01. Episode: Successful Real Estate Marketing Isn't About Your Ego
When we think about marketing ourselves and advertising our businesses, the conversation often turns to us. And while, it is completely natural to do this as the sole face of any business, especially real estate, it can prove to be incredibly detrimental to sales and business growth.
And often, this can be attributed to what I like to call, “ego-based” marketing. Ego-based marketing is a direction of marketing I find many real estate professionals falling into the trap of, without even realizing it. And it’s a trap that’s so easy to get caught into.
While we know the ultimate goal of every a real estate professional is to always help and serve their client. We can’t forget you, as a real estate professional also have other goals for yourself, such as, increasing the number of homes you sell, working in a new price range, or even targeting a new area.
Unfortunately, however, even with knowing your client’s needs always should come first, it can be ever-so tempting to let the voice of “you” start to take the lead in your marketing. And sometimes, the first signs that this is happening in a real estate professionals business are signs of struggling with sales, business growth or connecting and capturing client business.
So, on today’s quick tip we’re helping you flip your real estate marketing script in a way that helps you avoid ego-based marketing and making sure your marketing is tailored to being focused less on you and more about the people you’re serving.
95% OF YOUR MARKETING IS ABOUT YOU & 5% IS ABOUT YOUR CLIENT.
Okay, so how do you know if you have fallen victim to ego-based marketing within your business? If you find your marketing is 95% about you and 5% about your client. We have a little work to do. This is evident when agents use phrases such as, “I’m the best agent to work with in XYZ area” or they are laying out reasons as to “Why they can sell a clients home faster and for more money”. Other ways you can spot this within your own business are, if you find yourself touting or putting emphasis on how long you’ve been in the business within your marketing.
At the end of the day, we want your services to be the answer to the problems your clients are facing. And everything you do should be completely focused on serving them in the highest possible capacity.
So, what does that mean? It means, not just you serving them in the highest possible capacity but also your marketing - from your website, your social media, your listing and selling presentation. Everything should focus around you helping your client in one of the largest transactions any person can make in their entire life. This starts by really understanding your who your target audience is, what your specific niche is (yes, you do need one), and ultimately grasping what exactly your target clients biggest struggle is.
Make sure you’re asking your clients questions and answering their needs in your marketing, not just when they work with you. Avoid technical real estate jargon and remember to use language they use and understand and don’t be afraid to get creative in telling people exactly what you will do for them when they work with you.
Alright so the next key thing you want to be aware of in making sure you don’t fall victim to ego-based marketing is to, have a solid understanding of your personal brand, mission and messaging. Positioning yourself is incredibly important to your marketing and the connections you make with your clients. With the help of things like Zillow and other real estate technologies your real estate clients are becoming smarter and smarter every single day. All they have to do is search for you online and then with a few more strokes of the keys also, search your competitors. Like you, they want to know they are going to get the best service and the best help. So, before you go creating marketing that’s all about you and what you can do for them. Take the time to do the proper market research and find out how your brand fits your clients and potential target audience needs. Make it easier on yourself by making it easier for your customers to say yes to you.
We want your ideal customer to see you as their go-to-guide. They want to work with you. Through your marketing, they’ll value you as not only an experienced resource but also recognize that you truly care about them.
Instead of saying “here are all of my qualifications”, you recognize the problem they have and offer a solution to it. Send out surveys, and ask the right questions to your audience for honest feedback. Sometimes from experience, real estate professional think they’re too good to get feedback or they just don’t make the time. This is so critical for your business, don not overlook this. If billion-dollar companies such as, Intel, Oracle and Disney can do market research and send out survey’s for honest feedback from their audience, you can too. You don’t need to be a billion-dollar business to take advantage of this kind of strategy.
Whether you’re building your business through referrals, traditional or digital marketing, you need to make sure that you are focused on the customers. And to be most effective in this form of marketing, it’s important that you always have an ideal customer in mind.
So, Start by doing some market research. Find out what your customers want, and simply give them what they need. Then adapt to the market. Doing so will force you to see more results in your business. Please, don’t be selfish in your marketing efforts and don’t practice ego marketing.
I hope you enjoyed this blog/episode! And before you create your next real estate marketing piece, make sure you are thinking a little less about you and more about your customer.
