Common Real Estate Advertising Mistakes
Oftentimes, your advertisers need a helping hand and some direction when it comes to planning their marketing. Go above and beyond simply running ads in the newspaper; offer advice, metrics and creative direction that prove to your advertisers that you are more than an advertising platform. Going the extra mile in your customer service will surely keep your clients happy and loyal and demonstrate that your paper is an invaluable advertising resource.
Your real estate clients, in particular, could most likely use some extra attention and care. They are between a rock and a hard place these days, with a struggling housing market and an increase in renters. As a result, they are often faced with budget cuts and advertising frequently takes a backseat, resulting in the introduction of cheap shortcuts in their techniques that don’t go unnoticed. Yes, they may presently have a limited budget to work with, but you can offer them the advice they need so they spend their advertising dollars wisely. We have gathered some common advertising and marketing mistakes made by Realtors® and how to remedy them. Make sure your clients aren’t committing the same faux pas and they will be sure to turn to your paper for their advertising needs time and time again.
1. Don’t Self-Design!
When faced with a trimmed budget, Realtors® often turn to their own word processing or photo-editing software to design fliers and brochures for distribution. This can quickly get messy and cheap looking. Without design experience, these ventures end up with cheesy fonts and stock images, and in the end, make the Realtor® look unprofessional. Ensure that your clients are spending money where it matters by going to outside artists to design their marketing pieces. You can even suggest that one of the artists on your staff do their advertising pieces outside of the newspaper for a consistent and cohesive branding. If you do this, be sure to offer them a discount for their additional business and loyalty to the newspaper! Similarly, recommend that they go to a professional photographer as opposed to taking their picture at home. This is their public image; make sure it looks up-to-date and well executed.
2. Don’t Do It Just Because You Always Do
Just because your clients have been sending out the same brochures to the same list of people for a long time does not mean it’s working. Suggest that they reach out to their audience by sending surveys to see how recipients react to their door-to-door fliers and postcards. They may discover that due to design and monotony, they get tossed in the trash without a second glance. With feedback from surveys, your clients can re-evaluate their target audiences as well as the design of their ads and whether or not it’s needed. If your department has metrics to offer on their ads in the newspaper, now’s the time to relay that information to your advertisers! Tell them the response to their ads, because if it’s lackluster, it may be time for a redesign.
3. Monotonous Marketing Techniques
Let your Realtor® clients know the importance of diversifying their marketing and advertising methods. They should go beyond an ad in the newspaper and postcards on neighborhood doorsteps. The best way to ensure they’re diversifying their practices is keeping a schedule of what, where and when they market and advertise. For instance, they should keep track of how many ads they run, brochures they send out, how many handwritten notes and business cards they distribute. They should also balance impersonal advertising with personal self-marketing, like meetings over brunch. This includes Facebook comments and tweets. Although this may seem impersonal, social networks have mastered the science of the digital social interaction, and users appreciate when you reach out through the web. They should maintain lively Facebook and Twitter presences with interesting and informative articles about real estate in their community.
