BY KENNETH HALL Special Sections Correspondent
When it comes to marketing real estate, no brokerage does more for its agents and clients than Coldwell Banker, according to Jeff Shelton of Hughes-Shelton Realtors in Tampa. Coldwell Banker agents know how to market properties to the right buyers, whether creating innovative marketing campaigns to increase the visibility of high-end properties, or finding the right buyers for homes in middle and lower price ranges.
Hughes-Shelton Realtors were the top team of agents for Coldwell Banker in the Tampa Bay area for 2013, and Shelton attributes that success to marketing.
‘We understand the importance of marketing,’ Shelton explains. ‘So many real estate agents think that they can just put a sign in the yard and eventually get the home sold. What sets us apart is that we are not afraid to spend advertising dollars from day one. We know that you have to get the property marketed to secure the appropriate buyer.’
Regardless of the price range of a property, Coldwell Banker agents use their expertise to create a marketing plan specifically for that property to ensure that they reach as many potential buyers as possible and get the best price for their clients.
‘I like to do a lot of different things in marketing because no two properties are the same. The marketing plan is different for each home I have listed,’ says Tammy Campbell Plummer, another top agent affiliated with Coldwell Banker who focuses on south Pinellas County. ‘As long as we adhere to the brand standards of Coldwell Banker, we have every opportunity to do creative and innovative marketing.’
Although Coldwell Banker agents put just as much effort into their marketing of average- priced homes as they do a multi-million dollar home, buyers in the luxury market are different and require a more creative marketing approach.
‘Most people in the luxury home price range are not actually looking for homes,’ explains Martha Thorn, whose team, The Thorn Collection in north Pinellas County, was named as one of the top 250 Realtors in the country by The Wall Street Journal. ‘That’s when I feel that innovative marketing ideas are necessary, because you have to get the home in front of their face so they are intrigued by it.’
For those upscale properties, Thorn likes to use event marketing and invite guests with appropriate income levels.
‘I will host a fundraising event in the home and provide the funding for it,’ Thorn says. ‘I have done them for UPARC and breast cancer. Once I partnered with a jewelry designer and hosted a jewelry show in a listed home.’
Thorn uses video books to market high-end properties. The video book looks like a hard cover book and when the potential buyer opens it, the book plays a virtual tour of the property.
‘It’s a great tool because I can use it to target buyers who are looking for homes in an upscale price range,’ Thorn adds.
Tammy Campbell- Plummer hosted an event at one of her upscale waterfront homes where invited guests were given the opportunity to test drive new Aston Martin cars.
‘It turned out to be an excellent event and brought a lot of additional attention to the property,’ Campbell-Plummer says.
Because she sells a lot of waterfront properties, Campbell-Plummer will have a large booth at a power and sail boat show in December.
‘We figured, what better way to get the attention of boaters, because boaters buy houses where they can dock their boats, which are sometimes more expensive than the homes,’ Campbell- Plummer explains. ‘It’s a way of directly targeting the waterfront buyer. I market many of my properties by customizing the marketing plan to the specific needs of each property.’
Whatever innovative marketing campaigns the agents might devise, they know they have the support of Coldwell Banker’s expansive Internet presence, which Shelton says is unrivaled in the industry.
‘We develop a customized marketing plan for every single properly, and we build a dedicated website for every single listing,’ Shelton says. ‘Jokingly, we like to say ‘while you’re sleeping, your home is traveling the world,’ because Coldwell Banker is on more than 725 websites that average 16 million visitors every day. Coldwell Banker is in more than 50 countries with 3,100 offices and 85,000 sales associates worldwide, and we rely on all of those people to help us in the local market.’
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The Tribune, TBO.com (November 30, 2014)