Featured Newsletter

When Is Copy Too Much Copy?

Perhaps one of the most undervalued elements of a great campaign is its copy. When it’s right, it flows so easily that you’re drawn into the words without noticing. Likewise, when it’s wrong, it creates such a roadblock that even the best design can’t overcome.

So, what makes good copy good? And, when is it enough?

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Translating Vision Into Marketing

--- This is a resend of our August newsletter --

Due to a technical glitch, those of you who tried to read the full content of our newsletter sent last Friday, were required to sign up again. We corrected the issue with this copy and we apologize for the inconvenience.

For many of you, the time invested in developing the character and personality of your property has been significant. Countless hours meeting with architects, builders and landscapers have all translated into a physical manifestation of your ideas. But, have you invested the same commitment in your marketing materials?

A developer’s vision for his property translates into a brand in marketing terms. The tricky part is getting this vision translated correctly. This month’s newsletter addresses the importance of turning your vision into a brand and some tips for getting it done right.

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Getting a Bigger Piece of the Pie

Perhaps we could all learn something from our friends in the car industry. We know that the industry, especially our American companies, have been hit pretty hard by the economic woes of the day. But, there is a lesson we can take away if we’re brave enough to take the gamble.

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Marketing Materials :: Outreach

In the last of our series on Investing in Your Marketing Materials, we’re addressing your outreach and advertising efforts including Direct Response Campaigns, Business Reply Mailers (BRMs) / Business Reply Cards (BRCs), Advertisements (web and print), and Media and PR plans.

While all of these items are important and can be very effective marketing tools, it’s important to remember the goal of each. None of these elements are going to make the sale for you. Their purpose should be something measurable, a midway stop in the sales process; not the end result. For example, your advertising should generate phone calls, increase web traffic, etc. (a goal that is established prior to ever launching a campaign). In turn, the increased phone calls provide more opportunities for sales conversions.

Marketing Materials :: Website

Continuing in our series on Investing in Your Marketing Materials, this month we’re addressing your website. Our advice on this topic is broken into three sections: form, function, and timeliness.

Marketing Materials :: Print Collateral

As promised in last month’s newsletter, we’re covering the topic of print collateral this month in our series on Investing in Your Marketing Materials. While print collateral can include many items, we’ve chosen a handful of the most common and most important ones to discuss here.

Investing in Your Marketing Materials

To start off the new year, we’re beginning a newsletter series that addresses some of the most important marketing pieces real estate developers need. It’s important that these pieces are viewed as valuable investments toward the success of your development, and in the issues to come we’ll highlight how you can ensure your money is spent wisely and your goals are achieved with each element.

Why Does Santa Look The Way He Does?

LET’S FACE IT - WE’RE ALL WRAPPED UP SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF HOLIDAY SEASON.

We could have sent out our usual marketing advice like we do every month, but we too have Christmas on the brain. So, we thought it would be a fun reprieve to share a little bit about how the jolly old man himself, Santa Claus, ended up in his bright red suit with furry white trim, jovial red cheeks and floppy hat. Was it all really just a big marketing ploy?

It's Time to Take Stock

Given the current unsteadiness of our economic systems, and the hit that the real estate market has taken in particular, many of you will find this month’s newsletter a nice change of pace. The marketing metrics we’ve played by for the last 5 or 6 years have been turned on their head in recent months, warranting a fresh look at how your brand and marketing initiatives are faring. However, this doesn’t mean you need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. In this issue of Fresh Findings, we’ll look at ways you can best economize the investment you’ve already made in your brand development and marketing, while also addressing the readily apparent need for new strategy.

Marketing's Role at the Executive Table

You’ve heard our mantra before – marketing drives sales; it’s not the other way around. Unfortunately, most corporate structures aren’t set up with this in mind and many marketing professionals find themselves answering to sales executives, which can create contentious relationships at best. This month’s newsletter will hopefully shed some light on how to navigate those waters without diluting marketing’s role in the whole mix.

The Importance of Professional Photography

We’ve all been there – you just miss the magic moment when your 2nd grader hits his first home run; Grandma is blinking, again, in the 25th take of the family photo; that really hairy guy in his Speedo passes behind you and your new husband during the last sunset of your honeymoon. Just as we rely on photographs to capture the essence of our life’s milestones, good photography is what captures the essence of your product in a way that is second only to experiencing it first-hand.

So, why is it necessary to hire a professional for this all-important photography? How do I make sure I get what I need? And, what makes good photography good anyway? These are all legitimate concerns, and ones we’ll address in this issue of Fresh Findings.

Pull Your Own Weight :: The Client's End of the Deal

By now, hopefully you can tell that we try to provide un-biased and helpful marketing advice. This month however, we’re covering a topic that might have some sting to it if you find yourself guilty of not holding up your end of the bargain. It’s easy to think that hiring an agency is the one-stop, fail-safe solution to all your marketing problems; but, as we’ve hinted in previous newsletters, involvement from the client’s side is vitally important to the success of your marketing endeavors. Following are some of the most important areas to be mindful of.

Good Design is Good Business!

Consider for a minute the number of graphic images you come across in a day. Each morning you’re greeted by the product labels on your tube of toothpaste, shampoo bottle, shaving cream and cereal box. As you make your way to work, hundreds of messages will compete for your attention – signs, company vehicles and radio advertisements. Your day will continue with a flood of other visual messages coming in the forms of brochures, letterhead, direct mail, websites, etc.

Now, ask yourself, why do you notice some messages and not others? Why did you choose Crest instead of Colgate? I’d venture to say it had something to do with good branding affecting your perception of the product, and likely good design which visually drew you to the Crest box instead of Colgate.

Can you speak the lingo?

Test your marketing jargon:

1) Times New Roman is a sans-serif typeface.

[ ] True

[ ] False

2) CPM stands for which of the following?

a) Capturing Permanent Messaging

b) Cost Per Thousand

c) Cost Proficient Marketing

3) What is a double-truck?

a) There is no such thing as a double-truck

b) A semi pulling two cargo trailers

c) Two full facing pages in a newspaper layout

Proper Prior Planning...

Ask yourself: if you were planning an extensive cross-country vacation and had several key stops to make, wouldn’t you bring a road map along? Essentially, a marketing plan is a roadmap for your business – and if you don’t have one, this is likely the first reason for un-attained sales goals, fragmented branding and more.

Process :: Does your agency have one?

Referring to our January 2007 newsletter topic, choosing an agency, process is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a marketing firm to work with.

Why?

Process makes work specific and disciplined. You should be working with a firm that specializes in marketing for your industry. Beyond that, they should have a process that takes into consideration the subtleties of that industry in a way that a blanket approach cannot.

Marketing in a Downturn

In this first quarter of 2008, the economic pulse of our country is far from vigorous. Home prices are falling, energy costs are rising, and consumers and Wall Street alike are feeling the crunch of the credit squeeze.

For those in the real estate development and hospitality sectors, this might seem the perfect time to batten down the hatches, slash expenses and hold on until the economy improves. And sure, it is always wise to examine inputs and outputs to see where you can streamline your company’s performance. But resist the knee-jerk temptation to reduce your marketing budget. Many marketing experts consider recessions and slowdowns to be the perfect time to boost your investment in advertising and marketing.

The Role of Branding, Part II: Developing your Brand

In the marketing business, it is a well known fact that premium brands generate more revenue than comparable products that lack brand mystique. As a result, branding done right, and in many cases, branding done even half right, delivers a healthy return on a company’s investment.

If you want to elevate your product from hotel to The Peninsula, from mattress to Stearns & Foster, from lobby chandelier to Dale Chihuly installation, you need to develop your brand – or, in other words, purposefully create a distinctive and positive connection to your product in the minds of your customers.

In this newsletter, we’ll look to the branding gurus for real-world advice on three critical tools that can power up your business: managing the seven elements of branding, building brand equity, and evaluating brand performance.

The Role of Branding, Part I: What is Branding and Is It Really Necessary?

"A brand is a living entity, and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures." - Michael Eisner, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company

Do you want your customers to choose your product over others, recommend your company through word of mouth, and return for another purchase? If you’re in business, of course you do. But to attain this level of customer loyalty, your company must invest in branding.

Just what is branding?

Getting the Best from your Agency

If you’ve read our newsletters up until this issue, you have a basic understanding of how to set your marketing budget and choose your agency. Now it’s time to establish the kind of working relationship that will enable you to get the best from your agency.

For your company’s marketing campaigns to be successful, a collaboration between you and your agency is essential. Here are some tips to ensure a productive working relationship.

Setting a Marketing Budget

Marketing – recruiting new customers and keeping existing customers – is a key driver of business success, regardless of industry. For developers in a soft real estate market, an effective marketing strategy is even more crucial. To reach your customers and make those vital sales, your marketing budget needs to be up the task. After all, if you don’t invest appropriately in getting the word out, it doesn’t matter how much money you have poured into your product – your target market won’t be there to buy.

Just how do you determine the best marketing budget for your needs?

Choosing an Advertising Agency

Tom is a hotelier who has just renovated his boutique property; he wants to spread the word about the new amenities for business travelers. Susan’s development company is launching a new residential community; she needs to narrow her target market to reach potential buyers.

When companies decide to work with an advertising agency, their motivations may differ but the core reason is universal: to become more profitable. If your organization is considering hiring an agency, read this article for some useful tips – they just might improve your bottom line!