People choose to work with people that they like, but they also choose to work with people that they’re reminded of and feel a connection to, which ultimately, takes time to build. That means that if an agent doesn’t continually remind people that they exist, it’s almost as if they don’t.
That’s where familiarity comes in, which, when used correctly, is a key component of a successful real estate marketing strategy.
Familiarity in marketing is mostly about positive repetition, because the more times someone sees something, the more likely they are to resonate with it, connect with it, trust it, and eventually choose it.
Because the average real estate transaction is so far apart (around 5 years or so), it’s easy for an agent to get someone else’s past and potential clients, through familiarity marketing, if the other agent doesn’t have any form of client nurturing, touchpoint strategy, or even general marketing strategy in place, and as a result, are more easily forgettable.
★ Want to learn more about lead and client nurturing? Have a look at these posts and resources:
- Using a Past Client Connection Plan to Get Continued Business
- The Strategy of Effective Digital Touchpoints
- Understanding Your Lifecycle Marketing Strategy
- Download Our Lead Management Workbook
Why? Because a lot of agents don’t do anything at all when it comes to reminding their clients that they exist. Most agents think that, just because someone worked with them in the past, they’ll work with them in the future again, and in a lot of cases that’s not really true.
People are constantly marketed and advertised to in a ton of different ways. If you worked with someone years ago, and never did anything to remind them you exist, there are thousands of other agents that are actively marketing to them that can ultimately win their trust and their business simply by being familiar to them.
As an agent, competition is everywhere, and in most cases, it’s fierce. The less you do to remind people you exist the less you actually do exist.
★ Want to learn more about competition? Have a look at these posts:
- Understanding Your Competition as a Real Estate Agent
- How To Monitor Your Competition’s Digital Strategy, To Improve Your Own
- The Power of Specialization in a Low-Listings Real Estate Market
For example, if someone has been getting an agent’s postcards, twice a week, for 5 years, are they likely to work with them? Maybe not entirely just based on that, but they’re at least likely to consider working with them, and perhaps, even have them compete with their previous agent at a listing presentation simply because they feel familiar.
Is it possible to over-market yourself? There are definitely some agents out there who aren’t afraid to get their faces on as many billboards as possible, send numerous postcards, e-newsletters, and post on social media multiple times per day. Is there a risk of overexposing yourself in this case?
Probably not. Think about it this way, no single person in your audience is going to see all of your marketing pieces at any given time.
For example, only a small percentage of your followers will see any given social media post on Instagram organically, so if you publish more posts, the chances of your posts getting seen by more people increases. The same thing applies to other marketing activities. Your entire audience isn’t guaranteed to walk by a single bus shelter with your name on it, so you’ll have to make sure you appear in multiple places. There’s also going to be a percentage of people who don’t look at your mailers, so the answer is to send more out.
Essentially, if you look at your marketing strategy and think, “Wow, I am so sick of myself,” that means you’re doing it right.
★ Want to learn more about familiarity in real estate marketing? Have a look at these posts:
- Building a Real Estate Marketing Stickiness Strategy
- Planning an End-to-End Brand Experience for Your Real Estate Business
- Using a Past Client Connection Plan to Get Continued Business
The key to making your brand as familiar as possible is to market with consistency. It’s a long-term strategy designed to ingrain your name and brand in the minds of future clients so that when the time comes to buy or sell, they immediately think of you.
Want to drive traffic, build your brand, and engage your target audience? Download our eBook: ‘The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Marketing’. It’s a collection of some of our best marketing articles, tips, and tricks that we’ve collected over the years.
