So what IS working for you? Traditional Marketing Revisited

So what IS working for you?  Traditional Marketing Revisited

After reading Gerry Michael's post " Whatever is working for you", I had to think about how social media has changed our approach to marketing our services  and ourselves.  

"Traditional" marketing and especially print advertising in newspapers and magazines has certainly taken a backseat or has vanished completely from the marketing plans of many Realtors.

Social media works well and is here to stay.  But can traditional marketing still provide value and produce results? 

Perhaps all that is needed is a different approach to traditional marketing.  There are many other methods in traditional marketing that can be employed other than print ads.  And we may have to rethink what we are going to market using these methods.  Listings?  Probably not.  Creating a brand for yourself?  Now, that's where traditional marketing could come in.

Think creatively and consider your target market.  In my area in Spring Hill, Florida, we still have many people, especially seniors, who either don't have computer access or are not that comfortable with it.  If your customer base includes many people of this demographic, you might consider a regular mailing such as a newsletter to stay in touch. I have been using one for years very successfully and if I should be late sending it, people will ask me about it.  And remember that a newsletter that is mailed to a certain group of people can still be used in electronic form to be sent to other groups.

Have you seen those "rolling billboards"?  No need to hire a truck or advertising space on public transport, don't we drive around town enough ourselves? Well designed magnetic signs, a car wrap or window decals all transform your own vehicle into that rolling billboard.  

What about movie advertising?  Talk about a captive audience that has nothing else to do but look at what comes onto a big screen before the main feature.  They even buy their own popcorn!  A big advantage of movie theater advertising is its frequency, just count how many times the same ad comes onto the screen! Check with your local movie theaters for pricing, you may be surprised to find out that it is more affordable than you thought.

Local radio advertising might also be a great way to promote and market yourself.  Rather than pitching your services though, you could "sponsor" the hourly weather report or the traffic updates.  You name, brokerage, and web address will be broadcast frequently throughout the day.

Other more traditional marketing methods may include a referral campaign, or an annual customer appreciation party.  Try to schedule that during a time when people are not already busy with other holiday parties.

What counts is frequency and consistency.  Ever listened to the radio for an hour and for some reason, there's that jingle that you can't get out of your head for the rest of the day?   Think repetition...  Many short messages in a short time frame will make people more aware than one long message only every so often.

Just as one single blog post will not create tons of followers, a one-time effort in traditional marketing will not be remembered. 

So what IS working for you?   Whatever it is, traditional advertising methods can enhance your social media and online presence by directing people to your website, Facebook page, YouTube videos, or other social media platforms.  Traditional advertising can help to build your brand and name recognition, use your online presence to enhance it to provide more information about your services. 

So what IS working for you?