Engaging Your Target Audience

A few simple things you can do right now

If you’re like most of the clients we work with, then you’re probably thinking about these 3 things when it comes to your business:

How can I increase the number of clients I have?
Am I doing everything I can to attract new clients?
What are my successful colleagues doing that I can emulate?

Whether you’re a plumber, a hi-tech company, or a real estate professional you will all have likely thought about these three things when it comes to building a thriving business. When you first took the risk and began your journey as an entrepreneur or small business owner, there was an understanding that if you applied yourself day and night to the task of marketing, you’d stumble upon the right ways and means to attract the clients who will want your product or services.

We’ve worked with a large number of real estate agents over the years across multiple types of brands within various markets – from the fiercely competitive scenes in New York City and San Francisco to the more rural environments like the outskirts of Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. We’ve found that the successful ones, the agents that tend to be busy and create a strong following of repeat clients and referrals, are doing very similar things, and they’re not the types of things that require a lot of money, technology savvy, or marketing brilliance. It’s really just a matter of trusting in, and using, what you already know.

Here are a few that stand out:

Successful Agents Know What They Like Doing

Every single agent we’ve interacted with who has a strong following of clients has been around the block enough to know where they tend to thrive. They’ve actually been able to define the areas of real estate where their unique set of talents and skills tend to make a difference. It is the real estate professional who’s had a decades-long career history in the financial industry who happened to find their niche in the second-home, retiree, or investment property market. It’s also the twenty- or thirty-something-year-old who just recently acquired their real estate license and discovered that their enjoyment of helping homeowners who are interested in custom builds stems from their early years of spending time on job sites with their builder parents.

Define your skills and talents and where they will make the most difference within the industry. Take a look at all the messaging in your public spaces, online and print, and make sure it is consistent with who you are and what you provide.

Successful Agents Know What Their Clients Want

When agents talk with us about writing up a property description, refreshing their bios, or creating a press release, the ones who are successful really know their clients. Good marketing copy is not just a nice story and correct grammar, it’s also about speaking to your client’s wants and needs. What are they concerned about? What information are they wanting to know, and what will actually help them understand that you’re the one who’s got just the right knowledge for their needs? Agents that are successful usually tell us exactly what they do, how they do it, and what their clients need to know. The content we create is then filled with the stuff that will capture a potential client’s interest – the RIGHT client – rather than cluttered with hyperbole or vague, cookie cutter descriptions of an “ideal” real estate agent.

After you’ve defined where you can best make a difference and who it is you can best assist, then find out what that client wants and speak to those needs in every piece of your published content.

Successful Agents are ALWAYS Looking for New Ways to Engage With Their Clients

What has become incredibly clear and apparent to our work of serving the real estate profession is that every agent who is a success in their market is on the lookout for fresh and creative ways of connecting with their clients. We know that real estate, like many other service professions, is an intensely competitive arena. The ones who don’t shy away from taking the initiative – and getting out of their comfort zone – to find ways of getting in front of their clients are the very same ones who are doing well.

Take a look around at your peers and other brands. What do they seem to be doing that may work well for your constituency? If you think it might work but may need some tweaking, like say an ad in a publication that you hadn’t thought of before, then give us a call. We’d be happy to offer some complementary advice and direction.

And Then They Just Do It

I know it sounds cliché but it’s true. Time and time again, from our experience, the successful agents, agencies, and brands not only ask the same questions you ask yourself on a daily basis, but they’re also not afraid to get out there and try new things and expand their knowledge base. Successful agents don’t hesitate. The folks we work with come to us with ideas – sometimes broad, oftentimes specific – and then we hone the messaging and guide them on their way. We become co-creators in their ongoing quest to appeal to their audience. And it works. It’s an exciting and fun ride, and when things work out well, we all celebrate.