Q & A: How Can I Stand Out from the Herd?
An informative article from Taylor Newcomb
One of the most overlooked tools in every real estate agent’s toolbox is content. It’s taken for granted. Those that who at the larger brokerages just pass out whatever material they are provided with — sometimes from some marketing department hundreds of miles away staffed by folks who know nothing about individual markets.
As a result, the marketing is vague.
How much more powerful would a brokerage’s marketing be if it had unique, engaging content tailored toward its market?
There are plenty of options that give brokerages an edge in creating content. I’m talking about more than just email blasts, postcards and newsletters.
Here are three types of content that are hardly used in real estate, but can create a difference between you and your competitors:
1. White papers
Real estate white papers?
That’s right.
You might think they’re only for technology or the financial world, but they are equally at home in real estate. When writing a white paper, one of the questions one has to ask themselves about the subject is: “Is it expensive?”
Is commercial and residential real estate expensive?
Yes — and getting more so every day as the market grows.
A white paper can help a brokerage establish itself as a cutting-edge company. How many other brokerages offer clients a white paper on the advantages of working with it? How many other brokerages offer advice on how to sell property for the highest amount possible?
Utilizing a white paper for your brokerage would help you stand out.
2. Customer success stories
What’s one of the most powerful marketing tools in business today?
Testimonials.
Having a third party sing the praises of your company is a strong tool to bring in new clients, and a customer success story is the perfect way to show off those praises.
It’s similar to a case study, but the customer success story is akin to a feature article in a magazine. Find your happiest clients and approach them about writing a customer success story on them.
Interview them about their search, the obstacles they faced during their search and how your brokerage was able to get them through those obstacles and into a property that met their requirements.
How great is that?
3. E-book
Some brokerage owners have published tomes on how to be a great real estate agent or how to make millions as a house flipper or investor. But what about an e-book on your brokerage’s history and how it influences your work ethic and customer service standards?
There’s no need to write a 300-page doorstop, but something between 50 and 100 pages can give you more than enough space to convince clients and potential clients that your brokerage is the best for the job.
You can also include chapters with advice on the lending process, how to help a client prepare property for selling, what they can expect at closing and any questions clients usually have during the real estate process.
These three types of content will help you stand apart from your competitors. They will help people see your brokerage as a different place — one that informs, leads and teaches its clients in unique ways.
Do something that truly makes you stand out from the herd.
It’ll be worth it.