Discussions around online content creation in the real estate space are continuing to grow. From basic SEO related tweaks to the topic of identifying, and using customer personas with research. Recently I attended a panel at BoomTown Unite that discussed the topic of personas.
Towards the end of the session questions started to arise around the execution of actions to be taken upon doing persona research. From two literal opposite sides of the room questions about two different strategies were shared…
- “So if my website focuses in on 1st time home buyers…won’t that hurt me in areas like luxury?”
- “I’m building separate websites, and domains for different types…”
The idea of customizing your website to focus more on a particular demographic or persona makes sense, but seems kind of scary. We wan’t to develop a specialty, but we don’t want to shut out opportunities. This is why building personas, and doing research can take time and consideration. On the other hand we can use more of a Coca-Cola Company type of strategy, and build/buy/reinvent separate products to fit, and match multiple personas. This immediately seems like the no-brainer way to go, but when we don’t find ourselves with Coca-Cola budgets; we realize that building one name is hard enough. Building 2, 3, etc. is more difficult. Our overall presence to convert leads into relationships could suffer.
Approach From The Opposite Direction
What makes the up in the clouds concept of building personas even more difficult to execute; is that agents often try to start with an already difficult form of communication…advertising.
You’ve identified that “luxury” buyers are who YOU want to focus on, and begin adding that shiny platinum touch to your website. You then start writing article after article about “luxury buyer tips”, and “things rich people like”. What often happens is it comes off a little weird, and most people think they’re in the wrong place. Customized content, and ads can be done well, but a highly effective broad approach is easier to scale.
Instead of adding personas to a long list of lead generation tactics; turn it into a conversion strategy. I met with a client who discussed a rebate program aimed at active government employees. This is a fantastic example of personification that builds the overall brand, but makes a key demographic feel special. There will be information about the program on the clients website, but they don’t have to change the core experience. When a lead is identified as a government employee they will get a different customer service experience than others.
Attracting leads with personification alone can be tough, but customizing their experience based on their needs is what every helpful sales person does naturally. Look into your database, look up past clients who purchased luxury homes. Who else fits their profile? Has the same requests? Or even lives in the same neighborhoods? Tag or label these people, and begin thinking about what the common factors were in those successful deals. Use this knowledge to customize their client care experience. This could be something digital like email send times or something personal like how you converse with them. This approach is simple, low cost, and repeatable.
Look To The Hospitality Industry
Hilton Hotels gives it’s Honors members shorter lines, and remembers their wifi settings. Delta gives card holders a free checked bag. Air travel is a “well they all land in Seattle so I’ll go with what’s cheaper” kind of business for many consumers, and airlines handle this accordingly.
What Delta, United, and even Spirit (the ultimate discounter) know to be true is frequent travelers spend more money, and have different priorities. Paying more for a seat or simply staying loyal to a carrier is the end goal for the airlines. They use incentives like short lines not only as a way to entice a valued customer, but to also identify them in the first place. They’ve even gone to the source of the money itself; the company credit card as a way to build a relationship that stays with you even when you’re on the ground.
Another TL;DR Recap
- Personas aren’t just for lead gen. Think about client service.
- Client service programs done well can also generate leads.
- Use incentives, and research to identify, attract, and convert customers into loyal ones.
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