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In 1928 the very first television show was broadcast. The Queen’s Messenger, was a modest, 40-minute dramatic production broadcast from Schenectady, New York, and the sound was simulcast on radio station WGY.
It was not until 13 years later that viewers were interrupted for the first time. The world’s first television commercial was broadcast on July 1, 1941 advertising a Bulova watch.
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We have been bombarded and interrupted and invaded with commercials ever since. There was no way to get away from the intrusion. The more we watched, the more they inserted commercials. Nobody asked us if we wanted to see a commercial. Nobody polled us and said would you like us to have less commercials.Madison Avenue realized that we were, what they call in the marketing world, a “captive audience”. There was no where to turn to get away.By 1997 it has been estimated that the average person is subject to over 3,000 commercial messages per day. All are not in the form of television commercials, as there are not enough hours in a day to see that many commercials, but with branding, product placement, labeling, video, audio, and print advertising muddled together, the number of messages we are exposed to is very likely to be real.But let’s say it’s only half as many, a quarter as many, do you think all of these messages have the ability to resonate with the consumer the marketer is trying to reach?Now fast forward to today’s technologically advanced consumer. With the advent of Tivo, Podcasting, On-Demand programming and the home DVR the consumer is armed with the ability to resist and finally avoid MOST of the commercial intrusions.
Now the consumer can choose to either fast forward, delete…or perhaps even, dare I say, watch the commercial. The key here is that the choice is now with the viewer. However, how does one hear about Tivo, Podcasting, On-Demand programming and the home DVRs? By the same method that they seek to remove you from, commercial advertising.
Don’t you find that amazing? Here is an industry that made its money deluging people with commercials and now you have companies creating technology so that you can avoid commercials marketing to you by utilizing that which they hope to steer you away from. Ponder that paradox.
Is it truly a paradox or is it a novel way to conduct business as usual. When you record a show to watch later, yes, you can skip the commercials but do you realize how much planning and forethought goes into the images you see in those shows. The car the detective is driving, the Coke cup in front of Randy, Paula and Simon, the places where the characters in the show shop, the clothes that they are wearing, even what they are watching on their televisions shown in the show. Nothing is left to chance.
What we have here is an industry changing from within. Realizing there was a different way to market, without the customary 30 second intrusion, television and movies now place the products they want to feature to a consumer in a very shrewd manner.
Are you using the same marketing methods as that of your competitors? I often wonder how in the world real estate brokerages can be successful. There are hardly any sales oriented businesses where each of the sales people use the same marketing techniques, to reach the same consumer, in the same location.
We know of real estate agents who farm the same area, who use the same collateral media as the other agents in their office. Like the television industry, the public is bombarded with ordinary messages by ordinary real estate agents.
Just like television, the consumer is tuning out and not even listening. Response rates are low because there is no defined direction or focus as to how to market to those who actually want or need your services.
At least television utilizes some form of demographic and psycho-graphic data to determine who they are going to focus their deluge upon. When you as an agent decide to begin your onslaught, do you utilize pertinent demographics and psycho-graphics?
There has to be a change from within the industry if the real estate agent is to survive and continue to be viable. The industry has to take hold of the facts and meet them head on and realize that the business model is horribly flawed and broken.
Think of the Tivo watcher, or the Podcast listener, these are the clients you need to seek out. You need to direct your focus towards the curious consumer who allows you to market to them.
If you market to the right people with the right medium, they will seek you out from the multitude of other agents vying for their business.
So what is the right medium? Well there are several. The ones that will deliver you the best prospect are those mediums wherein the consumer comes to you.
Just as with the television analogy, marketing that is directed at a consumer wherein they have the choice to accept your message are the mediums that will provide you with the highest quality lead.
Opt-In forms on websites and blogs, Podcasting, on-demand videos placed on your site or blog, RSS subscriptions, and strong SEO techniques designed to drive hordes of traffic to your website or blog. These are just some of the ideas that the local agent can implement to obtain consumers who desire to hear your message.
It’s a pretty simple choice. Modernize and direct your marketing focus to consumers who might actually be interested in your services or continue to hope the phone rings on it’s own from a yard sign.
As with your prospect, the choice is yours.
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