The Importance and How to of Marketing

In any business, marketing can be the most powerful tool one can utilize to create a booming,
successful business. Marketing is as old as time and has been utilized since the days of Ancient
Rome when gladiators would promote items in the arena for local businesses. Like time, however,
it is constantly changing and in order to stay successful, one must adapt to newer trends while still
maintaining the core elements that helped brand the business.

In real estate, putting up a sign with your name on it is not going to cut it. You need to be putting
yourself out there - making a name for yourself! There are many different ways you can market your
brand.

Real Estate Listing Websites

This is the easy one. Any market area has national and local databases on which you can list your
properties. These are not only available to the public, but are heavily utilized by other agents to
convey information about which properties are available for sale/lease. These sites typically charge
a usage fee for publishing content but can certainly generate leads for you.

Blog/Social Media

With the internet at society’s fingertips, the utilization of internet platforms is an inexpensive marketing
route that everyone should take advantage of. Sites like LinkedIn and Facebook are great tools to put
out your personal brand to generate leads and reach other professionals in your market. There are
also blog hosting websites where you can produce a blog (like this one) to further expand your reach.
Nothing makes you more credible than being knowledgeable on a topic and sharing it with the public.

Mail Campaigns

Another set of very successful yet pricey marketing tools are email, snail mail, and postcard
campaigns. National sites like WWW.EXPRESSCOPY.COM and WWW.POSTCARDMANIA.COM
work with business professionals and have access to mailing lists that you can purchase to target a
certain demographic. These hosting sites work with companies to prepare their logo, a distinct
message, and a targeted audience to get your business name out there.

Cold Calling

At times, one of the most important marketing tools that you can utilize is cold calling. Nothing beats
picking up the phone, going down a prepared list, and making a phone call to a lead prospect or a
long time client. Sometimes all people need is a simple conversation to drum up more business. The
success rate of cold calling puts any other marketing tool to shame.

Get Involved

The final marketing point would be keep yourself involved in your community and profession. Attend
as many networking events as you can - this will always lead to new information in the market and will
help identify the major players in your business. It is also a good idea to get involved in your local
community. Join a neighborhood association and attend a meeting or volunteer to help, as this gives
you a public image as a driving force behind positive change.

Your image is not going to create itself: you need to be constantly active and creating new contacts on
a daily basis. Turn yourself into a brand that people can trust and believe in!

Charlie Mullin
RE/MAX Commercial Brokers, Inc.
cmullin@nolacommercial.com
(504) 838-0001  |  (504) 400-3254