Does Your Agency Have a Serious Case of Mixed Message Madness?

Whenever I take on a new retained client I do a review of their local competition as a starting point.

Part of that process is the agents I’m working with send me as much marketing materials as possible from their rivals.

If you are not keeping an eye on what your local rivals are doing, you should start now. Because if they are smart they’ll sure as hell be watching what you are up to.

Remember it’s often the person who executes the idea best who benefits from it most rather than the idea’s inventor / creator.

I’d spent an hour wading through the usual newspaper stock adverts, half hearted blog attempts and ‘We’ve hundreds of people waiting to buy homes like yours’ (really? I mean seriously?) fliers.

Then I saw something which struck me as madness.

A corporate agency had produced a double sided mail shot (at least they used both sides, some agencies don’t). They included photos of the local office team, with brief bios. So far so good.

PR is all about image building and profile raising and this kind of approach using team photos and brief biographies plays a part in doing this.

But, and this was a but of Kim Kardashian proportions (before the PC police call me a woman hating sexist I use her ‘but’ as an example of ‘but what on earth is she famous for?’ rather than her ample posterior).

This agency used photos of a senior manager in his 40s, that’s ok. Then his team were all obviously late teens or early twenties, again, ok.

The trouble was this mail shot was trying to sell this youthful looking team as ‘experienced, seasoned professionals.’ It’s a totally mixed message bordering on madness.

I showed the mail out to my designer without saying a word. From a design point of view he had no problem apart the photos were too small but he did say ‘The older guy looks like he’s running a crèche.’

I asked my wife’s opinion of it. Again not saying a word about what I thought. Bang, First thing she says ‘they look too young to be experts.’

This mixed message showed a lack of thought had gone into the mail out. People make snap judgments. They do judge books by their covers.

I showed the mail out to six people, they all said the same thing in one way or another that the manager aside, all of the other team members looked like junior staff.

Not for one second am I suggesting young people in the industry or any workplace can’t be fantastic, of course they can. But in this example the agency were trying to ‘sell them’ as being experienced experts. The photos and main message were at odds.

It would have been wiser for the mail out to focus on the manager’s experience and then his youthful colleagues’ energy and enthusiasm.

I’ve seen it before. Agencies pitching themselves as bespoke, ‘top end’ companies then in the same breath promoting a 0.5% fee sale. Madness as they are conflicting messages. ‘We’re top quality but cheap!’

Anyway that’s enough from me, so wishing you all a fantastic 2016, be clear about your agency’s message and here’s to your next instruction.

Jerry

PS – We only have one Blog in a Box for Estate Agents Volume 1 – left. 30 professionally written blogs for agents for just £123.00 + VAT. Visit http://www.propertyprexpert.co.uk/estate-agents-blog-in-a-box/ to see why it’s an offer that’s been so popular.

To bag the last one email me: at Jerry@propertyprexpert.co.uk now.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index for October

Annual house price growth slows in October UK house prices rose 0.1% month on month in October Annual growth rate slowed to 2.4%, from 3.2% in September Headlines Oct-24 Sep-24 Monthly Index* 529.6 529.0 Monthly Change* 0.1% 0.6% Annual Change 2.4% 3.2% Average Price (not seasonally adjusted) £265,738 £266,094 * Seasonally adjusted figure (note that…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s weekly mortgage tracker – 31/10/24

  The average 5-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.64%, down from 5.36% a year ago The average 2-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.91%, down from 5.81% a year ago The average 85% LTV 5-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.66%, down from 5.44% a year ago The average 60% LTV 5-year fixed mortgage…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 31/10/24

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Labour’s first Budget – A missed opportunity for meaningful change A property industry insider view of  the Autumn budget   Rachal Reeves the new Chancellor of the exchequer unveiled a £40 billion taxation budget in her autumn statement. Reeves says it is a moment of ‘fundamental choice’…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Tips to Help Children Adjust to a Long Distance Move

Moving to a new place far away and leaving behind what kids know can be frightening. Careful planning and communication between all parties are essential to ensure this transition goes smoothly. This article offers invaluable tips for handling long-distance relocation with children to lessen your burden. Plan and communicate Preparation is the key to managing…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Tips For Staging Your Older Home ForSale

Selling an older home may be fairly challenging since you have to try to appeal to people who often adore modern amenities and finishes. Rest assured, with proper staging, your home’s unique charm will be brought out; it will feel updated, and its full market appeal will be realized. The following are helpful tips on…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Autumn Budget – Thoughts from the Industry

Following the Autumn Budget, here are some thoughts from the property industry.   Chris Norris, Policy Director for the National Residential Landlords Association: “Whilst the Budget spoke about protecting vulnerable people, it failed to confirm what we now know – that housing benefit rates will be frozen as of next year. “It makes no sense…
Read More