Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: How to Increase Your Market Share

Just because it seems that the market is dwindling, it doesn’t mean that people have stopped buying luxury real estate. What it means, is that they are choosier about where they buy and with whom they do business. The luxury market is conservatively estimated to be 220 billion dollars and growing. To significantly increase your market share you must sharply differentiate yourself from your competition. How? Offer REMARKABLE customer service.

Every study from Harris Interactive to the Wharton School of Business emphasizes building a lasting relationship with your clients. Prospective clients are looking for a positive, memorable experience. They expect you to exceed their expectations. They may like your brand. But, what will solidify their loyalty is the amazing service you give.

 

Even in they don’t buy the first time, find ways to keep them engaged as to what is happening in the market they were interested in. Don’t just send updates on new homes; send interesting articles about the community, new restaurants or gallery openings. Better yet invite them to an art gallery opening, or a special museum exhibit. The world of luxury is small. Word will get out that you are strikingly different. A warm and friendly experience increases trust which means they are more likely to recommend you to a friend.

 

Do the same with existing and previous clients. Make them a part of your “in” crowd. Share with them your special secrets and insights. They will see you as the go to person.

 

For example, the designer Kate Spade reveals what inspired her designs with her “special clients”. She has a section on her web site called, “Behind the Curtain” that catalogues her influences, her interests and what she thinks is “hot”. Her comments serve to build relationships with her customers and engage them in conversation.

 

Harley Davidson did the same by creating a community. This revived a dying brand and made it profitable once again. They have added activities and meet ups as part of the brand, and as a result created a customer base that is fiercely loyal to the brand.

 

Apply these ideas, and you will be delighted by your loyal following.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: What is the Luxury Buyer Looking For in 2009?

Luxury buyers are still alive and well. Here is a capsule of the new spending habits of high net worth individuals. Luxury real estate marketing professionals take heed!

Exclusivity. The desire to have something better and less known to the mass audience remains strong. New niche labels can prosper in these circumstances, such as limited editions or homes with extraordinary architectural features.

Quality, Dependability and Authenticity. The 2009 consumer will want to know the provenance of the goods they are buying. They will want the manufacturer to stand by the product and take care of it, if something goes wrong. Social and environmental responsibility is an important key in the purchase making decision. If it’s “green”, they will part with their green bucks. In the days of “shop till you drop”, consumers were fascinated by novelty. Now they want the “real”, the authentic. They are no longer interested in high end reproductions or anything with “faux” in front of it. Along with authenticity is transparency. How someone does business, their ethics, has become an important part of the process.

Translating this to luxury real estate marketing is simple.

  1. Refresh your brand. Make sure your website and all your materials have the look and feel of luxury, and do not look like everyone else’s site. Remember they are looking for the exclusive feel.
  2. Make sure you demonstrate your transparency in terms of your customer relationship management. Your word MUST BE your bond. Go out of your way to provide excellent service. This makes you easy to refer via word-of-mouth advertising.
  3. Describe your listings by emphasizing the quality and the durability of the home’s appliances and finishes. Make sure that those finishes are the “real” thing. If they aren’t, point it out. If you are not sure, find out. This furthers your authenticity and your transparency.

In the long run remember. “A calm sea does not produce a skilled sailor. We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” Tom Culve

Luxury real estate marketing professionals: Happy Sailing and Selling in 2009!

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: The Video Phenomena

 

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Video communication is here to stay.

  • 13 hours of content is uploaded to You Tube every minute of every day
  • Downloading Internet videos from events such as the Olympics and political conventions caused some host sites to crash due to unexpected demand
  • The continued growth of video over the Internet will increase the debate for mass internet access
  • President-elect Obama regularly broadcasts a 4 minute long video as his way staying in touch with Americans and the world at large

What is happening is that online communication is the new mode of community. It is easy to upload a video and it is easy to send someone a link to the video. Furthermore, in four minutes you can easily get a message across.

As a luxury real estate marketing professional you can use a video to differentiate yourself from everyone else. For instance, you can record your blogs rather than write them. You can have videos of your listings, and also a video bio. There is no end to what can be done with video. It is an opportunity to communicate with your clients in a personal way.

Here is a creative example. Check out the YouTube Symphony, dubbed ”the world’s first collaborative online orchestra”. All you have to do is submit a video performance (any instrument, amateur and musicians of all ages) of a piece of music written by Chinese composer Tan Dun. The winning performer will be chosen to play in Carnegie hall under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Of course, in the field of luxury the quality of the video is important. You want to represent your brand as a luxury brand, and you want to make sure that the player on your site is compatible with the most number of browsers in current use. That way everyone has easy access to viewing your message.

Remember less is more. Don’t bore; inform and entertain.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials - Are You Wiki Savvy?

In 2008 RealSure, a company that offers real estate consulting and publishing services launched a real estate wiki, or industry-focused user-generated encyclopedia and dictionary, at RealEstateWiki.com. It is an excellent resource for real estate agents, brokers, other industry professionals, investors, buyer and sellers alike.

What is exciting about the Real Estate Wiki is that anyone can contribute real estate related information. Their goal is to create one of the best real estate resources out there for everyone involved in the real estate industry. All luxury real estate marketing professionals who seek market leadershipship in their niche or local marketplace should have a professional profile on Real Estate Wiki.

DJ Swanepoel, is the volunteer manager of Real Estate Wiki which is a non-profit and privately funded organization. He believes in “making general real estate information more freely available to everyone”. DJ feels that, “No one should struggle to find the definition of a term, the correct meaning of an acronym or abbreviation, to be able to get a real estate question answered or even waste time finding the contact details of real estate service provider, broker or agent”.

The site has no advertising - no banner ads, no pop ups. This is a commercial free, user friendly environment. Anyone can view and use the Wiki without registering.

Please join us, and other real estate professionals who want to make the real estate industry a better place, on DJ’s Real Estate Wiki Group at Broker Agent Social.

 

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Personal Branding Goes International

It is no longer enough for luxury real marketing professionals to create local personal brand. Becoming well know to foreign buyers is now a necessity. Think INTERNATIONAL! You not only need to be the stand-out in your marketplace to consumers, you also need to become the best known local professional to other agents in 50 states and around the world.

Watch for our series on the best ways tp build an international personal brand and also a global referral network of agents in other countries.

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Getting Started in Niche Marketing

Luxury real estate marketing professionals frequently ask us the followy question. We hope this is of help to you as well.

How do I get started in marketing to this niche?

First, pick a niche:

  1. Castles, mansions & ultra-luxurious trophy estates
  2. Golf properties
  3. Eco luxury
  4. Ski properties
  5. Ocean waterfront properties
  6. Historical properties
  7. Downtown Condos & lofts
  8. Lakefront properties
  9. Luxury Investment Properties

Then...

  1. Identify the movers and shakers within the niche and find a way to meet them.
  2. Create a website that demonstrates that you are a specialist in this niche. Narrow the search criteria on the site so that is it easy to just search for properties within the niche.
  3. Provide extensive information about the niche, via blogging and articles
  4. Find out what is needed and wanted by asking home owners in this niche how you can help in the community or by offering some information or service apart from just selling homes (e.g., start an online community calendar and promote it to homeowners via postcards).
  5. Create your personal brand around your niche. Become synonymous with the niche (e.g., The Waterfront Properties Expert)

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Find Your Niche

For luxury real estate marketing professionals, the easiest way to become the market leader is to select a niche within your marketplace and become the expert in that niche. A niche is a category or a sub-category in which you can specialize. The first step in niche marketing is selecting a niche.

What Are the Major Niches In the Luxury Real Estate Realm?

  1. Castles, mansions & ultra-luxurious trophy estates
  2. Golf properties
  3. Eco luxury
  4. Ski properties
  5. Ocean waterfront properties
  6. Historical properties
  7. Downtown Condos & lofts
  8. Lakefront properties

How Do I Select the Right Niche?

Here are five guidelines for selecting the right niche:

  1. Select a niche in which you are personally interested, ideally passionate about.
  2. Select a niche that no one is currently dominating or is not doing a very good job
  3. Select a niche that you can represent better than anyone else in your marketplace
  4. Select a niche where the properties are selling and the prices are substantial so that your commissions are significant
  5. Select a niche where you can easily identify the major opinion leaders, community leaders and also vendors who are also interested in acquiring these home owners (and buyers) as customers/clients.

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Be the Category Killer

One of the very best ways to achieve market leadership as a luxury real estate markeing professional is to discover a niche in your marketplace that you can dominate. A niche is a category or sub-category of the entire market like waterfront properties, equestrian properties, high-rise condos, etc. The whole idea is to become establish your personal brand as the "category killer" in that niche.

An example of a category killer is iPod in the MP3 category of electronic devises that play music. In online auctions, eBay is the category killer. Yahoo, number 2 in auctions had to concede to eBay in all markets across the globe except Japan where eBay bowed out (for now).

In the entertainment field Terry Fator is the category killer for ventriloquism. He is so dominant in his category because he offers extraordinary entertainment value and no one else has a chance to reach is level of celebrity. He just secured a $100 Million contract in Las Vegas for his show. Check out the video and you will see why he is the best in his niche, the category killer.

In which niche can you become the category killer?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Is Luxury Out of Style?

1957 Mercedes Cabriolet

Luxury real estate marketing professionals need to stay abreast of current etiquette when conversing with high net worth clients. Economic conditions tend to affect the degree of conspicuous or inconspicuous consumption. But, is flaunting one's wealth ever in style?

To quote 12/25/08, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Star and Tribune article titled New Recessionary Etiquette: Luxury Shame?

"Across office suites, dinner parties and foundation boardrooms, inconspicuous consumption is the new recessionary etiquette. To do otherwise at a time when neighbors and family members are getting pink-slipped is considered simply poor taste. The tokens of success -- a Cartier timepiece, Christian Louboutin shoes -- are being worn more discreetly, or not at all."

Given the current economic conditions and the propensity of the media and talking heads to point out the downfall of the luxury retail market this holiday season, the following question comes to mind: Is luxury itself out of style?

The answer is NO. The essence of luxury is an object or a service that is well made/well done. Again the governing concept of an item is that is of exceptional craftsmanship which implies its long lasting value. A great service implies that you will return for that great service over and over again because it is worth it. The very well to do populace is not the only ones who buy luxury. There are quite a few people who may buy an item because of its "superior quality or performance." They understand that because it is a superior product, its longevity will make the purchase an economically sound decision.

Thomas Chippendale chairThere are people who will drive their Mercedes for 20-30 years. Divide the original purchase price by the number of years, and you will discover that given the performance and the lasting quality with which the vehicle is built, it is a bargain. In addition the resale value is higher, and if the model is sought after by collectors, it resale can be astronomically more than its original purchase price. A well made piece of furniture last lifetimes and is often passed from generation to generation. An authentic Chippendale is worth a fortune on today's market. With falling prices on many durable luxury items, those in the know are purchasing them.

The same could not be said about some luxury purchases. If one were to purchase a pair of satin Christian Louboutin shoes for $1500, the chances of those shoes surviving into the next century are not so great, even though they are well made and well crafted. The intention here is not to condemn the purchase but to illustrate the concept of long term luxury. It is possible that the wearer may be so careful as to avoid every possible scuff and not damage them at all and hand them off to a granddaughter with the same exact shoe size at some point in time!

What is out of style and what has always been out of style is in your face luxury i.e. bragging about and flaunting recent purchases. Etiquette is a lifelong pursuit and is not dependent on economic conditions to practice it. It depends on one's understanding and appreciation of all the conditions that life has to offer and reacting to them in a gracious manner.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials - The Definition of Luxury-Part 3

The View from Santa Barbara CA to the Channel Islands

WHO NEEDS CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS?

If you are or aspire to become a luxury real estate marketing professional, it is important to have a clear definition of what luxury really is. The word luxury has become ubiquitous with marketing anything expensive. What makes something truly luxurious? Does it have to be expensive, rare, or just have a name brand?

Ultimately luxury is appreciation, and appreciation is a personal point of view. So the item, the service or the brand’s value is in the eyes and the psyche of the beholder. It does not require possession. Appreciation is free. Expressing one’s appreciation feels great. In the words of designer, Jeffrey Bilhuber, “I love luxury. I am convinced that luxury is part of what makes us human, that it brings us beauty and pleasure... It is inspiration and aspiration, something taught, something learned -- an evolving appreciation of good, better, best.”

Free luxury surrounds us everywhere we go. It is evident in nature’s perfection, as even a snowflake is uniquely different from its counterparts. Free luxury can be seen in the vivid coloration of tropical birds, flowers, sea life, ocean waves, sea shells, etc. Finally, the ultimate luxury is life, itself, if you can simply appreciate it. And, so many of the best things in life are free.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials - The Definition of Luxury--Part 2

Pierre Hotel, NYUnparallel Service

If you are or aspire to become a luxury real estate marketing professional, it is important to have a clear definition of what luxury really is. The word luxury has become ubiquitous with marketing anything expensive. What makes something truly luxurious? Does it have to be expensive, rare, or just have a name brand?

Some brands maintain the standards of luxury. Others don’t; they imitate. It is important to understand all aspects of quality and grade of different items. Just because a brand name is on a pair of sunglasses is no guarantee that the finest materials in manufacturing were used. It means that the brand licensed its name for those sunglasses. You have to know whether or not they are worth the price.

Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal, Budapest, HungaryIn “luxury” hotels staffs are trained to anticipate and exceed a guest’s expectations. The concierge in these hotels understands guest’s needs and can recommend restaurants because they have eaten there. The elite concierge distinguishes himself/herself as a member of The Society of Golden Keys, and they display their Golden Key pin on their lapels. They earn these keys by knowing their cities intimately and recommending to a guest a unique visit or perspective suited to that individual. The best, and only the best, was the norm for these establishments.

Unparallel service has no imitators. It is great or it isn’t.

What is your definition of luxury?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: How Do You Define Luxury-Part 1 ?

If you are or aspire to become a luxury real estate marketing professional, it is important to have a clear definition of what luxury really is. The word luxury has become ubiquitous with marketing anything expensive. What makes something truly luxurious? Does it have to be expensive, rare, or just have a name brand? Is there such a thing as free luxury?

Luxury used to connote a product or service with a history of tradition, impeccable quality, and a pleasurable buying experience. It was associated with the highest standards of materials and production and only the most skillful artisans were allowed to work on these items. When those items were sold, the potential customers were treated to an experience of shopping that matched the quality of the item sold.

Men picked out fabrics for their handmade suits as they sipped the finest coffees or liquors provided by the establishments. They made appointments for fittings assuring a perfect fit. Shopping was theater. If the suit was damaged in any way, you could bring it back to have a whole rewoven, a seam repaired, or a button replaced, at no additional cost.

Women were treated to a fashion show while sipping champagne and munching finger sandwiches or sipping teas. They were invited to a large dressing room to try the clothing on with a seamstress at hand to modify the article if necessary.

What is your definition of luxury?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Moving Day Simplified/Just bring your Toothbrush

Here is an idea that can make buying a luxury estate effortless. Imagine that your moving day in so simple that you just need to bring your toothbrush (and your golf clubs, of course!)

Why buy an unfurnished estate when you can have an elegant home, furnished by a savvy designer who made sure each nook and cranny felt intimate? If you are a golf enthusiast and enjoy living in the desert your dream home with every imaginable creature comfort awaits you.

Located in prestigious Southern Highlands just a few miles from the Las Vegas strip, 2 Wood Creek Road is a beautiful 12,000 square foot home right on fairway of this world renown golf course. Every detail was thought through, including bed linens, kitchen utensils, silverware and Versace china. There is a fully equipped gym, as well as a state of the art movie theatre complete with all the necessary projectors and the requisite popcorn machine.

2 Wood Creek CourtOur client, Tanya Murray of Realty Executives of Nevada represents the property. Click here to view the details of 2 Wood Creek Court  and don’t forget your toothbrush!

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Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: Know Your Personal Brand Values

iPhone's Touch ScreenOne way to help clarify your personal brand values as a luxury real estate marketing professional is to clearly define your own preferences as a consumer. Here is an example of how you can put this into practice.

Have you noticed lately how many companies are gunning for Apple’s iPhone to compete for the coveted smart phone market? The iPhone with its elegant touch screen is way cool. But, is it for everyone?

Just in case you do not already know, a smart phone sends and receives email, text messages and instant messages. It has a web browser and can do many things your desk top computer can do via various “applications”. Some applications are for business and others just for fun. For example, you can store photos, take photos, listen to music and watch videos. It knows where you are via a GPS system, so it can show you how to get from where you are to where you want to go as if you are using a similar system in your car.

I found it difficult to type messages on a flat surface and that was my biggest issue with the iPhone. I often typed a key that was next to the one I wanted, e.g., an N instead of an M. Being able to type a quick email response while on the go is my personal priority in terms of functionality. So, I looked for a smart phone with a great keyboard.

Blackberry BoldI discovered the top of the line Blackberry Bold that has a smaller screen than the iPhone but equally vivid. It is non-touch screen, but it has many of the same type of toys as the iPhone. Plus, it has a keyboard with contoured keys that clicks like the driver’s door when it closes on a fine Mercedes Benz. Now, that got my attention!

Take the time to think through your own buying decisions. What attracts you to certain products and not others? That will help you define your personal brand values.

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Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: Client Acquisition

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, can you quickly, clearly and succinctly state how your personal brand is different from your closest competitor's brand of doing business? The faster you can communicate this in words, in graphics, in video, in other media and also in the way you do business, the faster your potential new clients will know you are the one with whom they want to do business.

Confusing messaging slows down the client acquisition process. The clarity of your brand message speeds up sales. Get your message right if you want to increase the rapidity of client acquisition.

Apple Computers really gets it. Have you ever seen one of their Mac vs. PC TV commercials? Each commercial has one goal in mind: to get PC users to switch to Mac. The primary differentiator is Cool (Mac) vs. Stodgy (PC). Check out the video and see for yourself. Can you state how your personal brand is different in just one word?

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: Thinking Outside the Jewelry Box

 

As luxury real estate marketing professional it is important not to underestimate the extent to which high net worth consumers enjoy shopping and searching online. Think of ways to surprise and delight these consumers on your website and you will win more clients. Here is an example of how a fine jewelry firm “thinks outside the jewelry box” when courting big spenders.

Luxury goods have been reluctant to join e-commerce, because Internet shopping has been associated with bargain hunters and discount goods. The high end goods market has been cautious in exhibiting their valuables online, feeling that no one would buy a very expensive piece of jewelry without physically seeing it. Here is an example of someone who challenged this assumption.

In September of 2007, the House of Boucheron, a worldwide leader in the High jewelry market, unveiled their European e-commerce site. Unlike other jewelry stores that have some of their products on sale online, they decided to differentiate themselves by displaying their entire collection of jewelry online. Every item in the store is online.

Their forward looking CEO, Jean Christophe Bedos, understood that high net worth consumers are, indeed, willing to spend online. He also realized that, for these shoppers, time is luxury and they can shop online 24/7. The success experienced in the first year, led them to launch their US site in September of 2008. Another differentiator is that you can custom design a jewelry piece such as a ring online by clicking and dragging different stones into the ring setting. That way you can immediately see if the result is pleasing.

Their online clientele did buy the high end pieces while the traffic in their retail stores increased. Often, clients would come in with their computer printouts of an item they wanted to see or try on. Some of them bought them in the store, while others chose to return home and purchase it online.

Here is what Mr. Bedos feels he has learned from this online venture. He feels that you cannot be prejudiced towards a consumer’s behavior, and that the internet shatters prejudices. When marketing is approached by segmenting a clientele (by income level in this case), it breaks down because he feels, each individual is a marketing entity.

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Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: Out-think! Don’t Out-Spend Your Competition

The current housing market represents an unprecedented opportunity for luxury real estate marketing professionals who are interested in catching their competition off-guard and capturing market share. But, the key is to out-think your competition not to out-spend it. By out-think we mean you must stand out from your competition in the minds of your target market. You must be distinct. In fact, our motto is “stand out or bow out”!

A powerful lesson in the parcel delivery service industry can be learned about the pitfalls of out-spending and not standing out from the crowd. After investing and losing 10 billion dollars in the U.S. over the past five years in the domestic express-delivery industry German owned DHL is bowing out of this market segment. DHL is the number one international logistics and express service provider in the world. But they could not successfully break into the US market that is dominated by UPS, Fed-Ex with United States Postal Service as a distance third.

MARKET SHARE
U.S. market share for express mail and ground parcels, for the third quarter 2008

  • UPS: 52 %
  • FedEx: 31.5%
  • U.S. Postal Service: 11.7 %
  • DHL: 4.8 %

Source: SJ Consulting Group

Historically UPS was known primarily for its domestic ground-based delivery services and faced competition primarily from the United States Postal Service in this category. Then, in 1998 FedEx expanded into the ground parcel delivery market by acquiring Roadway Package System and rebranding it as FedEx Ground in 2000.

FedEx was founded in 1971 when they introduced express-delivery service. Over a decade later UPS began offering Next-Day and 2nd Day Air Service. With virtually identical services and identical pricing how does the customer choose between UPS, FedEx and USPS? What was DHL thinking by adding yet another identical service at the same price?

Jack Welch, of General Electric had a philosophy about entering a new business category. Basically, he felt that if GE could not be #1 or #2 in the category he would not even bother.

What category of your real estate market can you own such as Waterfront properties, Equestrian estates, or downtown condos? What can you do better than anyone else? In what category can you stand out as a market leader?

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Emotional Branding

Forming a strong emotional connection with your target market is a sure way to increase your market share as a luxury real estate marketing professional. Southwest Airlines really gets this notion of forming emotional connections with its customers. They even send birthday cards to loyal customers.

If FedEx wants to gain a major competitive advantage over UPS in the parcel delivery service industry, it will need to identify a new category to own in the minds of its existing and target customers. With identical services and prices one of the companies will need to make a stronger emotional connection with decision makers in the companies they serve in order to win and retain customers. It all comes down to this question about the brand’s relationship to its customer: Which company feels the best to work with?

The US Postal Service, a distant 3rd (in market share) behind #1 UPS and #2 FedEx, is definitely on the right track as far as emotional branding is concerned. It has positioned itself as distinct from UPS and FedEX by claiming “greener delivery” on parcels. The assumption is that letter carriers already deliver to US addresses every day of the week (except Sunday). Therefore, they offer the industry’s lowest fuel consumption per delivery. This has given eco-conscious consumers a compelling reason to choose the post office over the other two carriers.

UPS did the green thing in 2005 by recalculating its routes to reduce left turns which cause drivers to waste fuel while standing idle in intersections. Although, it eliminated 464,000 miles from its travel and saved 51,000 gallons of fuel within Washington D.C. alone, due to more efficient routing, it cannot compete with the post office as the most green parcel carrier.

How can you make a stronger emotional connection with your clients and become the breakaway emotional brand in your marketplace?

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What’s In a Brand Name

 


 

 

One of the ultimate coups in branding is creating a name that helps you stand out from the crowd and sticks in people’s heads. For example Mr. Waterfront is the number one volume agent in Annapolis specializes in, guess what niche market in Maryland? The Downtown Crowns are a mother-daughter team (Sharyn and Victoria Crown) who specialize in luxury condos in downtown San Diego.

Check out www.DowntownCrowns.com.

Federal Express (now FedEx) invented the “overnight delivery” business category. In fact, the brand name itself has become a verb. To FedEx a parcel means to overnight it. To Google is now a verb meaning to perform an internet search. To Xerox something is to copy it. Kleenex is a noun that means facial tissue.

Is there a brand name that can make you stand out and be easily remembered?

This is part of an ongoing series about luxury real estate personal branding. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column

Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials: It Is a Wonderful World

 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving Week, we are focusing on the best life has to offer, and there is plenty of that if you are willing to shift your focus from all that is wrong to everything that is right. In fact we believe that everyday should be Thanksgiving Day.

In 1968 Bob Thiele and George David Weiss co wrote a What a Wonderful World specifically for Louis Armstrong. This song was intended as an optimistic message to soothe the charged racial climate in the U.S. Louis Armstrong was selected to record the song because of his broad based audience appeal. Look how far we have progressed in forty years. We elected Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Here are the opening lyrics, which apply to everyday living:

I see trees of green, red roses too.
I see them bloom, for me and you.
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white.
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...

Whatever happens in the world or however bleak things may look, there are many aspects of our lives to appreciate. What are yours?

This is part of an ongoing series about Luxury Real Estate Marketing. Get Fluent. Get Affluent! Subscribe to The Language of Luxury by Email or RSS Feed. Comments? Please use form in left column.