What your Realtor Can Teach You About Marketing

There are as many different client development and sales strategies as there are people selling things. We all adapt the methods we learn to fit our personality, style, brand and product.

In my post What You Can Learn About Marketing Your Business from the Cosmetics Counter, I highlight the strategy referred to sales funnel marketing. Sales funnels capture a client or buyers’ interest and utilize a specific sequence of calls to action to induce decision making.

Often limited time discounts or even limited time product offers are used. That communication style taps into a buyer’s emotion and their fear of missing out.

At the heart of a sales funnel is a relationship between the person communicating the benefits of a product and the person on the other end being induced to buy it. The deeper the funnel gets the stronger the buyer feels about the brand or product’s outcomes.

Traditional Marketing

When you get the mail and see a postcard from a realtor telling you about recent sales in your neighborhood you stop to read it, right? I do – I’m always curious to know how much my neighbor’s house sold for.

And the calendar with the fridge magnet that the neighborhood realtor sends as a Christmas card? I don’t know about you but I totally put that on the side of my fridge every year right next to the magnet my plumber left for easy access to his phone number.

These traditional marketing tools aren’t dead. They continue to work great.

Now, I’m not suggesting that postcards and magnets are for everyone. But if they do work in your industry don’t necessarily skip sending them because they sound old fashion.

Drip Marketing

The traditional marketing strategy used by Realtors is known as drip marketing. Just like fertilizer is dripped onto a plant to help it grow a prospect is nurtured by drops of brand or product awareness.

Some say it takes 7 “touches” before someone begins to recognize something new and others say it takes 29. I don’t have a degree in marketing but I’m going to guess it simply varies by product and subject matter.

Regardless of the number of “touches”, one thing is for sure. There are many more ways to bring attention to a brand or product today then there were just 10 years ago.

What is the Right Message?

It’s important to have both an introduction and a call to action. Who are you? Why should they want to learn more about you?

And when they do get to know more about you what action do you want them to take?

The call to action is a very important part of the message. What good is making someone aware of your brand or products if they don’t join your community or purchase from you?

Speak to your prospects’ needs and curiosity. Peak their interest. Convince them to stop what they are doing to learn more about you or about what you have to say.

Tools to Implement Drip Marketing

One of the great things about Drip Marketing is that you can use low cost tools. The basic goal is for your prospect to see you, hear you or hear about you multiple times.

How that happens is up to you and your best analysis of how your prospect will intake your attempt to influence them. Below is a list of just some of the low-cost options available to you.

12 Modern Drip Marketing Tools
1. Post an Announcement on LinkedIn
2. Facebook Ads
3. Facebook Live
4. Pinterest Pin
5. Network at a conference
6. Speak at a conference
7. Write a trade publication guest article
8. Email introduction from a common source
9. Introduce yourself with a phone call based on a friend’s referral
10. Send out a regular newsletter
11. Guest post on a blog
12. Participate in a virtual summit

Key factors of successful Drip Marketing include consistency, message and selecting a mix of options that allow you an opportunity to be seen, heard or heard of by your target prospects.

Conclusion

Drip marketing is a time-tested successful way to draw awareness to your brand or product and communicate a call to action.

Realtors send postcards with neighborhood sales information because they know you are going to be curious. They know you are going stop and look at it before you toss it in the trash.

And whether you realize it or not, they know you are seeing their name and logo even if just for a second.

Other posts you might like:

Must Do’s the First Week Working for Yourself

How to Find an Accountant When You are Self-Employed (with free workbook)