I believe in two specific ways to create a successful product — have a quality brand and learn how to market it online.
The days of print advertising, commercials and radio ads are over. When is the last time you watched a commercial, listened to a radio ad or read a magazine or book that wasn’t on your iPad? I believe in solely advertising the Schottenstein Real Estate Group brand online. People will look online before touring one of our developments, and your online presence has to be better than ever now, given that there is less foot traffic as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stay top of mind, often
Google Ads are a great way to get your business listed at the top of Google’s search without having to spend all the time associated with search engine optimization. Ninety-four percent of clicks take place on the first page of Google.
Retargeting ads are also a nice way of keeping your brand top of mind for website visitors who are interested in your company. Research indicates that a person must see your ad seven times before it has a positive impact on their perception.
If you are unfamiliar with retargeting advertisements, this is when a pixel is placed on the back of your site that allows you to serve your branded advertisement to a website visitor after that person has dropped off of your site. With retargeting ads, your brand has the potential to show up on many different websites.
While people may think you are spending a lot of money for this form of advertisement, it is actually relatively inexpensive.
Email marketing and social media will make money for your brand. For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $38, according to Constant Contact Inc.
Social media is another fairly inexpensive way to get your brand exposure, and you don’t need a massive budget to reach a large audience. Just make sure you are tracking your marketing efforts on social media. While page likes and interaction are great, you need to make sure that these actions convert to new business.
Bad news travels
It is also very important to protect your brand. Bad experiences are more likely to inspire reviews compared to positive experiences. If you are not proactive in reaching out to your brand advocates to leave an online review for your business, your business can get burned.
A dissatisfied customer, or even your competitor, can leave a negative review on Google or Yelp that will change the perception of your brand when people are searching across the web. Ninety percent of consumers today read online reviews before making a purchasing decision, and failing to be proactive in this area can have a negative impact on your brand.
If you consistently reach out to your satisfied customers and ask them to leave a review for your business, you will have glowing recommendations across the web. And if a negative review happens to trickle in, you won’t feel the burn as much if there are 30 positive reviews versus the one negative one.
Take my advice and market your company online.
Brian Schottenstein is president of Schottenstein Real Estate Group
