US Real Estate Agents Up the Ante – Real Estate Marketing Tactics Include Free Botox!
Yesterday we reported on estate agents in Australia who were employing a number of new property marketing ploys to attract house hunters to open house and auction events – however it emerges that their US counterparts are upping the ante with a range of weird and wonderful ways of bringing in the buyers.
According to the Los Angeles Times a number of real estate professionals in the area are seeing real results after coming up with some creative property marketing plans, including Botox giveaways at open houses.
Real Estate Marketing Professionals use Incentives and Interaction
Instead of the usual approach, with those seeking a new home expected to be attracted by property photography and effusive descriptions, the agents have begun focusing on customer interaction and incentives.
The realtors – most of whom are in charge of marketing prime and super-prime SoCal properties – demonstrated a real flair for creative thinking with a range of property marketing tricks including:
- Throwing an open house pool party with complimentary Thai massage and Botox treatment giveaways.
- Creating a full on circus experience complete with clowns and acrobats at one mansion.
- Renting a bar in an upmarket area of Ibiza and offering champagne to members of the jetset, while using background screens to showcase luxury homes in the LA area.
- Offering helicopter rides and aerial viewing to potential purchasers.
“Shock and Awe” Real Estate Marketing
Lecturer in real estate at nearby UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, Paul Habibi described the practices as “shock and awe” property marketing and added: “Years ago you simply posted the listing on the Multiple Listing Service or hung a sign out. Now sellers are reverting to other tactics to tap into buyers and get them on the hook.”
