" image that I now have of him.

The BLair Witch Project taught us that a website is worthless unless it's visually and emotionally experienced by a targeted audience.

I know that SEO is good and SEO is wonderful.

I also know that the key to unleashing the power of our websites and blogs lies in the axillary activities that direct traffic to them.

Posted by Ed Rybczynski on 06/08/2007 02:46 PM

Comments (31)

31 Comments on You're Branded and Positioned: Now What?

JUN

2007

Thanks for the insight. You're illustration kept my attention. We can't replace the time-proven approaches to selling real estate with great SEO and blogging. Continue to be good at both.

It scared the bajeebers out of me. There, I said it. Don't judge, but you can laugh all you want. :)

Mother Lode Master

My sentiments exactly. There's a time and a place for all things including marketing fundamentals. Thanks for sharing your insight.

Chris

I'll need a good definition of "bajeebers" before responding.

I was just sharing this concept with a friend. As much I love blogging and the people I have met, I am still trying to figure out the marketing approach for my business, so that once people land on my site, there is something of value that keeps them there;)

Hhhmmm, ya got me thinkin Ed~ I hate it when you do that:) LOL!

People still trek to Burkittsville today. The followers (mostly youngsters) continue to vandalize an old church on the hill. 18 years later... that's effective marketing!!!

Ed, you don't want to know what "bajeebers" are...it's not pretty. Need a mop and a mask.

I'm not allowed to fly to Europe and get married, that's how bad bajeebers is.

Mmmm. I have to disagree. The visually and emotionally experienced web site has to be seen to be visually and emotionally experienced by that target audience.

It is web site SEO that creates the proper Internet synergy that puts your web site in front of the target audience so that they can experience . . . . . .

I'm not getting loads of business off my blog, but I do know that people keep running across it. I've had friends tell me they were looking for "whatever" and there I was -- AGAIN! This is one of my perks of being in a small town and working through a site like Active Rain. If I write about anything, I'm probably page one if you look for it!

Sarah Cooper for mayor!

Laura

I think we're on the same page on this one. The key is to attract visitors to our sites, but once they arrive there needs to be plenty of quality content to wet their collective appetite.

Bob

I forgot that you probably don't live far from Burkittsville. I've been fascinated by the stir caused by the movie for years. It was truly ground breaking work in the field of low budget internet marketing.

Chris

You're right, that's pretty bad. I do agree that the movie had frightening elements, particularly the ending. I also liked the jittery filming technique. All in all, I'm something of a fan because the film cost nothing to produce and caused such a huge commotion. I think that's pretty cool.

Ed... you are so right. The secret recipe for real estate success is a combination of ingredients, not just one. Prospecting is a multi media process.

Lenn

I almost mentioned you by name in this post because you were on my mind while writing it. I believe that a special few, yourself included, are able to maximize search engine results to the point that you're able to run a business. I have yet to reach that level and suspect that most have not. I read your post regularly and am always impressed by your grasp of SEO and particularly it's practical application in generating a steady stream of buyers. I don't disagree with your comment at all because I know that it works for you.

Sarah

That sounds like a wonderful perk. I'm like you, people are definitely running across my blogs. The question: How do we turn the visits into dollars and cents? That's why I'm thinking in terms of targeted audiences being directed.

It's also important to understand the SEO is not something which produces instantaneous results. This has been the biggest revelation for me. It does take time & persistence, but once the content has been created it will continue to facilitate business in a variety of ways for a long time.

That being said, I have tremendous respect for traditional methods of prospecting. Nothing beats meeting & talking with people...real live people! One Networking group that I was a part of for 6 months 11 years ago is STILL generating leads! Now, that is an unbeatable return on an investment of time... Thanks for an honest & thoughtful post.

Beth

I think that every approach to marketing needs to be considered and tested. It's funny though, because I still respect people who are willing to go door to door the way that real estate agents did in the past. Politicians still use the technique effectively. It's all about the image that we portray and the internet is critical in that endeavor.

Lola

Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences. It makes sense that SEO takes time to develop and quality content should produce results for many years. I'm like you in regards to relating "face to face" with real live people. I love everything about it.

Ed - I agree with you and find myself thinking the same thing. How do we turn the visitors into dollars? I have always heard the secret to success is face to face meetings. What used to work still works, but now we have blogs to write and SEO to attend to, as well as networking and farming. I feel spread a bit too thin at times. Time to restructure my time management and possibly hire an assistant.

Paula

I understand completely where you're coming from. I'm starting to worry that entirely too much of my time is devoted to blogging at the expense of "face to face" relationship building.

Ed, SEO is the door to OPEN the relationships that follow. Real Estate is not one-sided, it is many facitated.

I don't think I spelled that right but you get the point. Good for you in your networking opportunities in the Baltimore Business Community. I am really involved with the Chamber here and it is nice when people say, " I see you everywhere". I know they don't but it's ok they think they do.

JUN

2007

Ed - Again, you are right on. The Internet, blogging and SEO are only part of the marketing mix. The fundamentals are essential to being successful in our business. While I get 4-8 really good loans leads a month on average from blogging, I still have to follow through on the fundamentals, like responding to each comment and even picking up the phone and calling people. I remember twenty years ago, I learned the secret to success is seeing twenty people belly to belly every day.

Long story short, SEO and the Internet is ONLY part of the marketing mix, getting out and meeting with referral partners and clients belly-to-belly is as important as is always was.

Missy

I know what you mean. I really missed the sense of belonging that comes along with being a part of a business community.

Tony

Very well said ... as usual.

"It's important that we don't completely abandon the mass marketing and relationship building approaches that worked so well in the past."

Ed, I agree.

I remember a commercial that aired many years ago. The CEO of a company was lamenting that the company had lost several of its clients. The company had lost its personal touch, and was relying too much on technology. At the end of the commercial he handed all of his sales representatives plane tickets and told them to pay those clients a visit. In other words: get back to the basics. Don't neglect the importance of doing business face-to-face.

I wish you success with your endeavors.

Leon

I intentionally avoided the obvious, but now that you've said it ... get back to the basics. In other words: Integrate the old with the new. Thanks for your insight.

JUN

2007

Ed, as realtors we have one foot in the old world and one foot (hopefully) in the new world, the "web 2.0" world. For many of us the old world is still the norm (especially in non-metro areas) and we can't lose sight of that. However, the new world is coming via the 25-35 year-old customers who live 100% in the net. What will the real estate business of tomorrow look like? Hey, that'd be an interesting post too.

Insightful post and a message many must embrace for continued success in a changing market. Thanks for the great post.

JUN

2007

Jeff

Great comparison about the old world and the new. I'd be curious to know your thoughts about the future appearance (business model) of the real estate industry.

Brad

Thank you. Your comments are greatly appreciated.

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