Overhyped: Sales Lessons from the Garbage Industry + This Week’s Smartest Marketing Moves
Katt Wagner
Smarter Sales, Sharper Marketing, & Real Estate Done Right | “The Blacksmith Behind EZ Real Estate Platform’s Growth.” | Marketing strategist sharing what works (and what flops) in The SMART Sell.
From the feel-good promise of “reduce + reuse” (where does recycling really go?) to the way people Google “When is St. Patrick’s Day?” every year, we’re looking at why trust, proof, and repetition are serious drivers of smart selling.
SMART Sell nuggets in this issue:
Here’s what’s shaping smart selling this week:
(Steal This) Micro-Formulas to Bring Life to Your Sales Language
Some sales phrases have been used so much, they barely mean anything anymore. Use this formula cheat sheet to breathe life into your sales language:
Words only work if they create a picture in someone’s mind.
Drop the vague claims and give your sales copy new life!
What Google Trends Just Taught Me About Assumptions
(Marketing in Motion)
Every year, like clockwork, search interest in St. Patrick’s Day spikes in the weeks leading up to March 17th.?
No surprises there. But here’s what did surprise me:
The Takeaway?
1 - Never assume people know what you know. Just because something is obvious to you doesn’t mean it’s top of mind for them.
2 - People need reminders. If people Google the same holiday date every year, why wouldn’t they need reminders about your offer, your service, or the problem you solve?
3 - Tiny insights can lead to big a-ha moments. You don’t need a huge budget or complicated plan for market research.?
Bonus food for thought:
So, if you're in the United States and plan to do some marketing themed around the holiday - perhaps now is the time!
Reddit’s Paywall Play - A Bold Move or a Community Killer?
(Authority and Influence)
Soooooo, is Reddit going to have paywalled content soon?
"We're working on it as we speak." – Steve Huffman, Reddit CEO
Reddit built its empire on free, open discussion. Now, paywalled subreddits are coming.
Why?
But of course, a paywall play could be risky:
If people feel locked out from the community/communities they go to Reddit for, they might walk away. Plus, has anyone else noticed Facebook Communities are starting to have a Reddit feel? It's possible some Reddit communities will migrate to existing alternatives.
What do you think will happen when "the front page of the internet" puts up a toll booth???
Selling a Promise: The Clean Image of Recycling vs. The Dirty Truth
(Reverse-Engineered)
In 2017, Turkey’s First Lady announced a bold initiative: Turkey would go “zero waste.” It was an applaudable, feel-good initiative.
But for Izzettin Akman, a citrus farmer near Adana, the reality was far from clean. One night, a truck pulled up near his farm and dumped a load of burning trash. Plastic rained down on his orange groves, releasing microplastics into soil and waterways where they would get sopped up into his plants' roots for years to come (Alexander Clapp colorfully compares this to fat clogging up human arteries).
The promise of sustainability sounds great, but when the actual effort translates to relocating the waste problem somewhere else, now it's an empty PR promise - out of sight, out of mind, but with huge impacts on those who live where the waste is going.
Sales is built on a promise. When you sell something, you’re asking people to believe in it. Yet, we’ve all been sold on something just to find out it wasn’t what we thought it would be.
Would you sell something you don’t believe in?
Because if the answer is yes, you’re just moving the mess somewhere else.
?? This has been on my mind as I read Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash by Alexander Clapp. It's awesome so far and I'll probably talk about it more as I work through it.
If you’re curious, here’s my Amazon link.
Live Data That Sells for You
(Tactical Applications)
Google Trends can give your content a local edge. Plus, you can even embed live, auto-updating Google Trends data on your website and landing pages for free, with no maintenance.
Normally, gathering and presenting data takes time, effort, and expertise, which is why most businesses don’t do it. But with Google Trends, you can showcase real-time insights that make your content more relevant and persuasive.
Two Powerful Ways to Use It in Real Estate:
1?? Build Local Engagement with “Things to Do” Searches
Post Copy: "Looking for something to do this weekend in Cocoa Beach? Here’s what people are searching for right now! ?? Bonus: Tag a local business or event that deserves a shoutout!"
What to Share: Screenshot a Google Trends search relating to things to do in your area or a similar local query. Drop it in a local Facebook group or Instagram story.
Why It Works: You’re giving people a reason to engage, while also boosting local visibility.
2?? Spark Relocation Interest with “Moving to” Trends
Example Copy: "Thinking about moving to Orlando? You’re not alone! Maybe it’s time to take the leap?"
What to Share: Screenshot a Google Trends graph showing search interest for “Moving to Orlando” over time. Share it in an email to your buyer leads and as a social post.
Why It Works: People follow the crowd. Seeing others researching a move reinforces that they might be onto something, too.
Why This Works:
It removes the biggest barrier to using data, creates instant credibility, and helps drive curiosity. People are moved by what others are doing. Plus, if your data is something that someone might want to check frequently, now you can inspire repeat visits and stay top-of-mind.
? Keep in mind: You’ll want to choose a topic or query with enough search volume to generate useful data. Remember, Google Trends isn’t showing you the number of search queries, but the change in volume of a query over time.
What trend can you spark engagement with today?
If one of these ideas made you rethink something, try it out and tell me what happens.
Also, I need new cooking channels to watch while I make dinner. Got a favorite? Send it my way!
See you next newsletter,
Katt
P.S. Want more copywriting and marketing ideas curated for real estate professionals? Come say hi over in the Real Estate Made EZ Facebook Group!
Helping entrepreneurs, professionals, and students achieve their personal and business goals through expert coaching, ghostwriting services, and publishing solutions. Author of Think Fast Act Fast & How to start
3 天前So true