Hi, I recently moved back into the city and since I have to park on the street everyday I figured I might as well advertise. So I am looking into having a nice vinyl wrap made for my suv. My question is whether or not to have my picture on the wrap.

I just started farming the neighborhood I moved to and it seems like including my picture along w/my name on the car wrap would help increase recognition. I doubt that the car wrap alone would generate any business, but people will see it on a regular basis along w/my mailings and door knocking/hanging. I just think it might be weird to have a big photo of myself on my car. I know some agents are anti-photo when it comes to business cards and such, I'm not one of them. I think a photo really helps people remember you.

Anyway, do you think it would be in poor taste to have my photo on the car? And if it makes any difference I am young and female (might as well use that to my advantage, right;)
Thanks!

There is a saying "in for a penny in for a pound" which I think applies here. If you are going to the expense of the wrap and frankly, the loss of privacy, then you should definitely include your photo. I agree that being young and female are sometimes advantages that should be incorporated into your marketing. My only caution is that it does expose you to potential harassment which I have had a couple of clients go through. If you do get a call from a prospect exercise a little more caution when meeting them. (How can you tell I have 5 daughters)

Seattlegal ---

Look at this from a consumer perspective. Would you have someone sell your home or find you a new one because you see their picture and name on their car? No.

I believe the biggest mistake agents make in personal marketing is focusing on themselves -- their name, picture, hobbies, quirks, etc.

To be blunt, no one cares.

What you need to do is show folks WHY they should work with you.

What advantage do you provide to sellers? Unique marketing? A service guarantee? Price? A record of selling quicker for a higher price? A proven track record of selling a particular time or location of home?

The same applies for buyers.

My fundamental point is that it really won't gain you significant activity merely because your car advertises your profession. That is putting the cart before the horse.

I'd focus on developing your rationale as to why folks should work with you --- and then incorporate that point into your marketing (perhaps on your vehicle --- and, yes, it could include your photo).

Listen to staggart and save a lot of dough.

There are some offices in the area who do a lot of billboard advertising. One billboard shows a gorgeous photo from the area of a lake and a house, encouraging you to picture yourself there.

Another one shows three sassy looking agents with their arms crossed.

I don't know about you, but the first one strikes a really positive response from me ("I want to live there!") and the other one - well, my thoughts were "They look like a bunch of jerks!"

Maybe it's just me...but...actually, I wouldn't choose anything based on just a billboard, but I know which office I'd be more likely to call based purely on the billboards.

Spend the money on a more efficient method of marketing. Sure, lots of people will see your car. So what? And what if you tick someone off by accidentally cutting them off, running a light, or doing any number of other things on the road that irritate others? LOL

I actually worry about that (ticking people off) when I'm driving with my car magnets on.

Thanks for the response. One thing to note is that I am going into this knowing that the car advertising isn't going to generate any direct business. The car advertising is just one small component of my overall marketing plan. My goal with the mailings, door-knocking, open houses, and car advertising is to get my name out there enough to create the perception that I am a big player in this area. I want to be recognized so that when someone is thinking about selling my name will come to mind. When I get that listing appointment then I can bring up the service guarantees, my stats, etc.

From a consumer's perspective I think it does work. If I was selling my house and there was an agent who appeared to have a lot of business in my neighborhood then I would probably consider them...and that is what I want.

And yes Perky, I will have to watch my driving. That is something I have thought about, but hopefully it will make pay a little more attention

I've already decided to advertise on my vehicle, I just have reservations about putting my photo on it. I'm worried that people will think I'm vain and have a big ego, I'm worried about weirdos, and I'm worried that having my face on my car might attract vandalism (I can see someone decide to add a mustache or something).

personally, I wouldn't use the picture on your car. I would use a real estate sign with SOLD on it, or a house with SOLD plastered across it or something like that.

but that's me.

Seattlegal --- I still think you've got it backwards.

The "big player" bit is really hard to pull off. And, it's marginally effective.

I've had a chance to see some real estate focus groups where the participants (who've bought and sold the previous year) talked about why they chose the agent they did and what they want from an agent.

Very revealing . . They HATE personal advertising without a purpose. It is seen as arrogant and irrelevant. They want to do know what you will do for them. The most popular ad layouts focused on outlining services and info on the the buying/selling process and the agent name, photo, contact info as a very tiny part of the ad. They want from you some reason, some value, some point of differentiation.

Most agent do the heavy personal stuff. But, our consumers give it very little credibility. I think there is a lesson there . .

There is a couple with Prudential that wrapped their Suburban, beautifully. Thing is... There are three listings right next to their house by other brokers. Haven't worked with these agents, so I don't know their personality...

I have the small maganets on the side of my Truck... I list my immediate neighbors homes...

Believe me, I thought of wrapping my F250 4X4 Crew Cab (My Moose). Only thing is, I can get it into the garage, LOL!!

I think it is probably like the guy that paints his house purple!

Doesn't bother you so much until it is in your neighborhood... Kind of a slap in the face when people come into the neighborhood and see your vehicle always there, but none of the listing are yours...

i gotta agree with steve on this one!

It's not what you gross it's what you net.What would you rather do be known as THE listing person and after making 200k take home 50k or would you like to make 150k and take home 120k?

Yes you can write off some things in a corporation and such and pay yourself less.I believe people get caught up in the I want to be number one thing.

I think you would do better donating tha tmoney to charity of what it would cost to wrap your car and then maybe the newspaper picks up your story.I would feel alot better about giving money that way and helping then making an ad company richer.

I believe that my photo is the finishing touch to compliment my business model and how I run it. So, yes, I have my photo on my card. But I dont use my car as a promotional ad. If I had a magnet, I wouldnt have my photo - just because of safety issues. I have heard female agents who received weird phone calls and that itself scares me.... We got alot of weirdos in this world.

In my opinion, its all about branding.

Do you want that picture (that will become outdated in a few years) to become the image for your brand?


How many people have seen agents using photos from 5, 10, or even 15 years ago that look NOTHING like them today?

If the photos aren't updated frequently, they become a running joke.



You can choose branding other than your photo. It will have longer staying power. And for those that are so inclined, when you go to sell your business upon retirement, you'll actually have something marketable to a prospective buyer thats not built on someone else's face as the image for the brand.

Consistency is the real issue. Whether it be a logo or a photo. You don't want someone just to know that they saw a real estate ad, you want them to know they saw YOUR real estate ad. Developing a personal logo is a great idea, even if it's not your picture. A unique signature style logo is a good start.

Ads like car wraps may not lead to listings all by themselves, but they can make your other ads more effective by making you and your company more familiar.

I have a saying similair to Malar "In for a nickle, in for a dime". So if you wrap your car, include your photo.

Im considering buying a smaller used car and wrapping it for my wife to drive. She parks Downtown everyday at a meter, and the gas costs would be a lot less. Im not going to do it to my F150 though. The cost would be cheaper than a billboard and more permanant.

I also don't want it parked in front of my house all the time, so on weekends it would be parked in the garage. I would not drive the car (Don't really care what is costs me to drive my truck, I will pay the money) but my wife is willing to do so if we choose to go this route.

I have talked to agents that have had much business because of wrapping, other agents who have nothing from it. I would not wrap my only vehicle though or my wifes vehicle. When I do it, it will be a secondary vehicle.

If you're a 9 or better, slap your mug on it.