By now, Real Estate Advertising’s Greatest Hits is an album all too familiar to us. The tracks unfold, on auto-repeat, in the background of our lives:
- Find your place
- Home is your shelter from the storm
- Real estate made easy
- Love where you live
- Search to close
- An exceptional experience
- Going the extra mile
None of these are bad, necessarily. They hook into emotions that we understand to be real. But these archetypal messages may no longer ring as true as they once did and are, in all but exceptional moments of creative execution, woefully undifferentiated.
My friends over at 1000 Watt did some original research on Real Estate Marketing and this is what they found:
- People are inundated by real estate advertising — 78% of respondents reported seeing real estate ads in the past 2 weeks. This indicates that the value of such information, being very abundant, is also generally quite low.
- Messages that are broad (e.g., “we are your local real estate agents”) tend to be perceived as marginally more credible by consumers, but are not necessarily more effective. They are likely simply less impactful.
- People don’t view ads that tell them that real estate can be made simple or easy as credible. They both know and feel that the process is neither simple or easy, and don’t believe assertions that dispute that reality. They “call B.S.” on such messages, to put it bluntly.
- The findings above broadly align with peoples’ perception of the real estate transaction experience. 64% of respondents agreed with the statement, “buying and selling real estate is too complicated and should be made simpler.” Interestingly, 30% disagreed, and found that “real estate is too important to be simplified.” Almost all respondents recognize the fundamental gravity and complexity of buying or selling a home.
- Men responded significantly better to forceful and specific claims (e.g., “We’ll sell your house faster and for less money”) or messages that communicate rankings or performance (e.g., “We are #1 in real estate sales”) than did women.
The principal conclusion?
- Acknowledge the truth people hold within them, find a connection in candor, and build trust through recognizing reality as people see and feel it.
- If buying or selling a home is complex and sometimes hard, don’t tell people it’s “simple” or “easy.” Make it clear you understand what they are likely thinking and feeling, then tell them how you can address those things better than anyone else.
The Greatest Hits may still be good to play once in a while but play them too much and people will tune them out. It’s time for some new music.
