A GUARANTEED WAY TO GENERATE INTEREST

If you’re reading this, then it worked. A thought-provoking or challenging "hook" is the first step in getting attention. What you do with it after than, of course, is up to you.

In social media, products like Twitter rely on interesting "tweets" in order for people to converse. Tweets that are considered good are "retweeted". There are even awards ("Shorty Awards") for the best one-liners.

A captivating lead-in can make a huge difference, no matter what product or service you’re offering. Sometimes, the difference between you and your competition might just be getting someone to stop at your store or website and not the next guy’s.

For example, which sounds more interesting?

• EXPERIENCE IS AS IMPORTANT AS QUALIFICATIONS




• YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR : ASK ABOUT EXPERIENCE

Now, perhaps these aren’t the best of tag lines, but if you are trying to stand out from the crowd by virtue of your experience, both are adequate. However, in my opinion, the second tag suggests a slight "challenge", possibly that cheap isn’t always good…? Both articles or websites, blogs, flyers, brochures or whatever could have very much the same contents, but giving the prospect something to think about could be the margin you’re looking for.

When you’re writing your next article, blog post, advertisement, web site…etc, consider asking a question that people might not have thought about. Take a different view on an everyday subject. Be controversial. Stimulate discussion. Make them wonder what mysteries are inside

Bear in mind, that the content is important too.

I’ve written about being #1 on the major search engines (see SO YOU MADE IT TO THE TOP OF GOOGLE). Have a great seo-friendly site that gets you placed is important, but it’s no use if people aren’t staying on the site.

Ditto anything else. The content is as important as the title, but having a good lead-in certainly helps.

“I’ll GET BY”

"I’ll get by," said a colleague the other day when we were discuss business cards and following a newsletter article (link here) I’d written on the subject titled "10 ways say it with cards". The conversation was about what I refer to as "marketing makeovers", reinventing oneself. This colleague had approached me with a simple request, "I need to change something because what I’m doing isn’t working."

In the current economic climate it’s easy to feel that way. There is an undercurrent of uncertainty in so much of what we do in our personal and professional lives. Business has suffered across the board. What was once taken for granted is now an uncertainty (just look at GM, AIG or Lehman). Everyone is treading carefully because no one can afford to take a risk any more.

But, back to my conversation. We looked over my colleagues marketing material, and discussed how we could "tune" a few things here and there. One of the recommendations I made was a "makeover" of some of the marketing materials. She responded by saying "oh it’s okay, I’ll get by". What I was proposing was not expensive, I hasten to add, and my colleague knew that. But such is the economy that she wasn’t willing to take even that small chance.

"Do you want to get by or get ahead?" I asked her. I explained that she knew she needed to try some new things, hence our conversation, but a change in approach coupled with a "make do" feeling on the supporting materials is a recipe for failure. As Yoda said in The Empire Strikes Back, "do, or do not, there is no try". If you want to change, then decide to change.

As a marketing person, it’s my job to be honest, otherwise, we would have parted ways and her positive feeling about her new strategy would have lasted a day or two at the most. It was my feeling that the "makeover" was need to shed the "old" image. People like new things. You start a new job, you get a new suit. It makes you feel good and that shows. Yes, money is tight, I can attest to that, but if you want to try and remake yourself, don’t settle for "getting by".

Decide to "get ahead". It doesn’t have to be expensive and, to paraphrase a well-known proverb, "a small change is as good as a huge rest".

A BAKER’S DOZEN: New Year’s Marketing Resolutions

1. Resolve to start a blog on an aspect of your business that interests you.
2. Resolve to posting on your business blog (at least) once every two weeks.
3. Resolve to reading similar blogs and posting a comment or feedback (at least) once a week.
4. Resolve to start a blog on a non-business subject that interests you.
5. Resolve to posting on your non-business blog (at least) once every two weeks.
6. Resolve to reading similar blogs and posting a comment or feedback (at least) once a week.
7. Resolve to not using your computer (at least) one day a week.
8. Resolve to have coffee with someone you’ve not seen in a while (at least) once a month.
9. Resolve to make a new business contact (at least) once a month.
10. Resolve to spend (no more than) an hour a day on social media sites, blogging etc.
11. Resolve to double the size of your holiday card distribution list.
12. Resolve to add your blog and/or social media information to your (JDE designed) business card.
13. Resolve to ending 2009 knowing more than you did about (Internet) marketing at the end of 2008.
    

I know that I’ve really pushed the blogging and social media issues this year. I think that in 2009 they’re going to get bigger and more relevant. If you’d be interested in getting together to discuss some online marketing ideas, blogs and social media, give me a call or send me an email. There are some excellent resources, both online and in print and, of course, in person.

Whatever your 2009 New Year’s Resolutions are, I wish you the very best of luck in your endeavor!

Cutting Back Creatively (Real Estate)

It’s hard, especially in this industry, to spend money on marketing your listings. The return on investment is by no means guaranteed, in fact quite the opposite. As the market continues to tighten, I’ve seen less and less of the marketing techniques that were so common just a year ago. There are fewer open houses, fewer flyers, fewer “just listed” cards…fewer agents too, as I’m sure everyone knows.

That said, as in previous economic declines, there have been creative developments too and I thought I’d mention a few here…

• Pooling resources – increasing your professional and social networking connections (including on sites like this one) can help with leads and referrals. Terms like “divide and conquer” and “two heads are better than one” really do apply in this market. Work more closely with other professional groups, contractors, mortgage brokers, home stagers, etc to offer “complete packages”. Advertise their services on your flyers – get them preapproved if they’re buying – hook up with a mortgage company. If they’re selling and need some staging, network with a staging specialist. Again, by pooling resources and expanding networks, you increase exposure for everyone. Will it lead to a sale? Nothing is guaranteed, but I really believe that you get back what you put in – with interest.
• Flyers – an obvious place to cut back. I’ve seen this part of my own business take a hit, and understandably so. Flyers can be expensive. What I’ve suggested to a number of agents is to try and use flyers more creatively…for example:
• Multiple listing flyers. Not quite a “tour on paper” but if you have several listings in an area or price range, put them all on your flyers. If you don’t want to detract from the property the flyer is supposed to be about, put the other listings on the back. Include a local map.
• Offer ad space. Whether you charge is your call, but why not split the cost of the flyers by offering a spot or two for some of your more trusted or high-volume professional links to advertise? When you get your flyers from the title company, that’s exactly what they’re doing…
• Shop around. There are some good deals to be had on flyers.
• Free is best, of course, and a lot of title companies are offering free flyers to agents, so take advantage of it.
• Newsletters and mailers – yes, the paper kind. Email newsletters are okay, but paper (in my humble opinion) is still the way to go. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Just some points of interest, some market information and an incentive (giveaway perhaps) to keep you in mind…
• Email listings – I get so many of these that my spam filter is pretty well occupied all the time. I know there are people out there who will beg to differ with me, but spamming listings to other agents and consumers isn’t my idea of good marketing. When was the last time you read one that you didn’t delete immediately (there’s bound to be someone who replies on this one)? I would save those precious emails for newsletters and important information…
• Blogging – one of my favorite subjects to discuss. Still one of the best, most underused and FREE marketing tools out there. I’m not necessarily advocating putting all your listings into your blog…but – hmmm…maybe that would…naah…

In all seriousness, however, getting involved with blogging, including here on WordPress and outside, is an important networking tool. Put your blog address in your email signature and on your card – and flyers – and anywhere else you can think of!

Use free marketing tools where possible. Free online classifieds are sometimes worth a shot although some of the more popular ones have been the subject of debate as the source of fraud. So tread with caution.

• Follow up. Birthdays, holidays and anniversaries. Sign up with a company like Send Out Cards (www.cardeveryone.com). It’s a small investment that can yield great returns. People love getting cards and they will remember you. Relationships, especially in this market, matter a great deal and it’s nice to know that someone cares.
• Expand your horizons. I’m a firm believer that marketing overseas is a large, untapped oil well. We’ve seen an increase in Canadian and European investors coming into the US in search of properties. Establishing relationships with both agents and clients overseas could yield dividends. I’m working on a site for international agent “matching” to try and help this process along. More to follow in the New Year.

There is no silver bullet when it comes to marketing, whether real estate or anything else. Times are tough and money is tight. Most people are scared, many are hurting. Buyers aren’t sure they’re getting the best deal – what if the market goes down even more? Sellers are worried they’re upside-down or at the break-even point. None of what I’ve suggested is a tonic or cure for any of this, but they might help just a little and that’s about all we can ask for right now.

Thanks so much for reading!