Selling is convincing.
Marketing is attracting.
Branding is immortalizing!
"Branding is about authenticity. It should be your core identity seared onto your goods and services, acting like your fingerprint, traceable only back to you."
Chris Hilicki, Author of May I Have Your Attention, Please? John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The most powerful form of medium today to reach people with a message is the "power of story" or drama. Drama touches people in two basic areas: Intellect and Emotion.
There are three basic types of "audiences --
Visual - sight oriented
Auditory - hearing oriented
Tactile/Kinesthetic - hands on
Your marketing should reach all three types. From the look of your piece, from the sounds of your copy, and how your piece feels or touches your audience's soul (both in a tactile and emotional manner).
If you win the hearts of your audience, their minds will follow.
What is your favorite Hallmark card commercial? Remember, the one where the professor is retiring to sell Bonzai trees? An alum walks in, gives him a Hallmark card, and he replied, "What did you become, a Wall Street Guru . . .?"
She replied, "None of those. I became a teacher."
I cannot even tell this story in class without crying like an idiot.
The Hallmark commercials have little to do with the cards themselves. These commercials (especially during the holidays) are so effective, they bring their audience to tears.
Remember the commercial where the young man is returning home from the military? My son-in-law is currently serving in Iraq. I will totally lose it during that one and baste the turkey with my tears - especially when we set a place for him at the table and he is miles and miles away eating with the real Turks (who actually are responsible for serving the meals! ha!)
And there are those commercials from our local Publix (supermarkets). There is absolutely NO dialog -- only story through drama. More tear jerkers. Nothing about the food. Just the emotion.
How many of those little pilgrim salt-n-pepper shakers did you buy, huh? -- and what about the line-extension items -- platters and napkin holders? Admit it!
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One idea is to get into the PROSPECT's mind first . . . (their minds will follow)
How????
EFFECTIVE MARKETING!
However, the marketplace noise level is far too high. How can you rise above the noise?
Soooo, you give good service ??????
GOOD SERVICE IN A SERVICE-ORIENTED INDUSTRY IS EXPECTED AND DOES NOT HAVE TO BE STATED.
It can be illustrated by story - through story.
REMEMBER, THE WRITER'S GOLDEN RULE IS
SHOW ---
DON'T
TELL!
What you will accomplish through effective marketing:
Give your sphere, farm AND past customers enough of you so that when you walk through their door, you are already their Real Estate Professional. You will have become their CHOICE long before they ever needed you.
Why?
Because they GOT TO KNOW YOU - bit-by-bit and piece-by-piece through effective marketing -- PRINT marketing, BUZZ marketing -- BLOGGING!
To create effective marketing:
Collect: Bits and pieces of your life, your married life, your childhood, your child's childhood, interesting family stories (history of your family) any human interest stories related to you - to create YOUR STORY.
What You Will Do:
Connect Your Story to your audience (win their hearts)
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Take two unrelated ideas (your story) and (your career) and create advertising campaigns that can and will be uniquely yours!
The campaign cannot be duplicated, because it would not "fit" someone else -- it would lack authenticity.
Remember -- the brain works like velcro.
What is the brain? The brain, like VELCRO, has a surface covered with trillions of tiny, flexible hooks.
What is memorable advertising but as series of words, sounds or mental images covered with small soft loops.
THE MORE UNPREDICTABLE THE LOOPS, THE STRONGER THE BOND. Neatly arranged loops have little holding power.
When you present yourself in a predictable manner or use predictable words (I GIVE GREAT SERVICE), you are making ORDERLY loops. Your ad and your image will be weak.
You want to have VELCRO-powered ads.
Sound is more powerful than sight. However, SMELL is the most powerful memory! (Maybe that is why cooking shows are so popular -- the customer thinks he can smell Emeril's garlic sauted onions.)
I have come up with a personal marketing formula:
The Formula
Take the Unknown (You) ______________
Link it to the Known (name it) ______________
Embed one main message to leave with your public _____________
Create the story to illustrate the message using the unknown and the known ________________
Segue into Real Estate _____________
Give an urgency to call you (in third person, if story is written in 3rd person) __________________
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Apply the Formula . . .
Have you heard of me? (Karen Bargery Ross)
Have you ever heard of the Titanic? Here's how I applied the formula:
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George lived in Castle Cary, Somerset Shire, England, and at the age of seventeen, he made a decision to seek his fortune in America. He purchased a ticket for the virgin voyage of the Titanic. George lost his ticket. Lucky George.
George Bargery was my grandfather. George came to America by another ship - The Oceanic. Lucky ME!
When choosing a Real Estate professional, you want to depend on more than just luck. As the daughter, I promise you this mother-daughter ship will take you where you want to go.
We will keep you "sailing" high. Whether buying or selling, we are your golden ticket to a successful Real Estate transaction. Please call us today!
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This is a true story about my grandfather. I thought it would be a great human interest story. I have the documentation that confirms the dates and the fact that my grandfather was a passenger on The Oceanic. In fact, some of the crew from The Oceanic picked up the deceased and brought them to Nova Scotia for numbering, claiming and burying the victims.
THE FORMULA
Take the Unknown (You) Karen Bargery Ross
Link it to the Known (name it) The Titanic
Embed one main message to leave with your public You have to depend on more than just "luck"
Create the story to illustrate the message using the unknown and the known (all of it)
Segue into Real Estate When choosing a Real Estate professional, you want to depend on more
than just luck. As the daughter, I promise you this mother-daughter . . .
Give an urgency to call you (third person) Please call us today!
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Even though I may have thrown the point of view of the story around a little, I got my point across, and hopefully created an icebreaker for my audience and future clients. They will REMEMBER that story and will REMEMBER to ask about it's authenticity. Authenticity is most important.
Things that are new and unknown are more easily accepted when they are linked with something known and familiar. THIS IS KNOWN AS MIND-LINKING.
Link yourself to something very familiar (not a celebrity unless you have permission -- but a concept, idea or royalty-free icon).
The best marketing allows the customer to put himself/herself into your story. Show him/her how putting you into his/her path will change his/her life.
Or -- is unique and makes the reader say to himself, "Well, I'll be darn!"
Remember . . .
"The time has come when we must offer BETTER service - it is no longer enough to simply TELL it in a louder voice - if you want your marketing to be productive, you must have a STORY TO TELL and you must tell it PERSUASIVELY.
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Your Goal
Get the customer to willingly give you his attention. In order to achieve that, you must offer a thought more interesting than the thought that currently occupies his mind.
This does not require shouting. It requires art - art is the creation of your story . . .which is never ending.
IMPORTANT
Launching an ad campaign is like PUSHING A CAR. Advertising does not begin to work as quickly as you would like, but is also does not quit working until long after it has been abandoned." The Wizard of Ads, Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads, and Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads, all by Roy Williams, Bard Press. His books are phenomenal.)
Having the right message is what really matters. It is not who you reach, it is what you say.
"You don't have to be that brilliant in this business, but you do have to be different."
-- Donna Maxwell, Real Estate Speaker and Trainer
_________________________________________SAMPLE POSTCARDS__________________________________
Be sure to invite your audience to do business with you - express urgency.
Use ONLY ONE phone number - the best way to reach you.
Karen's 3 "C's" of Advertising
1. Consistency
2. Connectivity (Create a bond)
3. Creativity
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Samples will follow in subsequent blogs if there is any interest in this type of marketing.
If agents want to develop high trust selling, the public needs to know who you are, what you stand for, your work ethic, and what you will do for them and how.
They WILL get to know you through blogging, your website and all your personal print marketing which points to your website and your blog.
REMEMBER -- YOU ARE A REAL ESTATE AGENT, NOT A SECRET AGENT.
Your Mission for your Commission: GO FORTH AND TELL!!!!
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