Realtor Safety: Setting Expectations in Your Marketing

This month, we're publishing content from a course on Realtor Safety. This is the fifth in a series of articles that teaches Realtors how to prevent being a victim of crime. Read the previous article here.

The words you use in your marketing messages have connotations, which is to say that they have emotional value over and above their literal meaning. Those who commit crimes with a power motive are attracted to subservience and weakness because the "power high" is what they seek. Those who commit crimes with a profit motive are also attracted to subservience and weakness because it represents lower risk.

In your marketing, choose words that convey power, control, knowledge, authority, etc. For example:

"Here to serve all your real estate needs"
vs.
"Experience to handle the entire real estate process"

Notice that the first statement implies servitude, whereas the second statement implies confidence and power.

Information to avoid in marketing

Earlier, we mentioned that stalking behaviors give a predator a "high" in addition to potentially planning an attack. Consequently, you'll want to ensure that information you include in your marketing does not "feed the stalking high" or help a predator plan an attack in the event that someone does fixate on and target you. Limiting the "high" a predator can achieve through online stalking will increase the likelihood that he or she will lose interest.