This afternoon Tami and I met with the owners of a downtown St Petersburg condo in Bayfront Towers and were talking about internet marketing strategies. They knew what blogging was, in general terms, but didn't understand how that would relate to marketing a property. I was explaining that it's not the same as just saying you have a 3 bedroom condo priced at x, etc - it's about finding points to blog about.
For example, I'd blog about the raised platform in their master bedroom, in the bay window, where they have two comfortable chairs looking out at a magnificent water view - and would tie that in to watching the planes come and go from Albert Whitted Airport, and how that might attract pilots and business executives needing a convenient airport. That led to talks about individuals who had purchased there - how they found it, and why they bought.
Then they told me about a feature even I didn't know about - each floor of the highrise condo has a bicycle room, with a door leading to the back of the freight elevator. So - not only do owners have a place to store their bicycles other than in their storage room, the parking levels or their condo unit, but all they have to do is press the call button, go down the elevator, and bike out into the streets - then reverse the process when they return.
They quickly realized that it's all about letting people know the value of the amenities - what's the benefit to them, how does it affect their lifestyle. We had such a great conversation and so many blog topic leads that I'll be getting back together with them just to write down all the blog possibilities.
They had one fantastic blog idea - and perfect photo op - regarding the library in the building ... but that's a surprise for a future blog.
Let your imagination run with blog ideas to market a property through its benefits.
In the meantime, Bayfront Tower is a perfect condo for
- Pilots and flyers
- Bicycle riders
If you want more information about condos for sale in Bayfront Tower, contact The Simms Team at RE/MAX Metro.
Great reminder Sharon. I went on a listing presentation yesterday and never mentioned blogging. I must remember to add this to my line up.
Sharon - Great post! I am going to add a slide or two about blogging to my PowerPoint listing presentation. Up until now, I've thought of blogging as a way to inform prospects of what is going on, and a way to position myself as an expert in my area and a way to generate buyer leads. But I've never used it as a listing tool. What a great idea.
Thanks for the excellent tips.
-Al
Bicycle riders will also hear the call of "cyclists, bike, biking, cycling." Hopefully these trusty keywords will attract your next owner!
Good Luck with it!
kk
Debbie - yes, do mention blogging. Everyone has websites and everyone puts listings on the internet.
Al - hope it gets you more listings.
Kristal - great ideas for keywords. Thanks for suggestions from the expert!
Sharon - just another great example of how we can use blogging to benefit our clients. I wrote a blog of about 8 posts on a recent listing - one post was just about the special features that made the home stand out, complete with a slide show of those features. Pictures tell the story best, don't they? The other advatnage of bloggings about our listings is they show up on Google, and buyers do Google listing addresses.
Jeff
Sharon,
That's what I try to relate to the people interested...you have to justify the cost of high maintenance fees by showing them the value of all the amenities that are included versus none with lower costs.
You might get more things and have high fees but if you were to pay for those fees separately they might end up being more...it's all about what you want in a building or a community to fit your needs.
Sharon~ With so many homes on the market, it's so true...sell the features, but connect them to a benefit or lifestyle choice and you're one step closer to a sale! Great reminder for all of us to include Blogging as part of our listing presentations.
Sharon - It is great that it clicked for your clients and they understand the value of the services that you can provide through blogging. Not everyone gets it.
Sharon, the bicycle room would surely get my attention! Your approach would have really impressed me if I were a seller (or buyer) in that building.
Sharon the bottom line is that when writing a blog for marketing a home you should be concentrating on your keywords. This will make the post that much more likely to be found by consumers :)
Jeff - it's all about finding creative ways to sell the benefits of our listings.
Neal - I often use that philosophy when justifying condo fees at all - comparing them to what the homeowner is paying separately.
LaShawn - we really are selling lifestyle rather than bricks and mortar.
Steve - it's so much fun when we can watch an AHA moment.
Patricia - You're convincing me that I need to target more cyclists.
Bill -- that's exactly what I was trying to explain, but you did it much more succinctly.