It is well understood that the sense of smell has a powerful impact on the way customers respond to a brand, product or service. Because the olfactory bulb is directly connected to the amygdala and the hippocampus, the sense of smell directly impacts our memories and emotions in a strong manner that is difficult to ignore and harder to forget.
This is why smart real estate agents know how to use scent marketing to evoke a sense of homeliness, comfort and contentment in the properties they are attempting to sell.
Tricks Of The Trade
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to make a house smell like cookies are baking in the oven when the house is on show. In some cases, real estate agents might literally bake cookies in the oven to fill the house with that smell or they might simply purchase a cookie-flavoured fragrance, which they will diffuse throughout the house either using an aerosol can, scented candles, diffusion sticks or an electronic diffusion device.
However, it has recently become evident that overwhelmingly smells – however pleasing they may be – can distract customers. They may be tempted to focus on the smell and determine what it is, rather than allowing the aroma to form a subconscious connection and associate with the experience or the space.
It is therefore suggested that more subtle smells be used than more obvious ones. This tends to have a more profound impact on the subconscious and can play a larger role in affecting the memory and emotions customers are not consciously aware of.
Subtle Scents That Sell
Some of the more subtle odours or scents that are recommended in real estate selling include citrus, pine, jasmine, vanilla and cinnamon, to name a few.
Cinnamon is well-used in homes that need to convey a sense of cosiness as cinnamon is often associated with winter and warm, comforting foods that counter the cold outside. Cinnamon is connected with holidays such as Christmas, which evokes a sense of comfort, warmth and security.
Something like jasmine might evoke a sense of summer and springtime because jasmine tends to flower in the warm spring and early summer months. This aroma is often associated with the carefree and playful summer season and evokes the imagery of flowers and bright colours. If the home being sold is airy, spacious and situated in a warm climate that plays on outdoor entertainment with swimming pools, patios and large bright windows, the smell of jasmine could be an appealing aroma to convey that sense of summer freedom.
In homes that are meant to be cool but comforting – like the feeling of sitting under a shaded tree – the scent of pine is a wonderful aroma for evoking a sense of calm and tranquillity. Pine makes people feel healthy and calm, and reduces anxiety. For homes that want to exude this quality and create a sense of serenity and oneness with nature, pine is a winner.
Another great aroma is citrus, which is an all-round mood booster. It helps homes feel cleaner and also more comfortable as a result.
Vanilla, on the other hand, is a warm, calming, soothing scent and works in just about any scenario and any space. Vanilla evokes a sense of tranquillity and peacefulness and it feels like a warm embrace that few can resist. Imbuing the home for sale with the scent of vanilla is sure to make prospective customers feel as though the home is a place they would want to live in.
Using fragrance oils and diffusers in South Africa is an excellent way to creat great first impressions. Therefore, we strongly recommend that olfactory branding and scent marketing be a core component of your real estate strategy. Contact us at Scent.ology today to get started with your unique scent profile today!
