When investing money on marketing, what you are doing is looking for ways to reach your prospects’ filter for making choices, to avoid having them default to the no decision zone. The real battle exists in trying to get your prospects to leave the status quo and accept your solution.

  • Getting your prospects to leave the status quo means talking about their needs. They don't care that you are No. 1.
  • Make sure your marketing conveys emotion; this helps prospects remember your messaging.
  • Good visuals can help the old brain decide if something doesn't seem trustworthy.

When investing money in marketing, what you are doing is looking for ways to reach your prospects’ filter for making choices, to avoid having them default to the no-decision zone.

The real battle exists in trying to get your prospects to leave the status quo and accept your offer, which in this case is selling their home with you — the expert.

The reptilian brain is the oldest of the three brain systems; it consists of the brain stem and cerebellum. Primarily, it controls the body’s vital functions. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in physical survival, and it calls the shots when it comes to making decisions.

This part of the brain is what American psychologist Robert Ornstein calls the “old brain.” The old brain quickly assesses a situation, giving you a small window to engage your prospects in the correct way.

It sounds more complicated than it is. As marketing experts, this is second nature to us. This is how we accomplish it:

Messaging

First things first, messaging. Stop talking about yourself. Are you the No. 1 agent in all of Florida? Well, your prospects don’t care. What’s in it for them?

[Tweet ” Are you the No. 1 agent in all of Florida? Well, your prospects don’t care.”]

Your prospects want you to tell them something important that they don’t already know. First, you have to grab your prospects attention by creating a sense of urgency. The messaging on all of your marketing material must achieve this. Your marketing materials must answer, “why now?”

Next, use emotion in your marketing. Think about those great commercials you have seen on TV that are so emotionally impactful that they make viewers tear up. They leave a lasting impression.

Although I don’t watch much TV, the latest Acura commercial left an impression. I don’t even like Acuras, but the strong message got to me. That commercial convinced me that my vehicle choice could put me at risk.

The old brain uses emotion to mark things as necessary or significant enough to be remembered. Creating an emotional response with your audience helps with the durability of memories. If you can inject more emotion into your messaging — your marketing will be memorable.

[Tweet “If you can inject emotion into your messaging, your marketing will be memorable.”]

Keep it simple

That’s right — keep it simple. You never want to overload your audience. Make your message simple and clear.

Your logo doesn’t have to tell your prospect every single thing you do, nor does your postcard. Focus on the things that matter, and let the rest come from visiting another source, such as your website.

Many times we want to put all of our messaging out there. This creates advertising that is so messy and overwhelming that it gets completely ignored. If your audience doesn’t know where to start reading, you’ve lost them.

Piotr Krzeslak_128857243

Visuals

It’s all about visuals. Again, memorability and strong branding come into play here. Neuroscience states that when you see something that looks like a snake, your old brain warns you of danger.

The way you visually present your messaging is crucial because of your five senses; the old brain responds strongest to visual cues.

When marketing looks cheap, tacky or alarming — it can be completely off-putting to your prospect. Think about the way you visually present yourself, it likely isn’t vastly different than your competitors.

However, if your audience receives a clear message with clean and simple visuals, your prospect already understands there’s quality. With good visuals, your marketing has the best chance of being remembered.

Good visuals help to cut through the clutter and make your message memorable. It is the thing that is most lacking in real estate marketing.

[Tweet “Good visuals help to cut through the clutter and make your message memorable. “]

Why? Good design is often looked at as a nonessential: a detrimental conclusion.

The reptilian brain is skeptical; it needs some good marketing to drive it to take action. Don’t just say you are the No. 1 real estate professional in the area — prove it.

Create all your marketing based on targeting the old brain — it will increase your chances of yielding the desired results.

Laura Ure is the CEO of Keenability, a marketing agency specializing in lifestyle marketing that targets the affluent buyer. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Email Laura Ure.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×