MARKETING YOUR ROWAYTON CONNECTICUT HOME
Print advertising is dead. Well, almost! Newspaper circulation is down and newspapers are shutting their doors across the U.S. In tracking my Return on Investment (ROI) in advertising, I have seen print advertising decrease in effectiveness and Internet marketing increase.
MARKETING VS. ADVERTISING
Let's talk a bit about the difference between marketing and advertising. Advertising is when you pay the media to announce details of your product or service, such as when your agent takes an ad out in The Real Estate Book, a publication that is distributed at grocery stores, gas stations, and other public places. Marketing involves all other methods to bring attention to your home and encourage its sale. Open Houses are one form of marketing, postcard mailings are another, and the MLS is also a way of marketing your home.
THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR ROWAYTON CONNECTICUT MLS LISTING
The closer the marketing gets to an actual buyer, the more effective it is. MLS is one of the most effective forms of marketing because buyer agents search for properties for their clients and the public side of MLS using Listingbook or IDX allows the public to view the MLS data from various sites. Because the MLS is one of the most important marketing vehicles for your home, the description, data, and photos must not only accurately describe your home, but highlight its features.
There is a saying in real estate that "Photos sell a home". They may not sell a home, but they certainly increase showings. You want the best possible photos of your home that still show your home in a realistic light. I've seen some professional photographers use ultra-wide angle lenses that make the foyer look like a ballroom. You don't want potential buyers to be disappointed when they enter your home. The depiction should be realistic, but your home at its best.
NICHE MARKETING CHANNELS
If your home is in a niche market, you'll want to know that your listing agent has figured out the channels to reach that niche market and draw the buyers in. If the niche is a geographic one, for example, yard signs with the agents name on them may cause potential buyers to call the agent and even if the home isn't right for that buyer, if the agent has a number of listings in that location, he/she may be able to redirect the call to your property.
If your agent has a blog that attracts buyers for your niche market, that is also an important source of buyers. How much traffic does your agent get on their blog each day. Are the visitors to the blog from areas that most of the prime buyers of properties in your niche market come from? Does your agent have e-mail subscribers to updates to their blog? If so, how many subscribers does your agent have to the e-mail updates?
SOCIAL AND NETWORKING CAPABILITIES
Ask about the social and professional networking capabilities of your listing agent. Many homes are sold by agents who get the word out to people they know, other agents or their own buyers. If your agent is networked into people in the media, your home could be featured in local or national newspapers. If your home is featured in the New York Times, they will even have a slide show accompanying the article. Of course, there is no guarantee of publicity, but ask about your agent's track record in obtaining publicity for their listings. Publicity is free and it is credible.
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