Partnering with Global Luxury Brands
Partnering with global luxury brands helps independent brokerages boost their international standing, which is becoming an exceedingly important part of succeeding in modern luxury. Worldwide, the UHNW population grew by 6 percent from 2013 to 2014, and among them are some of the most fervent buyers and investors of real estate the world over. On average, the Wealth X-Sotheby’s report read, individuals in the UHNW category own 2.7 owner-occupied residences, with several also keeping properties among their investment portfolios.
In 2013, CONLON became part of Christie’s to help manage CONLON’s growth in the luxury market. Melissa Archer-Wirtz, the chief marketing officer for CONLON/Christie’s International Real Estate, says CONLON’s outreach efforts cast a broad geographical net and, in the process, capitalize on Christie’s worldly reach.
“We’ve placed or accepted more than a dozen high-end referrals from network colleagues, which is a sign of how the firm is benefiting from its Christie’s affiliation, and helping fellow affiliates grow their business,” Archer-Wirtz explains. “Other notable examples of how we engage the network are CONLON’s attending and co-sponsoring Art Miami; sending an executive team to the Global Owners Conference in Barcelona; and dispatching agents to the Top Agents Conference in Arizona. We also met with executives and agents at Hilton & Hyland, a Beverly Hills Christie’s affiliate, to share ideas and information, exchange methods of measuring and converting our Web presence into tangible leads, and target luxury properties to co-market and sell.”
Similarly, Jameson saw a boost in their luxury sales when they partnered with Sothebys in 2011.
Amy Pritchard, a broker associate at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, says that her brokerage takes an immersive approach in how it presents properties.
“Our focus on video and photography allows us to showcase the special features of our listings that cannot be properly articulated in words alone,” Pritchard says. “The new SIR.com recently launched, and was built to showcase listings in an immersive and visual way.”
The website’s features include full-screen, high-definition video, high-resolution photography and detailed slideshows that tell a home’s narrative through captions, video, location overviews and other insights that offer a “personal view” of the property.
Luxury Marketing Departments
Such specialized offerings require talented personnel, and for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff Realty Group, that means an entire marketing department for luxury listings.
“We have a marketing department specializing in luxury real estate, integrated marketing, graphic design and public relations,” says Caitlyn Terrell, the director of luxury marketing at KoenigRubloff. “Our brokers can collaborate with our luxury marketing team. We also have a luxury marketing director who implements directives and strategies for our marketing staff. We’re able to work with the broker’s needs and the client’s needs for each specific property.”
And such a broad approach, Terrell concludes, ultimately results in the optimal message.
“Our approach incorporates a broad international presence,” she says. “We’re targeting a niche of luxury homebuyers, and in the end, our goal is to provide our clients with maximum exposure among qualified buyers, regardless of their location. The most important aspects are the message and the quality of the marketing materials.”