Brand name package goods have crowded the shelves at supermarkets for decades. But recently, unpacked areas -- produce, flowers, deli, gourmet -- are sporting classy brand name stickers. Chiquita bananas, Sunkist lemons, Signature salads, even Andy Boy broccoli. People never bought broccoli by name before. In 20 years, there won't be such a thing as a non-branded commodity.
Identity and quality are too important today.
In our complex society, strong brand image is a chance for the popular product or person to dominate. Perceived value commensurate with quality and consistency always wins out over temporary price promotions for packaged goods or reduced commissions for real estate agents.
You want to become the real estate agent people ask for by name. You can do two things to make your brand name a familiar one: position yourself on a par with your customers and repeat your message frequently.
Position Yourself on a Par With Your Prospects
To position yourself on the same plane as those people you want to reach, you need to locate and identify those people. The catch word psychographics is used among marketing researchers to describe and identify different personality types. This helps determine what types of people buy what types of products and services.
For instance, research shows men (aged 18-24) are twice as likely to describe themselves as "venturesome," and three times as likely to describe themselves as "influential." Or working professionals describe themselves as "broad-minded, efficient and trustworthy."
Before you decide what aspect of your own personality to spotlight in shaping your business persona, you should study the personality of the people for whom you wish to buy or sell.
Armed with this knowledge, you can then position yourself on a par with people in your target market.
Frequency and Consistency: Keys to Attracting Notice
Naturally, the first question advertisers ask themselves is, "What should I say and how should I say it?" Well, that all depends on how you want to position yourself.
But no matter how you decide to position yourself, this question always remains, "How often should you say it?"
The answer is regularly. The frequency of your advertising depends on the frequency of the media available in your areas. If you target monthly home magazines, you should appear on a monthly basis. In a daily newspaper, opt for a weekly appearance -- perhaps on the Saturday/Sunday real estate page.
So when do you stop these ad campaigns? Many of our clients are surprised when we advise them to run a campaign for a full two or three years. They had anticipated the need to create a new ad every month for the rest of their business career!
One of the fundamental mistakes made in advertising is changing campaigns just for the sake of change. Once you have a good campaign that sells, you should stick with it and stay with it for years. The sad fact is many advertisers retire their campaign just when it is starting to penetrate the public's consciousness!
This is not to say your individual ad or ads should never change. An advertising campaign should continually evolve. Without changing your basic sales strategy, refinements can be made in the execution of the idea. The creative work can present your established selling strategy -- that is, the benefit you offer -- in a fresh, new way. When is it Time for a Change? When the old one isn't working anymore.
There are several reasons why a long-running ad campaign might lose its effectiveness. Some common ones include: a change in your customer base; a change in the generic nature of the product; a change in your specific product. Consider these examples:
A real estate agent began her career as a part-timer, relying on her network of PTA mothers, women Club members, etc. for business. Over the years, she developed into a full-time professional. Looking back, she realized once it was enough just to know her neighbors, now she needs to know about financing, zoning and legal issues.
Because the generic nature of the business has changed, she changed her advertising to reflect the knowledge and professionalism of real estate today.
A real estate agent once sold only residential single family homes. But he found himself selling so many condos, now he works directly with condominium project developers arranging to sell their entire inventory. He has changed his specific product, so he created a new ad campaign to take advantage of this new focus. Strike a Chord
The next time you go to the grocery store, pay attention to the products you choose to buy. So you purchase a certain laundry detergent because you want whiter whites or because the name sticks out in your mind?
Chances are, you buy it because the advertising you've seen strikes a certain chord with you -- your psychographics match the product. And that's the goal of your advertising as a real estate professional -- find out which type of people you are working with, then strike their chord. They'll ask for you by name.
