Advertising is a strong marketing tool – but sometimes the best thing is to put aside the need to bring in more business and think about the bigger picture.
After a year most of us would like to forget, Thomas Connolly Estate Agents have pushed the selling, letting and management of houses off its marketing schedule, just for a short time, to instead remind the people of this region how important they are, in business and in life in general.
Driven by Managing Director Joe Connolly, the current marketing campaign – in local media, out in the community and on social media, is focused around straplines like You’re Someone’s Reason To Smile and You’re Like A Breath Of Fresh Air.
Joe explained more: “For our marketing campaign this time round I wanted it to be less about Thomas Connolly and be more about making people in the Milton Keynes community feel a bit better about themselves.
“It might have raised some eyebrows – particularly with our marketing company, who I think thought I’d gone mad when I first suggested it – but we’ve had a year of distancing and masks and lockdown and a lot of people are stressed and struggling to get their heads round it all. The mental health issues of all this will be here for some time to come.
“And so now, as spring arrives and we all get to come outside again, I wanted people to see positive, uplifting messages about sunshine and ice creams and unicorns, just to give them a bit of a lift.”
Thomas Connolly Estate Agents is the fastest growing estate agent in Milton Keynes, boasting a team now numbering over 30, working from its offices in The Hub and assisting clients with all aspects of buying and selling properties, managing and letting properties and advising on overseas purchases.
As an owner-led firm, Joe and his business partner and fellow Managing Director Neal Butler were determined, throughout lockdown and furloughs, to continue their ethos of responding professionally and promptly to clients’ queries, questions and property management concerns.
Capitalising on that continuation of service throughout the pandemic, once the sales team were back to full strength by the summer of last year, they were keen to get back to the task of building on the successes of the lettings team during lockdown. Doubling their sales targets in July and August was the kickstart they needed, and the company has continued to flourish ever since.
Now, the attention is turning to the task of bringing some of that energy to a wider audience, and one that may not feel as positive, for a whole host of reasons.
“A lot of the stuff I do in my life is about dealing with people, and if I can somehow make someone feel happy about themselves, or better about what’s going on around them, then I’m happy, too,” said Joe.
“Thomas Connolly is my company and I’m delighted with the success we have had, but this time I just wanted it to be about what I believe in. I want to be surrounded by good, authentic people in my business and outside of it, and there is a such a thing as karma – you do something good, you get something good in return.
“So hopefully the messages we’re putting out there, that aren’t about selling your house or getting you on our books, but are about how you feel, how we can help you to feel happy, are far more important to people at the moment. If they bring a smile to someone’s face, or help them feel stronger in themselves and about what they are doing, that’s all I want to do.”
For more information, call 01908 774422 or visit www.thomasconnolly.co.uk
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