Once upon a time...maybe 6-8 months ago...I thought of real estate marketing as a finite topic.

In other words, I perceived a limit to what I, or anyone else, could say about such sub-topics as prospecting, networking, referrals and so forth.

This mindset lead to the self-fulling prophecy that when writing about real estate marketing, it was only a matter of time before familiar themes and ideas worked their way into 'new' content.

Then I realized that there were actually three components to successful marketing

  1. know-how
  2. attitudes
  3. actions

This realization allowed me to write about the 'fresher' themes of attitudes and actions.

What a liberating realization. The logical extension of this realization was the concept of the marketing triangle.

Comfortable with this concept, I no longer felt restricted by what I perceived as the finite limits of real estate marketing. In other words, by drawing on the other two elements of real estate marketing...attitudes and actions...I was less likely to keep repeating familiar themes and topics.

But with this broader perspective, another penny dropped: I had another new insight.

Real estate marketing is a finite topic if...and only if...I perceive it as such. By seeing real estate marketing only as a collection of ideas specific to the real estate industry, of course it is going to be a very narrow field in which to work.

If however, I see real estate marketing for what it truly is...the application of life experience to buying, selling and otherwise dealing with real estate...there is a virtually limitless range of themes and topics about which I can write. After all, there is no limit to life experience.

In practice, this means a shift in focus.

Instead of maintaining the focus on specific ideas unique to real estate marketing, I can look at the big wide world of human endeavor.

If a marketing idea works in the financial or telecommunications sector, maybe, just maybe, it can be adapted for use in real estate marketing.

Makes sense to me...what do you think?

 
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24 Comments on The Broadening Of Real Estate Marketing

20 Most Recent Comments Displayed Show All

JUL
12
2010
447,685 Points 11 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Larry, there's lots of other fields that we can borrow creative ideas from. In regards to online marketing, there are also other industries that are more competetive than real estate when it comes to fighting for top spot on the search engines, one such field being "affiliate marketing". It takes a lot of SEO savvy to do well in that field, and we can all benefit by learning some of their strategies to get a higher profile online presence.
9:21am • #5
134,415 Points 2 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Larry: I think your right on the money, the human mind is capable of creating so many new solutions to the same old problems if we just change our perspective. I believe so many new agents fail, because they try to repeat what others have done instead of unleashing their own unique ideas...
9:38am • #6
717,112 Points 2 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Creative ideas can be re-thought and replanned to fit almost any market sector. I don't think the ideas I have are just for real estate.  They are universally adaptable!
10:12am • #7
3 Featured Posts Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp

Personally, I won't be surprised to see the industry COMPLETELY ALTERED by tech. When the day comes that a person can get a 100% video feed of the home, neighborhood, nearby schools, roads, entertainment, and an interview with the homeowner, what will they need of an agent? At this point, my clients need me to open the house, negotiate the deal (if I have a semi-agreeable agent on the other end), and keep the deal on track to settlement. When 99% of the "professional help" I offer is online in a million places, what will marketing do for me? I'm keeping my tech eyes/ears open -- we won't be THERE for a few more years, but we're inching that way, IMHO.
10:19am • #8
491,269 Points 52 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

That's an epiphany!  It does open up a whole new range of ideas and the lack of this knowledge is what makes so much real estate marketing commonplace and pedantic.
10:28am • #9
188,116 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

There is no one shoe fits all, it is about creating the right marketing strategy around your Message and Personality, I agree that strategy of other markets can be adapted and modified. Is is an exciting time.
10:41am • #10
154,608 Points 1 Featured Post Localism Sponsor Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Larry, I guess it goes back to your own perpective on how you view certain things. Many people are the ones that limit themselves.
11:21am • #11
743,299 Points 5 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Thanks for the insight, Larry. I've bookmarked your post for future reference.
11:32am • #12
Attended Rain Camp

Larry, point well made.

I think the only limitation we have is our imagination whether it be in marketing or any other life endeavor in pursuit of happiness. 

Great post.
12:23pm • #13
884,788 Points 178 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Good post.

Having been a marketing executive in high-tech before coming into real estate, I thought I had at least most of the answers.  However, I kept an open mind (positive attitude) and decided NOT to limit myself to what I  already know.

Good thing I did that.  I quickly found that MOST of the marketing techniques in high-tech have little or no application in real estate.  A few notable exceptions include building a brand and persisting in defining and refining that brand.

So, attitude is everything in marketing as it is in life.
1:42pm • #14
392,659 Points 12 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Hit Router Called Shot Master

Larry, I agree one hundred percent.  Real estate opens itself to dozens of forms of marketing, and each practitioner has the option to instill the forms that work best for him or her.  It is very freeing.
2:13pm • #15
167,644 Points 4 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

It makes sense to me as well Larry, and seems that all of the commentators to your post agree.

Then why are real estate services so commoditized (limited), and with few truly offering clients something different and adding value?
2:23pm • #16
306,093 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Larry - We do our best to keep everything fresh.  Sometimes we may repeat a good campaign but we aren't stuck on marketing only in one manner.
3:56pm • #17

There is no one marketting silver bullet that will be the answer to all our problems. It is a combination of things that will bring success. Everything is "Real Estate". Every conversation or chance meeting.  Like I was told once many years ago. . . everyone needs a place to live. So it comes up all the time for me. Woody
4:49pm • #18
1 Featured Post

I get a lot of real estate agents in my office that have great energy... but do not execute proper strategies. This leads to frustration and confusion... Sometimes they want to give up. marketing is a HUGE part of this.
5:00pm • #19
872,178 Points 5 Featured Posts

Larry,

There are a lot of good ideas out there and they are not all related to real estate.

So, there's a great opportunity to copy, adopt and apply them in a real estate setting.

Brian
10:22pm • #20
1 Featured Post Localism Sponsor

Larry:

 

My goal is to never be narrow-minded and unwilling to try new marketing ideas .... it will be an ever-changing medium over time. 

 

Mitten
11:37pm • #21
JUL
13
2010

Larry,  you've hit the nail squarely. We have to constatntly be searching for new strategies that will buy us some brain cells. I might be in the minority, but to attract more clients our marketing has to be about more than real estate.

Today's consumer can get all the real estate information they need, without us. They're not like us, they don't think Real Estate 31 (24 + 7), so our marketing efforts have to go beyond just our real estate business.

When I first got into the business in 1981, the top Realtors were the local experts and people would go to them for community informaiton that wasn't necessarily related to their real estate business.

If we think of ourselves as the mayor(s) of a small community or the head of the local chamber who happen to be Realtors, we will be able to reach people on a deeper level and our businesses will grow accordingly.
Greg Cook
11:00am • #22
JUL
14
2010
961,151 Points 9 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I absolutely agree...the great thing about the post-internet era is that there are many paths that all add up to the "good outcom".    No one channel, anymore.     The consumer for our service really decides the outcome, now.
4:19pm • #23
SEP
13
2010
4 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

I spent ten years marketing and communicating for large financial institutions, national retailers, international manufacturing companies and what have you, and not that I'm marketing for myself the only thing that has changed is budget and scope. I am more focused on local and I don't have a million dollars a year to spend. I really miss the latter of those two, but being local has stopped my five cities in four days business tours, which I don't miss at all!
12:43am • #24

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