Agent Marketing Minute: Let a Brag Book Tell Your Story

In today's competitive real estate marketplace, I still amazed at how few agents know how to communicate their real estate business story to a home buyer and seller. First impressions count, and you need to be prepared verbally and visually to tell your story and why the consumer should use you and not the competition. Soon after I started in the business I developed for lack of a better name, my brag book, that take on all listing appointments and first meetings with buyers.

My books' contents are always evolving and are constantly updated with current information and examples. The first section has as many active, pending, and closed listings as I can fit in. I include property brochures, postcards and virtual tours on CD-ROMs. Include a variety of price points and locations.

The second section has examples of newspaper advertisements, magazine features, and screen prints from my and my brokers web site to illustrate what types of marketing I do for a specific property.

Third in my brag book are the actual cards, letters, and emails that have testimonials from clients, both buyers and sellers, about their satisfaction with my real estate business.

Lastly, any awards or non-profit work I do in the community, I like to point out that giving back to the community is an important part of my business. After a client goes through my book, they have an comprehensive idea of what benefits I bring to the table. Let your brag book help tell your story to prospective clients.

Mark Nash is the author of "Fundamentals of Marketing for the Real Estate Professional", "Starting & Succeeding in Real Estate", "Reaching Out: The Financial Power of Niche Marketing", and "1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home". Mark is a contributing writer for: Realtor (R) Magazine Online, Broker Agent News, Real Estate Executive Magazine, Principal Broker, and Realty Times. He contributes residential real estate analysis to Business Week, CBS The Early Show, CNN, HGTVpro.com, The New York Times, and USA Today.
Tip! But, there are a few small publishers (like Cold Tree Press or Arbor Books) who have excellent book marketing packages, ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars (you get what you pay for!).

View his books at http://www.1001RealEstateTips.com

Give Your Book Title Marketing Appeal for the Masses, P1

Does your book title still sound like a working title? Most working titles should never make it through the final edit. Titles are one of the most important aspects of your book. Getting this aspect wrong could mean your book never receives all the attention your message deserves.

Researchers say a dud title versus a sizzler title can cause your book to plummet or soar in sales. Therefore, you owe it to yourself and book's success to develop your best title. After all, the better your title -the more people will reach out- and grab your book to read. Develop your title to have marketing appeal for the masses.

To make sure your book garners all the attention it deserves, start with one of the top ten book title sizzlers below:

Use Concept and Memes to Connect Instantly.

One of the leading rules of developing a sizzling title is to aim for a concept, a memes, a word, or phrase that tell a story that your readers can immediately connect with and want to associate with. Names that tell a story, or express a benefit, are memes. They are words or visual images that tell a story at a glance.

As a primer to developing your own title, visit Sears and look at the brand names of their proprietary products. The short names of these products are concepts; that tell a story in an instant. At a glance you get it.
Tip! Your book marketing plan is what I describe as your map. It describes your book, what you will do after the book is completed and published.

You understand the message. Examples, include Diehard batteries, Weather-Beater paints and Craftsman tools. Each products name is a concept. Think about it, which product would you be attracted to "Diehard" or "Stop Slow". Or would you choose tools with the name "Apprentice" or "Craftsman?"

Many successful books are based on concepts or memes. For example, "A Happy Pocket Full of Money" by David Cameron tells a story of happiness and money. From the title you know this book is going to be about getting more money in your pocket.

The Chicken Soup series instantly brings images of comfort and being cared for. It resonated with a whole generation of Americans that have bought the book into the hundreds of thousands. The Dummies series communicate anyone can read one of these books because you don't have to know anything to get it. People automatically know the book will somehow make the complex simple to understand.

When developing your title, think of a concept, a meme, or phrase, that tell a story that your readers will instantly understand and want to be a part of. You may ask where are the benefits you're always telling me to include. The benefits are still a part of the meme title but a suggestive part. Your mind will fill in the benefit because it's an understood part of the story. For example:
Tip! If your book is your life, or is a major part of your business marketing plan, then spend some money on publicity and book marketing. Too many people, especially business people, write a book, put a page up on their web site (and on Amazon), and hope that they'll get some sales.

Chicken Soup brings the comfort and care of good stories. Pocket Full of Money know how to get a pocket full of money and gain happiness. Dummies communicates you don't have to be an expert to understand the book.

Don't forget when creating your title, your possibilities are limitless. Choose a title that is flexible enough to be expanded into more than one book. Think series, including other information products that can be developed and sold from your website.
Tip! That's it – the building of a book marketing plan in a nutshell if you will.

© Earma Brown, 11 year author and business owner helps small business owners and writers who want to write their best book now! Author of 'Write Your Best Book Now', she mentors other writers and business professionals through her monthly ezine 'iScribe' Subscribe now at iscribe@writetowin.org for FREE mini-course 'Jumpstart Writing Your Best Book' or visit Write Your Own Book for more book writing and marketing tips.