This post was originally posted to the Nickian Home Staging Blog under "Target Marketing and Lifestyle Merchandising: A New Paradigm in Home Staging" on June 6, 2011.
The home staging industry is changing to be more effective. There is a new paradigm shift, developed in part by Matthew Finlason, host of HGTV’s “The Stagers”. Nickian Home Staging has successfully embraced the techniques employed by Finlason after attending his Advanced Staging and Marketing course. This new model makes it critical to target your buyer when preparing a home for sale. Home staging has evolved from simply de-cluttering, de-personalizing and neutralizing a home, in an attempt to appeal to the widest range of buyers. This is a somewhat one size fits all or blanket approach, which under many circumstances can be counter-productive. We are now moving towards better understanding the target buyer and focusing on what the buyer wants. It is about creating an installation where the dreams and aspirations of the buyer are addressed. Nickian Home Staging is at the forefront of this new trend using Target Marketing and Lifestyle Merchandising concepts.
Step 1: Target Marketing
Target marketing involves breaking down a market into segments and then concentrating your marketing efforts on one or more of a few key segments. Imaging pitching a baseball to the batter with a blindfold on or practicing archery with your eyes closed. In both cases, being prevented from seeing your target would make it almost impossible to hit. This concept is also true in real estate. Selling a home without knowing who your target market is will prevent you from reaching your objective. Target marketing is the key to increased sales. You need to know the answers to the following questions to successfully market your property:
- Who is your buyer?
- Why would they buy this home?
- What is their demographic?
- What is their psychographic?
- What are the demographics & psychographics of the neighborhood?
Step 2: Lifestyle Merchandising
Once we identify the target buyer we will zero in on their lifestyle. We combine our research and analysis with the demographic and psychographic profiles of the potential buyer with our design aesthetics. Once all that research has been done it is critical to know how to translate this information into a meaningful and successful staging design plan. When staging a home, we are telling a story, mindful of the dreams, aspirations and lifestyle of the targeted buyers rather than presenting a neutralized, sterile looking presentation. Every piece of furniture, artwork, and accessory that we use in our story is carefully and thoughtfully selected. Home buyers buy a lifestyle.
NEW YORKERS LOVE THEIR DOGS: CREATE A STORY & EMOTIONAL TRIGGER FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS
About the Author: Gary Sefferman is President and Creative Director of Nickian Home Staging, a boutique style home staging company serving the New York City Metro area, including Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Westchester, Northern New Jersey and Fairfield County Connecticut. Nickian’s focus is working with home sellers and their real estate agents to prepare their property to appeal to the most likely buyers. As Certified Advanced Stagers Nickian Home Staging transforms a property into a buyer’s must-have through the use of targeted lifestyle marketing techniques.
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