Here are my credentials for writing this article: I am an ad junkie. I have been since I can remember. Now, I reverse-engineer ads – TV, print and online – and play little games in my mind called “name that market” and see how many seconds it takes, or “what’s my demographic?” and “guess that message!”
You may have the same credentials and if you do, you probably know how to market yourself and your business pretty well. So please tell me if I’ve been asleep at the switch on this:
The other day, while watching a commercial in real time, I realized that it had been developed and produced to deliver its message to an audience who fast-forwards through the commercials on their DVRs. WOW! Did that happen to commercials while I wasn’t looking? Maybe the worldwide, well-known brand and its ad agency are just way ahead of us. And what is happening to us subliminally?
I was discussing the possibilities of this tactic for our clients with a fellow marketer at a gathering of friends, and one non-marketer said, “No, you don’t have to take advantage of it and we don’t need any more of that!” And I wondered, “Well, what if we use our power for good instead of evil?”
My “power” is marketing and I do it pro bono for the Taproot Foundation in the LA area. Their grants fund projects for non-profit organizations in several major markets in the US. My current project is the YWCA of Glendale Annual Report.
You know what your power is – if not, you will find it when you think about what you are passionate about in your life, as Kathi describes here on Skirts. And if you are going through a downtime in your business right now, why not take the opportunity to do some good with what you’re good at? Maybe your eye for staging is just what they need at the local Thrift Store? Or maybe you can offer a sponsorship or set-up a fund raising event in conjunction with an open house? Consider all the areas of social influence you already have in your community and how you can make a difference along with a lasting impression – one that may be remembered the next time someone you’ve touched has a real estate-related need. Use your power for good instead of evil. It’s good for your karma — your business will follow.
Guest Blogger: Laura Miraglio
email: Laura@ModernDesign.com
website: ModernDesign.com
714.960.7603
