Fundamentals
of Real Estate Marketing
by
Brandon Cornett
Your
personal marketing program needs certain ingredients in order to
succeed. Chief among them — research, focus, testing, honesty and
enthusiasm.
Fundamentals
of research
Effective marketing demands thorough research, the more of it the
better. In fact, I would rank research in the top-three factors of
successful marketing.
Before
you can write a brochure to inform your audience ... before you can
write an advertisement to persuade your audience ... before you can
write Web content to educate your audience ... you have to know
everything about your audience.
You have
to know what their days are like, how they define success, what they
worry about. Everything. Only then can you begin to communicate to them
effectively.
Fundamentals
of focus
In marketing and communications, seduction lurks around every corner.
New ideas emerge during a prolonged campaign. Distractions and side
doors present themselves. “This is old,” you might think. “I need to
shake things up a little.”
Focus
and consistency bring benefits over the long haul, but it takes
patience. An ad-testing program, for example, could take several months
to start producing valuable insight. It takes steady measurement. It
takes long-term vision. It takes focus.
Fundamentals
of testing
Eugene Schwartz, author of Breakthrough Advertising, said it best:
“There are no answers in direct mail except test answers. You don’t
know whether something will work until you test it. And you cannot
predict test results based on past experience.”
What he
meant was, you can take an offer that has worked for somebody else in
your industry, apply it to your audience, and have it flop.
Sure,
there are “best practices” you can start with. And you can learn a lot
from the successes and failures of other marketers. But to get the best
possible ROI on your marketing investment, there is no substitute for
testing.
Think of
it this way. Best practices will put you ahead of 75% of your
competition. Testing will help you surpass the other 25%.
Fundamentals
of honesty
If you say “free,” it better be free — with no strings attached. If you
say “number one real estate company on the east coast” ... you better
be number one in some legitimate way.
Deceit
and trickery only work the first time around.
Fundamentals
of enthusiasm
Have you ever read an ad, article or website and found yourself
thinking, “Boy, this writer doesn't even care.”?
If your
designer, copywriter, webmaster — or anyone else involved with your
marketing — lacks enthusiasm for a particular project, the project has
already failed.
A wise
marketing manager knows this and will take the necessary steps to
inspire his or her team. All this being said, it always helps to have a
superior or service. But that's another topic entirely.
Brandon
Cornett has worked as a copywriter, web writer and advertising manager
within the direct mail industry. He now dedicates his time to helping
real estate professionals market themselves effectively. His "Modern
Guide to Real Estate Marketing" is available through his website: http://www.ArmingYourFarming.com
Brandon
Cornett may be contacted at http://www.armingyourfarming.com or Brandon@ArmingYourFarming.com
