Become a One-Woman or One Man Brand
There is no getting around it! To gain the competitive advantage in your marketplace, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, you need to embrace the evolving media of the internet. To accomplish this you need to delve fully into and understand the concept of syndication both listing syndication and the syndication of YOU.
Those agents who focus on listing properties understand the advantages of syndicating their listings on as many web sites as possible. That way they achieve maximum exposure for their listings by reaching consumers wherever they begin their property search.
Coldwell Banker, for one, promotes that their listings are now distributed to more than 350 web sites. A single listing can become a workhorse to generate leads. Point 2 offers listing syndication to dozens of web sites. In both of these cases, once the luxury agent uploads a listing (something that an assistant can easily do) the rest is automatic.
But, what about syndicating YOU? Personal syndication via blogs, videos, pod casts, articles, e-magazines and more enables you to reach even more potential clients and referral sources, providing you have something that is interesting to show and/or tell. Being interesting, newsworthy and buzz-worthy is the key. But, you need to make it easy for others to find your publications in a sea of content.
To syndicate yourself via the internet, you need to become a one-woman or one-man brand. You need to become synonymous with a specific niche or category in which consumers are interested. And, you do not necessarily need to publish content about real estate as long as it is clear that real estate is your “day job”. It is perfectly OK to follow your “other passion” and become famous for something apart from real estate.
An example of a one-woman brand in the culinary arena is Clotilde Dusoulier. Her name may not sound familiar, but her blog, Chocolate & Zucchini, has become quite well known. The brand name itself is memorable and buzz-worthy (you just want to tell others about it). The logo and website/blogsite stands out visually and is easy to navigate. Plus, the content is excellent.
Ms. Dusoulier explains, “It is a good metaphor for my cooking style: the zucchini illustrates my focus on healthy and natural eating: fresh produce, artisanal goods, and a preference for organic and local ingredients. And the chocolate represents my decidedly marked taste for anything sweet in general, and chocolate, glorious chocolate in particular.” She began writing her blog in September 2003, in both English and French. Since then she has written best selling cookbooks and received national and international awards. Her recipes and commentaries on food appear on several web sites.
So, luxury real estate marketing professionals, we encourage you to take some risks. Discover and explore your passions beyond real estate. Dive into the new world of syndicating YOU! Be sure to read Part 2 of this series for more details.
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Chocolate photo by FIR0002, Zucchini photo by Jake 7401