Marketing and Sales

In real estate, times are tough. Smarter marketing can be easy.

   

  On March 10, The Wall Street Journal published an article forecasting the downturn of the commercial real estate market in 2008. The article cites J.P. Morgan Chase as predicting that “commercial real-estate values are likely to fall 20% from their recent peaks.” Of course, this is small potatoes compared to the continued decline in residential markets, with home foreclosures rising to “the highest level on record” in the fourth quarter of 2007. The bottom line? Real estate professionals need to figure out ways to stay afloat through the tough times.
   Some major players are responding with revamped, innovative marketing schemes. A recent USA Today article on residential real estate’s woes lays out 2008 plans by RE/Max, Coldwell Banker, and Century 21 to focus their marketing budgets on a few key points: first, Internet/electronic messaging, and second, localized advertising.
   Your real estate office might not have the reach or marketing budget of those companies, but that doesn't mean their tactics won't work for you. Even better, these types of marketing options are available in one streamlined, user-friendly software solution that allows an individual to generate the volume and quality of marketing output that usually requires an entire marketing department. To find out about the software that will help you get ahead with print and electronic marketing campaigns, web listings, and more, contact the MindMatrix sales team: sales@mindmatrix.net, or (412) 381-0230.

 

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Doing enough to market your properties?

The best tricks in the game – and you’re not using them.

   

   

     You've been marketing real estate for years. You have a website, mail postcards periodically, and round out your starting lineup with the occasional office tour. And you think you’re doing enough?

     It’s not that easy.

     Today’s high-speed, high-tech business environment demands more, especially to stay competitive in an iffy economy. Keeping up is difficult; getting ahead requires serious strategy. Read on for some tips to develop a new approach – and an edge.

• Hit them with a variety of marketing mediums.

The fancy term is integrated marketing, but it boils down to this: DON’T stick to one repetitive method; DO mix it up. Keep the postcards and office tours, but explore more innovative options as well, like strategic email campaigns and custom flash presentations.

• Develop a drip marketing system.

A solid drip marketing scheme consists of steady, continuous communications to your potential customers – an email one week, a flyer soon after, and so on. Through this process, your offerings stay fresh in their minds, and you increase familiarity with your corporate brand. (And speaking of corporate branding…)

• Be consistent.

You can accomplish a lot through consistency in the appearance of your marketing material. It's the simplest way to increase familiarity with your company, and an automatic status boost if you’re a branch of an established corporation. Color scheme, typeface, layout – it all counts. When your material becomes instantly identifiable, you’ve reached a new level of effectiveness.

• Make sure your marketing material looks professional!

I know, I know – this one’s not exactly a secret. But let’s face it; when you have a budget, sometimes corners must be cut, and quality suffers. Seek out one cost-effective solution for creating a variety of marketing material that also sets a high quality standard.

      

     To cover all the bases efficiently, make the move to marketing automation software. Look for a program that generates high quality materials and satisfies both print and electronic marketing needs. The best programs will also help you develop sophisticated marketing campaigns. For example, the inVision tool, created by MindMatrix, includes a flexible email system to facilitate drip marketing.

     Get more information on marketing automation software at www.mindmatrix.net. 

   

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Want to become a household name?

Technology tips to strengthen your corporate brand.
 

 

     The golden rule of building a brand is, of course: BE CONSISTENT. Maintain your branding standards across all marketing materials and mediums. It's a deceptively simple rule that is all-too-easy to break as your marketing campaigns grow larger and more complex. If you're drowning in a sea of guidelines, you might want to seek out marketing software that can keep your head above water. Look for a tool that will help you to:

• Ensure that all employees adhere to your company’s branding standards.
  
  I know it seems like a tall order, but well-made software can accomplish this with almost zero effort. Adopt a program that generates marketing material based on pre-built templates. You can have the templates designed to meet your company's branding guidelines, so your branding will remain consistent even as the information changes.
     
• Maintain quality and consistency across all marketing mediums.
  
  The best marketing campaigns incorporate regular communications in a variety of mediums – for example, emails, print mailings, and flash presentations. You want your email campaigns to meet the same customer expectations as your print materials, but it’s a difficult task to keep branding consistent across the board. Look for software that's flexible enough to support all of your preferred formats.

• Build an infrastructure for corporate brand management.
  
  Sounds intense, right? It doesn't have to be. Basically, you need a system of quality assurance for outgoing material. Some marketing software will allow you to monitor the material all users create. At the very least, the software should provide a mechanism for approving material before distribution, to ensure compliance with branding standards and legal requirements.

     For more info on marketing software options, go to www.mindmatrix.net.

   

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