MARKETING SOLUTIONS
MARKET SMARTER Changing times call for outside-of-
the-box marketing strategies
SHANNON ALTER,
CPM (SHANNON@
ALTERCONSULTING
GROUP.COM), IS
PRESIDENT OF
ALTER CONSULTING
GROUP IN SANTA
ANA, CALIF.
IT’S TRUE: LADY GAGA RANKS NUMBER ONE IN TWITTER FOLLOWERS AT NEARLY 13 MILLION, Justin Bieber glides into second place with 12. 1 million followers and Barack Obama trails a distant third at 9. 8 million followers. Who expected Kim Kardashian would round out the top five most popular Twitterers, with practically 9. 3 million followers? Face it: We live in a world where unconventional marketing often wins. Fortunately, you don’t have to resort to outlandish
stunts, become a reality TV star or run for president in
order to take advantage of a few smart, down-to-earth
marketing tips. While there will always be a race to
determine who will come up with the next shiny new
thing, don’t lose the opportunity to strengthen your
company’s market position now and prepare for the
coming year. Here are a few ideas to consider for your
game plan:
INVENTORY
YOUR SKILLS:
MS. ALTER IS ALSO
THE AUTHOR OF
THE PUBLICATION
BELOW, AVAILABLE
AT WWW.
IREMBOOKS.ORG.
The times, they are a-changin’—
and so should our skills. Many real
estate managers are required to
take continuing education classes
to maintain their real estate or
broker licenses, but that’s just the
beginning. You can discover new
skills or sharpen old ones by taking
classes or by getting up to speed on
social media. Now is a great time
to review your in-house leadership
development program for next year. If
your program has been on hold, start
small by including pertinent articles
or industry webinars. Budgeting,
common area reconciliation, monthly
reporting and lease negotiations
are just a few more areas to help
improve your skills. Believe it or not,
these topics appeal to junior-level
employees as well as more seasoned
managers. Sometimes a new idea just
takes a spark.
DON’T SETTLE: I recently chatted with a colleague
who instinctively knows that she needs to make some
organizational changes, but she’s not likely to. Why? She
wants to wait until things calm down and her organization
is doing well enough. The real estate climate over the
last few years might seem like a long stay in the desert
without water; however, don’t hold off on changes that
will add value to your clients, greater bench strength and
marketing power to your properties and your company.
GO FOR THE MAGIC: Smart marketers know that the best magic happens when
our teams are engaged in their jobs. I like the quote from entrepreneur Jim Rohn: “One customer,
well taken care of, could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising.” Studies show that
engaged employees are more likely to go the extra mile to achieve client and customer satisfaction—
and that’s something that goes straight to the bottom line. Having engaged employees is a powerful
marketing advantage. As the year draws to a close, raise the bar on your marketing strategies. Who
knows, you might pass up Lady Gaga in Twitter followers. n
