This article by our Founder and CEO, Chris Pollinger as published by Inman News shares insights on the how to discover the perfect marketing plan for your business.
Most of us are pretty clear of where we want to go. We typically define it in terms of lifestyle and money. How we want to live and what is important to us at the end of the day. What most of us struggle with is really understanding where we are now. The great news is we all have a secret GPS to find your perfect brand and marketing plan. Like a true GPS, it consists of three distinct points to help you discover not only where you are how to get where you want to go.
The perfect marketing plan starts with starts with your Core Values.
In branding, finding the right audience is central. A simple glance at most agent’s websites show they specialize in sellers, buyers, renters, investors, etc. Truth be told, most agents “specialize” in anyone who will pay them a commission. Widening the scope of your brand to include everyone is not effective. Nor does it help you work with the clients who will respond best to you.
Your Core Values shows you who your “best” clients are. By identifying what you care about, you can then build a brand which finds others who share the same values. What is important to us and why it’s important is core to structuring a life and business of integrity.
At Berman & Pollinger, we developed a tool that we use in our on-boarding with new clients to help them crystalize their core values. It becomes a benchmark for us and an anchor point for the GPS that we help build marketing and business plans around. If you want to take the assessment on a complementary basis, feel free to reach out and we will send you the link.
Your perfect marketing plan is Built your brand around your Inherent Strengths.
Each person was born with a set of strengths that is unique to us. We start seeing them come out as children and they usually are so ingrained in us we sometimes have a tough time understanding that they are special. When you build your brand around your inherent strengths, you naturally outpace the competition. You can easily set yourself apart. You force others to compete against you on your best terms.
As you clearly define your strengths as an individual it gives you a second point on your GPS. It also opens places as you look at the strengths of your team members and those around you, of areas that need to be filled in. Identifying your strengths is also the starting point of building the “how” part of your brand, marketing, and business plan.
We use the Strengthfinder 2.0 to identify Inherent Strengths. The Gallup organization developed the test in its quest to define the best management candidates. What it turned into over the years of refinement was one of the greatest organizational tools ever created in business. The corresponding book is a best seller, driven primarily from the fact that you are required to buy a new copy to get the one time use code to take the test. The great news, the strengths you were born with do not change as you age, so you only have to take the test once. Amazon has the book available for less than $15.
The perfect marketing plan for your business implements your Archetype.
Your brand Archetype is the third anchor point on your personal GPS. We have found after 25 years of building successful teams and businesses, humans can do discipline in short spurts. Doing hard things is necessary at times, but for longevity you have need to enjoy and have fun doing what you do. Enjoying our daily activities goes a long way to avoid burnout. This last point on your personal GPS is where you will define the activities you and each of your team members will have with the most long-term success with.
Brand archetype is 80% personality driven. There are literally dozens of personality tests out there. They range from colors, to animals to shapes to letters. All of them have merit, and they are measuring similar identifiers. At the end of the day, when you are acting in accordance with your personality you can find your flow and enjoy what you do each day.
The Marketing Archetype Profiles
We developed our Archetype Profiles through years of research and analyzing the best luxury agents and teams in the country. We have found eight successful archetypes which are based on elements of a combination of personality, work style, how you think about information and world view. Knowing which of the eight Archetypes you are helps you define the best strategies and tactics for you. This is all about strategic positioning to gain the highest return on investment in your business.
Branding and marketing become surprisingly simple and effective when you know your personal GPS coordinates. Your core values show you who your best audience is. Inherent strengths unveil your market positioning where you can outshine the competition. Your personal brand archetype gives you the no-fluff game plan to get your highest and best return on investment with your time, energy and money.
Want access to our exclusive tools to help your business grow? Check out our Private Client program.
