The 10 Commandments of Good Real Estate Marketing

Our unsurpassed marketing team at Summit Sotheby’s in Park City recently gave their agents some valuable advice in the form of the following Ten Commandments for real estate marketing. The most important in my business is #3: “Thou shalt put the needs of thy customer first.” I think my clients would agree and that is why they choose me. But in terms of the reputation and brand I’ve built in my real estate community, #2 is the most important: “Stand apart.” Provide excellent customer service. Serve all my clients equally. Know my market. Get involved. “Thou shalt not be like thy competitors.”

The 10 Commandments of Real Estate Marketing in Park City, Utah

1. Thou shalt always use the right marketing medium. No single medium can be successful for all of your marketing. Direct mail is best for farming and finding new customers and getting them to buy/sell. Email is ideal for getting clients to make another purchase, provide a referral and otherwise interact with your business (visit your website for example). Facebook, Twitter and other social media are great for encouraging feedback, having conversations and building long-term relationships.

2. Thou shalt not be like thy competitors. To stand out from your competitors, you need to differentiate yourself and make your marketing unique.

3. Thou shalt put the needs of thy customer first. The most successful agents go to great lengths to try and predict the wants, questions and concerns prospects will most likely have – then make sure to address those issues clearly and concisely in their marketing efforts.

4. Thou shalt be consistent. Agents that roll out a marketing effort only when business is slow never gain as much respect and name recognition as agents that market on a regular basis.

5. Thou shalt not be hesitant to ask for action. The easiest thing for a consumer to do is nothing at all. That’s why you need to use encouragement, warnings, deadlines and more in your marketing to overcome their do-nothing attitude (e.g. “Call before 3 pm today to schedule a free inspection before the weekend” … “To receive more special offers and discounts, sign up on our website”).

6. Thou shalt keep it simple. Including too many details about your product, service, guarantee, business (or whatever), will delay the consumer from taking action. Keep your sales pitches simple and to-the-point – and encourage interested prospects to follow up.

7. Thou shalt combine forces with thy allies. One of the best ways to reduce costs (and get more exposure) is to participate in cooperative marketing efforts with a complementary company.

8. Thou shalt learn from others. Get on the mailing lists of companies/agents you respect (both inside and outside your industry) and pay close attention to the marketing you receive: the words and images used, the special offers, the timing between marketing efforts, the variety of marketing efforts and more. Then integrate the best ideas into your own marketing.

9. Thou shalt not be everything to everyone. Make your marketing highly appealing to your target audience and you will be richly rewarded. So long as it’s on target, it doesn’t matter what anyone outside that realm thinks about it.

10. Thou shalt not give up. Too many agents give up after a few disappointing marketing efforts. The Direct Marketing Association says that “a single consumer must see a display advertisement at least nine times before considering making a purchase.”