Home Blog Uncategorized Standing up for real estate mogul Kris Lindahl: 4 reasons I love his marketing approach

Standing up for real estate mogul Kris Lindahl: 4 reasons I love his marketing approach

by | Sep 13, 2019

ICYMI, Kris Lindahl is taking over. The (overly) popular real estate mogul has been seen on bus sides, billboards and even in the sky (over Allianz Field and Target Field recently) via his airplane giveaways.

Kris Lindahl is everywhere.

And it’s pissing off the internet.

 

Kyle is hardly alone. These kinds of tweets and posts on social are prevalent every day.

 

So, after seeing this kind of blowback for the last few months, I started wondering: Why does everyone hate this guy? I mean, I get the over-exposure thing, but he’s a guy running a business, right? He’s trying to sell homes. He’s trying to make a living. And, the marketing approach he’s taking seems to be working, from what I’ve heard and read.

So again, why all the hate?

City Pages recently ran an article discussing just that. Fun read, if you have the time.

But, as I started researching Kris Lindahl for myself (I used him/his company as a case study in my class at the University of St. Thomas last week), something weird happened:

I found myself liking him.

And, standing up for him.

Because I think a lot of what he’s doing is actually pretty smart (waits patiently for eggs to be throw through computer screen at me!).

Now, I understand a lot of people dislike the guy for being over-exposed. Believe me, I have people I dislike for the same reason.

But, you can despise the guy, but I think you have to respect him from a business POV. Here’s four reasons why:

1: He gives back–a lot.

One quick glimpse at his social media feeds and you can see quite cleary that Kris is all about giving back. He has an entire campaign devoted to it: #BeGenerous. Posts like this are common on his Facebook page:

Or, what about this story of a guy who set up a GoFundMe page to create a parody of Lindahl’s billboards? Lindahl not only had fun with acknowledging the billboard, he donated $1,250 to People Serving People on the parody makers behalf! And sure, there’s a business benefit to this campaign and his work to give back. But, he makes a point to be out in front of it, actually DOING the giving back in almost every instance. Now, you could say that’s a guy who’s making it all about himself. And, you might be right. But, he doesn’t have to do this. And, he is making a difference (which is more than I can say for most of us). Plus, do we really have to be outraged about EVERYTHING? I mean, here’s a guy giving back to his community on the regular and we still find ways to hate him? In today’s day and age, I think Lindahl is actually worth celebrating.

2: He’s all about filling the funnel

At the end of the day, this is all about buying and selling homes. Period. If he does that well, he’s going to make a lot of money and be quite successful. In order to do that, like any good real estate agent will tell you, he needs brand awareness. Isn’t that what all the bus sides, billboards and blimps are all about? Let me put it another way: Do you know the first and last names of any other real estate agents in town?

3: He’s a founder/executive who’s personal

Tweets like this are fairly common in his feed:

 

How many founders, CEOs and other president-types do you see responding to tweets like this online in 2019? Not too many is the correct answer. Believe me, I try to convince C-level folks to spend more time online for a living. This is rare. And again, should be celebrated–not vilified.

4: He doesn’t take himself too seriously

I mean, would any exec or founder you know do this?

 

Again, the correct answer is a resounding “No.” This guy clearly is OK poking fun at himself. Heck, a big part of the City Pages story is all about poking fun at himself and not taking this whole thing so seriously. And, big surprise, it’s working.

So, spare me the internet outrage for a moment. Check out what the guy is actually doing instead of making quick-twitch hot takes based on a bus-side you saw for the 45th time. So the guy advertises a lot? Big deal. So does Wells Fargo and you’re still banking with those thieves! 🙂 In all seriousness, here’s a guy who’s personal, seems to be genuine and gives back freely of his time and money. In all honesty, the world could probably use a lot more Kris Lindahl’s right now.

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