Real estate marketing like any kind of advertising is a numbers game.
Gimme an "R", a "T", a "Z"... what's that
spell? Louder...(hands over ears). Good. The goal, to reach way way more eyeballs, eardrums with your real estate advertising message as efficiently as possible right?
No cost, and low cost real estate marketing options that get you more impressions, clicks, views all add up to one big piece of the same marketing pie.
Anything that works in your market to make the phone ring non stop. To cause the emails to pour in, the server to smoke. The real estate office door hinges to squeal, squeak from customer in and out over use is a good thing.But the bottom line because "hello", real estate is a business is expenses. Your profit is in your overhead, what goes out to keep the real estate closings conveyor belt whirring, sales happening. So the big three, REALTOR dot com, the big "T" (Trulia) and big "Z" (Zillow) are well known and populated with your listings now. But maybe to peel of more dead presidents to enhance your work on those platforms, venues to stand out from the crowd has you scratching your head. Is it worth it, the expense when you look around and consider the real estate marketing landscape TODAY ?
Like a crowded highway of mass produced real estate listing efficiency, in addition to being in these media streams, building real estate marketing rocket(S) in your own agency office back yard is crucial, critical.
The big "YT" is one extra avenue to tour, put on the directional blinker and tool down. You Tube for real estate marketing is one sweet vehicle. To reach more real estate customers no matter what device they are using for the real estate and local community information signal, message delivery.Local area community flavor, You Tube videos show the on line buyer what it is like in your home town.
Cost to set up the channel on You Tube. Zip, nada, zero. The learning curve to shoot, edit, render upload and the real estate equipment bought to create the marketing videos a little bumpy. Starting out. But if you one by one stock those You Tube video local library cyber shelves, if you add in your stand alone and other blog platform posting with fresh, worthwhile content, you are starting to build another marketing fire.
Keep the bon fire of the big three, the "R", "T" and "Z" stoked with your real estate marketing message. But don't become held hostage as the cost to showcase your property listings goes higher.
And the herd gets bigger in those platforms where you feel shrinking, lost at Disney as a real estate professional suddenly under 44 inches tall. Divert some of the resources of time and money to your You Tube real estate channel. Get to Maine, big state, she's some kind of drop dead gorgeous, natural, friendly too.
I would rather use YT and CL for advertising than R, T and Z, but that is just me. Have a great week, Andrew!
I think it's a good idea. Google just loves it also. I think that everyone should rethink what value the R, T & Z bring to their business. In mine I can add it up really quick - zero. It never made ANY difference that I could track back to the $$ it cost. I've been over it for years.
Let em advertise as long as my phone rings it brings me an opportunity to work with a potentially new client. I use CL too and it really brings the calls in!
Don... I think like a musical band, don't just do solos or leave it all up to one platform to do all the heavy lifting. But have the other members in the band on your real estate market stage to sing the song, play the music so the real estate buyers, sellers can hum along, be in the moment of your message on properties, the local area events.
Lyn ... Bingo. The approach in 1983 is not the same landscape of options today. Look around, swivel our heads and see what is out there, what we are currently using and shake up the mix. Add some spice, pull back some of the wasted effort on old ways less and less efficient to fine tune. Sharpen the crispness of the marketing message! Video takes, delivers the outside buyers to your market, add more than just the local purchasers to the customer base. Instead of telling that outside buyer about your area, show them. With full motion, with audio from the local events one by one. Video is powerful and you don't have to peel off thousands and thousands of dollars once you get the marketing flywheel rolling, spinning, humming loudly.
John, Don ... CL, Craigs List is another avenue that only takes time to assemble what you already have for ingredients... the images, video links, copy information just needs to be thrown in to the real estate mixing bowl and poured, popped in, baked in the CL oven. (Breathing deeply) MMmmmm good. Smell your real estate message, local area flavor cooking for all to enjoy? Up to you, me, anyone wearing the blue and gold "R", the hardest working letter in the entire alphabet bar none.
Will be curious to see how many agencies pull away from advertising and enhancing on the big three. Like many others I would like to but they DO give us good exposure, especially R.
Andrew, the comments so far, along with your blog post itself earned a "Suggest". This is great and will definitely earn a feature.
Rene ... Everything changes, real estate marketing is in flux. Don't knee jerk and make it all black and white, in or out. Just adjust the thermostat for your local market. No one, no one can tell you what works for you, your budget, your local market from some glass tower shiny tower office complex. Unlike Nike's command, suggestion. Don't just do it because everyone else is. Say wait a minute, this, this and this need more emphasis and zing, boy, getting better results. That's the bottom line. Not just newspapers and a sign in the lawn approach any more.... lots of choices, options. Harness those media streams for the "home delivery".
Suzanne ... Thanks for the suggestion but gold stars are like hen's teeth to get. So, how many superbowl real estate ads is your office running this year?
Andrew,
LOVE THIS suggestion. YT, for your best ROI in marketing $$.
I am getting better at shooting video's, well no oscar nominations, but the public like them.
All the best, Michelle
You are the forerunner and a Maine lighthouse with YouTube. I could not agree with you more. Learning where to place our priorities for spending money is key in this market. You are right about being on the internet. Those who are not using it are unfortunately getting left behind in this new market.
Cal
Michelle ... They are not for entertainment, edge of your seat excitement or tear jerking drama. Videos showcase the local area, the properties you list and sell, twist and shout about to make a living.
Cal ... My pal, like picking your nose, I don't care if everyone around the playground is doing it. Get away from the herd, locked in and not thinking about your real estate marketing options. The sacred ROI decision making. You want to own the front page of a search engine and like NASCAR, have your brand on all the hoods, rear deck, roof and sides of every car in the field. There is nothing like doing a search and see that one, this one, heck all of them are your handy work.The video player appearing is a special hoot and increases 53% your chances of a showing... just use and SEO wire up that video!
Andrew, your video is priceless and it tells the story not only of the soapboxderby, the weather and the spirit of the people in Maine, it does work to sell homes. Great post. Suggested!
Emily ... It was a wet one... but no matter what, the kids love racing. Have to race to determine a winner to send to Akron Ohio! http://mainesoapboxderby.tumblr.com/
Andrew, you are a master of video for YT and you are right, we have to make our money stretch in this economy.
Sharon
F and S ... Just good business. And the left over money you can do things that are fun, like turn up the volume on the reach, frequency of your on line real estate store. One site is not enough any more and owning the front page on this, this and this search term gets folks in to your marketing tent. Real estate is a sport, play passionately. Thanks for your kind words!
Good advice for all of us to heed!
Lee and Pamela ... Thank you for the blue ribbon feature!
HI Andy~
Big SUGGEST on this one...good advice...as always...and a very sound way to explain your conclusions. THX
Thank you !