3 Unique Twists on Old Marketing Ideas

Add a unique marketing twist to stand out, get noticed and win business

By Donna Shryer

When it comes to marketing, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, take a tried-and-true concept, bedazzle the branding strategy with a unique spin and outshine the competition. Here are a few ways to approach proven, dependable marketing ideas from a fresh perspective and make yourself memorable in your market.

Pet Project

Many REALTORS® generously give back. There’s everything right about helping others while simultaneously reinforcing your brand image. It’s a win-win.

In Columbia, Missouri, Betsy Woodruff, CRS candidate, REALTOR® with Woodruff Group, House of Brokers Realty, decided that two wins wasn’t enough. She wanted a win-win-win, so she created Pet Pledge.

Win #1: Woodruff began donating a percentage of every closing’s gross proceeds to the Central Missouri Humane Society shelter. Since 2015, Pet Pledge has donated more than $20,000 to CMHS.
Win #2: Credit for every donation goes to the client’s pet, or the client. “Pet Pledge adds another level of happiness to their sale or purchase,” she says.
Win #3: Pet Pledge has reinforced the Woodruff Group brand throughout the Columbia, Missouri, market, and referrals just keep coming.

Tweak It! When it comes to choosing a philanthropic passion, everything matters, according to the 2017 Cone Communications CSR Study, which examines consumer attitudes toward corporate social responsibility (CSR). The report finds that 87 percent of Americans purchase a product or service because a company advocates for an issue they care about, and 81 percent tell friends and family about this.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

Imagine a grown-up version of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and that’s what Roger Morris, CRS, REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Bain in Seattle, has done. “I wanted to do more than post property videos, which is what a lot of agents do,” Morris explains. “So I had this idea for On the Road with Roger. I’m in my car with a videographer, driving through different Seattle neighborhoods, and I talk about what makes the neighborhood unique.” The key, Morris emphasizes, is that “the neighborhood has star billing and I’m on camera a limited amount.”

1. Each video follows a four-part template and a two-minute limit.
2. Morris identifies himself and where he works.
3. The featured neighborhood is geographically identified.
4. Brief vignettes zoom in on unique neighborhood attributes.
5. Not everything is filmed from the car. “For a portion of each video, I try to be out of the car, showing unique features of that neighborhood. I usually start and end the video from inside the car, and in between I am showing the lake, park or neighborhood feature, being part on-camera, part off-camera,” Morris says.

Tweak It! No matter how large the market, every REALTOR® will eventually run out of neighborhoods to cover, so boost your video vault with buying and selling tips. Morris does this with Roger’s Reels, which are educational in nature.

Trending toward success

Staging may not be news, although you can certainly put a new spin on this tried-and-true service, explains Wanda Fears, CRS, REALTOR® with Treehouse Realty VA, Long & Foster Group, serving Richmond, Virginia. Fears markets her staging expertise as an executive-style, turnkey concierge service, which begins when the listing is signed and ends after the property is sold.

To provide such an all-encompassing solution, Fears developed trusted relationships with local experts ready to improve, repair and stage a client’s home. “I oversee everything,” Fears says. “I meet vendors at the client’s home, explain what’s needed, collect prices, check as the work is being done and double-check after everything’s done.

Many major brands are also on Fears’ path to concierge service. Think Nordstrom, which debuted Nordstrom Local, 3,000-square-foot storefronts with no merchandise. Personal shoppers have everything waiting for clients, who try on and buy.

Then there’s Hello Fresh and Blue Apron, two of many services that deliver ingredients and recipes to your front door. Look closer and these businesses have actually put a fresh spin on an old idea—ordering in!

In a similar fashion, Fears doesn’t market staging; she markets the fact that her concierge service takes care of everything. “Many sellers get discouraged just thinking about preparing their home for sale. They’re overwhelmed before even beginning,” Fears explains. “Most of the time we don’t talk about staging, since the very word can increase stress. We talk about a turnkey solution that helps sell a home more quickly and for top dollar,” Fears says.

Tweak It! If a concierge staging service isn’t in your wheelhouse, team up with a professional interior designer who has vendor connections and on-the-job knowledge. This may bump up staging costs, Fears says, but it’s money well-spent. “Ninety percent of the time, clients get every penny back—if not more—and the home sells faster.”

Main squeeze

A popup signup form to gain full website access is an established way to increase your email list and gain permission to market to subscribers. You know the drill: Seconds after clicking into a site, the website page background dims, and a signup form invites the visitor to provide contact information.

According to Janrain, provider of social media sign-on technology, 86 percent of online users feel “bothered” when prompted to register for website access because the incentive is too vague. A contemporary lead generation tool is the squeeze page.

A squeeze page is a website landing page designed to capture opt-in email addresses from subscribers in exchange for a specific, enticing and free report, tool or tip sheet that’s relevant to your brand and your audience. There’s nothing vague about it.

Most REALTORS® already have relevant information posted, and website visitors access the information by simply clicking a tab or link. Simply attach your pop-up form to something specific that a website visitor wants.

For example, when a visitor clicks your report about walk scores in various neighborhoods, a form pops on-screen and asks for basic contact information. With information collected, the report is either emailed to the subscriber’s inbox or the subscriber can immediately download the report.

Tweak It! While a squeeze is good, a splash is sometimes better. In this case, a user types your URL and lands first on a page featuring something similar to your squeeze. Either way, it’s imperative that you have a visible button saying something like, “No thanks, take me to the main site.”

Some of the hottest marketing ideas that will put you front and center aren’t so much “new” as “original” takes on marketing strategies you’ve been using. Don’t worry so much about thinking outside the box—just make that box bigger, bolder and brighter.

Donna Shryer is a freelance writer based in Chicago.