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Market Your Home Like a Rock Star - Lessons from a Classic Violinist
June 23rd, 2007 categories: Real Estate News, Buyer Info, Seller Info, Off-the-Wall
There was a fascinating experiment conducted recently by the Washington Post. They teamed up with Joshua Bell, a world renowned violinist to play like an ordinary street musician in the Washington, DC metro station. (read the entire Post article) Here’s a guy, who the Post reported as selling out Symphony Hall in Boston three days earlier where just mediocre seats went for $100. Two weeks later he played at the Music Center at Stathmore, in North Bethesda. The Post stated of that performance “..he played to a standing-room-only audience so respectful of his artistry that they stifled their coughs until the silence between movements…”
The experiment was to have him play incognito during rush hour – no announcement, no advertising, nothing…he would dress ordinary and simply stroll in the Metro Station and start playing. Would anyone stop? Would anyone know him? Would anyone recognize over-the-top talent and musical skills?
The day of the experiment he wore a baseball cap, jeans, and a long-sleeve t-shirt, and set up his “concert hall” at the top of the escalator near some magazine stands and a lottery ticket kiosk. He opens his violin case on the floor and throws in some “seed money”. Now the violin he is playing on is no ordinary violin. He elected to bring his 3.5 million dollar Stradivarius violin !! He opens with Bach’s “Chaconne”. The Post stated that this piece is considered one of the most difficult violin pieces to master. So what happens…?
Sadly, not much. The Post article stated that sixty three people passed by in the first three minutes before one guy slowed a little to listen, but kept going. Then a woman tossed some money into his open violin case. It took a full six minutes before someone actually stopped and listened. In the end Joshua Bell played for 45 minutes. A total of seven people stopped, twenty seven gave donations for a grand total of slightly over $32. In total nearly 1,100 people went by.
Okay…this story fascinates me on many fronts. I found myself wondering what my reaction would have been. Then I started thinking about what messages or lessons can I take from the Washington Post’s experiment. The more I thought about it the more I observed parallels to good great marketing especially as it applies to selling your home.
Here are my 5 Marketing Lessons from A Classical Violinist:
- Value may not be immediately recognized – The folks that passed by Joshua Bell’s performance did not realize what they were missing. Had there been even one poster the results would have been dramatically different. We all know the busy nature of our society, so we need to remember that some people need to be really held by the hand to see the value in a home.
- Good, effective advertising is critical – Of course had the Post ran full-page ads advertising a free concert by an internationally famous violinist, the station might have been packed and by people that normally would not be there. Your home must be promoted in the most efficient means. Today that means Internet advertising as well as MLS postings, signs, etc. Different homes also require different marketing.
- Market to the right market – The people who entered the Metro that day were most likely the same ones that enter every day. They go there not to hear a concert. To get them to stop and hear a concert requires getting them to see a possible benefit to them. A good real estate agent will make sure promotional pieces are targeting the correct group of people.
- Stand out – Would more people have stopped if Joshua Bell had been wearing a tux? It’s difficult to say, but you can bet a lot of people scurried by because they didn’t want to feel obligated to toss in money. This ties back to recognizing value. It also says a lot about the infamous curb appeal. You must think about how to grab a buyer’s attention immediately.
- Evaluate, re-load, and fire again – If the goal here was to increase crowds listening to Joshua Bell, promoters would be wise not to immediately pull the plug on this. If you believe in your product, don’t be too quick to toss in the towel Had Joshua Bell continued showing up the same time each day, most likely crowds would begin to grow as word got around. At the same token, though, you have to be on your toes to watch what works and especially to what doesn’t work. In this high tech world of ours, we must keep our marketing and our approaches fresh and engaging. That requires a fluid marketing campaign.
>Let me know your thoughts…did this experiment fascinate you as much as it did me? Any ideas or thoughts surface..?
June 24th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Very interesting experiment. And good thoughts on the lessons learned.
Just stopped by after adding your link to my “Ripening On The Vine” post and read your latest post.
Good writing and good food for thought.
June 24th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Thanks for the fresh perspective. It is a constant challenge to stand out in Real Estate. Thanks for some stirring up the thought process.
July 9th, 2007 at 3:57 am
[…] Market Your Home Like A Rock Star by Brian Miller of RealEstateEntropy.com […]
July 9th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
[…] In the Real Estate Agents category Brian Miller of RealEstateEntropy tells you ‘How to Market Your Home Like A Rock Star’ and Michael Krotchie provides his ‘Top 100 Reasons To Use A Real Estate Agent’. […]
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:35 am
Counter Strike…
Counter Strike…