The Language of Luxury

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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Real Estate Marketing: How to Dominate Your Niche - Intro & Part 1

INTRODUCTION: IT'S ALL ABOUT FOCUS!

Identifying and dominating the right niche for your business is a sure-fire route to gain and sustain market leadership. In this series we will preview a new online video course that we developed as an AGENT TRAINING TOOL FOR BROKERS called Which Niche Can Make You Rich? Each video is just 2 to 4 minutes.

We were inspired to create this video course after presenting the topic in a webinar for TRULIA/ActiveRain. When over 1000 people registering within 2 weeks and we were also invited to present the webinar for ZILLOW (May 5^th) we realized just how timely niche marketing is to building a thriving luxury real estate practice in our improving economy. Yet, all of the principles presented in our course can and should be applied to any niche you wish to dominate.

In this video format we are able to include additional, expanded material. And, we are certain that you will find it fun, entertaining and insightful. Enjoy!

INTRO

PART 1: THE #1 SECRET OF MARKET LEADERS

You can literally go from zero to hero in the minds of your target market, overnight, with the right strategy. Focusing on achieving top-of-mind status, on purpose, is the key.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ZILLOW WEBINAR

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: Class Personified!

When some people think of luxury they associate the word with a lifestyle of conspicuous consumption, and with being ostentatious, flashy, affected, showy, brazen, flamboyant, and pretentious. This has given luxury a bad name. For us, luxury is about reaching for the best that life has to offer because it is there to be enjoyed by you, not to impress others, and also because it affirms that you can have whatever makes you happy.

When in comes to others, luxury is about having class in the way you interact with everyone you encounter, simply because it feels good.

Class is both elegance in style, and excellence in whatever you create. Having class implies that you know how to find the “high road” and consistently choose to take it. Class is not the exclusive purview of the rich and famous. It is accessible to everyone.

As a luxury real estate marketing professional your personal brand is an opportunity to instantly demonstrate that you are someone who has class, and to continuously fortify that fact in the minds of your target market. It is also a vehicle to attract others who have class by making it easy for them to spread the word about YOU to like-minded individuals.

Recently, a previous client of ours, Maurice Tegelaar, a top agent in Sonoma, California, needed a quick augmentation to his website to help secure a very prestigious listing. We were able to re-arrange our schedule and mobilize our team to accommodate his very brief window of opportunity.

A couple days after completing the project we received a hand-written thank you note and a box of chocolate from a local wine country chocatier. Sure, he sent us an email thank you. But this extra touch showed class! It also demonstrated the consistency in his personal branding.

Notice that his brand strikes the perfect balance between formality and informality that exemplifies the best of the wine country. There is no pretentiousness here, just simple elegance. It is a luxury to have Maurice as a friend and it is a pleasure to refer him, with complete confidence, to anyone looking for a great agent in his area of expertise.

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Friday, April 11, 2014

True Confession: How & Why We Fell In Love with a Brand! Part 4

A well-built brand consistently reflects what the brand stands for and the brand’s extraordinary promise of value. Nespresso has it all. And that is why we have identified Nespresso one of the 2014 LOL Brands of the year!

Nespresso knows its target market well: coffee aficionados, devotees, enthusiasts, fans, admirers and buffs. It appreciates their need for instant gratification, small indulgences and a hassle-free luxury lifestyle. This is exemplified in features such as a pre-heating time of just 15-20 seconds and Automatic Blend Recognition technology (bar codes on each capsule tell the machine which settings to use without user guesswork).

From superior product design, functionality, packaging and brand design, to a superior user experience, to simply superior coffee taste, Nespresso is a brand you want to join and rave about to your friends.

Shortly after we purchased our Virtuoline and experienced the difference first hand, we returned to the Nespresso store in Beverly Hills that finally opened. We were greeted at the front door by the equivalent of a Maitre D’ who asked if we wanted to be seated in the coffeehouse section of the store or were interested in exploring the product section.The entire staff was in uniforms reminiscent of an upscale European boutique.

Visually the store’s architectural design is stunning and welcoming. It has a skylight above a wonderful cactus garden in the center and its storefront windows are totally open to the outdoor seating area. The service is superb in both sections! We were offered free espressos and a dark chocolate raspberry square in the product area. The place was packed with existing and potential customers when we were there.

Nespresso is fluent in the language of luxury in every single facet of its brand. We applaud this company especially for being consistent from every perspective.

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, let Nespresso be a touchstone that represents what it takes to have brand consistency. What are some ways in which you can express your own extraordinary promise of value consistently throughout the components of your personal brand?

Read Part 1,

Read Part 2

Read Part 3

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

True Confession: How & Why We Fell In Love with a Brand!

Last October, we wrote about a new store in Beverly Hills that was under construction. We were impressed by the attention to detail in the graphics on the construction barricade, because it clearly articulated the brand story of Nespresso, the luxury espresso coffee machine company whose parent company, Nestles, pioneered the coffee capsule trend.

The barricade captured our attention, which is the first step in capturing mind share. But, it was only a mild curiosity. We had no interest in purchasing the machine at the time.

Then, on a subsequent trip to Beverly Hills, and prior to the grand opening, we were able to get a glimpse of the inside of this magnificent store that seemed to be at least 4-5,000 square feet. It was like an Apple Store for espresso coffee makers and coffeehouse combined.

Our curiosity was peaked. Why did they build such a large store, especially with so many other coffeehouses like Starbucks within just a few blocks in the Beverly Hills “Golden Triangle”?

Months later, we are unexpectedly the proud owners of the red machine pictured in the window. We feel that this could very well be the 2014 Language of Luxury brand of the year!

In this article series we will take you on our journey from being skeptics to self-appointed brand ambassadors. You will also understand why we are recommending the Nespresso Virtuoline as an excellent closing gift for your luxury real estate clients who are coffee aficionados and also for YOU!

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Is Your Content Marketing Original or Karaoke? Part 1

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Is Your Content Marketing Original or Karaoke? Part 2

Your number one challenge as a luxury real estate marketing professional, from a personal branding perspective, is discovering and expressing your own unique voice. It is something that is vitally important to you if market leadership is your quest.

Once you discover your voice or your unique point of view, you will find that it was actually obvious, even though it was occluded. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, of Sherlock Holmes fame once said, “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact”.

The facts about market statistics in your area are just that; they are facts. Once the facts are reported, they are obvious. But, what is not always obvious is their meaning. It is within the realm of the interpretation of facts that an original point of view is born.

You could say that there is nothing new under the sun. So where does originality come into play?

In music there are only 12 musical notes in an octave including sharps and flats. But, there are infinite combinations of notes, tempos, rhythms and timbers especially when more than one octave and more than one instrument is incorporated into a composition. It is the vision of the composer and the interpretation of the artist, not to mention the particular arrangement that makes music original.

Did you happen to see the recent TV tribute to the 50^th Anniversary of the Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964? Each artist’s interpretation of Beatle classics was nothing short of astonishing-totally original!

Annie Lenox, Stevie Wonder, and Keith Urban were among many who actually improved upon the originals, while still honoring the genius of the Beatles. Even Paul McCartney and Ringo Star, who were in the audience, were both blown away! Had these artists repeated the same notes and the same arrangement it would have simply been karaoke, i.e., parroting the originals.

To stand out you must be original. If you are committed to achieving market leadership karaoke is not an option.

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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Is Your Brand Speaking The Language of Your Target Market?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, selecting the right personal or company brand name is very important if being top of mind is your quest. Getting it right the first time can save you aggravation and expense down the road by understanding the mindset of your target market.

Recently, I (Alexandra, here) encountered a women’s shoe brand by the name of Me Too. The company is from So Ho New York and has been around for twenty years. It made me wonder who their target market was.

There is marketing term known as “belongers”, those who want to fit in and conform rather than stand out. If belongers were beer drinkers, Budweiser, the best selling beer in the world, would likely be their beer of choice. Belongers would be the ideal target market for Me Too shoes (as a brand name), provided that they focus their brand strategy on this mindset.

It is unclear whom Me Too, shoes is targeting as their customers. If they are trying to reach “achievers”(highly successful, upper 2% of the population, who are independent-minded consumers) or those who are "aspirational" aspiring to be achievers, they may be sending the wrong brand signal with that name.

Achievers, who unlike belongers and those who are aspiring to be like them, might reach for some of the world’s most expensive beers (because they can). Their choice might be Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage ($400/375ml) or Samuel Adam’s Utopias ($150/700ml).

Before you decide on a brand name, be sure that you are totally clear as to who your target market is and what comprises their mindset. Then craft a brand name that speaks to them in their language.

Does your brand speak the language of your target market?

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Brand Position: Energy Bar or Cricket Flour?

As many of you know if you read our posts, we are fans of Shark Tank. We enjoy watching the potential investors analyze a business investment in order to discover its extraordinary promise of value and its potential to provided a healthy return on their investment. Here is an example:

One of the candidates invented an organic energy bar using cricket flour for protein. Reluctantly the investors tasted it and proclaimed it good, however, they were not willing to invest. Who needs another protein bar in the market regardless of how good the ingredients are?

As the owner of the company talked, he let them know that crickets are a rich sustainable protein and a favored food of many countries. Three of the investors were still not interested and expressed that they were “out”.

As he continued to talk, he mentioned that the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) had given him approval (he is the only one, so far) for his cricket flour. He also mentioned that other manufacturers of protein bars had approached him to purchase his flour. Then, Mark Cuban jumped in, and said you should be in the cricket flour business and not in the protein bar business, at which point he was ready to invest.

Defining the right brand position can determine whether or not your target market will perceive your extraordinary promise of value. Are you just another agent or broker in the sea of sameness, i.e. another energy bar? Or, do you have a value proposition that is a clear stand out, i.e. cricket flour? Whenever possible, the best way to position your brand is to define your professional services in a unique category.

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Thursday, March 20, 2014

GET MORE HUMAN: Re-Tool, Re-Think, Re-Invent YOU!

Leonardo Da Vinci, Self Portrait, The original Renaissance Man

At an accelerated pace, technology has consumed far too much time and energy for most luxury real estate marketing professionals. Let us regain some perspective on this ever-pervasive fact of modern life. After so much retooling, it is now time to rethink and re-invent YOU!

The Renaissance was considered one of the most explosive periods of change in human history. Due to the availability of paper and the invention of metal movable type the dissemination of ideas sped up faster than was ever thought possible. Today,, the internet is having a similar impact on our lives. But, have you had time to rethink and reinvent yourself as the person who is the master of the new tools and not as the slave to them? Could it be time for a Renaissance or rebirth in your life?

Recently, we encountered three rounds of annoying menus in a voice mail maze, while attempting to make airline reservations. Then, after a fifteen-minute wait, we were connected to a customer service representative who spoke incomprehensible English. Does this sound familiar? Think about the cumulative effect of millions of people encountering similar situations!

Then we discovered a website called GetHuman.com. This site offers, “Shortcuts through the phone maze, expected wait time, as well as support ratings”. What a relief from the tedium of voice mail!

This experience sparked our thinking about the overwhelming need for luxury real estate marketing professionals to GET [MORE] HUMAN in the way they do business and less reliant on technology. But, this requires rethinking and reinventing YOU.

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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Branding Tip: Market Leaders--Refresh Your Brand!

Photo by Sbuckley

In marketing luxury real estate, as with all professions and businesses, market leaders who face stiff competition from challengers need to continuously refresh their brand to stay current and relevant. With fierce competition from the X-Factor and The Voice for top-of-mind status, American Idol has set a great example of this vital principle of market leadership.

If you are a fan of American Idol you may have noticed that there was something conspicuously absent from their tried and true formula of the past twelve years. This year you saw very few (rarely) funny auditions of contestants that have no voice whatsoever let alone the rest of the package.

Instead, as a viewer, you became privy to more of the behind the scenes decision-making stories from the judges and many more auditions of the promising artists. Bringing in Harry Connick, Jr. as a judge and moving Randy Jackson to mentor were two other adjustments to the formula.

As a result, the TV audience is much more engaged as silent participators in the process of culling the list for the best talent. This manifested in a record number of votes for the artists. Not bad for a show that is thirteen years old!

Market leaders in luxury real estate, take heed! To stay on top you must continuously refresh your brand. Because, if you snooze, you lose!

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Friday, February 7, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Why and How StandOuts Thrive #3

In our first post, we identified that the first course of action was to find the under-served market niche. In our second post we emphasized studying the under served market niche.

The third course of action is to develop your primary strategic differentiator. You must differentiate oneself from the competitive landscape by being uniquely different, both in presentation and service. Many of our restaurants here in Santa Barbara, are proponents of farm to table, great service, and good food.

Although, The Lark offers a distinctly different menu from any other restaurant in Santa Barbara, they have an extraordinary strategic differentiator. Every appetizer, starter, and main course can be shared and is priced the same as one entrée in any restaurant of this caliber. They encourage family style dining, and do not charge “extra” for share plates.

Pictured above is our 3 course meal: Our starter snack, Fried Castevetrano olives stuffed with goat cheese & rosemary chorizo aioli, (we had already eaten a few when I realized I had to take a picture). Next was a chicken confit stuffed in homemade phyllo dough on top of an arugula salad, again we , already eaten two of them.)

Our main course was whole grilled Branzino, Italian sea bass deboned, with a barley & caper risotto, kale & fennel slaw, grapefruit and salsa verde. This was our first experience with barley risotto and it was great.

Do you know your extraordinary strategic primary differentiator?

Written by Ron & Alexandra Seigel-

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Monday, February 3, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Branding: Why spend $4million to Market Your Brand?

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, maintaining visibility for what you stand for (in terms of brand values) in a crowded, competitive market is important. It tells a story loud and clear that you are here to stay, and not here to brag about yourself or your product.

Furthermore, if your competitors are nipping at your heels, it is a good way to gain distance. It engages your target market emotionally and differentiates you from the crowd.

Some of the comments that were made on our previous post regarding the Super Bowl Cheerios commercial brought up an important issue. "Why did some brands spend $4 million for a 30 second spot on Super Sunday, and not focus on selling their product?

Both Cheerios and Budweiser made no direct reference to their products (verbally), and both of these ads were in the top ten as rated by the public and the media. Therefore, these brands have renewed their place and status as top of mind.

If you are an established brand, how can you incorporate these brand principles in your own marketing?

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Does Your Brand Work? #3

In luxury real estate branding or any other branch of real estate, when the right brand is found everyone knows it. It is and AHA moment! In order to achieve that, a brand identity and strategy is developed based on knowing the client or company's core values, personality and preferences.

The brand identity is further amplified by a keen understanding of the marketplace, the demographics and psychographics of the target market. We also analyze and study the competition to sharply differentiate our clients from anyone else. When everyone agrees on the brand identity and strategy, the translation into graphic design can begin.

Our style of branding involves visiting every client in their marketplace. For a day, we share their work lives by traveling to their target market. We put everyone through a barrage of questions, to accurately pinpoint their identity, goals and their target market psychographics.

We work closely with the graphic designer to ensure that the brand identity is perfectly duplicated, right down to the perfect color hue, font choices and photos and graphics. (As I am writing this post, Ron is looking at a brand we are working on and just noticed that the shadow is 2 pixels off in height, the details tell all!)

This morning we noticed a change on downtown State Street in Santa Barbara (see yesterday's post ). The incomprehensible banners from yesterday are gone. This time, I did not need to call the Chamber of Commerce, nor the Santa Barbara Downtown Association.

I knew exactly what they were for. The Santa Barbara Film Festival begins this evening, and the banners represent that beautifully, mimicking a film strip countdown to the opening scene.

Anyone who strolls on State Street will know what these banners mean. They are perfectly placed for the most views by people who may decide to pop into one of the theaters, where new films will be previewed.

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Does Your Brand Work? #2

In yesterday's post, we emphasized that a brand is not just design, or a logo. A brand is developed based on a fundamental strategy that if consistently applied, will bring top of mind status.

We wanted to illustrate this with an example that would clarify it even further. The photo above was taken today on State Street (the main downtown street) in Santa Barbara. Both sides of State Street have these banner flags.

What is this logo? It is an interesting design, and someone went through the trouble and expense of registering the trademark. We tried to figure out by wondering if this was a sign for the upcoming Santa Barbara Film Festival. No, it was not.

Can you guess what it is? We put on our investigative reporter's hat and called the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce. They did not have the answer, and suggested that I call the Santa Barbara Downtown Association. They had the answer: it is the Planned Parenthood logo! Why is it there, and what is the strategy? How many people would even go as far as we did to find out what the sign meant? Does this Brand work to reach their target market?

Contrast this with the FedEx Express logo. It is straightforward, and if you look closer at the Ex part of the logo, you can see the arrow formed in the white space between the x and the lower part of the capital E. The arrow communicates movement from one point to the other.

FedEx has top of mind status with major shippers all over the United States. Some people have never used FedEx, but they still know the brand. We certainly have known about the Planned Parenthood organization, and the fine work they do. Their brand in this context does not communicate who they are and what they do.

Make sure your brand works: what should be your primary goal is top of mind status.

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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Luxury Real Estate Branding Tips: Does Your Brand Work ?

We are always amused when an individual or company peruses our portfolio of luxury real estate branding and website design asks us: "Which one of these designs are your favorites?" Invariably our answer is all of them, because our goal is to represent the individual or company, as well as their marketplace.

What is design? We like Steve Jobs' words on the subject: "Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works."

So how does a brand work? A brand has to resonate with the target market by standing out in the sea of sameness, and fit like a glove based on one's personal preferences. A brand is developed based on a fundamental strategy that, if consistently applied will bring top of mind status. So, the criteria is: Does the brand work to accelerate the pace at which you achieve this result?

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