Do you want to connect with your customers with a marketing message that really resonates? You need to remember that its not about you. You’re not the hero in the story. If you want your marketing message to truly resonate then it can’t be about you. A lot of marketing today is based around the agent specifically. The best marketing is when it tells a story, but a story that makes the client the hero.

A good story about a hero resonates. People project themselves into the hero role. If you’re making yourself the hero it won’t resonate as much. Most people watching a James Bond movie want to think of themselves as James Bond, not Q. They want to be Batman and not Alfred. Neither of those heroes could do what they do as well as they do without Q & Alfred. They guide them, help them, give them the tools to succeed. Countless examples of this. Yoda to Luke, Mickey to Rockey, Rafiki to Simba, Morgan Freeman to anybody who will listen, Doc Brown to Marty, Gandalf to Frodo, Dumbledore to Harry, and the list can go on. You find these characters all over. They are essential to they story. Sometimes even loved more than the main character. They aren’t the hero though. It’s not about them. Can you make yourself the Mr. Miyagi instead of the Daniel-San of your marketing?

You need to apply this principle. Make your customer the hero and you’re the guide helping them. Next time you have a listing, talk about how you guided them to get the most for their home. They did it though. You helped them stage their home but they actually were the ones responsible. They’re the hero, not you. Give people something to relate to. If they list their home with you they can be the hero too. Give them the appearance of control over their situation because ultimately its up to them in the end. Even if you swoop in to provide help at the exact moment they were about to lose they are still the hero! Its just a way to reframe your marketing.

It’s one of the biggest challenges in marketing. You’re marketing your business, you want to make yourself look as strong as possible. Ultimately though, that’s not what resonates strongest with people. Most people are always thinking “What’s in it for me?” Can you answer that? It’s much easier to relate to someone they can see themselves in than as you, the agent.

For example, if I was selling investment properties I wouldn’t talk about all the things you can do to help them buy the right one and make money. I’d tell the story of John; John made a great decision to buy an investment property and with the rent being collected not only did he cover his costs, he got to take his family on vacation with the profits. See John here on vacation with his family? That could be you. You could be John.

That’s a much more effective message. Make them the hero, not you. You’re not the hero. (Even though you kind of are)