Sales professionals around the world know that there is no such thing as enough, or even too much exposure when it comes to advertising brands and selling inventory. These same workers also know that inexpensive, or even free, advertising is the best kind. Of course, there are gigantic businesses out there with the ability to spend whatever is necessary to paint the company logo across Times Square and the Daytona 500, but for those of us without that ability, a little creativity is necessary in keeping costs down all the while gaining maximum exposure and thus, business.
Tell me how… PLEASE!!!
I will…but first, let me tell you a story. A few hours ago I was in my automobile driving to work when my eyes were inexplicably drawn away from the road towards the front yard of a house that I pass by all the time. I see this house every single day, but not once have I actually observed any detail about the house. I could not even tell you the color of the house (I’ve since noticed that it’s yellow) or whether it’s made of brick or wood paneling (wood paneling). Must be something about the house being located on a busy motorway; or, you could make the argument that it’s just an ordinary house with no exciting characteristics. Either way, for some reason, on this one particular day, my eyes were drawn towards this yellow house made of wood paneling like moths to a light. Something was different, something new that grabbed my attention without even asking me for permission. A metal sign had been placed in the yard with a name, a phone number and the words “For Sale.”
Who cares? Real estate “For Sale” signs are all over the place nowadays!
Yes, but in my own defense, there are other houses on the same block that have metal “For Sale” signs in the yard and I never noticed any of those houses prior to this either! Hmm…very odd. There are several houses with metal “For Sale” signs in the yards on a busy street that I motor down everyday; and yet, for some reason, on this one particular day, and everyday since for that matter, my eyes are somehow immediately drawn towards this one same yellow house with the wood paneling.
Fill me in already! What is going on?
The truth is, there really is nothing entirely off-the-wall unique about the house. The secret, amigos, is in the shape of the personalized sign in the yard. The custom sign is in the shape of an octagon, just like a STOP SIGN!
Goodness , that’s awesome! Wait, why is that awesome?
Since we are so accustomed to seeing the one-of-a-kind shape of a stop sign while we are driving, our minds automatically associate that shape, the octagon, with the action of stopping. So, when I was driving down the same road I always use to get to work and saw that 8 sided personalized sign out of my peripheral vision, my attention was drawn to that custom metal sign without me even having to think about it. Once the sign had my attention, I then noticed not only that the metal sign was actually a “For Sale” sign, but also that the sign was marketing a yellow, wood paneled house.
Now I know what you mean! 
So you see, marketing does not have to be expensive to be efficient. By using a mental game into his advertising method, this real estate professional was able to draw attention to the home he is trying to sell without hiring an ad agency and without going broke. The guy merely questioned the usual ways of real estate promotion, and, with a little creative thinking, found a way to make his listing stand out more so than others. Oh, and for the record, I still couldn’t tell you about any of the other homes that are available for purchase on that block.
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