agents of change: real estate marketing and branding

Watch out Rachel Ray… Carla Rea, Realtor® in Westport recently launched a new marketing campaign targeting the food lovers in all of us. “What’s Cooking in Real Estate” is an exciting new series of videos that show Carla cooking Italian recipes in the kitchens of her listings for sale. Presently, you can see her making her delectable ‘Frittata di Zucchine’ at 11 Terhune Drive in Westport, offered at $1,400,000, and she prepares ‘Lentil Soup’ at 38 Sturges Commons in Westport, offered at $1,649,000.

Carla’s husband, Michael Rea, first came up with the vision of “What’s Cooking in Real Estate” over ten years ago, and today his dream has come to fruition with Carla’s video being featured on her website - CarlaRealty.com, YouTube, WellcomeMat, and she even has her own fan page setup on facebook.

“Real Estate marketing is continuously evolving and you always need to come up with inventive ideas to help market your listings for sale,” said Carla, “In a tough market like today and with so much inventory, you’ve got to always stay a step ahead to make sure your properties get noticed.”

Carla believes all great meals start with the right ingredients, call her today at 203 895-5788 and find out how you can put her recipe for success to work for you!

85% of brand decisions are made face-to-face between the sales agent and client.  So while having 98% brand recognition with a brokerage like Prudential is valuable and important, you will ultimately make or break the deal.

The VRIO strategy by Dr. Jay Barney of Ohio State University is a four-step process that works effectively to separate yourself from the pack.

• V - Define your VALUE. What makes you valuable to your clients? What do you have to offer that makes your service more valuable than your competitors? Example: You post your listings on today’s leading real estate portals like Zillow, Trulia, Google Base, etc. or you personally send out neighbor letters announcing that you have a new listing or potential buyers in the neighborhood.
• R - Define your RARITY. The characteristics that make you valuable to your client must also be rare. Carve yourself your own niche and go with it. Example: Use taglines, images and service guarantees to help the customer remember you.
• I - Be INIMITABLE. If you are going to be of value and a rarity, make sure that you are offering something that is rare enough that your competitors cannot easily copy. Example: If your stats reveal that you are able to close on your listings within 60 or 90 days of list, then you have something that is rare and difficult for another Realtor® to achieve.
• O - Leverage Your Differentiator throughout your ORGANIZATION.  If you say that you close your listings in 90 days or less, add that tagline in all of your marketing materials, brochures, emails etc.  Your audience will begin to associate you with that differentiator. Consistency is king when
  developing a strategy to  set yourself apart from the competition.

Real results can only be acheived when you dedicate yourself to a long-term strategy that will not only get people to recognize you, but also recognize you as the best in your particular market or niche.

Prudential Connecticut Realty recently announced the launch of their exclusive new web feature, Home Suite. This cutting-edge technology will allow Prudential Connecticut agents to maximize online exposure for their listings, as well as to create a distinct web presence.

Single-property sites are powerful, cost-effective tools to promote property listings both online and offline. Prudential Connecticut Realty’s new Home Suite allows for agents to establish custom websites dedicated to the particular listing being marketed. Web browsers can easily navigate several pages of useful information targeted towards the specific property, including features like video, aerial photography, community profiles, custom descriptions, and links to additional information.

As an example, Candace Blackwood of Prudential Connecticut Realty’s New Canaan office used Home Suite technology to create a single-property site for her listing at 430 Frogtown Road in New Canaan, currently listed for sale at $4.850 million dollars. To view the Home Suite and to learn more about the property, visit the website at www.430FrogtownRoad.com.

RISMedia released a recent survey showing that 88% of home buyers were using the Internet to find a home, and while buyers are able to go any number of broker’s sites for MLS data, they can just as easily go to an agent’s Home Suite (single-property site) and view everything about the listing in one convenient location.

Accordingly, for about the same cost as two lattes, agents can now purchase a personalized domain name allowing them to center all their marketing around one easy to remember URL.

Living in a web 2.0 world, consumers are demanding fresher and more descriptive information about homes for sale. Prudential Connecticut Realty’s new Home Suite is certain to make buying a new home throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island an easier and more rewarding experience.

For more information about Prudential Connecticut Realty, visit their website at www.PrudentialCT.com.