Integrated Marketing tips and advice - Print and Internet combined

donate to your local community

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:42:05 -0600

As the holidays approach, we're seeing more and more articles about needy families. This artice was shared with me from my Realtor friend, Stefanie Leal in Orange County.

Check out the link:

http://www.ocfoodbank.org/fooddrive/plan.html#items

Orange County Food Bank is turning people away and this is a link that talks about the things most needed. Also, $25 buys a Hunger Box which is what they give to families who come. If 20 people donated $25, thats $500. If you would like to show your support please let me know. Thank you and have a great evening!!!

Mrs. Stallone reads Homes & Land Magazine

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:53:27 -0600

check it out.

Stallone family

Mrs Stallone with a Homes & Land Magazine

From Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing"

Think advertising is expensive?

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:37:22 -0500

The number one objection I hear when I ask people to advertise with me is that it's "too expensive" and so I challenge you It's-Too-Expensive Realtors to think about this:

A full page is $695 in my Riverside County edition, and $745 in my North Orange County edition so lets just say $725 for an example. Therefore, if you bought a full page for a year (13-issues a year) that equals = $9,425

If you have 1 listing priced at the median Orange County price of $460,000 your commission at 2.5% is $11,500.

You can advertise up to 12 homes an issue making your cost $60 per listing you advertise each month. But lets assume you like a cleaner easy to read layout and choose to only feature 6 listings per issue. That would make your cost $120.80 per listing per issue ($120.80 x 6 listings = $725).

Even though the average days on the market in Orange County is 90 days, Lets assume that your listing is over priced and ugly and you anticipate it taking 9 months to sell. If you budgeted $120.80 per month X 9 months, that equals = $1,087. Again, your commission would be $11,500. So even on an ugly over priced listing you'd only have to budget 9% of your commission. Business experts will tell you to spend 10 - 15 % on marketing.

That's just with low end listings. For the "Luxury home" listing agent we have a package where you don't even have to buy the full page, you can simply buy a featured listing for $195. Oh and by the way all of oour print ads include online listing syndication to 35 websites, some of the best in the industry.

Also, this doesn't even take into consideration the value of having 25,000 people each month seeing your face. That totals 325,000 people a year. Imagine this, you walk up to your listing appointment and say, "Hi, my name is XXX" and your potential listing says, "I know. We see you everywhere" Do you think it would be easier to get a listing? Of course! NAR says the #1 reason an agent is picked is because of their reputation.

Danae

HomesAndLand.com goes international

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:51:28 -0500

Homes & Land now offers international listings, the latest addition to the growing list of features
available on HomesAndLand.com. With this new feature HomesAndLand.com supports listing
addresses in the Bahamas, Costa Rica and Mexico in addition to the US and Canada.

What are the benefits of including international listings on HomesAndLand.com?
With the new international listings feature, advertisers have the ability to showcase their listings
located in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Mexico and increase opportunities for leads, at no extra
charge.

Does Homes & Land export international listings to partner sites?
We currently export international listings to New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Google Base,
Vast.com, Oodle.com, Condo.com, and UniqueGlobalEstates.com.

How do consumers find international listings?
To view international listings, consumers simply click the International Real Estate link on national
home page, HomesAndLand.com. Next, select a state, province or region for a specific country, and then finally, select a
listing.

Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions or comments regarding this product,
please feel free to contact me!

Danae Aballi

Realtor Safety Week

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:03:59 -0500

This was sent to me by Brian Walker of Farmers Insurance. I thought it was good stuff so I'm passing along:

Protect you clients.
Warn your clients that not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Strangers who stop by unannounced should be asked to make an appointment with the listing agent. Stress that your clients should never to show a home without the presence of an agent.

Secure your garage.
Help keep your home safe by covering garage windows. There is a lot about your garage you don't want potential criminals to know about---such as whether someone is home, or if there are tools or ladders available to help break in to your home.

Keep your cell phone handy.
Always carry a charged mobile phone. Clip your phone on and make it part of your everyday apparel for immediate accessibility.

My advice:
#1. Watch out for the warnings. Some may be easily seen and others may be hidden but look for them.
#2. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Stay away.

Have a safe and productive weekend!

"Cost Saving Ideas" for advertising

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:26:18 -0500

I wanted to offer some suggestions on how you can mazimize your ROI when you advertise with Homes & Land Magazine and HomesAndLand.com. Many of our advertisers apply some of these money saving strategies without sacrificing the comprehensive services we offer:

1 - If your office already advertises with us, you do not have to advertise every issue and we will still honor the lowest annual rates. We will also keep your website active for up to 3 months without an ad.

2 - You can "share an ad" with a mortgage broker or someone else you do business with. Usually their ad goes in the footer. You can still fit 12 listings on a full page with this layout.

3 - You can "share a page" with another agent and split the costs in half. This way a half page ad would be $347.50/issue (half of full page annual rate of $695) vs the $395 regular rate. We would design both half page ads separately so it will clearly look like each ad is separate and no one need know you are "sharing the page". This offer would only apply when both of you advertise in the same issue and agree to be on the same page.

4 - We have 1/6 page ads for just $125 / issue. All our services described below apply.

5 - We have quarter page ads for $275 / issue. All our services desribed below apply.

6 - You can "share a half-page" with another agent and split the costs in half. This way a quarter page ad would be $197.50 / issue (half of half-page annual rate of $395) vs the $275. We would design both quarter page ads separately so it will clearly look like each ad is separate and no one need know you are "sharing the half-page". This offer would only apply when both of you advertise in the same issue and agree to be on the same half-page.

7 - Receive 5% discount for a 6-issue bulk buy pre-payment that is received via check, at least two weeks before the ad copy due date. In this instance, a full page would be $660. A half page would be $375. This discount would apply to any "shared pages" also. For example, a "shared-page" where you and another agent each have your own half-page ad on the same page, the pre-paid discount would still be $375 for the half page. Even if your "ad partner" does not pre-pay, the discount will apply if you do.

OUR SERVICES:

We've been working hard to improve our magazine and I'd love to meet with you and discuss all the services we offer with our Integrated Marketing System, but until then, here is a brief summary:

1 - Free Personal Website - Fully functional and no set up fee! All your listings can be uploaded via an MLS FEED and all can have an E-Z tour created; a free “virtual tour”. All you need to do is be sure you have six or more photos in the MLS and we do the rest!

2- A link to our website which generates over 40,000 monthly page views. Our local site is linked to our national site which according to Hitwise, a 3rd party objective research group, 67% of visitors earn more than $100,000 a year. This is a higher average than most other Real Estate websites.

3 - We export all your residential listings, free of charge, to more than 20 websites: All you have to do is take out a quarter page ad, or larger, and we do the rest!

4 - Free uploads of your listings to the DuPont Registry and The Wall Street Journal. Unlike the above sites, which have no restrictions, these sites have minimum list price requirements.

5 – Inclusion in our Online Digital magazine which gets emailed to thousands of professionals, and homebuyers and sellers, each issue. Check it out! http://www.inlandhomesnow.com/flippy

6 - Free Internet Leads - we've given out hundreds in the past 6 months to Realtors® and Brokers.

7 - We print over 25,000 copies of the magazine every month with a 2-4 month shelf life! It is a full-color, full-size, high-gloss magazine and our graphic artists will custom design your ad.

8 - Unmatched distribution throughout Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino Counties including the Galleria at Tyler Maill

9 - We don't date the magazine or throw any away. “Leftover" issues are distributed at outlying areas.

10 - We do extensive direct mailing each month to active home buyers and sellers.

11 – We mail a copy of the magazine to all your clients listed in the magazine with a letter from the President of H&L saying what a great job you are doing in marketing your client's home. A great third party endorsement!

We also have additional services such as; full service printing, internet banner ads and spotlight properties on the Wall Street Journal and Homes and Land’s website.

If you have any questions, or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In the meantime, be well and happy selling!

Danae

Homes & Land Magazine

HOME Tweet Home!

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:59:21 -0500

HomeTweetHome (Twitter)

How are you all using Twitter in your businesses? My company, Homes & Land Magazine and HomesAndLand.com, just launched a new service that allows consumers to receive property information using Twitter.

Here are some examples of how we can use Twitter:

• Consumers viewing a Homes & Land magazine can text a listing’s MLS ID to Twitter and
we will text them back with price, bedrooms/baths, agent’s name, a link to the agent’s
phone, and a URL to the listing.

• Consumers driving by a property for sale can text the property address and city to Twitter
and we will text them back with price, bedrooms/baths, agent’s name, a link to the agent’s
phone, and a URL to the listing.

Valid tweets:
@homesandland <mlsid>
@homesandland <listingid>
@homesandland <streetnumber streetname, city>
@homesandland <streetname, city>

Instructions for using Twitter with HomesAndLand.com
We have provided detailed instructions for consumers explaining how to use this service. To
access these instructions, go to the new home page, www.HomesAndLand.com, and click on the Twitter logo. The resulting
page provides detailed instructions about how to sign up with Twitter and how to use our service.

Vital Statistics! It's print AND the internet hand in hand for effective marketing

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:13:50 -0500

Corona Chili Cook Off!

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:46:14 -0500

Oh yay! It's that time again for the Corona, CA Chili Cook-Off (put on by Corona Mortgage) for the real estate community. It's a fun event and great networking! Hope to see you all there. Be sure to stop by my Homes & Land Magazine booth to try some of my mom's famous white chili.

california advertising laws change 2009

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:01:11 -0500

Advertising SB 1461

DRE License
Number on Ads
(eff. 7/1/09)

This law requires a real estate licensee to disclose his or her DRE
license number on all “solicitation materials intended to be the first point of
contact with consumers” and on real property purchase agreements when
acting as an agent in those transactions.

It defines "solicitation materials intended to be the first point of contact with
consumers" to include:
. business cards,
. stationery,
. advertising fliers, and
. other materials designed to solicit the creation of a professional
relationship between the licensee and a consumer.

Excluded from the definition are the following:
. an advertisement in print or electronic media,
. "for sale" signs, and
. specified classified rental advertisements.
Amended Business and Professions Code Section 10140.6.

Enormo.com for International Real Estate

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:14:17 -0500

We are pleased to announce that my website, HomesAndLand.com, has entered into a partnership with
Enormo, the world’s largest international real estate website. We are now
exporting over 150,000 listings from across the United States and Canada. There
is no minimum price requirement to be exported.

Homes & Land covers many vacation and resort communities that are popular
with international investors. The partnership with Enormo gives added exposure
to listings in those popular tourist areas.

Enormo currently has 8.7 million for-sale and rental properties in 80 countries
worldwide. Enormo is ranked 9th most-visited real estate site in the world by
comScore.

So if your interested in reaching the International market, advertise in Homes & Land Magazine and your listings will automatically be posted to Enormo.com (plus 27 other national websites!)

All print is NOT the same

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:12:50 -0500

So-called "experts" lump all print into one category and then bluster that Print Is Dead. The facts tell a different story. It is true that newspaper readership has declined 18% since 1994*. However, the audience for magazines has increased, even during the period when the Internet became popular. From 1994 until 2008 the readership of magazines increased from 166 million to 188.9 million, a gain of 13%.**

That's because magazines deliver targeted content to a target audience. If you're interested in reaching active homebuyers and sellers, Homes & Land Magazine can help.

HomesAndLand.com versus competing RealEstateBook.com

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:33:43 -0500

It has been brought to my attention that TREB may be touting that RealEstateBook.com gets more traffic than HomesAndLand.com. The claim is false. Attached are charts and graphs from multiple sources of website traffic illustrating that HomesAndLand.com gets more traffic than RealEstateBook.com.

The source for the TREB publisher’s claim is Media Metrix. You can find accurate Media Metrix numbers on Realtor.org.

Go to www.Realtor.org
Click on Technology in the side navigation bar
Toward the bottom of the page, click on Get the Latest NAR Web Site Traffic Statistics
Open the most recent PDF. Stats are listed & uploaded monthly and currently the most recent showing is November 2008.

Realtor.org lists all real estate sites with 500,000 or more unique visitors in a given month. As you can see, RealEstateBook.com is not even listed (nor is their parent company).

All research companies measure traffic differently. That is why each of the research companies in the attached images gives a different traffic number.

Also, keep in mind that the quality of the traffic matters too. In previous newsletters I have e-mailed to some of you, we have sent the HitWise report showing that we have the most affluent traffic in real estate (much more affluent than TREB.com). In the current economic climate, having visitors that can afford the homes you’re selling is more important than ever.

Should you need more info / stats on HomesAndLand.com web traffic, please feel free to call me!

Your Marketing Partner!
Danae

_______________________________________________________

Danae A. Aballi, IMS, BA (marketing)
VP of Sales & Marketing
Integrated Marketing Specialist

Homes & Land Magazine of Greater Riverside County
www.HomesAndLand.com

View my E-Magazine: http://www.temeculaandmurrietarealestate.com/flippy

(o) 909.307-2682 x 102 - (f) 909.307-2684 - homestm@uia.net

How to Create a Great Ad

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:02:27 -0600

How to Create a Great Ad

Use this seven step process the next time you write an ad.

Step 1:

Who is most likely to buy this home?
Consider income, occupation, lifestyle. Who is the secondary prospect?

Step 2:

Describe the home and community
Location: What is the location with regard to neighborhood/area, and access to conveniences, schools and work. Size: List the square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Step 3:

Evaluate the features
List the features of the home or community in order of importance. Try to evaluate the home as the prospect will see it.

Step 4:

Create a headline (Leadline)
The headline is the single most important element in a classified ad and the second most important in a pictorial magazine (the picture is first). Take your most important benefit and make it your headline.

Here are some examples of
benefits turned into headlines:
Value: Buy Your Freedom
Comfort: Relax In Style
Safety/Security: Built To Endure
Status: Prestigious Tudor Under The Elms

Step 5:

Write the body copy
Explain to the prospects how they will achieve the promise you made in the headline. Speak of features in terms of benefits. Include the property basics.

Step 6:

Signature
Make it easy for the prospect to respond. Include all of your contact information, add a sense of urgency when appropriate (A rare opportunity, call…).

Step 7:

Edit the ad
Strike non-essential words, but make sure your ad still creates an impact. Have you included the property basics of price, size, and area?

Don't call me on my cell phone to sell me!

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:20:47 -0600

Subject: Important Info. about Cell Phones

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month

REMINDER.... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing
companies tomorrow and you will start to receive sale calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell
phone: 888-382-1222.

it is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years.

You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.. It
takes about 20 seconds. or go to www.donotcall.gov

Online Banner Ads

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:46:20 -0600

Is your message reaching your target audience?

Don't waste your advertising dollars on a message that gets lost on people who aren't interested. If you want to reach active homebuyers or sellers, you need to advertise on HomesAndLand.com.

With over 1.4 million unique visitors a month, HomesAndLand.com is one of real estate's most popular websites. HomesAndLand.com is also the #1 real estate website in attracting affluent homebuyers. Over 54% of visitors have household incomes in excess of $100,000, compared to an industry average of 22%.

By advertising on HomesAndLand.com you can be sure your message will get through to the right people.

Email me learn more about banner ads on HomesAndLand.com.

Where Do You Advertise?

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:33:59 -0600

Holiday Breakfast to benefit Cantree

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:36:51 -0600

Affiliate in Motion, North Orange County

requests your presence at…

Our Annual Holiday Breakfast!

The Joy of Giving is the Greatest Gift of All!

Help us raise money for Cantree

Tuesday, December 9th

8:00-10:30 a.m.—Networking and breakfast

at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim

Individual Breakfast ticket - $20.

Holiday Basket Sponsorship - $25.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 19^th and can be purchased at Carl’s JR Restaurant from 8:30 - 11 AM. 3240 Yorba Linda Blvd in Fullerton.

____________________________

Guests are welcome!

For more info you can contact:

Marisa Behnke, Ticor Title 714-448-8997

John Chavez, Cal Counties Title 714-600-1490

Eric Christensen, Fidelity National Title 714-488-3052

Hemet-San Jacinto Board of Realtors Installation Dinner

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:56:01 -0600

Please come and help us celebrate! You can also participate by giving a door prize, or be an event sponsor! Event sponsorship is only $150 and you'll be marketing your business to the top real estate professionals of the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley!

For Details, visit Hemet San-Jacinto Board of Realtors website

Or call the board at 951-925-0526

Women's Council of Realtors - Ornament Exchange

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:48:31 -0600

The Women’s Council of Realtors^®, Inland Valley Chapter

requests your presence at…

Our Annual Holiday New Member Orientation and Networking Event!

This event is free and will have food, drinks and lots of fun. There will be a Christmas Inspired Silent Auction and Raffle,

So bring a holiday-inspired item (Christmas Ornament, trinket, etc.) Contact Danae Aballi at (714) 709-6558 if you will be bringing an auction item.

Wednesday, November 19th in Riverside

4:30-5:00 p.m.--Networking

5:00-5:30 p.m.--Orientation

5:30-6:30 p.m.--Food, drinks, networking and silent auction and raffle.

Please R.S.V.P. to Melany Denkers at (951) 479-2889.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Elite Home Inspections

____________________________

Guests and non-members are welcome!

But remember, if you join the WCR in November or December, you receive TWO months of free membership! Join today!

It's print AND the Internet

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:56:19 -0500

It’s Print AND the Internet

by Rob Wicker

Chief Marketing Officer

Homes & Land Affiliates, LLC

You’ve probably heard this one before: “Eighty percent of homebuyers are

online. You need to cancel your print advertising. It’s a waste of money. Go

where the buyers are.”

Speakers across North America are chanting this mantra. Many of these same

speakers have a vested interest in online marketing. Now I admit to a bias: I am

the CMO for a company that prints five million magazines per month. I do believe

strongly that the agents who listen to the hype and cancel their print advertising

are making a huge mistake. Online advertising definitely has a place in an

agent’s marketing portfolio, but online advertising is not sufficiently visual,

repetitive, or frequent enough to achieve all of a top producing agent’s career

goals.

Let’s examine what I mean. When agents tell me that they plan to advertise

exclusively on the Web, I ask them precisely what their plan includes. I usually

hear a mix of Google Adwords, SEO that might yield some clicks to an agent’s

website, listing enhancement on sites like Realtor.com, membership with a lead

referral company, and maybe a blog. Now each of these options has benefits,

and I encourage you to explore them all. However, even added together they

don’t provide the comprehensive marketing system that a productive agent

needs.

For example, an agent plans to buy sponsored links like “Orlando Real Estate”

on Google. This is a valid way to spend money; however, the reality is the top

three sponsored links on a search page get a lot of clicks, the next five spots get

some clicks, and after the top eight spots you get zero clicks. Even in medium

size markets there may be 2,000 agents competing for the top few slots with

obvious keywords like “real estate,” and most agents don’t have the time or

knowledge to go after the more obscure search terms. The bottom line is that

there will be very few agents in your market who can succeed by only buying

keywords, and these agents are open to immediate displacement by a higher bid

from a competing agent.

Perhaps an agent tells me that she is going to put more money into improving

her personal website and then hire an “expert” to help push her site to the top of

the search results. Once again this is a limited strategy. Almost every agent and

broker has a website, and it is very tough to get to the top of the search results. A

search on Google for “Orlando Real Estate” yields 1,820,000 websites. That is a

tough ladder to climb. There are a lot of so-called experts making big promises to

agents about what they can achieve. Most agents end up being disappointed.

And those agents whose sites come to the top are extremely vulnerable. Google

changes the algorithms that determine who gets to the top. If a change is made,

the agent’s rankings may fall without warning, and then where is she?

Some agents participate with lead referral companies. Most lead referral

companies offer designated territories, usually by zip code. There are a limited

number of spots available. These companies charge a referral fee on closed

transactions or a hefty per-lead charge. In addition, the popularity of these sites

is on the decline. Referral sites are not a bad option, but they are a limited option.

The agent plans to pay extra to enhance his listings on Realtor.com. This should

help, but there are over 4,000,000 listings on Realtor.com. Is that how the agent

is going to brand himself or win listings? Too many agents are already doing the

same thing.

Once again I am not dismissing these options; I believe they all have some

value. An important question to ask is, “What am I trying to accomplish with my

advertising dollars and will these online options achieve my goals?” Even added

together the online options don’t provide the comprehensive marketing plan that

productive agents need. Consider how print advertising can anchor a marketing

plan:

Lead Generation: Print advertising produces phone calls and email leads from

readers (and I like to point out that agents are more likely to get an actual phone

call from a magazine—which is a higher quality lead). Homes & Land also

generates leads from magazines sent directly to consumers actively buying and

selling. We offer direct mail programs where agents can mail magazines to their

target markets. Leads are also generated when relocating buyers request a

magazine from our 800 number. In addition, magazines are enjoyed by affluent

Baby Boomers and retirees, people who can qualify for homes even when credit

is tight.

Satisfying sellers: Home sellers get anxious when they don’t see any activity.

Advertising their home in a quality magazine is evidence that the agent is doing

everything possible to market that home.

Winning listings: In a down market agents need more listings than ever

because fewer listings will actually close. Advertising in a quality magazine

differentiates you from other agents competing for the listing.

Justifying a commission: When home prices decline, home sellers ask agents

to cut their commission percentage. This is a way for the home seller to make up

the lower sales price. A full service marketing plan that includes quality print

advertising justifies a full commission from the sellers (and an additional

percentage point in the commission can more than pay for multiple print ads).

Reaching past clients: Advertising in print is an effective way for an agent to

reach past clients. Print advertising shows past clients that an agent is still active

and understands the demands of today’s marketplace. This results in the client

referring friends and family to the advertising agent.

Market share: Maybe an agent will not reach last year’s production goals.

However, in slow times agents can still gain market share from the competition.

Cutting back on print advertising may save money in the short run, but it may

also cost the agent market share in the long run.

Branding: Many agents have worked hard to establish a personal brand. Why

would you cancel your print advertising and interrupt the brand you have already

established? And many of your competitors are cutting back and minimizing their

presence. Now is the best time ever to stand tall and project confidence.

Promoting recent successes, such as the number of homes sold this year, is a

great way for you to project a positive brand in a tough market. Print advertising

does this very well.

In addition, according to BIGResearch, magazines are the number one way to

drive traffic to a website—and this is across all age groups. The last point

illustrates an important truth: Print and Internet advertising each have unique

advantages. When you integrate a print campaign and an online campaign, you

are more likely to engage consumers earlier in the home buying and selling

cycle, with a much greater likelihood that they’ll contact you. The right choice is

not print or the Internet, it’s print and the Internet.

That’s what you get with

Homes & Land.

80% of buyers online

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:52:41 -0500

We have ALL heard the statistics about how many buyers use the Internet during a home search and it's a lot of consumers. NAR's last study reported a little over 80%. So I get why Realtors are all "taking their ad dollars online". But what frustrates me and is mind boggling to me are all the Realtors who think that the internet is THE ONLY way to market themselves.

Hear me out, here's something to think about: Did you know our internet reaches over 2 Billion users globally? Today, consumers are spending more time on the Internet than watching Television. And nearly 80% of consumers now use the Internet at some stage in the home buying process. Did you also know about 80% of people use the Internet to research cars before purchasing? And did you know about 80% of people use the Internet to research an engagement ring before purchasing? And I bet for most EVERY major purchase 80% people use the Internet before purchasing ANYTHING. It's simply not that big of a deal that people are looking for homes online.

The Internet is a tremendous tool for researching things and that’s exactly what consumers are doing, researching. No one is going online to find a Realtor. In fact, only 3% of buyers and sellers go online to find a Realtor according to a N.A.R. study.

See, the thing is that opportunities to effectively brand yourself to the illusive internet shopper are typically few and far between, further defining the importance of a strong, consistent personal brand in your offline advertising.

As a Realtor, you are the CEO of your company. You Realtors need to get with it and realize advertising remains critical for business success. That’s why you see TV commercials for cars, hear radio spots for engagement rings and so on. Because the only reason any one will ever do business with you is because of your reputation and brand. There aren’t any marketing professionals or fortune 500 companies who buy the “internet only” strategy. Fact is, leading marketers and real estate experts ALL agree that the BEST strategy for Real Estate Agent today is an integrated advertising campaign (print and internet combined).

Want proof? Here are some FACTS:

1) Dan Gooder Richard, esteemed real estate marketing expert and author of Real Estate Rainmaker Guide to Online Marketing presents 20 rules for today’s practitioner. Rule #5 reads Old Rule: Online Advertising will Surpass Offline Advertising. New Rule: Integrated Offline and Online Promotion Wins Every Time

2) Speaker, trainer, author, and consultant Michael J. Russer, AKA Mr. Internet from Realtor.com says “a multi-channel approach in which agents and brokers blend traditional print advertising with all the new online opportunities can best maximize their return on investment”

3) Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of Guerrilla Marketing says “One of the key factors in marketing today is integration. Integrated marketing gives your campaign a life of its own.”

4) According to Consumer Reports the #1 advice to Home Sellers is...PICK THE RIGHT BROKER. Look for local agents who are listing, marketing, and selling in your community, even if the market is slow. Ask several of them to make a listing presentation to discuss your home's value, justify their numbers and explain how they would market your property"

5) According to a Study of US Recessions: Agents that aggressively marketed in a recession grew their sales AND profits by as much as 256% post recession over those that stopped advertising.

We provide our advertisers with integration of both Print and Online, the traditional and the technological, to reach across every consumer segment and to best maximize your return on investment. We know that utilizing an integrated strategy of print advertising, targeted direct mail and online marketing will make a profound impact on reaching a diverse demographic audience. It’s Everything working together that engages the largest group of prospects.

HomesAndLand.com new featured online listing program

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:06:22 -0500

This is exciting news for my advertisers! Being able to offer featured listings on three of the best websites in real estate:

Yahoo! Real Estate • WallStreetJournal.com • HomesAndLand.com

All by ordering from one location.

Beginning October 15 and for the next six months, advertising in my magazine

is the only way a Realtor® can take advantage of this opportunity. Harmon Homes and

The Real Estate Book do not have this working arrangement with Yahoo! Real

Estate and The Wall Street Journal at this time.

Your local Homes & Land team is the technology leader and can secure your competitive

advantage in your market. We hope that being the only publication with the ability to offer this

valuable program will make our advertisers look like stars to their clients.

Do your listings need more exposure? Do you want more leads?

Take advantage of Homes & Land’s new Featured Online Listings Program and your

listings can be featured at the top of the search results page on Yahoo! Real

Estate, WallStreetJournal.com and HomesAndLand.com. Your sellers will be

glad to know that you are making every effort to sell their home. And you’ll get

more leads from all the exposure.

It’s easy to sign up, just go to your control panel and click on Featured Listings.

You can select which listings to feature on up to three of the top real estate

websites.

You’ll be pleased with the traffic on Yahoo! Real Estate, they receive 4.6 million

visitors a month. And for your properties listed above $500,000 you’ll benefit from

the affluent visitors to the WallStreetJournal.com. Finally, HomesAndLand.com

offers nearly 1.5 million visitors of which 44 percent have a household income of

over $100,000.

Advertising with Homes & Land has its advantages! Call us today to get started

with the Featured Listings Program or if you have any questions.

Hollywood Speaks Out!

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 10:56:25 -0500

Two words: 1) Register 2) Vote

Diamond Valley - Festival of the Arts

Danae Aballi (Homes & Land Magazine) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:54:14 -0500

WEEKEND EVENT: October 17-October 19, 2008

The Diamond Valley Arts Council is pleased to present Festival of the Arts – 2008. This signature arts event will kick-off with a black-tie-optional hors d’oeurves and wine reception on Friday evening, October 17th on the second floor of the Hemet Public Library. It will continue on Saturday and Sunday (October 18th and 19th) during the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This year, the event will feature a juried exhibition of both visual and literary works in five categories; 2-dimensional art, 3-dimensional art, photography, poetry, and short stories. Participation in the exhibition is open to all ages. The festival will include live music, performances by local theatrical groups, demonstrations of various artistic expressions and techniques, as well as opportunity drawing prizes. Be sure to save the date and experience the arts. For questions regarding tickets call (951) 651-1964.