David Wilson

Wouldn't it be great if you had a massive audience of fans? Imagine filling Yankee Stadium with loyal customers clamoring to get you to help them with their real estate transactions.

It's a compelling fantasy, but it's not going to happen.

If you spend your marketing budget trying to reach the greatest number of people possible, the best you can hope for is "opening act" status. Warming up the audience is not a great gig. At best, people are waiting impatiently for you to exit so they can get on to what's really intersting to them.

Marketing guru Seth Godin suggests a different approach. It's a strategy to build a devoted following:

"I'd argue that the two keys to becoming a rock star marketer are:

1. settle for a tiny audience that views you as a star, not an opening act. Then grow that audience.

and

2. Be really good."

Determine who your target audience is going to be, and market to them exclusively. It's tempting to want to be all things to all people. But unless you have an ad budget like Coke or Nike, spreading yourself too thin will establish you as nothing to all people. That's not meant to be harsh, but it is a financial reality.

Choosing a farm area may be a good start, but you can get more focused than that. It's important to really determine who is most likely to view you as a star, and market to them at least on a monthly basis over the long haul. You'll be amazed at how your fans will recruit others for you, helping your audience to grow in quantity and quality over time.

Have you had any success in targeting your marketing to a well-defined group? Retired military? Dog lovers? Young, tech-savvy professionals? I'd love to hear what's working for you.

By the way, I encourage you to benefit from the great marketing insights on Seth Godin's blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com. He's a rock star in my eyes. And as a real estate professional who's working hard to grow their busines, so are you.

There were so many comments regarding my recent post about the marketing approach of the late Billy Mays, I thought there might be interest in exploring further the secrets of his success. Here a few "tricks of the trade" that direct marketing professionals use to get the phone ringing. Are there some that might make your advertising more effective?

1. The product is the star -- much of the marketing done today is image advertising for the real estate professional. Rather than focusing on a portrait of yourself, consider if there is something unique about your approach to service that you can demonstrate photographically.

2. Demolish doubt -- In today's cynical culture, people can be slow to believe claims made in advertising. Can you quote statistics to qualify your advantage as a Realtor? Use testimonials or third-party endorsements where possible. Think of how often infomercials portray satisfied customers extolling the virtues of the product. Chances are that potential customers are more likely to believe what others say about you, than what you say about yourself.

3. Minimize choice -- This may sound counterintuitive, but the more choices you give a consumer, the less likely they are to make a choice. Streamline your communications as much as possible. Try to communicate just one thing at a time, and ask for just one response.

4. Ask for the order -- Even though real estate professionals are involved in sales, it is surprisingly rare to find a strong call-to-action in our advertising. Tell consumers what you would like them to do, tell them how you would like them to respond, tell them when you would like them to act, and finally, inform them about what will happen when they contact you.

It is often said that advertising is just sales in print (or on television). That was certainly true with Billy Mays. Could you make one or more of this tactics work for you? Notice that none of the above involve raising your voice. You can adapt proven direct marketing tools in a way that complements your unique approach to business.

Happy marketing!