Q. What are some of the best ways for Realtors and builders to market themselves in 2014?
A. I could give you some sophisticated formula like "post on Facebook twice a day, then send out three messages on Twitter (one at 10 a.m., then another at 2 p.m., then one at 4 p.m.; this is the Dr. Pepper strategy). then post at least one picture a day on Pinterest, then monitor these sites throughout the day so you can respond to any comments that come in.
Don't worry about whether you get any work done for the day, all that matters is that you are all over social media. Or you could start off by sending out a good old-fashioned letter to all your clients, potential customers, friends and maybe even family, reflecting on 2013 and your outlook for 2014. (Yes, I'm talking about snail mail and please make the letter unique.)
Or you could do what some of the best are doing and that's giving exceptional follow-up to the people you're working with right now.
Make them talk about what great service they get from you (a rarity in today's market) and stop making excuses for why you were late, didn't get back with them when you said you would or how busy you are. Truth is, they don't care. It's not about you, it's all about them.
Q. With so many on social media sites, how can we differentiate ourselves?
A. Think of ways that social media really works. It's called social media, not business media, for a reason. It's for people to socialize and share what's going on in their lives, chat and gossip.
Do your job so well that people want to do just that, (talk about YOU), ask your customers to join your tribe and ask them to share their experience and reward them when they do.
There are plenty of ways to reward them from a simple and inexpensive gift like a credit on iTunes, a digital book from Amazon or an eCard to the sky's the limit.
This is nothing more than classical conditioning, which causes automatic responses. They get rewarded so they want to repeat the process.(See Pavlov's Dogs in Wikipedia)
Q. What is the value of an e-newsletter? How often should a newsletter be sent? What are the best guidelines for an interesting and engaging newsletter?
A. The value of an e-newsletter is only as good as the content. Send out content that is not relevant to your customers and it's worthless. It probably made you feel good and feel like you just did something really cool by sending out 1,000 newsletters but you've gotta gauge the relevancy of it to your recipients.
I don't believe that you should send out an eNewsletter if you don't have something interesting to say. However, once you've made a commitment to send out a newsletter it should be done with some consistency.
A dozen to 18 times a year is within the reasonable guidelines that the eNewsletter should go out, to maintain top-of-mind awareness.
It's OK to use a newsletter service but don't become so dependent on them that you forget to personalize your letter from YOU and your market. Get constant feedback from your newsletter and respond by sending out what means something to them. And reward feedback.
Q. Are there educational opportunities locally or online that will broaden our knowledge of marketing ideas for 2014?
A. The educational ideas are all around us if we are paying attention. They start with our own experiences and build from there. Write down those great stories that jump out of your mouth when you least expect them to and then use them again and again when you need them. What gets recorded, gets rewarded.
Read a good book and then share the best ideas with someone; just sharing the idea will serve you more than you can imagine. Go listen to lectures, seminars and conferences in person. I love audio recording but nothing can take the place of a live event.
Show up, listen, connect and network with like-minded professionals and maybe even future clients. Feel the energy and follow up with your new found friends.
Q. Any last tips?
A. Make 2014 the year that changes everything. Become the magnet that everyone is drawn to, the person that everyone wants to do business with. Understand that words are your currency. Each time you speak with your clients, ask yourself: Do your words have equity? Are they meaningful and powerful? The year belongs to you, take ownership.
— John A. Palumbo is an international speaker, author, and master closer. He has been invited to speak and lecture around the world, including Ukraine, Mexico, Poland, Canada, and Jamaica on the science of influence and persuasion. With more than three decades of selling experience and over $1 billion dollars in real estate sales, John is an expert in the art of closing a deal. His advanced selling strategies have gained global recognition for being extremely cutting-edge, unconventional, and highly effective. He has been published and interviewed by numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal. He is author of seven books and hundreds of articles, which you can find at www.JohnPalumbo.com.