Do you need to pick a side or can you effectively combine both approaches?

Anyone remember the Hatfields and McCoys? It was a long-standing feud between two American mountain families. Based on a true story. But the story became famous, songs were written about and movies were made about it.

Well, these kinds of feuds aren’t limited to mountain families, we see them all the time in our everyday lives. I think it starts from our need to divide into teams. In fact, there are even teams in Real Estate. One team advocates using digital marketing to grow your business, while the other favors traditional relationship building methods.

Who’s right? The reality is that there’s rarely a clear-cut, simple answer. It’s seldom black and white. The short answer is that they’re both right — they each hold a piece of the puzzle.

The Divide: Tom Ferry’s Digital Focus vs. Brian Buffini’s Relationship Building

The ongoing debate in real estate marketing is between two influential figures — Tom Ferry, who advocates a heavy focus on digital marketing, while the other, Brian Buffini emphasizes traditional relationship building tactics.

This philosophical divide has created somewhat of a team mentality, forcing agents and brokers to choose which “camp” they belong to. But is staking out one extreme really the right approach?

The Core Problem

The Tom Ferry team teaches the more digital marketing approach, leaning into modern technologies like websites, social media, online advertising, and content creation to generate leads and grow your real estate business.

In contrast, the Brian Buffini camp prioritizes conventional relationship building methods like networking, one-on-one meetings, phone calls, and nurturing your sphere of influence through personal touchpoints.

So who’s right and what team should you join? There’s a natural human tendency to want to pick a side in this debate. However, as with most things in life, there are rarely yes or no answers, this side is right and that side is wrong — and this case is no different.

The Solution:

An Integrated Strategy: The short answer is that they’re both correct to an extent — each approach holds an important piece of the marketing puzzle. My advice is to resist the temptation to wholeheartedly commit to one “team” and instead combine the best of both schools of thought into an integrated strategy.

The Power of Evergreen Digital Assets:

One of the huge benefits of a digital marketing approach is the one-time setup effort required for many of the core assets. You can create an educational video on home buying tips, and that asset will be available forever with no ongoing maintenance needed.

The same principle applies to ebooks, podcast episodes, online courses, and other evergreen digital content. While you can certainly continue producing new assets, the core benefit is leveraging that upfront work over and over again.

The Power of Relationship Building:

On the relationship building front, key tactics include attending local networking events, scheduling one-on-one meetings with potential clients/partners, making phone calls to your sphere of influence, and sending personal notes.

These types of personal touchpoints are crucial for building trust and credibility. Additionally, you could host client appreciation events, provide value-added services like relocation resources, and find creative ways to stay top-of-mind.

Maximizing Your Marketing Presence:

The ultimate point of marketing is maximizing your visibility and brand presence from multiple angles. So begin by establishing your digital foundations — an optimized website, social media profiles, Google Ads for relevant real estate searches in your area, retargeting ads to nurture website visitors, and so on.

Develop premium lead magnets like market reports, home valuation tools, or first-time buyer guides to capture email subscribers.

Then, create a content marketing strategy producing blog posts, videos, podcasts or other multimedia assets that position you as the local market expert.

An example video series could be neighborhood tours highlighting amenities and community profiles. For blog posts, cover topics like negotiation strategies, inspection tips, or explanations of real estate terminology. Repurpose this content into an ebook or online course that establishes credibility.

Now your digital assets are created, your groundwork is laid. Your marketing is in place. You’ve created your foundation, and now it’s time to get out there and shake hands and hob-knob with the big boys.

The Relationship Building Component:

With this digital groundwork laid, you can concentrate on the personal relationship building component. Identify your ideal client avatars and focus outreach there — examples could be new movers, investors, downsizers, etc.

Attend community events wherever your target market convenes. Set up coffee meetings or lunch dates to personally connect. Make sure to diligently follow up and nurture those budding relationships over time through your email marketing, social media engagement, and any reasons to periodically check in.

(for a much more in-depth approach to this The Relationship Building Component, which is community relationships, contact me to discuss consulting.)

An Integrated Approach for Well-Rounded Success:

So wrapping up, the two-team mindset of digital versus relationship building stems from our human tendency to divide into camps, be extreme or oppose extremes. But an integrated approach blending both modern marketing technologies and old-school personal touch is really the optimal path for a well-rounded real estate professional.

Implement sustainable digital assets and systems, but don’t neglect nurturing those critical personal connections. It’s a comprehensive strategy viewing digital and relationship building as complementary components rather than opposing forces.

And for information about building a business and leaving a legacy, read: How High Standards, Integrity, and Reliability Build Authority for Your Business.

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If you have any questions or want to talk through some of these marketing ideas or get help creating them, reach out to me any time at: David@crosscopywriting.com

For expert assistance on marketing your brand, contact CrossCopywriting.com.

For a practical guide: Expanding Your Retail Businessʼ Reach:
Leveraging Digital Assets for Successful Retail Marketing.

And you can download one of my White Papers here: Harnessing the Power of Advertising Traditional American Values — A Path to Marketing Success.