Community Center

A community-based marketing approach revolves around dollars and sense.

By Samuel Greengard

These days, blog posts, articles and videos constantly tout the power of social media and digital communications. But while online marketing methods are cheaper and faster than conventional approaches, they aren’t always better. “Building a successful business in real estate requires a strong connection to the community,” says Sandra Nickel, CRS, broker and owner of Sandra Nickel Hat Team, a realty firm in Montgomery, Alabama. “People have to know you’re there and they have to trust you.”

Nickel takes community marketing seriously. She serves on the board of directors for the Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery, a local historical preservation society. She sponsors local festivals and events, aids a community theater and participates in the Chamber of Commerce and other local activities. Finally, she promotes her firm with a distinct logo and marketing strategy, which she calls the Smooth Move program. It’s used on her business cards, stationary, sales signs and vehicle.

Like Nickel, agents are quickly learning to connect to the power of local. They are turning to community-based marketing to boost their business and forge deeper ties to the community. While some join local civic and philanthropic organizations, others channel efforts into schools, youth sports, law enforcement groups and homeowners associations. Still others distribute market reports that homeowners value.

“Community-based marketing makes a lot of sense for real estate agents because it can help increase name and brand awareness in the communities where they are marketing and selling properties,” says Brooke Jackson, owner of Bolt Marketing Group in Portland, Oregon. “It is natural, non-intrusive and can help increase customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.”

Beyond the Flyer

It’s no secret that people tend to do business with others they know and trust. Community-based marketing is predicated on the idea that there’s value in forging strong ties — and people are likely to remember those with whom they share a bond. “You really have to think about your interaction with any given person and how it will benefit them,” states Melanie McShane, CRS, an independent broker for BrokerInTrust Real Estate in Arcadia, California. “They had something to write on before you gave them a notepad. They had a way to keep track of things before you handed them a calendar.”

Several years ago, when McShane lived in a gated Southern California community where door-to-door soliciting was forbidden, she was forced to think more creatively about how to promote her services to 150 fellow homeowners. She began contributing to a local newsletter, organized block parties and became involved with the neighborhood watch group, at one point holding meetings at her house on Saturdays. “It was a great introduction point and because I had a flyer that indicated I was sponsoring the program, it was a way to get my name in front of them in a very positive and non-intrusive way,” she explains.

Even after moving away from that community she continues to sell an average of three houses per year there, McShane says. Meanwhile, her involvement with local law enforcement and participation with the PTA at her son’s school has built additional bridges. McShane donates $1,000 to the PTA for any real estate transaction involving a family at the school. She also offers veterans, law enforcement, firefighters and others a 25 percent rebate on her commission as part of a national Homes for Heroes program she has joined. “It’s beneficial for everyone. All of this has led to referrals and new business,” she says.

Community touchpoints are also important to Kyle Killebrew, CRS, broker and partner at The Real Estate Group Inc., in Springfield, Illinois. “If you are too aggressive with marketing and advertising, it can backfire. I don’t care to have my name on bus benches or on my vehicle,” he says. Instead, Killebrew organizes neighborhood events to clean up trash and debris, fix swings and equipment at playgrounds, and take on other tasks that improve the community and boost home values. All of this has catapulted him to the top of the agent sales rankings for the city. “If you are viewed as a community leader and a thought leader, people think about you when they require a broker,” he explains.

Passion Bears Fruits

There is no shortage of ways to engage in community-based market­ing, including sponsoring a Little League team, co-sponsoring a local 5K race or assisting with fundraisers. Jackson says that the common denominator is a willingness to adopt “a personal, boots-on-the-ground strategy … and learn more about your customers so you can, in turn, become a better partner.”

Wendy Ogunsemore, owner of the marketing firm 24Seven Strategies in Seattle, agrees that a focus on partnerships can pay dividends. “Engage people and partners who also have a vested interest in their community — an amazing chef, a local winery, a music store or a nonprofit. With these partnerships come unique opportunities,” she suggests.

Nickel believes that success in community-based marketing revolves around following one’s passions — all while creating consistent branding through a logo, stationary and more traditional as well as online marketing techniques. “I would participate in all the same activities and groups even if I wasn’t involved in real estate,” she says. “I believe that my passion comes through and it creates more natural and valuable connections.”

It’s important to focus on the long-term, McShane insists. “Success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be visible in the community, build relationships and make a commitment to help people or better their lives. Community-based marketing doesn’t require a lot of money, but it does require diligence and persistence. If you do it right, people see you as someone making a positive impact and someone they know and trust.”

Samuel Greengard is a writer and author based in West Linn, Oregon.

To build a reputation in your community, volunteer with your local Chamber of Commerce, School Board or food pantry.