 | Marketing your brokerage Coordinating Company and Salesperson Marketing | | |||
|  Setting Marketing Strategies Analyzing the Business Climate Creating Your Market Identity Planning Your Advertising Coordinating Company and Salesperson Marketing Developing Public Relations Strategies Enhancing Customer Service | Both the company and individual sales associates will benefit if advertising programs work in harmony. In Real Life: Developing a Brokerage-Salesperson Advertising Synergy The three most important components of a successful advertising campaign are repetition, frequency, and consistency of message, says Robyn Erlenbush, broker/manager of ERA Landmark Real Estate in Bozeman, Mont. “You get caught in a trap if every salesperson has an individual plan. I believe that I can spend promotional money more effectively and prudently collectively, rather than each associate using funds in individual and unrelated plans.” To fund this plan, Erlenbush assesses a company-wide ad fee on each listing that closes. Both the company and the sales associate contribute a portion of the commission to a fund. In turn, Erlenbush and her in-house marketing department allocate the funds to place newspaper ads and all related property promotions. “When salespersons have a new listing, they simply fill out an ad card and we do the rest—write copy, design the ad, place the ad, upload it to the Internet, send out Just Listed cards, take digital photos, and create a virtual tour,” says Erlenbush. Centralizing marketing also helps salespersons’ dollars go further, says Erlenbush. Recently, she helped four salespersons with up-market listings create a joint, high-quality marketing brochure for much less than it would have cost each associate individually. To provide a consistent look between salesperson and company materials, Landmark offers in-house design assistance. Erlenbush has a library of professional photos of beautiful Montana scenery and wildlife the company uses as its theme. “Salespeople can use the images on their Web sites and personal marketing pieces at no cost, which not only saves them money, but gives a much more consistent look to the materials,” she says. In Real Life: Creating a Consistent Image > | |