Agents ask me all the time what they should send out to their farm. They feel stuck like they don’t have any ideas and aren’t sure what would be valuable. There is a SUPER SIMPLE strategy that I highly recommend.
Just ask them!
“What? That’s it? Ask them what they want?”
The answer is yes… Just ask them!
Imagine, if you will, a highly engaged audience that actually likes to hear from you. And imagine if you had a marketing plan that allowed you to create content that your farm would actually like to get and they also share it with their friends and neighbours?
You can do this all by asking them what they want.
So how do you go about accomplishing this? The first step you want to take is to choose how you are going to connect with people in your farm. You could start by asking people you already know in the area. Maybe you have some friends, past clients and family. Or maybe you already live there and know people in your farm you could ask.
Another great opportunity is to call or door-knock the area. Obviously it will depend on Covid rules in your area at the time. (If you are reading this in the future, hopefully things have gone back to someone what normal!)
If you wanted to reach more people quickly, you could run some paid online ads on social media. This would allow you to hit a large audience in a very short time. Maybe you could post some questions in some Facebook groups you are in. Maybe you are part of the Nextdoor online network to ask questions. You could mail out a post card asking people to complete a survey. You could send it to your database (if you already have a list) or you can come up with your own way of reaching your audience.
The great thing is there are so many options.
So how do you get people to actually respond?
Rewards!
Everyone likes to get something. You could create a draw and give away some prizes. If it were me, I’d work with some of the local businesses to put together an awesome package of prizes and then use it to promote their businesses at the same time. You could offer a cash prize or even just bragging rights. The trick is to reward people to increase your chances.
What do you ask?
That’s up to you!
I’d start with just a few simple questions. Pick a few key questions that will help you get a better idea of what you need to create good content. You could switch up the questions at different times so you get more data if you want. The great thing is the options are unlimited, so start writing out some ideas!
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
You could ask what types of content they would want to see?
What would they find valuable?
How would they like to receive it?
What would they not want to receive?
What have they seen that was interesting from other agents?
What kinds of businesses would they like to see spotlighted?
What things do they like to do in the area?
What are events they’d like to hear about?
What type of events do they wish the community had?
What types of businesses would they like to see come to the area?
What types of giveaways would they find valuable?
How often would they like to receive information?
Would they like to sign up for your newsletter?
Who do they know who would be interested in it as well?
The list goes on and on. As I mentioned, start with a few key questions. Maybe 4-6 simple to answer questions that will get you the information you need. The great thing with this approach is you already have your first marketing piece… It’s you asking the questions!
Then your next piece could be letting people know about the results. Then you can notify them when your first marketing pieces will go out and if they have agreed, you can add them to your list.
So many agents assume they know what their farm wants to hear about and what they would find valuable but you know what they say when you assume… Don’t assume.
Ask!
Another reason this strategy is so powerful is that 99% of agents will never try something like this. So just the fact that you reached out and got them involved, you will already stand out in the community. This is one step closer to helping you become the community ambassador. And if you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know how critical that is to crushing it in your farm. When the consumer knows you care, they will be happy to help you succeed.
I know this can seem scary at first. Lots of agents may feel weird asking random strangers what type of marketing ideas and content they would want to see from you, but I can promise you, you will have a much better response than just cold calling a stranger and just asking them if they are looking to sell their home!
So if you are struggling right now coming up with ideas on what you can do to add value or what you can do to create content, then start working on your questions and get them out there!
And if you aren’t comfortable doing that right now, then you can jump back to one of my earlier blogs about creating a content marketing plan. Whatever you do, you need to build a plan for creating content for your farm. You choose how you do that, but I promise, this strategy works really well!
Happy Farming!
Ryan Smith – Founder/Creator
Launch Your Farm
Be sure to check back on our blog and show to get awesome information about geographic farming!
Blog – http://www.LaunchYourFarm.com/Blog
Show – http://launchyourfarm.com/category/interviews
Recent Comments