An Example Of Contrarian Marketing As It Relates To Real Estate

by Barry Cunningham

Real Estate Broadcaster and Investor

Author website

[With this post, Barry Cunningham will be taking his leave from BloodhoundBlog. Between Real Estate Radio USA and his burgeoning real estate business, Barry feels a need to regroup and redeploy his time. We’ll miss him here, but we’ll always be able to see him on the radio. –GSS]

I wrote an article Sunday that some misunderstood and thought was only based upon shock and awe. A campaign of that nature is merely one of a myriad of ways to be contrarian. Simply put, implementing a marketing campaign of this sort would be defined as that which is contrary to conventional wisdom and normal business practices.

Subsequent to that article I received a ton of emails from real estate agents asking how such a campaign could be implemented and how it could be executed WITHOUT being shocking or offensive.

My reply is that what is shocking and offensive to one, may not be shocking and offensive to another. It all depends upon the niche you are marketing to.

I interviewed Mr. Internet, Michael Russer recently and he told us about a few Realtors that were really doing some neat things in their marketing and their focus.

Jackie Youngblood is a Realtor in Pasco County, Florida that markets to nudists. Yes, her market is people who want to walk around naked and be around others that want to be naked as well.

Obviously, Jackie markets to a specific clientele. Being a nudist is not for everyone.Is her marketing contrarian? I don’t recall seeing many other Realtors marketing their services while being nude in a hot tub with 5 or 6 other nude people. So I’d have to say yes, this is very much contrarian.

Is it shocking or offensive? That would wholly depend upon the person visiting her website, receiving her marketing materials or viewing the properties that she represents. If it is shocking and or offensive then you are most assuredly not the client she is seeking to reach.

Does it make it wrong? Absolutely not! She has found her market. She is a nudist herself, and she is selling homes. More power to her!

Linda Jefferson, is the broker-owner of Jefferson Bentley Real Estate in Lawton, Oklahoma. Jefferson wanted to expand her reach of potential consumers and decided to reach out to military families living near Fort Sill which is about 80 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Michael Russer wrote: “After her son was deployed for Iraq, she began volunteering for the Adopt a Soldier Now program. Jefferson ended up launching a local chapter of the organization, which provides care packages, letters, and other support to U.S. soldiers abroad.”

Ms. Jefferson was hooked, she wanted to specialize in military housing. As she became more and more passionate about it, she decided to gear her real estate business to the new found niche. “Before, I was trying to be everything to everyone,” she says. “I didn’t want to risk losing business by targeting a niche.”

Now Linda runs a real estate company that caters specifically to military personnel and their families. She also runs a number of other websites that also serve this niche market.

Is catering to a market of soldiers and military personnel that are fighting what some consider an unpopular war shocking and offensive? Based upon the level of protest in this Country and the liberal base who abhor war, guns and the military, I am sure it is.

Does it make it wrong that she is unabashedly pro military? Absolutely not, but much of what Jefferson does is quite contrarian to some.

So what are the components of a contrarian marketing program:

1. Specific Target Demographic: You need to understand that you will be targeting a well defined and very specific target audience.

2. Demographic Research: Know what your target demographic audience is interested in and what they are not interested in. You most assuredly want to focus on what their hot buttons are and avoid that which turns them off.

3. Deliver What Your Target Demo Wants: Once you have your research completed and your campaign designed. Deliver what your demo wants in the manner that they want it. Timing and execution is critical.

4.Collateral Material Design: Whether you are blogging, preparing post cards, utilizing television or radio…make sure all of your messages and imagery are properly designed to titillate and excite your demo. Make sure when the prospect knows that you know what they want. Marketing is about sizzle. Most real estate marketing is about selling the agent. The Contrarian sells the sizzle and the lifestyle. You only have seconds to make that impression on the niche demo. You had better make it count.

5. Utilize the Proper Medium Of Delivery: If you are trying to reach a Gen Y audience, advertising on the Golden Girls re-runs isn’t going to cut it. You have to determine from your research what is the best way to approach your intended audience. Whether it be by email, instant messaging, personal presentation..whatever the medium, know what your target demo wants.

5. Be The Niche: If you are not a nudist, it’s going to be hard selling to a nudist. Unless of course you are accepting of the lifestyle, comfortable speaking about it or have an associate that can run point for you. No specific niche wants to do business with someone who looks down their nose at them. Also…they will spot a phony a mile away. We market a lot to the gay community. Heck we’re in South Florida so you had better be open, acceptable and tolerant or you’ll be found out. While no one in my office is gay, we have a network of gay friends and associates who help us when we are launching a gay oriented campaign.

6. Avoid The Water Cooler: There may be those in your office who do not approve of what you are doing.Maybe even your broker. Avoid these people like the plague and concentrate on that which is going to satisfy your niche and earn you your commission. A niche once positively exploited (marketing term..relax) can be an ongoing profit center for years to come.

Additionally, there is a big difference between what some may say is a violation of the Fair Housing Laws and the execution of a marketing campaign of any kind. This is not the article to discuss Fair Housing laws but suffice it to say…contrarian marketing is NOT a violation of any such statute if executed correctly.

This article is just a brief example and outline as to how a contrarian marketing campaign can work to your benefit. Many will read this and still have negative comments. They will still say that it is shock and awe and offensive. If so, then Contrarian Marketing is not for them.

They get hung up on words that are marketing terms and do not understand how they apply to an overall campaign. Yesterday one gentleman devoted his blog to trying to critique that which he did not understand nor was intended for him.

He was well outside my targeted demographic audience. He was expected not to understand. If you want to go beyond conventional wisdom and seek to positively exploit (here’s that marketing term again) a defined niche, then contrarian marketing may be for you. I challenge you to defy conventional wisdom and see what the real estate world has in store for you. Business with a little spice is so much more fun!

Market to a different audience and march to a different drumbeat. Differentiate yourself from the norm and distance yourself from that which others may think is shocking and offensive.

They are not your audience anyway.