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For years, the good people of the title industry have lived and died by good-ole’-fashioned customer service and relationship-based sales.  I’ve often been a bit surprised by the number of executives referring to marketing and sales interchangeably, or even synonymously.  Many times I’ve sensed more than a bit of contempt for the concept of media relations or e-marketing.  For years, new business was a matter of knowing—and remembering—a customer’s birthday and having an idea of which red wine goes best with a porterhouse. (I kid because I care.)

But it seems things are changing a bit.  I’m seeing more sophistication in some of the advertising coming out of this space.  I’m hearing inquiries about better ways to do e-newsletters or e-mail marketing.  I’m getting requests for news releases and media pitches.  And, as I’ve written before, I’m seeing lots and lots of old friends in new places such as Facebook or LinkedIn.

Why the sudden change?  Simple.  Times are tougher.  The market is smaller.  Just advertising one’s customer service isn’t enough of a differentiator anymore.  The old relationships are changing.  So many top people are moving around.   Key contacts with important customers are going to new companies.  Old colleagues are now with prospects.  It’s important to keep up on relationships.  And it’s more important than ever before that even people you don’t know are aware, or are made aware, of your product or service.

My thought for today is simple.  Marketing, public relations and even, to some degree, advertising, don’t have to break the budget.  There are all kinds of new tools, and plenty of overlooked old ones, for getting your story told.  But, above all, to be effective, your story has to be honed.  What is your key message?  What is the One Thing that you want people to know about your company?  Will that One Thing make you stand out from your competitors?  Will the One Thing, when your prospects become aware of it, be remembered when it’s time to make a purchase decision?  Will it make them come to you?

All the high-tech, well-designed flashing/whirring/bouncing vehicles/media/creative in the world won’t necessarily make your marketing effective.  Your message—the part of your story that will or won’t move people to act in favor of your business—is.  And I’m seeing more and more title people put more and more thought into this.  I say, kudos!  Marketing strategy has too long been an afterthought for some; a buzzword for a quickly-printed, homemade flyer resplendent with sound and fury, signifying nothing (With apologies to Bill…).  But there’s some thought being devoted to it today.

Once you’ve got that message down, the rest is just connecting the dots.  There are plenty of inexpensive ways to get the message out:  conference speaking, bylined articles, simple e-mails or micro-mailings, small events, unique approaches to conference attendance, social media presence or even well-placed advertising.  All can get the word out for you. 

For my money, however, the key to it all is your decision as to what that “word” will be.