Ten years ago if you wanted to sell your home you would call a Realtor, sign the listing paperwork and then the real estate marketing machine would take over. Your agent would not only advertise your home in the newspaper, they would send out postcards and direct mail advertisements and pay out big bucks to showcase your home in a real estate magazine.
Fast forward to the present, and newspaper advertising has just about disappeared, magazine display ads are not as important and with the price of postage skyrocketing, direct mail marketing is a bit expensive.
Recently, at the LeadingRE 2012 Conference, Imprev conducted a survey asking Real Estate Agents what 5 most effective marketing products they are using today compared to (10 years ago) and their response was – Email Marketing (51%), followed by an Agent website (50%), Virtual Tours (42%), printed Postcards (36%) and Facebook (32%).
The Imprev survey also asked Realtors what marketing product they would most like to own and they chose the iPad Presentation App, followed by an automated eMarketing Campaign, Single Property Website, a personal blog and video.
When asked about their current favorite technology, Realtors top choice was a Smartphone, followed by the iPad/Tablet, a Laptop, and finally a PC.
Why the change? What has so drastically changed how the real estate marketing machine works?
The answer is simple, these days, over 90% of home buyers start their home search online. And, generally they start at their favorite local Real Estate Company. It’s kind of like one stop shopping from the comfort of your home.
Direct Marketing using printed postcards is still a very effective tool. If you can get a picture in a prospect’s hand, you can create interest in a specific property. If that postcard has a QR code that will take the reader right to a website for more information (and pictures) – you have a much better chance of selling the property.
Open Houses continue to be a very effective way create excitement about a property and reach out to potential Buyers and Sellers.
Ten years ago nobody guessed that an Internet social media site like Facebook would be such a powerful marketing tool. However, today Realtors reach out to the world community with an available property.
At Facebook a Realtor can set up a personal business page to share information about their listings, notify prospects of an open house and even share with their Facebook friends when the home sale closes.
John Melo, CEO and Larry Matos, President/Broker of Century 21 M&M and Associates embrace the new web technologies, encouraging Century 21 M&M’s agents to establish an online presence; enhance their websites and social networking as well as direct marketing and Open Houses.
Today, Century 21 M&M agents use the internet to market homes for sale in Northern California. Once the agent lists their home at the local mls, The CENTURY 21 System distributes local listings to all of the major real estate sites (homes.com, realtor.com, trulia.com, zillow.com, etc.) and a network of 130+ online newspaper real estate sites nationwide to ensure your listings are seen by consumers who want to buy in our area.
Beyond that, once a listing has been posted Century 21 M&M produces a virtual tour which is uploaded to YouTube and c21mm.tv.
Real estate marketing in the 21st century is still very personal, but today it also all about the Internet and getting the message out to the world. Whether you are buying or selling call a Century 21 M&M Realtor today at (800) 350-1548.
Northern CA Real Estate 