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Your Marketing - Are Buyers Finding You and Your Listings?

By John Mayne

Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker Previews International 01236148

July 03, 2007 12:43 PM

I'm going to attempt another poll, much like what I was trying to do with my first blog entry regarding the impact the media has had on your market area. I suppose it would have helped had I pointed out my goal in that post!

This will be the first in what I hope will be a series of posts (depending on response) on this topic. Without disclosing any of your trade secrets, I'd like to address marketing: what works for you? Please be as specific as possible with your answers or comments, especially as they pertain to your individual market area.

What is the average price range in your market area?

Do you use (when price justified) print ads in publications such as the Robb Report, Unique Homes, Distinctive Homes, etc?

If so, do you feel the ad is geared more toward

A. Promoting yourself

B. Advertising your listing

C. Both equally

Do you have at least one website that is your own, not provided by your broker?

If yes, how much of your annual production can be attributed as a direct result of your Web marketing?

Do you pay a membership fee to belong to any websites other than Realtor.com?

If so, which?

Have you ever used pay per click?

How much of your monthly advertising budget is spent on pay per click?

Do you view all of the information available to the consumer on the Web as a threat?

If yes, why?

Do you have a monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly online newsletter that you send to your distribution list?

If yes, how many comments do you receive for each?

Do you feel your online marketing has been affected by the newer, better spam blocking software?

Do you use any kind of direct mail advertising?

If so, how often, and how many in your farm?

Do you now, or have you ever door-knocked? If so, elaborate as much as possible: how often? How long have you done so? How many sales have you made as a result?

Do you sit open houses on your listings, or have a junior agent cover them for you? If you yourself conduct your open houses, how many new, quality buyers have you converted to sales in the last 3 years?

Thanks in advance - Happy Fourth and Happy Selling!

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Gary White~Grand Rapids Home Selling Pro Call: 616-821-9375

Flexit Realty "Flexible Home Selling Solutions" - Grand Rapids, MI

Real Estate Services You can Trust!

John you will get better results on this type of poll if you keep the number of questions down and post again on a "to be continued" basis.

Print ad in local magazines with a menu of listings, no newspaper
90% listing promotion which promotes me too.
One presonal website and 50+ pointer web addresses, annual production is hard to define since I send everyone to my website, new listings, potential listings, first time buyers everyone. "This drives website rankings and placement" It also outlines to the sellers and buyers the strength of my web based marketing efforts.
I do not use Realtor.com for anything and have had no need. They are over priced and do not provide any appreciable value in marketing homes locally. I do use a subscription to a relo that brings out of town buyers.
Monthly newsletter, the newsletter is designed to keep my name in front of clients and is permission based. I take the number opened and have had no opt outs. Which is a good thing.
My marketing campaign is permission based and uses client email addresses and the subject line indicates who and what the email is. I also alert the new member to set my email delivery address in the address book so the spam blocker lets us communicate instead of blocking our communication. The little time I spend on this issue is well worth the effort.
I use direct mail for just listed, open house, and introductions of new home owners to a neighborhood. I also mail expired listings. Once per month mailing to farm areas.
Door knocking is a waste of time. This only offers a minimal result for a huge effort. I do walk neighborhood and leave flyers and only stop to talk if stopped. I drop 200 flyers and it does get results and I get exercise. I do this every month and average 2-3 new listing every time I do this.
Most time I do my own listing open houses, I use a method that brings buyers even in this market. I only get offers on the home I am showing 2 or 3% of the time. I get new buyers 35% or the time and pick up new seller clients 28%.

I hope this helps John hard to give everything up if you know what I mean. Let me know how this works out for you.

Jul 04, 2007 10:25 AM

John Mayne

Coldwell Banker Previews International - Hermosa Beach, CA

Hello Gary!

Thanks for your advice. I know, if I found something like that I wouldn't have time for all those questions, at least not in this format.

As I indicated, that was the first as in, "to be continued." I have a deadline for an article and I'm just trying to cull data from as many sources as possible. I plan future posts seeking data for my writing to be not only much shorter, but to keep the questions a brief as possible as well. Sometimes when you do something on the fly you realize had you just waited and thought things through instead of watching the clock, you'd wind up with better results. Thanks again for your time and input.

Jul 04, 2007 03:07 PM

Your Marketing - Are Buyers Finding You and Your Listings?

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