Martha Stewart, The Donald, Oprah, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton. As soon as you hear one of these names, a face pops into your mind. You probably can describe what each person does. You may even react emotionally. That's because these people have brand presence. Through their own self promotion and a lot of help from the media, these people have achieved celebrity status.
While you may not crave celebrity status, you can achieve a certain level of brand presence on your own by creating your own buzz-marketing blitz:
Market yourself on paper. Start with your own business cards and brochures. Hand them out to everyone you know and everyone you meet. Publish and distribute your own newsletter. Launch a direct mail campaign.
Market yourself to the media. Your real estate expertise makes you a valuable resource for the media. Whenever a story about your neighborhood breaks, the media looks for experts to interview. Make sure that expert is you. Offer to write articles for local newspapers and magazines. Call TV and radio stations and offer your services as a real estate expert. Offer to speak to local groups for free. I gave more than 1,000 free speeches before I ever was able to charge a speaker's fee. And don't forget about Realty Times! They offer a wide range of video products -- video newsletters featuring you -- to send to your customers.
Market yourself on the Internet. Home buyers and sellers often perform research on the Internet long before they begin seriously considering buying or selling a home. By establishing a Web presence, you step into the buying cycle very early on and significantly improve your chances of winning the listing or selling a home to a buyer. Every salesperson should have at least one website or blog.
Keep in touch with a drip e-mail campaign. When people visit your website or blog, offer something special to encourage them to pass along their contact information, particularly their e-mail address. Add each visitor's name to your contact database and a drip e-mail campaign. A drip e-mail campaign automatically sends the person a series of e-mail messages over the course of weeks or months; when the person is ready to make a purchase decision, you're there to take the order.
Advertise everywhere. Wherever people happen to hang out or obtain information about buying or selling a home, you should be there. If your customers watch TV, you should be on TV. If they tune into the radio, they should be able to hear your voice occasionally. If they read the papers, you should have an ad in the paper.
I put my phone number and e-mail address on everything. That makes some salespeople a little nervous, because they don't want everyone calling them at all hours of the day and night. I have assistants who handle much of the added work, and I strongly recommend that you do the same. Yes, having to field calls, answer questions, talk with reporters, write articles, and do all that other self-promotional stuff requires more time, energy, and effort, but if you want to be a top-producing agent, that's what it takes.
Published: January 30, 2008
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Once dubbed by TIME Magazine "the best-selling REALTOR® in America," Ralph R. Roberts, CRS, GRI is an award-winning and internationally recognized real estate agent, author, coach, and speaker.
Throughout his career, Ralph has proven his commitment to helping other real estate and sales professionals build upon their past and present success, grow and expand their businesses, and provide a rich and rewarding future for themselves, their customers, their employees, and their families.
As president and CEO of Ralph Roberts Realty, Ralph has personally helped thousands of consumers realize their dream of homeownership. While selling over 10,000 homes (and buying and selling over 3,000 investment properties) throughout his 30-year career, Ralph has made the time to mentor and coach hundreds of professionals in real estate, sales, and a host of other fields. Ralph is a recognized authority on Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud; Residential Real Estate; Personal Salesmanship; and, Sales Force and Office Management, Motivation, and Design.
Ralph's numerous websites, blogs, seminars, and speaking engagements engage, entertain, and educate both consumers and professionals. Ralph is also an accomplished author with several successful titles to his credit, including:
Power Teams: The Complete Guide to Building and Managing a Winning Real Estate Agent Team
Mortgage Myths: 77 Secrets That Will Save You Thousands on Home Financing (John Wiley & Sons)
Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Protect Yourself from Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud: Preserving the American Dream of Homeownership (Kaplan)
Foreclosure Investing For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Advanced Selling For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Flipping Houses For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons)
Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman (HarperCollins)
Real Wealth by Investing in Real Estate (Prentice Hall/Penguin Group)
Sell it Yourself (Adams Media)
52 Weeks of Sales Success (HarperCollins)
To learn more about Ralph, visit AboutRalph.com or check out his daily insights on real estate and mortgage fraud prevention at FlippingFrenzy.com.
Once dubbed by TIME Magazine "the best-selling REALTOR® in America," Ralph R. Roberts, CRS, GRI is an award-winning and internationally recognized real estate agent, author, coach, and speaker.