 Interviewing someone is a fantastic marketing tool for any Realtor, loan officer, or professional. Recently, I had an epiphany while running on the treadmill. (No, it wasn’t that my shorts are too short or that I run too slow.) Instead, it was this: my humble Real Estate Marketing with Norm brand may not be anything special yet (although growing steadily), but I do have access to some incredible and inspiring professionals that people would love to hear about. So, why not tap into their wisdom, experience, and expertise by setting up a series of interviews? That’s exactly what I’ve undertaken, as once I was off the treadmill, I furiously sent out emails to some of the most accomplished and coolest real estate pros I know (as well as buying some longer shorts). Today, I’m super excited to share the marketing benefits of interviews, as well as the nuts and bolts of why they’re so powerful. The problem with most marketing Marketing tends to get “I-centric” for lack of a better term. “I can help you buy or sell your home,” “I’m the best professional to do the job,” and “I’m the greatest of all time.” Go to MY website, call ME, and I can get you a great mortgage loan – it’s all about me, myself, and I. Sometimes, if Realtors, loan officers, and business owners really “get it,” they elevate their marketing to focus on the client, instead – highlighting the benefits, stories, and help and value they received. That’s a huge shift from “I-centric” to focusing on your audience’s needs, challenges, and wants that will make all the difference. But there’s a next-level resource for your marketing that’s incredibly simple but also surprisingly powerful and effective: the interview. No matter if you’re a real estate agent trying to focus on a certain neighborhood, a lender narrowing in on a specific demographic, or any business owner targeting their marketing, an interview will serve you incredibly well. The marketing benefits of an interview An interview will also be a promotional coup for you, offering:
2X your audience – and increase your business Let’s talk about that last one for a moment. One of the chief benefits of creating these is cross-marketing to an exponentially larger audience. For instance, if you write up a nice piece about your favorite mortgage broker, they will probably super appreciate the effort and share or repost it with their social media followers and audience. With that, you’re given a warm introduction that includes your name, profession, social media links, email, blog or website, and a boat load of built-in trust and credibility. You may gain exposure among hundreds or even thousands of new people who didn’t know about you before, and benefit from potential new business accordingly. In fact, I’ve seen one simple interview 2X the size of someone’s audience! Think of the potential if you do a whole monthly series! Who should you interview? That’s the fun part, as the possibilities are limitless. Of course, you can interview someone who works with your clients, like a lender for Realtors or vice versa. Or, show some love to a referral partner by highlighting their business. Here are some examples:
You get the idea! Not only will most people agree to an interview, they’ll feel appreciated and honored and answer your emails or calls immediately! Conducting the actual interview To carry out an interview, it couldn’t be easier – just ask someone if you could spend 15 minutes asking them a few questions. Shoot them a list of perspective questions or topics ahead of time so they can think about it. Sit face to face or call them on Skype, Facetime, or just over the phone if you’re not in the same area. You can either video the interview or just record the audio using one of the many programs available on your laptop or even your smart phone. Where to post the interview Either way, you’ll edit it down and can use it in several places:
Give it an interesting name You can call it an interview, or some other catchy title like: 10 Fast Facts with _________. 10 Quotes by __________. 5 Questions with ___________. 10 Minutes with __________. Inside the mind of ________. Confessions of a _________. Etc. Aim high with the subject of your interview But it’s also a good idea to aim above your pay-grade on this one, so to speak. What I mean by that is don’t limit yourself to your best friend or someone who is already giving you business. Send out a few emails and requests to interview people who are notable, iconic, and even famous in your local city, region, or nationally. Why the heck not? You have nothing to lose. Think big. Profiling someone famous In a slightly different strategy, you can also write up a profile on someone famous instead of interviewing them, like I did here with real estate couch Mike ferry. It’s not an interview and I never talked to the man, but I put together a profile with a quick Google search that he’d find favorable. Remember we talked about cross-marketing to an exponentially larger audience? When profiling someone famous, enjoys name recognition, or anyone who holds a certain amount of gravitas, you really can tap into their massive number of fans and followers just by using the right hashtags or tagging them. A final word on interviews With interviews, you’re simply offering useful, interesting, and fun content to your audience and turning the spotlight from yourself to others. Pretty soon, someone will want to interview you!  ***
Need help setting up an interview for your business? Or, do you have some great insights you’d like to share in one of my real estate marketing interviews? Hit me up! -Norm :-)
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