Ya HERD!
It started with an innocent question. Hello, my name is Stephen Garner. I am a former title rep for a national title insurance company in Phoenix Arizona. I spent 10 years helping real estate professionals – real estate agents and loan officers – grow their business. I left the title biz in March 2011 to co found PRO-Found Marketing.
As I said, it started with an innocent question – on Trulia. A Canadian investor asked a question:
“Canadian investor looking to buy houses for rental in greater phoenix. Any realtor with rental knowledge available?”
Ready – Set – GO! It was on like Donkey Kong! Real estate agent after real estate agent salivating at the prospect of a deal. Comment after comment rolled in.. . . 18 of them in about an hour.
“Pick me”, “I can help you”, “My team has X amount of years of experience”, “I have worked with Canadians before”, and on and on and on – and – on.
As I watched the comments come in, (each trying to add more value than the next) I chuckled. Here are these 18 real estate agents, all fighting for the same client – in the same place.
But I digress
I think most real estate agent marketing is funny. I guess I never really “got it”. I remember when real estate agents advertised in glossy full color home magazines – in the same place. I remember when a whole real estate office advertised in the newspaper – together – in the same place (full page too). I thought “WHY?” WHY would a real estate agent advertise where other real estate agents advertise – in the same place? To take it a step further: WHY would a real estate agent hang out where other real estate agents hang out? It just doesn’t make sense, [scratching head]
In Seth Godin’s marketing bible “Purple Cow” he talks about transforming your business by being REMARKABLE. He gives examples of how companies were able to grow market share and their brands by being DIFFERENT by being REMARKABLE by standing out from the HERD. The HERD in this case is real estate agents. Why on god’s green earth would a real estate agent intentionally – on purpose – advertise or hang out where the HERD is?
Back to the Investor. He asked his question on Trulia – where the HERD hangs out. Yes, Trulia has some serious pull but I doubt he went straight to www.Trulia.com to ask his question, No, I think he came upon Trulia the same way most other consumers do: a search engine. He asked Google, Yahoo or Bing a question.
At this point you may be asking “how do I stay away from the HERD”? Well, it may be too late to get the attention of the investor referenced above but it’s not too late for the next one. Capture consumers BEFORE they get to where the HERD congregates. Attract them to your WordPress real estate website - by creating the unique, dynamic, engaging, VALUABLE content investors/buyers/sellers/ = consumers are looking for – online.
Ya know what I would do [right now] if I was a real estate agent that saw these agents vying for the attention of this investor? I would write an article on my website – for the next one. I might even call it: The Canadians Guide To Buying or Renting Real Estate In Phoenix
Maybe it’s just me
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