San Francisco 49er backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick is spearheading a national conversation with his bold, some would say foolish, decision to not stand for the national anthem before his team’s NFL games.
It started with a sit-down during an Aug. 26 pre-season game anthem and evolved into a kneel (a better look) at the team’s next game Sept. 1. Kaepernick backed up his provocative actions at that time by pledging $1 million to organizations that help alleviate racial inequality.
Other NFL players, and at least one pro soccer player, have joined him in demonstrating during national anthems before their team’s games.
What does this have to do with content marketing?
Grabbing attention with a provocative action, making a bold decision and smartly evolving your message.
The world has enough content, just as it has enough ignored backup quarterbacks. To make a dent in the universe takes courage. Whether you agree with his methods or not, Kaepernick is doing that, and leading a national conversation around a topic he cares about.
Getting a community fired up about your business goals is different than communicating a deep feeling of injustice, but bold never goes unnoticed.
Tacoma, Washington, real estate Marguerite Giguere interviewed her city’s mayor about its next 10 years for her community podcast series, which may not be bold in the same way, but it definitely shows a plucky confidence and inspires trust in the readers and listeners she targets.
She, like Kaepernick, is going big.
Real estate brokers, agents and firms can do the same, as long as their efforts align with genuine interests, passions and business goals.
Some might say that Seattle real estate team Team Diva Real Estate is playing the provocative card, by their non-traditional, LGBTQ-friendly messaging. But it’s simply executing the strategy smart marketers everywhere employ: create authentic content that reflects your brand and targets, squarely, your intended audience.
Some Kaepernick-inspired bold(-ish) real estate content ideas:
- Real estate winners & losers: recap notable recent deals in your market and analyze who got the best deal — buyer or seller — and why. You’d have to carefully avoid mean-spiritedness, but this would read like real estate porn of sorts and demonstrate real market knowledge.
- Outline the top three overvalued neighborhoods in your market. This might alienate some colleagues, but it would show your audience a keen-eyed focus on value.
- Run a “Who sells first?” contest for a select group of homes currently on the market in your area. Encourage your audience to vote on which they think will sell first and why. Give the winner a gift certificate to a local restaurant.