My CyberStar(tm) networking group recently had an on-line discussion on the decision of the LA Times to abandon their real estate classified section.  All agreed that it is a sign of the times that newspaper advertising has declined dramatically.  The reason?  Today’s consumer goes to other, more immediate and thorought ways of getting information…including real estate.

One of my CyberStars(tm), Sam Miller of RE/MAX Stars Realty, Mt. Vernon, OH, posted the following comment during the discussion.  Sorry that I didn’t note who posted it, but it says a lot about how to market real estate these days.  Note that the writer uses print media to get the consumer to his Web site, a great example of using “old” media the right way.

“Let me be VERY clear that I do not question that the Web works.  In my peak year I closed more than 100 transactions that came into my Real Pro System as the initial contact.  Understand that the only way people found my Real Pro Site was print marketing including direct mail, homes magazine ads and newspaper ads promoting the automated search feature.  Later I added the Automated Listing Search to the back of my listing flyers in my brochure box…all of this was print marketing that generated Real Pro Systems website traffic.

“Tracking this type of thing is very difficult, and if I didn’t know better I would have said all 100+ transactions were Intenet leads when it reality there were a combination of print that drove the consumer to my Real Pro Site.  A close friend of mine in Hendersonville Tennessee, Wayne Turner, has been able to take my personal experience and test it and then leverage it in a much larger real estate market and he has been selling 175 to 225 transactions per year.

“When you try to track where your business comes from, pay close attention to more than the initial data.  In many cases you have to go 2 and 3 questions deep to find the true source of business.  Speaking of not being able to easily track where some of your business comes from…..those of you who have had billboards know exactly what I am talking about.  I typically would get the “I saw your billboard last week” and other comments like that and the reality is that the billboard had been down for more than a year.  You have to be able to dig deep to find what truly caused them to contact you.”

I hope this helps you balance “old” and “new” marketing methods….and that it leads to more transactions!

It’s a great day here on the lake in Reston…hope it’s a great day wherever you are, too!

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