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Don’t Let Your Marketing Idle in a Slow Market

How many times have you found yourself shopping on those last few hectic days before Christmas? As you scramble through the malls and department stores, you have no choice but to deal with the chaos, the crowds and the busy parking lots. The holidays are supposed to be a relaxing time with your family, yet you find yourself cursing the woman in front of you who is trying to use an expired coupon—that’s the spirit. The good news is, you usually come out unharmed but for a few ill-chosen gifts that you paid far too much for and the echoing thought “I’ll never do this again—next year I’m going to get my shopping done early and enjoy the holidays.”

A similar chaos exists in real estate when the market perks back up. Everyone will be scrambling to compete and win more business, and get their names out in front of potential buyers and sellers. Just like shopping at the last minute, saving marketing until the market picks up will set you up for more stress and less success.

Now is the time to get fully prepared. Sure, you could start your holiday shopping now, but I’m talking about being market-ready and positioned for real estate success. There are five key things that you should do in a slow market (or any market) while you have the time.

1. Establish Yourself as an Expert. Take some time to email your bio and success stories to local publications, industry magazines and Websites as well as local boards and associations. Let them know who you are, what you do and what your areas of expertise are. Make it easy for them to find you if they are looking for a quote or even a speaker for their next event. By positioning yourself as an expert in the real estate industry, you can achieve far greater visibility and market credibility than any paid advertising could ever accomplish.

2. Update Your Marketing Materials. If you have been using the same materials for a while, now is a great time to take a step back and evaluate your market image. Are your materials clean, fresh and easy to read? Do they contain your most up to date testimonials and success stories? Do they clearly express why someone should choose you for their real estate needs? Is all of the contact information up to date on your business cards and stationary?

3. Assess your Internet Marketing. Is your Web content current—does it contain all of your current listings? Are you appearing high in the search engines? Have you maximized your Website for SEO? Are you using single property Websites like www.123AnySt.com to maximize your exposure for every listing? Have you learned about the latest Internet marketing tools that allow you to track your ROI and bridge the gap between print and on-line campaigns? There are so many new technologies available that will enable you to do all of this at once and for very little money.

4. Attend Major Industry Conferences. Now is the best time to get out there and immerse yourself with what is going on in your industry. Take the time to get to network and listen to the major players to see what their thoughts on the industry are, what the new keys to success are and how to implement them into your sales and marketing strategy. Attending events like these are a perfect opportunity to keep fresh with industry news and keep motivated in any market condition.

5. Continue Your Education. Take any opportunity you can find to learn new skills, new techniques and new ways of getting the job done. There are so many great coaching and educational organizations that will help you stay current with technology and information that will enhance the way you do business. There are great new schools out there like the National Institute of Webographers that have already taken the time to evaluate the huge influx of technology in this market and will easily show you the most important new tools and how other successful agents are using them to build their business.

In any market, this industry moves ahead very quickly. There is always more to do than there is time to do it. That’s why a slow market is your best opportunity to position yourself at the top. Taking time to review these five points now will make you feel like you’ve got all of your holiday shopping done before summer!

About the Author: Robin Morgan is the Marketing Director for AgencyLogic PowerSites (www.agencylogic.com) and helps real estate professionals stay on top of trends and embrace technology in a rapidly changing market. For more tools and information about single property Websites or technology training, visit www.agencylogic.com or www.webographers.com.

Reprinted with Permission from Broker Agent News (www.BrokerAgentNews.com).

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