Why?

The Buzz.

For the better part of a year now, the RE.net (I loathe that name, btw) has been all abuzz over this concept termed “web2.0.” On the other hand, for the better part of the same year, the underlying question has remained- why? Why am I blogging, what is the point of social media- why?Blogging, and other social media such as video, Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin have all been pressing in the face of those not only in real estate, but in all facets of business today- the “Why?” still remains as making the connection seems fruitless, but yet many in our profession have realized the short term sweet success of a new contact here and there, and a client once or twice, while others have tapped in to a longterm, more lucrative success story of using such media- but even then, many times it may appear it’s sheer luck, or is it? You beg the question, “Why?” are they successful?

Then & Now.

In real estate, for 100 years agents have been spoon-fed basic fundamentals of marketing and advertising. Few have questioned it because it seems to have worked for years, regardless of its corny nature. The simple, cookie-cutter approach to drawing business, although highly priced, seems to have an R.O.I. that is tangible to some degree, so it feels okay to get and stay on board until it doesn’t and suddenly we all ask the same question- “Why?”

Well, maybe you feel the need to debate the merits of marketing and advertising, understanding generational marketing, the study of who responds to what and why, but those in the know do not. Those that spoon fed you that corny 1.0 marketing in the past cannot spoon feed you what is apparent today. Why? Because its not 100 years old. The fact is, it’s very young, and so is the demographic that built and designed it. It is that organic reality that leaves many to appear naive in balking it as the reality of this new emergence of consumer enters the marketplace with an entirely new perspective on how they wished to be reached, educated, and yes, sold.

Tomato versus Tomato.

I remember a spelling bee where I had to learn to spell ‘influenza’ and looking at my mother and asking why she called it the ‘flu.’ Maybe it was easier to spell, maybe folks were lazy, or maybe that was just the term most would recognize. I still call it the flu today, but am well aware of the actual defined medical term of the flu. I am also aware of the varied symptoms of having the flu, some may experience pain behind the eyes, others may not, but the underlying illness remains, the flu- you just don’t get hung up in the details, you simply drink lots of fluids, regulate the fever as best you can, sleep as much as possible and see a physician. One could add a new symptom to the flu and suddenly you have a new strain- physicians and the like will adapt treatments but few would debate the merits of whether you call it the flu or influenza.

Think Different.

Folks may very well believe what they do in relation to real estate marketing is in fact marketing and advertising, but few really understand the key elements of even an actual post card. The color blue that was once popular in the 1990s is no longer the color that is modern today, but most actually do not get that it doesn’t really matter the shade of blue, but the color blue itself is the relevant factor- blue takes you off guard, relaxes you, calms you. If your goal is to excite the A.D.D side of a buyer and build enthusiasm and excitement over a product and demand action of the reader, red is maybe your answer. In fact, the psychology of color to some would seem so under the radar and so 1.0, but a truth is that color is the point and this fact will remain. All the words on a postcard matter not if you’ve not drawn the reader- it is the impact of the presentation and capturing the attention of the consumer to even get them to read the words on the card that are the goal. Some may call it over thinking something, but that’s because you’ve never thought to think about why 1.0 worked in the first place- that’s okay because you’ve been spoon fed by folks paid to do the thinking for you.

Transcend.

Blending your approach to transcend is the step after understanding who you’re blending for. Boomers, X’ers, or millennials all have the same goal in mind when setting out to buy a home. The Why? factor is reaching a varied audience and still being successful in the delivery of your message. Using social media isn’t the the end, it’s another means to the sames ends. However, knowing who is in the social stream will simply tell you how to tailor your message in a way that has meaning to those in the stream. Grabbing their attention, holding them in place, while guiding them to a powerful landing statement which is your product.

Nuance.

Whether you get it or not we’re going to continue deeper and deeper into how we see other companies outside of real estate are using social methods of marketing and advertising and relate it back to our own profession. Anyone that reads me knows I do not buy into one method or the other, I actually prefer to blend them because I believe today that what is attractive to Generation Why? is equally attractive for different generations for different reasons. The fact is, what is new and fresh transcends all lines eventually if you have a clue where those lines are.