A homeowner customer journey

Arvid Madland Lyngnes

If someone you trust recommends a service you need

You’d probably consider buying that service? There are only a select few of your prospects who would be blown away by some new feature you have added to your realtor service. 97,5% of your prospects will need a testimonial from someone they trust as a side dish. Content marketing of and for your services must describe your features and secret sauce, testimonials on the efficacy of your secret sauce and preferably a real life user case on your secret sauce. 

You're services vs needs and wants   

In 1987 David A. Garvin, published an article on the eight dimensions of product and service quality in HBR. The proposed theory tells us how homeowners measures the quality of your services based upon 
  • Performance refers to your service's primary operating characteristics. This dimension of quality involves measurable attributes. Your brand can usually be ranked objectively on individual aspects of performance. 
  • Features are additional characteristics that enhance the appeal of the service to the homeowner.
  • Reliability is the likelihood that your service will not fail.
  • Conformance is the precision with which your service meets the the homeowners specified needs and wants.
  • Durability measures the length of your service’s life. If you don't succeed with the sale, what now?
  • Serviceability is the speed with which your service can be adjusted if need be.
  • Aesthetics is the subjective dimension indicating the kind of response a user has to your service. It represents the individual’s personal preference.
  • Perceived Quality is the quality attributed to your service based on indirect measures.


“Make sure your service answers these questions, if not. You will lose potential assignments” 

A recommendation goes a long way

In any type of content marketing credibility is key and of course the same is true for your testimonials. Hence any testimonial you choose to incorporate in your communication must derive from a credible, trustworthy source. Preferably someone recognized as an innovator amongst your prospects. This is a lot easier if your homepage is dynamic; as the frontend design adapts to your visitor, a subject we will dive into in a later article. 

“Baard Schuman is a great ambassador for your real estate services in the professional norwegian market“

Visual elements are key to great digital content and the simplest variation of this rule is an image of the person who is giving the testimonial, preferably in an environment that makes sense with your product or brand. Another secret to a good testimonial is if it focuses on your features, your company's secret sauce, what makes you and your services better than your competitors. And last but not least, make it short. There is no need to present loads of text, words or video to anyone who only pays attention for eight seconds. 

“Chasing down your star clients and encouraging them to write those testimonials. Is smart and key to your future success as a realtor”

How does your service work? 

Writing a case study is an investment. The process is time consuming and craves a certain academic capital within marketing methodology to get the study right. However for any one of your prospects, homeowners, who is not that into sales and marketing of estate. A case study of someone they trust, goes a long way to seal the deal. 

“A good case study is a walk through of your services done and exemplified with someone trustworthy."

There are several guidelines out there on how to write a case study. One such receipt is from the  university of southern California and their research guides:
 
  • Explain your realtor service 
  • Explain which topics that are the most interesting for your service and why
  • Explain what is common knowledge and expectations to these topics
  • Explain your new understanding of these topics 
  • Explain major findings in usage 
  • Explain what these findings means 
  • Explain and relate to similar findings 
  • Explain further suggested development 


“A business case prepares your prospects for your service and makes it easier to choose you” 

No experts without insights 

If you are selling a service a potential client must believe that you are good at what you are doing. You can do that by trying to verbally convince them every time you meet. Or you can produce relevant content, aligned and in context with your claimed expertice.  

And thereby reaching the next level in content production for your inbound strategy. This is writing insightful articles, making podcasts, blogs, videos or features about research, legislative changes, new technology, industrial changes affecting any of the eight dimensions that constitutes the perceived value of your product or services. 

In Norway which is a relatively small market there will on average be passed between 200 and 300 legislative bills for each industry each year. The majority is minor changes, but provides you with more than enough materiell for content production and your inbound marketing needs. We are not suggesting that you do the legislative bills alone, it is just to clarify how much materiell you and your organization are provided with on a day to day basis. 

“Show don't tell. If You are the best estate agent around, prove it.” 
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