28 May 2022

PINK POWER: AMY BENNETT'S MARKETING MIGHT IS TURNING HEADS DOWN UNDER

Case Study

Name: Amy Bennett
Role: Real Estate Agent 
Organization: McGrath Estate Agents Australia

“When you believe, you can achieve!”

BoxBrownie.com Services Used:

• Image Enhancement
• Virtual Staging
• Aerial Editing
• Item Removal

Amy Bennett may well have the most famous hair in real estate. If that seems like an odd way to introduce someone on a property marketing blog, it's totally relevant here.   

Since she began selling real estate just a few years ago this flashy upstart agent has been turning heads on Australia's Sunshine Coast real estate scene. It's no exaggeration to say that her electrifying pink coif has been a big part of it. 

Amy's hair is an extension and expression of her brand.  It's also flamboyant proof of something we stress over and over on our blog - if you want to excel in the game of real estate, you have to live and breathe your job 24/7 with every fiber of your being - and in Amy's case, every follicle of your hair! (She even has a pink house, just to ensure that she stays 'on brand' even while she's home asleep.)  

The power of pink is on full display in every particle of Amy Bennett’s branding. But this is just one area where her real estate marketing is turning heads all across Australia’s Sunshine Coast. In this post, she shares some more secrets to her success.

One of the greatest talents a real estate agent can possess is the ability to make an impression.

From personal branding to the presentation of property, the ability to stand out from the crowd is such a difference-maker in this profession. We're featuring Amy on this blog today because she's demonstrated a marketing mastery that few agents possess, especially those in the early stages of their careers.

But it doesn't matter what stage of your career you're at - if you want to take your real estate marketing to the next level, this post is a must-read. In the lines below, Amy generously shares all sorts of marketing secrets. From social media strategies to branding consistency to Virtual Staging hacks, this post will have something fresh for you. 

Most agents learn the importance of marketing the hard way ... after they've embarked upon a real estate career. Amy became a real estate agent after she became a marketing guru, and this is probably why she's been such an instant runaway success in the marketing department. 

She joined McGrath Estate Agents Australia in 2016 - not as a real estate agent, but as a marketing and operations specialist. Her gift for putting the sizzle into the showcasing of property eventually led to her becoming a licensed real estate agent herself.  Since beginning her real estate career just a few years ago she got off to a great start by anyone's standards - selling three homes in two weeks! And she hasn't looked back. 

We should know, we've seen it all unfold.

The Rise Of A Hometown Hero

If it was inevitable that Amy would end up harnessing her marketing prowess to sell real estate, it was probably also inevitable that she’d become one of our great mates and one of our most refreshing clients. Amy’s a fellow Aussie. In fact, she lives right around the corner!

"I grew up on the Sunshine Coast where BoxBrownie.com was founded," she told us.  "The principals of the agency I work for had used (BoxBrownie.com co-founder) Brad Filliponi as a photographer. Small world!"

"For me, it's a bonus that the business was founded nearby. It makes things even better to know that we are supporting a local business."  

Brad recalls how he instantly meshed with Amy, probably because the BoxBrownie.com philosophy has so much in common with her own:

"Amy is extremely tech-savvy and super awesome with social media. She understands the importance of presentation when selling property and she believes this 100% contributes to her results,'" Brad said.  "Apart from that, she's a super-awesome human being, which always helps."

Amy has always been an active member of her Sunshine Coast community. She’s served on the local Chamber of Commerce and is constantly finding fresh ways to contribute to her community. “It comes back tenfold,” she says.

Innovations In Virtual Staging

When Amy made the transition from marketing and operations specialist to real estate agent, she first worked with Jodie Hedley-Ward of McGrath Caloundra. From this partnership came the unusual marketing idea to place printouts of images that we at BoxBrownie.com virtually staged for them on art easels in the empty rooms of properties they were showing. 

This technique has been a raging success and has bridged the gap between the "furnished" room that a potential buyer first encounters online and the empty one that they encounter when walking through the property. 

For Amy, the timeframes, the low cost, and the massive impact these Virtual Staging printouts are having on potential buyers have made this practice a staple in her marketing strategy whenever she lists an unfurnished home. 

"These projects cost me $50 per room, including the printing. That's incredible pricing and service. BoxBrownie.com always gives me great results in an incredible time frame, affordability, and also peace of mind, because I know the product will be amazing and won't require additional edits and therefore won't use up more time before I can get a property to market."

We’re pleased to have made a cameo appearance in this video called ‘Meet Amy Bennett.’ In the background of this video still, Amy shows a home to a potential client. In the foreground, on one of her trademark easels, an image that we virtually staged for her is on full display.

Well-Rounded Is Well Worth It

As any real estate marketing expert will attest, an agent needs to piece together a well-rounded marketing platform that creates an impression in all the many dimensions of human experience. Vibrant virtual property marketing, a steady social media presence, frequent real-world appearances in your farm area, print,  interpersonal problem-solving, community contributions - the savvy agent incorporates all these priorities into their day-to-day quest for excellence. 

Amy is living proof of this philosophy. Using our Virtual Staging is just one facet of her exuberant and original marketing style. She's bursting with ideas on how to generate interest around a property. We asked her to share some of these ideas with up-and-coming realtors who are seeking ways to stand out from the crowd. With characteristic enthusiasm, she did not hold back.

• Sneak Peeks  - I use social media, my extensive network, and database of buyers/investors to create hype around properties. I have VIP sneak peek events the night before the first open with wine, cheese, etc.
• Easels – For vacant homes, I print the virtually staged images and place them on easels around the home to allow prospective buyers to visualize how they can style the property
• Open Home Experience – I use smell to create a comforting feeling, I play relaxing music throughout the home, I accommodate kids with stickers if they are good during the visit, etc. I provide free pens, water, and chocolates (people love free things). Each guest receives an SMS welcome upon check-in and I can email them all of the documents they require seamlessly
• Create a referral network of advocates – I have a huge network having worked for our local chamber of commerce for 5 years and growing up on the Sunshine Coast. I always refer other amazing service providers and it comes back tenfold.
• Community Groups on FB – I share properties in the local community groups (as most people who love where they live are advocates of the area)
• Letterbox Dropping relevant information – I regularly drop information and VIP invites to neighbors around a property
• Consistency of Marketing – my marketing all matches (I use a pastel pink door as my signature image for McGrath)

Amy also points out that she doesn't spread herself too thin on social media platforms. For example, she doesn't use Twitter for business.

There is a common misconception among real estate agents that one must have a presence on all the major social media platforms - Instagram, Facebook, Snap, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TokTok, to name just the big ones.

Rather than diluting her message, her brand, and her presence, Amy focuses on three social platforms, which gives her the time and attention to do each well.

"I like Facebook because it's popular and relevant, Instagram because it's popular and visual, and LinkedIn for my professional interactions," she says. 

One look at her Facebook and Instagram and you'll have a great idea of her bright and vivacious presence. You'll also see examples of our handiwork on there!

Does this image from Amy’s Facebook page look familiar? We’re pleased to say that it’s some of our handiwork! Here Amy has wisely used one of our Aerial Edits to show that one of her listings is within walking distance of a local school.

Though she does not want to dilute her social media message, she does admit that she's started dabbling in TikTok: 

"I have recently expanded my social channels to TikTok and am LOVING it!" she says.  "There are only two agents in my area that use it so it is a great opportunity to connect with a new audience and provide them with real estate insights locally."

If you want an exceptional example of Amy's marketing multi-tasking/multi-platforming, her Instagram has a short video of her doing a letterbox drop in her beloved Kawana Island area. The video shows her walking with a pamphlet and the pamphlet has a photo of her and a photo of a room that we virtually staged for her.   

This screenshot from an Amy Bennett Instagram post is a prime example of multi-tasking. Filmed while conducting a letterbox drop, this still from a short video accomplishes several of her marketing hacks in one go: branding consistency, Virtual Staging, a social media presence, relevant content for a Facebook group, and, of course, the letterbox drop itself.

In other words, this five-second video clip accomplishes several of the marketing hacks that she mentions above: 

1. consistency of branding
2. displays an easel-worthy virtually staged image
3. completes a social media post
4. carries out a letterbox drop
5. creates content for a community Facebook group

That's what you call working smarter not harder!

Speedy Does It: Selling Property After The Pandemic

The above also exemplifies one way that marketing property has changed since before the pandemic.

It's important to be able to say a lot in a short span of time, usually visually. 

The need for speed has come about partly because information can be accessed so much faster.  Jerry Seinfeld once quipped that the greatest accomplishment of our age is that now people can do whatever they need to do while sitting at home in their underwear.

This is absolutely true in the realm of property shopping. In this hot market, buyers are more competitive (and yet more sedentary!) than ever before.

The strange anomaly of the times is that a person can now view far more properties by sitting on their butt than viewing them in person. The savvy agent must cater to this. 

Speed to market is paramount, and this is one reason why we have become such an important service to agents across the globe in this post-pandemic age. 

"BoxBrownie.com has helped out countless times on many projects," she says. "On one occasion I had five days to sell the property:

• "Day One we photographed the property;
• "Day Two, the BoxBrownie.com team had the virtually staged image back to me;
• "Day Three, I printed the images to display on canvas
• "Days Four and Five I conducted open houses at the property." 

Equally important is the ability to provide the online (ie. underwear-clad) viewer with a way to tour the property.

The 360° Virtual Tour or video walkthrough are two ways to accomplish this. 

"I now do a full video walkthrough of every property so that buyers don’t need to visit the property," Amy says.  "This has been a game-changer, so much better for buyers, and allows me to deliver a result to my clients in a much quicker timeframe." 

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