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Our marketing tactics...Are they annoying to prospects?

Yesterday, I attended a 45 minute webex class to learn about a high-end video production company (this company can produce amazing videos for the web, but they are too pricey for the individual realtor). From the webex, I couldn't shake off one of the statements that the trainer made regarding traditional marketing (such as postcards/brochures).

This marketer stated, "Traditional marketing is not only ignored by people, it is becoming annoying to people."

Is this true? Are our clients and prospects annoyed by our traditional marketing efforts?

Lately, there has been so much buzz about the new generation of home buyers/sellers and the need for realtors to create entertaining marketing that IMPACT on our prospects.

I thought I'd share a few that I've heard and a few of my own:

Continue to enhance your digital media. YouTube videos, IPOD audio downloads, IPHONE listing tours - everything audio and video are of paramount importance in the digital marketing mix.
Get creative with on-line marketing for your listings. In addition to featuring your listings on your personal website, your company site and realtor.com, post your listings on craigslist, Trulia, ebay, google, yahoo, your blogs. There are many other places to expose your listings than the traditional ones.
Get creative with on-line marketing for yourself. Make sure your main real estate website and company website are optimized. Put your Active Rain profile, your Trulia profile, your LinkedIn profile EVERYWHERE! All of your social media communities should be displayed on every website in which you're featured.
Build your blog(s). Obviously, building blogs...this one we all know about. Add quality content to your blogs regularly. Add your own post, comment on others, join forums etc...Make sure you burn your feeds, add RSS and email subscription capabilities to your blogs. Do everything you can to help prospects stay in your loop. The more on-line presence you have, the better.
Create more user-generated content. This idea I find to be very interesting. Get your clients/prospects to participate in your marketing. One way will be to offer incentives for posting to your blog etc... Have a contest. Offer a prize. This "pay for play" approach is gaining traction. I have seen this strategy used on many prominent blogs and it is fun!
Go green. Environmentally challenge yourself to think eco-friendly (in terms of marketing and in terms of real estate transaction incentives). The sales impact could be great.

If you have other new alternative marketing methods that you feel comfortable sharing, we'd love to hear them.

Kelly

Posted by Kelly St. Germain on 11/15/2007 04:15 PM

Comments (71)

traditional marketing, real estate marketing, youtube, ipod, blogs, alternative marketing methods, marketing

Post is included in group: Online Marketing Help Center

71 Comments on Our marketing tactics...Are they annoying to prospects?

NOV

2007

There is nothing more annoying than to open a web site or blog and be faced with a black box that takes an inordinate amount of time to open, then shows a slow bad video of a house and talks to you too, which, of course mesns you have to mute the TV.

Geez. Get these lousy videos out of my face. They're for teenagers.

Postcards can be annoying if sent too often ... I know agents that send 2-3 per month ... that is too much ... but these agents spend no time talking to their clients and sphere ... they hide behind technology.

Our business has changed and requires us to be in front ... WHY? there is just too much competition not too.

We had a great speaker at our local MLS meeting this week about Green Building! This is something I plan to get much more active in! The sales and environment impact can be incredible for us all!

Great ideas! Thanks for inspiring me in areas that I am not that proficient in, yet.

Thank you for some insightful comments. They are very important NOW and for the future.

NOV

2007

Good points. Content is key and providing clean, valuable information.

NOV

2007

Good points. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That is what many realtors do with their marketing.

Lenn, I dislike websites with sound, too. In my previous jobs in the industry, it was appropriate to visit agent sites to get their contact information, but as soon as the music began, I felt like everyone in the office thought I was goofing off.

Kelly, I recently discussed awareness farming in Strategy: Farm AID For Real Estate. Awareness farming is nothing more than letting people know the you are in real estate. I spoke to an agent once who was managing 45 rental properties. I asked if he farmed his renters. He said that he didn't because he was afraid it would be a conflict of interest and he didn't want to bother them. I asked if any had ever ended up moving and buying their own home. The light went on. "Yes, several of our renters bought home", he said, "And we told them that we were in real estate and they said they would have used us if they had known."

As for blogging, I'd like to see more blogs based on SOI and local activites rather than just local real estate or "my life as a real estate blogger" which often makes the blogger sound hopelessly self-important.

Does America care about the trials and tribulations of real estate professionals?

Thanks!

Frank Jewett

Kelly

I agree with everyone about the sound. I was taught to play to the lowest common technological denominator. Not everyone has the latest computer equipment. Sound not only annoys some people, it can slow the page down to where it is useless.

NOV

2007

I agree with others about the sound. It can be annoying. Most people like to read about local real estate.

Great post! I love your ideas. Especially the one about being green. I believe in living a more eco-freindly lifestyle. With living green being such a popular subject these days I think you can really market yourself with a certain demographic that will appreciate your efforts. *

I'm not a lowest common denominator kind of guy. Most of my clients are technically savvy. They will not accept a "dial-up" site. They want technology and they expect me to deliver. While they don't expect me to deliver a $1M website, they don't want a cookie cutter either. I am redesigning for a new look and feel, as well as a new engine.

It will be the primary marketing tool, and all other advertising and marketing will be designed to drive the traffic to that arena.

NOV

2007

I too would like to read. I have the sound off on my computer most of the time. Someone sent me an email about a new service for realtors this week where they will organize tours for you. They sent it all on a video, and I have not opened it yet. I would have liked to read about the service though. I now have to get the sound working on my desk top to find out what they had to say.

NOV

2007

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Kelly -

Thank you for posting about this topic!

I am on the other side of the table: I am a customer. 99% of the marketing tactics I see used by real estate agents and mortgage brokers/lending agents make me want to turn and run. And I do. I haven't been able to figure out if agents and brokers think I'm dumb or if they are the dumb ones. The marketing tools I've seen used are THAT bad.

Why would anyone think that I would risk the success of the biggest purchases I make in my lifetime by choosing an agent or broker based on a blog, doorknob hanger, frig magnet, talking website, business cards shoved at me, or other cheap tricks? Working age people today are educated. We don't pay attention to any of those things. Those are techniques for people selling Avon or Amway.

The websites I bookmark and spend real time viewing give me free access to MLS searches for all homes in my area, not just the ones offered by the realtor. If the realtor has a good reputation, I will use them to help me buy the home if they are not the listed seller's agent. I also like good exterior photos. Those and the 360degree pics inside the homes are worth far more than all the other bells and whistles on the website. The speakers on my computers are disconnected unless I specifically connect them to hear CNN videos or similar.

I find agents and loan brokers by asking top-notch professionals I know for a referral. I talk to my investment advisor and tax accountant. Who have they worked with who is smart and honest? I ask my friend (who makes good profits by purchasing land and building houses on them) who she uses for finding land and getting the loans.

I never ask someone who might be getting a kickback by referring me to a specific agent or broker. Someone who works at a bank, lender, title, appraiser office would be on that list.

Another criteria I use for picking real estate professionals to work with is if I have seen them do truly helpful work on volunteer projects. That tells me he puts his money where his mouth is. Someone who volunteers physical labor several full days a year working on Habitat for Humanity houses would get my attention in a heartbeat.

When I meet with someone new, do they yammer about their honesty and quality of service? Or do they shut up and listen to my concerns and then respond with rock solid facts. Such as - I tell the agent I want to see townhouses with specific attributes (size, amenities, etc) and those are the only properties they show me. First online or on paper, then in person if I agree. They don't waste my time by showing me properties outside my criteria list just because they want to offload them. How insulting. That is the fastest way to get me to block their number on all my phones.

Thanks for letting a victim of bad marketing speak!

In summary - too much 'bling' will only blind and take your eyes off the intended destination of the vehicle you are using ?

NOV

2007

I agree too much mail is annoying. When my coach asked me to contact my SOI eight times in a month, I balked. It's intrusive and unnatural. Even with a variety of different media, we don't want to hound people who told us on the first contact that they are not buying or selling in the near future.

Great points, we have to give a try to the user driven content. Thanks.

NOV

2007

Kelly,

Active Rain has opened my eyes and allowed me to take steps myself to improve all that you mentioned above.

There are many outlets that can make an impression for our reputation....and that too is a double edged sword....we have to be ever vigilant.

Once we have found the all the bounty, we need to sift through and utilize that which will make us what we are striving to be.

DEC

2007

I am a big fan of video. I have been posting videos of my listings on my website and my clients love it!

Having been a home buyer recently and now a Realtor I think about the things that I looked for when looking for my home. So, this is the harsh reality of me as a consumer:

A) Websites with Sound or other flashy annoying objects are immediately ignored. I don't want all that extra stuff. Virtual Tours are fine with sound, I requested them. But, If I open a site and get blasted with noise, forget it!

B) Probably the biggest thing, Call me back immediately! I started working with FOUR different agents in my home search. You know who got the sale? The agent that would call me back as soon as possible. Even if she just called to tell me she wasn't sure what the answer to my question was but she was working on it. The modern consumer wants answers and we want them NOW! If you just leave me hanging for two days searching for an answer I'll move on to somebody that can get it for me. On the other hand if you called me and addressed my question and then truthfully explained that you weren't sure what the answer was, but you'll find it, I'll work with you.

C) The internet savvy consumer is generally very well read on a home or a neighborhood long before we call an agent. If you feed me a line because you don't know the real answer, I'll find out, and you'll never hear from me again.

D) I spend about 10 seconds sorting my mail. If it doesn't catch my eye as something that I really need between the mail box and the outside trash can its wasted marketing dollars for somebody. Don't send me something every week, then I'm really going to know that you're not important. If I do remember your name, it's because you were that annoying Realtor that filled my mailbox with junk every week.

Let me tell you about a great mail campaign that I saw before I became a Realtor. One day I received a card in the mail, standard greeting card nothing flashy, hand addressed to me. Of course it gets opened on the way the house. Inside it says: "I thought I'd send you a few stamps so you don't have to wait in line at the post office for them." (This is right after postage went up.) Inside were five 2 cent stamps and a business card. That's it! It didn't say one word about real estate! Unfortunately, I was already on my way to closing with another agent. But, that agent with one simple gesture gave me something I really needed. I kept his card, before I moved out of the city I gave his number to three other people I knew (you notice my agent didn't get these referrals) and two of them closed with him! Just think about that! A 50 cent greeting card 41 cents in postage and 10 cents in give away items. So, for $1.01 that guy made Thousands! It was the only marketing piece I ever saw from him.

I just try to do my marketing the way that I feel I would respond to it. Don't just throw something flashy out there or just bug people to death. It makes us all look bad.

Robyn

DEC

2007

It was a pleasure meeting you at the Active Rain user's group, WC. I am looking forward to being part of such a dynamic group of real etsate professionals on the cutting edge of technology. MY head is swirling with all of the new information. I found your recent blog on "google juice" very informative & helpful.

Angela Martinez, Diablo Realty

DEC

2007

I think that whatever you do has to be good. So I like video and plan to use some in my web site, but I plan to hire someone with a "radio voice" to do the script. I'm with Lenn that cheesy and bad is never good. It's better to NOT have it, then to have a bad advertising campaign.

Do it in small doses as your budget allows, but whatever you do, make it good. I also don't send out postcards and such as consumers are inundated and it's not good for the environment.

Great points ... since I'm irrated by most of what I received, I would imagine that it's the same for everyone.

Well, this is a great question, and post. I know when I get what I call junk mail I hate it, when I get a telemarketer I hate it, when I get the postcards I don't like them but then they are easy to read and toss if I am not interested. So I would vote for the post card over all the other methods.

Gee I hope when I send out postcards, people are not thinking I am annoying them@(#*$&$^????

Bookmarked.

Great post...I like a few of your ideas outside of what I already do. I am online in quite a few places. It seems to be an bonus for lesss print.

DEC

2007

It is posts like this that keep bringing me back to Active Rain. As an insurance agent, I also have to find clients, and keep them. My background is in video production and corporate events. I agree to not have sound on a website, or at least have the user have to turn on the audio, not start as soon as the site is open. One thing that has worked well over the years is an email newsletter. But not every month. I get a couple from realtors that I delete instantly. But once a quarter isn't too much. Don't sell them something, but give info to them. If they want more info, they will contact you.

DEC

2007

Thanks Tim for your email newsletter evaluation. I tend to agree that a quarterly email newsletter is the right amount of information. I also think that allowing people an easy way to subscribe to your blog gives them to option to gather information at their pace rather than us feeding them unwanted info.

Likewise, it is positive like yours that keep me writing on Active Rain.

Kelly

Kelly, Great ideas... I especially like the idea of user-generated content. That's direct response marketing at its best!

meghan mullee

www.MeghanMullee.com

My take on videos is that you should not automatically play them on your homepage. If you want the video clip there, you should have a text link the user has to click on to play the video. The reason for this is because a lot of people surf the web at work. Having a website who's homepage plays sound is the fastest way to get the prospect to leave your site.

The best sites I've seen have the video window static, with a text that says something like "click here to play video" or something like that. That way, the user is prepared, and they can either bookmark your page to save for later, or view now.

I agree with Linda. I tend to leave quickly when sites start blaring music or streaming video, though when I see a video player, I often start and watch the video. Web 2.0 is about letting the visitor decide.

Thanks!

Frank Jewett

Alot of great tips. I am working on putting together the right team of people that can help me use the web to my advantage. I was always someone that felt comfortable with a computer, but this is starting to feel way out of my comfort zone,. Any advice?

Good post and good comments too. I am rethinking the automatic playing of video on splash pages. Thanks for sharing.

DEC

2007

I am a big fan of technology, but I am also an avid believer in numbers, and numbers don't lie. Consumers are getting more savvy but people seem to still go with what they know. We have a large baby boomer "condo push" in our area and a lot of those either go with who they know or who they see a few seem to be online. I follow the philosphy of a strong tech presence with supporting offline marketing. Happy Holidays. -cem

I think both off line and on line advertising are still needed but it needs to tie back in to expertise and skill in communication and the all important search the MLS! All advertising has the potential to irritate but if we stopped we'd never get any business.

I agree that a lot of real estate marketing is border line annoying. I am especially annoyed by things like signs on your car, catchy phrases, and other desperately passive attempts at marketing. As a Realtor, we are professionals. How many other professionals do you see marketing the way Realtors do (i.e. Lawyers,Doctors,CPAs, etc)? Some give a bad name for all.

DEC

2007

Hello everyone, lots of great information in this thread. I agree there are just as many annoying online marketing techniques as offline activities. Daily, I have to delete e-mails advertising individual homes from other agents in my market. As a member of the MLS, I will search for the homes that meet my clients needs.

Any video or sound on our websites should be at the control of our visitors. There are several new sites in my market (same web designer) that installed videos that play automatically. Better for me :)

As a CPA, I am more reserved by nature and simply provide a site that makes it easy to view homes w/o requiring registration (another annoying technique).

Kelly, I do many of these things but plan to start doing more video. Generation x want to see the real estate they are looking for.

DEC

2007

Great Ideas! I also believe in giving back to your community! Not that you should intentionally use this as a marketing ploy but it is a great way to get visability! I love the Go Green idea!

It's good to read lots of feedback on this subject. Being a REALTOR myself, I feel as if 99% of th on a website or bloge marketing done by agents is annoying. Very little of the advertising and marketing is useful. So, many agents use the common methods cause that is all they see going on around them. It really needs to be brought down to a personal level. From then, referrals and word of mouth will eventually pick up benefiting an agent, but most don't want to put in the work or time (might be years). They think throwing money out to advertising and marketing will bring in the business. For some, it may. But for others, it is like flushing cash down the toilet.

And yes, music, audio, and video on a website or blog is very annoying. Unless it is MySpace of course.

Great points for website. I tried to link Active Rain to mine only to find it was incomplete. While the link is shown, it doesn't link to anything. Is there someone willing to hold hands and sing kumbayah to help? :)

When I went into real estate I kept in mind what I liked and disliked as a consumer. I hated unsolicited e-mail, but didn't mind high quality mail items or websites. I did not go to many real estate websites, but I did go to websites about my community. As a result, I only send mass e-mails to subscribers to my community blog and I send out high quality postcards. This approach has worked well for me.

The best marketing should be reflective of your own personality. If you want to portray yourself with class and polish your marketing should not be obnoxious.

I am starting to use videos instead of virtual tours because videos have chapters. Virtual tours can get boring. A buyer using a video can jump straight to the part of the house that is important to them.

Happy Holidays!

DEC

2007

Great post , have you looked into hello world

Very good thought provoking post! I don't like junk mail. I immediately leave a site with blaring sound. filing out forms often loses me as well, for fear of more junk mail or email.

DEC

2007

Very good post! You gave me a lot of food for thought. And I agree with Renee. If you're using sound, make sure you know it's not annoying. You'll run people off and they'll never come back!

JAN

2008

I really think that we need to tailor our marketing to the clients we want to reach. I am a techno nerd and I hate those annoying videos that pop on real estate websites, so I would say those are definitely out. I also can't stand flash intros, I just want the information. I do however enjoy video content that is informative to me and that I choose to watch.

I am not so sure that postcards are a complete waste of time if they are informative and professional. I just think that we as real estate agents need to remember that marketing of all kinds is unimportant without follow up. If our prospects never hear from us they never get to the level of client. And that's really the point

JAN

2008

I am an AR newbie and just wanted to say thanks for the post. Your information will be truly helpful to me. I am in a small rural area where technology has not fully bloomed. Now is my chance to set myself apart from my competition who don't have a clue what's going on out there in technology! Thanks again .

JAN

2008

Kelly these are all great idea's. I noticed that the first comment in the list mentioned these video's being for teenagers. I'd like to point out that teenagers alive today have grown up in a very technologically advanced time when compared to our youth. Those same teenagers are growing up into young adults and many of them are buying their first home as they get started out in life. I think that as a result of the differences between our growing up and theirs it makes absolute sense to utilize and capitalize on new techno and digital trends that will have an impact on the changing face of our prospects.

I think it is a matter of knowing your target audience. Get to know the people in the area you serve and ask them what they prefer.

great ideas, I think if these resources are used effectively and people respect these avenues, they can be great. On the downside, I've seen companies plaster Craigslist with every listing their company has in a generic form and just clogs up the site. I would suggest that people try vflyers when posting on these sites, I've found that it makes the listings unique and more appealing to the potential buyers.

Thank you for the help

Thanks for this post and I will use this info.

JAN

2008

I'm always interested in these ideas. Are there any statistics to back the claims up?

JAN

2008

Have you implemented any of these ideas? How are they working for you?

Kelly- Oh times they are a changing. Great points to consider.

JAN

2008

I send just sold post cards or very informative letters about the area!

You know, I tried to market myself and get listings by doing expired listings. I had a woman call me and let me know pretty much that she KNEW what my marketing tactics were and she told me to save my stamps. lol

JAN

2008

Kelly.... lots of buyers and sellers would rather go online to look these days.....

My thouhgt on direct mail these days are to lead them to your online presence... Yhat is your take hers ?

Kelly,

Green is huge... direct online is were it is at

Rick

JAN

2008

Marketing tactics ARE annoying if they hold no value for the consumer. It's not the frequency or the medium necessarily. Make it about THEM and not YOU and you'll find them much more responsive and you'll look much more professional.

JAN

2008

Whoa!!! A lot of information in this post and comments. Very interesting. Thanks for the new perspectives on marketing.

FEB

2008

Wow...great discussion and many, many good points. It seems to me that the challenge in one of integration not choice....Segregate your prospects/clients and service them differently. The "one size fits all" approach means that all your clients or prospects want the same piece of information at the same time....not likely. Let's use technology to customize not mass produce.

We need to slice our database...and send different info or messages to diff segments - Past Clients are different from prospects that don't know you. Some message are better by mail, some better by email. Whenever possible "Permission based Marketing" - (getting the prospects approval to include them) is the best way to go....take quality over quantity every time.

Just a great discussion....thanks to AR....and all of you, Mike

I really feel like all marketing has to be combined with a strong active prospecting campaign. I think marketing without the touching does not work. I am new to the business and I actively seek prospects by door knocking, calling and open houses! I know that more seasoned agents think that these activities are a waste of time, but I feel very strongly that it is a combination of the internet , direct mail marketing and touches that really bring about business.

Just a newbie opinion that is having some real successes!

Lizz Walters~ Securing Your Real Estate Future!

FEB

2008

With technology the price will come in time. Using things like you will in the long help make pricing affordable and common place. I use a drip email and try not to unver do it. There are some people who become annoyed no metter what you do. Bonner

There is no question that consumers are inundated with marketing materials from companies competing for their attention. Once of Kelly's points- go green cannot be understimated. There are now websites that allow you to take your name off of catalog lists- there is no telling where this might go...perhaps postcards? I think we would all agree that there is nothing more annoying than going to your mailbox and having to throw more than 60% of it away. Not only is it a time and money waster, it's terrible for our environment.

I agree with everything Kelly and others said above- all great points to follow. I would also add that I believe real estate agents an brokers need to take a harder look at their marketing campaigns and begin approaching things as though they are mini-corporations where branding is key. The stamp idea mentioned above is excellent! You want to be the first one they think of when a consumer goes to buy. Branding can get you there. Branding is one of the most important and significant things you can do for yourself. A strong, consistent brand is key to successful marketing. Have a logo designed for yourself and use it throughout your marketing- business cards, materials and websites. Create a 'media kit'; a folder of information about you, your experience and what you bring to the table for your clients. Include testimonials from previous clients. Create a paper version and an electronic version. Don't mail the media kit to people- hand deliver it to those prospects whom have contacted you, or to clients for whom you do a listing presentation. Create something that makes you stand out from the rest as a more organized and business savvy professional.

Branding is key, but do not forget about referrals! There is an old saying that people in business do business with those they know and like. Combining your strong brand awareness with good old fashioned networking and relationship building will still get you further than any paper postcard could. Sitting behind a computer maintaing a website and writing blogs is great on the off hours, but during the day, get out in the field and start networking! Join volunteer organizations, professional groups and participate in the things that matter on your Board. Unfortunately the real estate profession is beginning to get a very bad reputation but that can change. Your ability to have an intelligent, informed discussion on issues that matter to your clients will earn trust, position you as a true professional and attract more qualified clients your way.

Carry your brand online. Remember that your website is very often your client's first impression. Would you show up to a listing presentation in a t-shirt playing a stereo on full volume? Don't turn your clients off by presenting them with a website that is too flashy, full of music and sound, or cluttered with information people could care less about. Don't sell your website out for search engine purposes- jumbling it up with too many links and terribly written paragraphs only makes you look like an amateur. Believe it or not, you CAN have a great looking website that ranks high on search engines. Pop ups are annoying and asking for their information too often is annoying too! Remember the internet user wants to be anonymous for awhile- respect that and let them look. If you have a professional site that is respectful of your client's time, you'll grab a more qualified lead who is more likely to tell someone else about you.

Videos are a great way to showcase properties, but don't ever force someone to watch. Tie the video in with your listings as an enhancement and find someone to push those videos to major portals like YouTube and others. The exposure is great for the listing and will also drive traffic back to your site.

Finally, network with portals online. If you're looking for a way to gain maximum exposure for your listings and generate traffic back to your site, piggy back onto some of the worlds' more popular portals. There are now international companies that push your properties to portals all over the world (one of my clients happens to be one of them!) GoogleBase, Trulia, and others spend a fortune on their marketing. Piggyback on their efforts by pushing your information to them. Your marketing dollars will stretch much further this way!

Good luck and happy marketing!

FEB

2008

Thank you Cassandra for your thoughtful comments. I look forward to checking out www.cybersunshine to learn more about you and your company.

Kelly

FEB

2008

Hi thanks for information. Traditional marketing gives you the opportunity to define the language your prospects speak.. When compared to traditional marketing , internet marketing gives more scope to the customers and even the owners.

MAR

2008

Cassandra you hit the nail on the head. I've been working on getting away from my companies structured website and developing my own. Branding is a huge key to long term success. This thread is invaluable to all of us.

I'm so happy to be apart of Active Rain only been here two days and i'm already thristing for more.

Keep up the great work everyone we are the shapers for the industry of tomorrow.

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