Gain WOM by providing memorable customer experience.

For most businesses, marketing budgets are pretty lean. Every dollar spent is scrutinized like never before. Consumers are looking to save money, if they are even spending it at all. This economic climate has fueled the exponential growth in the online communities for coupon sharing, bargain shopping blogs. etc. Consumers love to tell other consumers about anything and everything, especially when it comes to saving big money and out of the ordinary experiences…good or bad. Positive Word of Mouth (WOM) activity can be used to benefit all marketing budgets, bare-bones or not. The integration of social media in our daily lives has provided more channels for WOM activity to take place than ever before. In fact, there are so many networks available for sharing information that the process of pin-pointing which one to focus on is a challenge within itself. For those businesses that provide a unique and memorable customer experience, an experience worthy of the “…and they’ll tell two friends and then they’ll tell two friends” phenomenon, the focus changes from which networks do you choose to create a presence on, to finding, monitoring and engaging the networks the consumers have chosen themselves. Ask yourself if your customer experience is WOM worthy?

Amy

amy@maximumdesign.com

twitter.com/coastalgirl142

Is it June 1, 2009 already?

We’ve heard many dates—days, months, years—mentioned as the date the real estate crisis turns a corner and starts to look up again. The most recent being June 2009.

Funny thing about that is many of our real estate developer clients are seeing a big up tick in buyer interest right now. They report that these potential buyers are no longer spouting the 2008 mantra, “We’re just looking. We’ve got to sell our house before we can do anything.” Instead, these buyers are saying they are willing to move some money around in order to take advantage of great mortgage rates and real estate prices.

If you think about it, can it get any better than it is right now? Interest rates around 5% and real estate prices, in many cases, rolled back to late 1980’s levels. A lot of people are coming to the very real conclusion that the time to buy is now!

So what is the June 1, 2009 date really all about? I think it’s just the date the national media will start talking about the real estate crisis being over. And, we all know that what the national media says is gold.

Kelly@maximumdesign.com

Relationship Marketing…it makes a difference.

Establishing a relationship of trust and authenticity in your sales cycle is imperative in the current economic climate. Consumer skepticism and reticence to get off the proverbial fence is fueling migration and immense growing popularity of social media. Social media allows for consumers to seek information and possibly engage in dialog that is relevant to them. The information gleaned from these social experiences is more meaningful and far more trusted than corporate advertising. Businesses that embrace the fine art of building and nurturing personal relationships have a far better chance making it through the current housing market. When developing a proactive approach to relationship marketing consider this advice when it comes to email marketing…..  http://tinyurl.com/8jybhg

Amy

amy@maximumdesign.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/amytharrington

A Retreat from Excess, A Return to Reality

How can the “new” consumer mindset of controlled spending with a retreat from excess benefit the real estate market? It may be easier than you think.

Over the last few years, with advertising, we have attached real estate to the luxury market thus attempting to make real estate ownership a status symbol. I say we now need to return to a time when real estate ownership was a thoughtful investment sought by those looking for long-term financial growth and in most cases family enjoyment.

I borrow perfect phrasing of this sentiment from Christine Rosen and her article in the WSJ entitled The Bare Necessities: Marketing Luxury Goods in a Bad Economy, where she quotes a DeBeers ad:

“We’re overwhelmed by possessions we own but do not treasure… Perhaps it will be different now. Perhaps now is an opportunity to reassess what really matters. After all, if everything you ever bought her disappeared overnight, what would she truly miss?”

As people “reassess” what is of true importance to them, I believe real estate ownership will remain something to be valued. Its value, however, will be judged by much more than being a status symbol, it will be judged by family enjoyment, financial growth potential, and authenticity of experience.