The Complete Marketing Plan
Posted in Real Estate Marketing By Jason LaVanture, Wednesday, September 10, 2008.In this economy of intense competition, it is easy to get stressed out at the thought of learning new techniques to getting your listings out in the public eye. But, there is no need to completely abandon traditional marketing strategies. The best advertising and marketing strategy is to diversify your marketing to reach a larger target audience. In order to do this properly, you must use all available means of marketing to draw potential buyers and sellers to one central place; most favorably, your website.
DIVERSIFY: The efforts of the agent or broker can seem like a monumental chore to undertake, but the benefits far outweigh the effort required in the long run. By diversifying your marketing efforts and funneling leads you can ensure that you are not left without steady business. Using a combination of traditional as well as modern advertising and marketing efforts can pay off for the savvy real estate agent.
LOCAL MEDIA: Many agents who use virtual tours also take out ads in the local paper and include the URL to the virtual tour web site. By using traditional media in the local real estate market area, the realtor can drive targeted traffic to the virtual tour web site, which will feature a variety of homes to choose from as well as virtual tours of the properties. Outlets such as news papers, magazines, local trade publications and free discount magazines are excellent methods of advertising the agent's active virtual tour web site to the world. Once visitors arrive at the agent's site, they can choose from various types of homes and locations to view online and view an interactive virtual tour.
MAKE IT EASY TO REACH YOU: Be sure to include SEVERAL means of contact, regardless of advertising medium. Many users might opt to bypass the virtual tour altogether and simply call the realtor directly for a personal showing. So, be sure to leave your phone number in an easily accessible and prominent area on your online AND print media advertisement.
DISTRIBUTE FLYERS: Print-out fliers and brochures that advertise your single property website, your business and the online virtual tour. These fliers and signs can be printed and distributed locally.
USE UNIQUE ATTENTION GETTING MARKETING: Using unique marketing tools such as RTV's PanoRider(tm), emailable HitStats(tm), or even just using a professional photographer service for those dramatic night-time shots can help you stand apart from the crowd. Using these marketing tools not only makes your properties stand apart from the rest, but also says incredible things about your marketing strategy to prospective sellers.
TV and RADIO: The local effort to drive traffic to the realtor's site should include any manner of traditional advertising the realtor can afford to incorporate into his or her ongoing advertising and marketing strategy, even radio and television if the prospective URL isn't too difficult to remember.
OPTIMIZE, OPTIMIZE, OPTIMIZE: Once the virtual tour and the supporting web presence have been established and advertised locally, it is important to concentrate on web site marketing and optimization online. Optimizing your website, your blog and even your virtual tours maximizes your overall traffic and potential leads by allowing search engines to properly index your website and listings.
SOCIAL NETWORK: Getting the word out about your website and your virtual tours may seem like a daunting task, but if taken step-by-step, will prove to be quite easy. The trick is to get your network set-up and to get yourself into a routine that is easy for you.
For more tips on Blogging, SEO & Social Networking, sign up for our monthly eNews on www.realtourvision.com
Cheryl Waller
National Marketing Manager
Real Tour Vision
www.RealTourVision.com
(866) 947-8687
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Submitted by Wayne Long on September 11, 2008 - 12:40am.
I agree Cheryl that we should incorporate all types of marketing. Sometimes Realtors tend to get fixed on which type of marketing is best. In my opinion the synergy of several types of marketing is best. Web combined with signs, print, etc. The idea is to stand out with all that you do.
Columbus Georgia Homes
Submitted by OpenHouseDealer.com on September 11, 2008 - 7:59am.
Cheryl,
I agree with you 100% and like Wayne said we need to incorporate all types of marketing in one package, but i'm not sure if that's possible, There is so many types of marketing out there.
David Yusupov
Tel#: 646 226-9738
www.OpenHouseDealer.com
Submitted by Bobby Carroll on September 11, 2008 - 2:52pm.
The core marketing components to every effective agent's arsenal should include:
The starting point: List the property in the local MLS
On-Property Marketing
This strategy includes the traditional elements like home properly staged, yard sign, property flyers, thank you cards, property cards and custom visitor folder.
Online Marketing
In addition to your rock-solid, SEO rich website jammed with great search tools, neighborhood maps, condo buildings and other rich resources, you must have a blog working in concert with your website. Begin blogging about all the wonderful activities you can experience in the area, market stats, neighborhoods and so much more. Distinguish yourself as the area expert! Link the blog back to your website for added SEO power.
It is also important to "Go Social". Make sure you are using "word of mouth" social media marketing strategies like:
• Entrepreneurs.com
• Fast Company.com
• Real Town
• Localism
• Active Rain
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Squidoo
• Flickr
• Real Estate Voices
and many other social media portals. In these settings, forget the hard sale, it's all about offering reliable information.
National High-Traffic Real Estate Websites
The goal here is place your client's property in the bull’s eye of your area's home buyers. This plan includes syndicating the listing to high-traffic national websites including:
• Realtor.com®
• Craigslist.com
• Google Base
• Trulia.com
• Zillow.com
• Oodle.com
• Yahoo Real Estate Classifieds
and many others.
Think viral: Place your neighborhood videos on YouTube and syndicate them through TubeMogul.com.
Direct Mail Marketing
Of course any agent worth his or her salt will utilize many of these time-tested strategies including:
• Just Listed Postcards
• Just Sold Postcards
• Direct mail postcards quarterly to your farm community
• Peer to peer marketing targeting other top producers
Print Media Marketing
While I'm not as high on this media, many areas still lean heavily on print ads. Options include:
• Newspaper Classified Ads
• Newspaper Display Ads
• Homes and Land
• Harmon Homes
• The Real Estate Book
Mobile Computing Marketing
In light of the impressive array of APP's available to mobile computing home buyer's, I would target iPhone users in a heartbeat! Armed with their property search "APPS", agents should tap into the power of mobile computing and make sure your properties appear in the Trulia Property search APP. With the sale of 3 Million new iPhones in this quarter alone, you are missing a golden opportunity if you are not taking advantage of this tech-savvy segment of iPhone carrying home buyers.
Lastly, measure, measure, measure for ROI and effectiveness!
Bobby Carroll - Dakno Real Estate Marketing
The Crystal Coast Blogger
Submitted by Greg Holt on September 11, 2008 - 4:32pm.
Cheryl,
I could not agree more. From the consumer side, I want an agent who is pulling out all the stops to sell my property. The old line "I am going to place you in the MLS" just is not enough anymore. From the business side, I was so fed up with not getting the out of the box marketing, I created a site to help. We have just surpassed the 100k listings and are being embraced by real estate agents everywhere. Reading a post like this is refreshing.
Thanks,
Greg Holt
CEO
Pad4Pad, LLC
www.pad4pad.com
Submitted by OpenHouseDealer.com on September 12, 2008 - 7:07am.
Hello Crystal,
Thank you for that wonderful Information!!!
David Yusupov
Tel#: 646 226-9738
www.OpenHouseDealer.com
Submitted by Riel Roussopoulos on October 13, 2008 - 2:31am.
May I add another layer to the social media plan please?
Have a look at what were doing for our clients, we're building rock solid community sites that create both listing opportunities and a host of other revenue opportunities for our clients.
Have a look at this post:
http://yourfarmer.com/special/agent
You can also view a video of what the types of sites we're talking about by looking at the home page http://YourFarmer.com
See how you could get paid to build your profile online.
Submitted by Andrew Mooers on April 29, 2009 - 1:27pm.
Reinvent the real estate job everyday. Good rundown and so many brokers are set in their ways of list it, poke a sign in the lawn, post any old picture and call it good. Video is king on property and area information. It uses all the senses and real video is not a piano music slide show of the same images you already posted. Real video establishes a connection with the broker talking one on one with a tour, using all our senses, not just our eyeballs by sliding your hand along the marble counter top and describing it at the same time so the buyer is touring the place with you and "feels" that cool counter top, hears the fire place crackling and sees the flames dancing..or hears the crickets in the backyard. That is powerful when you couple it with community videos on the area..schools, hospitals, area civic groups and local events.
Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Houlton Maine / Aroostook County
www.mooersrealty.com