

Tooting Your Own Horn
Attention, luxury real estate marketing professionals, who seek market leadership: It is time to toot your own horn and get your story out to the media!
There has never been more opportunity, in the history of mass media, than right now, to become well known and well thought of in your marketplace. That is the goal of public relations. The internet has become the primary source of research for the media. Over 90% of journalists, reporters, TV talk shows, bloggers and media spokespeople turn to the internet every day for research. They are hungry for good stories. And, the internet makes it easy to spread the word about you via viral marketing (sharing your story with friends, family and colleagues with a couple of clicks).
But, you may ask: “What is my story?” or, “Why would the media be interested in me?” That is the big challenge. To have a story, you need to be newsworthy. To have a story that triggers word-of-mouth advertising, you need to be buzz-worthy!
Most successful luxury real estate agents are what we call “transaction engineers”. They have learned all of the fundamentals of marketing luxury homes and/or representing luxury buyers effectively. They are good negotiators, good listeners, good problem solvers and they have integrity. But, that is only the price of admission, in a highly competitive field.
To stand out and be great, to become top of mind, to become a market leader, to attract the attention of the media, you need to create a story that is worth repeating. You need to become known as an expert in something so that your opinion is sought by reporters. And, you need to stand for something (that is distinct from your competition) in the minds of potential clients and referral sources. Nothing is more important in the new era of social media than standing out as the “go-to” agent or company in a specific niche in your marketplace.
However, you cannot stand around waiting for the media to find you. If you want to surpass the transaction engineers, who just see themselves as competent practitioners, you must view your practice as a business. Step outside your role as agent and take on the mantle of entrepreneur. Do not be afraid to craft a inimitable story that demonstrates your expertise in your chosen niche and your superior marketing savvy. Get out there and toot your own horn! But, do so in a tasteful way.
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Comments (3)
That makes sense. You're talking about simply being visible in your micro-farm area . . . that's always a great piece of advice. It seems that I see less and less of it as most agents I see spend the bulk of their energies marketing online. While that's good for me, I'm shocked to see that, at least in my opinion, there has been a huge decline in offline marketing over the past few years. BTW - Your advice goes for investors as well . . . being visible as a local "celebrity" is sure to help grow your business.
Joshua Dorkin, almost 16 years ago
Yes, get involved in the community, an agent in the Midwest sponsored a pumpkin day for kids in his community and participated in the usual hoopla of carving, picking and various contests. This made him a celebrity in his market place. He can write a blog about all the fun everyone had and include pictures of the event.
Ron Seigel, almost 16 years ago
Great tips, but the advice seems to be a bit general. Can you offer any specifics that pople can follow to execute such a plan?
Joshua Dorkin, almost 16 years ago