Our Three-Step Approach
We have tested and refined our methods nationally over the course of 25 years. Our approach is strategic and integrates photographic art, advertising copy, and neuro-marketing, the science of consumer decision-making. In real estate, for example, when someone is thinking about listing their home, previewing a property, or making an offer, they go through a predictable series of emotional and logical mental processes. Understanding this universal “decision-making process” enables us to guide and direct it.
To list and sell more $1 million+ homes, Realtors® must market to accomplish three key objectives; capture prospects’ attention, build desire and, most importantly, motivate them to take action.
1. Capture Attention with a Compelling “Cover Shot”
In a world that is inundated by marketing, with an average consumer attention span of less than ten seconds, “grabbing eyes” is critical. Before a single inquiry, showing or offer occurs, it is essential to first attract attention for yourself and your properties. The good news is that motivational scientists have discovered key ways to accomplish this in photographs.
Eye-catching techniques are used extensively in the advertising industry and for magazine covers. They attract attention by triggering the orienting response in the brain. This then signals the reticular system which then lets’ your message breakthrough the noise to reach the conscious brain of prospects. Here are a few methods that PREMIUM uses to accomplish this:
- Use “hot” colors of red, yellow, orange and magenta, set against cool colors of green, blue, and aqua.
- Use simple, graphic compositions that stand out in thumbnail form.
- Twilight or night and well-planned and composed close ups are usually much more eye catching than standard interior shots.
2. Build Desire with Photos and Copy that Create Engagement and Curiosity
The goal of our marketing tools and strategies is to generate more of the qualified leads, listing presentations, property tours, and offers that lead to a sale. To best accomplish this, marketing tools and strategies must trigger the dopamine reward system in qualified buyers and other agents.
Once triggered, the dopamine reward system actually releases endorphins. It also engages the pleasure center and sets off a series of subconscious mental processes. These biochemically driven inner urges motivate people to take action to satisfy their dreams, goals, and aspirations—like taking the next step towards viewing, buying or selling a home.
Because vision is our dominate way of acquiring information, people tend to “buy with their eyes.” They can fall in love with a home—before then even visit it. Our approach employs a variety of tactics carefully designed to animate prospects and agents into taking the next step.
- Don’t show too many photos; make them want to learn more.
- Make sure the photos you do show are, beautiful and emotionally engaging.
- Use headlines and copy that create mystery, curiosity, and interest; purposefully leave them with burning questions.
- Make it easy for prospects to request “more information,” a listing presentation, or property tour.
3. Motivate Action with Stories and Information that Clarify Benefits
Once you have captured a prospect’s attention, built desire, and created an emotional connection, the final step is to motivate action. During this phase of decision-making, the rational brain enters to evaluate whether to view the property, make an offer, or hire you as the listing agent.
At this juncture, our marketing objective is the make the opportunity concrete by offering a clear promise of payoffs. Our approach does this by reinforcing, in prospects (and their agents), how the property fits into, supports or enhances the buyers vision of an ideal lifestyle. Here are some of our techniques:
- Showcase the best selling features of the home with beautiful and engaging photos.
- Show slice-of-life scenes that help buyers visualize themselves living in and enjoying the home.
- Use novel and familiar, heart-warming situations, props, and copy.
- Give the home a memorable and attractive name, tagline, or theme that communicates its unique “personality” and potential lifestyle.
- Use magazine-style “articles” that tell and engaging story about the house and the “emotional payoffs” owners enjoy when they live there.
