Stop. Drop. And Think Differently.

By Wayne M. Stanley

Stop what you’re doing and listen closely: I can provide countless lists of fantastic steps you should take to make your marketing better. I can give you solution providers, even mention my own company, to brand yourself better. I can even tell you the secrets of your competitors to help you gain market share.

Even with all of that “help,” the single greatest tip I can give you is this: stop. drop. and think differently. The biggest mistake I see most title companies make in their marketing is not asking if it’s working. They don’t take the time to take a step back, assess their efforts and see what changes they could make to move their business forward.

Now, you may be wondering, “but how in the world would we even know if our marketing is working?” Well, now that you’ve stopped, drop by and simply ask the very people that you’re spending money on. If you’re hosting real estate agent continuing education classes, ask them at the end about your brand. Why do they give you business? Why do they (maybe) hesitate to give you business? (I didn’t promise this process would be easy).

Do their answers match up with your brand? Do your efforts create results compared to all the money you’ve spent trying to tell your story this year? If not, it’s time to think differently.

Title companies shouldn’t be afraid to break the rules when it comes to the dollars they spend on marketing. Think differently about your marketing and constantly ask “why?”

Why are you spending money on pens? Why do you sponsor this event? Why do you host expensive lunch and learns? Why do we have a budget line for donuts?

If the answer is “because we’ve always done it that way” or “because [insert name here] likes it” or my favorite, “because [insert name here] really enjoys doing it…” then it’s time to re-think your strategy. If the money you spend doesn’t help bring more money in, it’s simply not worth your effort.

Sure, it takes time, brain power and a lot of energy to think differently and truly change but it’s totally worth it.

I challenge our clients to spend just one afternoon thinking about their current marketing efforts and identifying one way they could use the funds or staff time differently for a better result. The solutions these teams come up blow me away and lead to greater return on their investments time and time again.

So, what are you waiting for? Stop, drop and think differently today.

 

Wayne M. Stanley is the owner and chief inspiration officer for Bowe Digital, a marketing firm helping small businesses with their brand, social media and crisis communications. Stanley, along with Bill Svoboda of Close Simple, will speak more in depth about this topic during a session titled "Break the Rules: Market Better than Your Competition” at the ALTA ONE. Click here to register.