Real Estate Marketing - The Talkability Factor
You are here: Real estate marketing articles >> The Talkability Factor
by Brandon Cornett
You won't find the word talkability in a dictionary. But it has everything to do with your real estate marketing program. This article explains the concept of talkability and how it can help you gain clients.
First, a definition:
Talkability (noun) 1. The ease with which a product or service can be talked about. 2. Also the likelihood that a product or service will be talked about.
Have you ever experienced a product or service so great, so above and beyond average, that you couldn't wait to tell somebody about it? That's talkability. Talkability is stronger than "noteworthy" and more interesting than "interesting." Talkability resides in the "remarkable" neighborhood.
So what does talkability have to do with real estate marketing? Well, when you consider that most real estate business comes from referrals, you'll begin to see the power of talkability in helping you grow your business.
Increasing Your Talkability Factor
So how do you increase the talkability of your real estate services? How do you use talkability to strengthen your real estate marketing program?
For starters, you must offer something so unique it's practically impossible for people to keep to themselves — in other words, something they cannot resist talking about. So ask yourself the question, "If I were my own client, what would be remarkable to me?"
Next comes the "What if" game. First, turn off your internal critic — that negative, nagging voice that says things like "That will never work" or "That's silly." Next, make a list of "What if" statements about your services:
- What if I found a way to offer free interior design consultations to buyers, redeemable for 30 days within move-in?
- What if I offered "around the town" tours to relocation clients, showing them local schools, shopping and recreation?
- What if started a monthly home-buying seminar and promoted it on the news?
- What if I took a photography course and offered clients professional home photos for their listing?
- What if I offered sellers a free "Curb Appeal" consultation from a local landscaper?
The point here is to exhaust your imagination. If you produce nine ideas and keep only one, you haven't lost anything. You've gained a great idea that will create talkability and improve your real estate marketing overall.
Real Estate Marketing Alone is Not Enough
A remarkable service with average marketing will outsell an average service with great marketing. Remarkable products and services have talkability, so even with average marketing their messages will reach farther and wider than the average product with great marketing.
Talkability Success Stories
If a product or service has extremely high talkability, it hardly needs any marketing at all. Red Bull and Starbucks had high talkability when they launched (still do).
As a result, they grew to epic proportions with virtually no initial advertising. Starbucks does virtually no advertising, and Red Bull only started advertising a couple of years ago. Yet people talking about these products. These products surfed on waves of talkability.
Those are products. But what about services with talkability. Here in Austin, Texas, there's a barbershop called Sexy Scissors. Their name says it all, and their motto drives it home: "Hot stylists. Cold beer. Great haircuts." They have sports on all the TVs and a beer keg built right into the receptionist's desk!
See what I'm doing right now? I've succumbed to the talkability of this service. As a result, I'm giving them free publicity. I don't even use this service, but that's not the point. Whether or not you agree with their "angle," you have to acknowledge the talkability of it. Can you imagine the number of men whove said, "Hey, Joe, have you heard about that place called Sexy Scissors?"
Has talkability worked for them? Well, as of this writing, they're building a new location in Houston and putting out the call for additional franchisees.
I'm not suggesting you start a sexy real estate service. (Although, if you're in Los Angeles...) I'm suggesting you find a way to put more talkability into your service.
Most aspects of real estate marketing involve you talking about yourself. Talkability gets others to talk about you. Think of it as a way to recruit an army of marketers for your service. The higher the talkability, the more people there are to spread your message.
Learn more about real estate agent marketing at our sister website, AdviceForAgents.com.
Learn more
Want to learn more about this marketing topic? Get your copy of Modern Guide to Real Estate Marketing.
Strengthen your offer for a better response. Boost the persuasive power of your marketing pieces. Overcome the natural skepticism of your prospects. Learn more!
