Bunching in your estate agency marketing
Mistakes in Estate Agency Marketing No.23
Today's mistake? - not BUNCHING! You know how you hear an interview with someone on the radio and then, as if by some divine marketing intervention one of their trucks drives by? And you see one of their billboards too! You see them everywhere. What’s going on? The fact is, this is not extreme coincidence. It’s a deliberate marketing strategy called “bunching”.
Marketeers know that if you see or hear something once or twice, you are unlikely to register it consciously. This is because a “noise” filter in your brain called the Reticular Activating System has tagged it as “irrelevant”, for the time being at least. But see/hear a branding message ideally six times or more, then the message starts to sink in, and more information is allowed through. Literally “brain-washing!” It also helps that the message is communicated via multiple sources (eg the radio interview, the truck, the billboard).
So the key here is quantity and variety; make sure your promote your branding, messages, advice, opinion etc through multiple channels in order to thoroughly connect with people on a sensory level. This means that you should have your material not only on your website, but in bunches also across blogs, property newspapers (not as old fashioned as it might seem), Newsletters, Email marketing campaigns, and of course, several social media channels – at least Facebook and Linkedin, and ideally Twitter, Instagram, etc too.
Website/blogs.
In my previous article, we looked in detail at why adding meaningful content to your website is so important from an SEO perspective. But it’s also important to contribute to external blogs, either hosted by you or by others, so that you can be seen to be an active contributor in your field. From a bunching perspective, someone might passively see some marketing advice on your website, but this begins to “switch on” in their brain when they also see that you have simultaneously contributed similar advice in a local property blog, business blog, community blog, specialist interest blog etc.
Property newspapers:
Yes, people do still read the local property newspaper. In fact, if you use this medium, then you are more likely to stand out as others have withdrawn from it. And because it is quite a passive medium (unlike a blog that consumers have to “find”) you’ll be engaging with people who have never seen you elsewhere (except hopefully your for sale boards, branded car and office presence – more bunching!)
In the “old” days, most estate agents simply relied on property ads in newspapers to “promote” themselves although, frankly, these agents usually overlooked their own self-promotion in favour of promoting their clients’ properties. I’d suggest that it is far more important to promote your agency than it is to promote any home you’re marketing. The future of your agency depends on it.
When I started publishing editorials alongside my property ads in the local paper 30 years ago, people would often say “I always turn to your page first”. Local papers have changed little since, yet only the most progressive agents recognise the importance of having something to say other than “property for sale”. Are your ads still pretty much the same as those of your competitors? And don’t worry about keeping your existing sellers happy – there are other ways of doing that. I’m more interested in helping you generate more instructions!
Newsletter:
If you no longer use the local newspaper this should not be regarded as money saved; that money should be diverted towards a suitable replacement such as direct mail and hard copy newsletter drops to local homes. Your target market, comprising real homeowners, lives right around the corner from your office and you’d be missing a substantial communication opportunity by relying wholly on your online presence.
Most local homeowners (your target market) probably have no intention of moving right now, but they still need exposure to your expertise, advice, opinion and comment if they are to have been persuaded by the time they do think about moving. By appealing to them you’ll also pick up those who are indeed ready to sell right now. Additionally, property is always a hot topic - you want your name to come up in conversation.
One of my clients recognized that he was one of 20 competitors in the local paper so he decided to withdraw from the paper and instead deliver a monthly newsletter to the10,000 local homeowners surrounding his office – thereby “forcing” them to see only his brand, his expertise and his character. Each newsletter features two articles; one about the market and the other is an advisory piece. Business has been generated from day one and, five years later, he has not looked back. These short terms shots-in-the-arm overlay each other to create fantastic medium and long-terms results as well. Is it brainwashing or “positively influencing”!
One final point about a newsletter. Is it newsworthy? Would the recipient look forward to receiving the next one? If your “newsletter” is just another way of showcasing your instructions then I’d seriously urge you to take a fresh look at your marketing. You’re not trying to sell those properties to those consumers! You should be more interested in exposing yourself instead!
Email marketing.
You should certainly be regularly emailing your meaningful content and generous advice to the (hopefully) thousands of people whose email address you have captured in the past. Not just those currently registered as active, but everyone in the history of your agency. Each of them has some connection with your area, even if they did not actually buy/rent/sell/let through you. As long as your content is short, sharp and relevant, they are unlikely to unsubscribe. Just don’t try to sell to them more than about 15% of the time. That’s not how relationships work. Earn the right to their business and they’ll want to engage with you.
From a GDPR perspective my understanding is that this form of marketing activity would fall under “legitimate interest” as you are simply continuing to develop an existing relationship.
Social media. Clearly this opportunity is huge, as long as you engage, frequently, with interesting material. Social media is no longer an option, it’s essential. If I had the budget for one more staff member in my agency I’d go for a social media manager over another negotiator. There is plenty of SM advice online, so I’ll stick to what I know best – actual agency CONTENT. Without that, your delivery channels are irrelevant!
Do let me know if you'd like a hand with your content HERE and I'll send you some samples, pricing etc.
