Wow, sounds like the subtitle of a good Realtor action movie.
We get calls on a daily basis from Realtors who want to learn more about our Interactive Marketing platform.
It normally starts with:
“I am using company XYZ to promote my listings/myself, they aren’t producing any results for me!”
Really, no results?
We typically follow up with two questions of our own:
“How do you know they don’t work?” and “What is your definition of the phrase ‘they aren’t producing any results’?”
Many services provide introductions to you or your listings it’s true. But when you speak to a new person, do you ask them specifically how they found you? Maybe those services that aren’t working…actually ARE working.
This reminds me of a new Realtor we signed on two years ago. I specifically remember that he joined mid-week. He added his listing to our platforms. He called us two days later to cancel his account. We asked why and pointed out the fact that he had already had many visitors to his online listing with Utopria. We told him that everyone who visited had listened to him talk about his listing and himself etc. He said, ‘I didn’t get one call and the property didn’t sell.’
We thanked him for his patronage and wished him well. We can’t argue with that line of thinking. It didn’t sell within in 30 hours, he was right. He likely went on to another service company that same day. And he’s likely still service surfing hoping to find that one that is guaranteed to win listings and have them sold within a day.
The bottom line is that every piece of marketing helps. We advertise in many outlets…much of the time we are unable to determine how a caller/emailer found us. Should we take our website down since they probably didn’t get the number from there? No.
To further demonstrate our point, let’s look at how another company might market their products or services for a moment.
A company that spends millions on advertising/marketing is Coca-Cola. They sell a lot of product every day…seemingly without effort.
Do they really need to put up a billboard in Times Square for thousands of dollars a day? It probably didn’t lead to many or any extra bottles being sold that day. In short, they don’t need to incur that cost.
But they are betting that one day in the future, that image of their product will be in the heads of those who saw it. Perhaps when they decide to reach for that drink in the store months down the road.
It would be nice to be able to determine 100% why Realtors get leads or calls. But often this isn’t possible.
Imagine being asked at the grocery store why you are buying Coke today. Other than the fact that you like Coke…why did you buy it? Was it the Coke truck that passed you on the road, the model that was drinking it in the magazine you read today or perhaps it was a commercial you laughed at during the Super Bowl in 1998.
There is no magic bullet with real estate marketing. Adopt methods that you are comfortable with, get proficient at them and talk about them to everyone. The more innovative they are, the more impressive they will be to potential sellers. Use methods that are different, unique and those that you can prove are producing results for you and your sellers.
How can your prove your marketing efforts with outlets like newsprint advertising…you can’t. You’ll need to adopt systems that track activity…and yes this likely means surfing for new and innovative services.
We can help when you’re ready.
Note: This blog was not sponsored by Coke…although it should have been. 
Utopria Inc.
(888) 453-6504
www.utopria.com
Utopria announced the latest addition to its Real Estate marketing platforms. The Prestige Business Directory allows Realtors to extend their business connections to their preferred partners.
