Advertising – what is working? Could you use 8-10 new prospects a month? | Real Estate Marketing

Group Member

Jun 16, 2009 7:31:40 AM

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It's always been a difficult task to determine how to budget for marketing and advertising. A new agent hardly has the means and an established agent is dealing with economic trends and the question... "Am I promoting to a non-existent buyer or seller audience?" What works?

In this market these are certainly valid concerns; however, there are opportunities that will produce a "return on investment" (ROI); specifically, a company known as Market Leader, Inc. and their "Growth Leader" program.

Market leader will create a publicity program that delivers; although there are never guarantees, Market Leader can statistically demonstrate their success with their current 10,000 agent customers.

What is unique about their program is that they include the power of national television and search engines such as Google. They marry the two in a way to allure the home shopper to the agent's website in search of home listings, listings that are provided to the agent's site via an MLS "IDX" feed.

Once the consumer has completed a search and drills down to detail, the agent's site will request contact information. Taking this a step further... the contact information is placed in a provided CRM or customer relationship management software program that will manage communications to the consumer. In a word: WOW!

Let's recap:

· They advertise on TV (JustListed.com).

· They advertise you on Google (top ten).

· They provide you with a website.

· They provide you with an IDX feed.

· A CRM program to manage all contacts.

· YOU will average 125 unique visitors and 8-10 prospects each month.

The cost? Much less than what you would pay for any newspaper advertising... $295 per month.

This ROI is huge and in my opinion any serious real estate practitioner should be engaged.

Contact Market Leader for an on-line demonstration! 877-270-8388

Drew

Group Member

Jun 17, 2009 10:16:28 PM

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Seems like this is a "canned" ad being posted based on seeing it posted verbatim elsewhere. Not much credibility IMO when an agent can do the same thing and more on their own. Very expensive for what an agent really gets.

Social Media Marketing Guru

Group Member

Jun 18, 2009 8:25:43 AM

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Exactly, Drew, that spam is being sent to millions by email also. The best approach is always to become your own lead generator: you should have your own community bulliten-board online (what we call a social media website) where your community connects, dates, does business, and finds your message constantly in front of them. This is not simple, or easy, but it is very innexpensive except for your time, which you need to spend porspecting within your geographical community anyway.

Every Realtor should have a Meetup.com group, and/or at least participate in several for free. There are many things that you can do to generate your own leads. Do not feed the lead generators, only to have them buy your marketplace and sell it back to you!

Prospect with content and knowledge and become a recognised expert.

Israel Rothman, http://socialmediasystems.com

Kristin

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Sep 20, 2009 9:04:18 PM

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I have used both and feel at this time that Growth Leader is OVER Priced specially since there is alot of duplication and min of serious buyers.

Paul

Group Member

Oct 5, 2009 3:11:34 PM

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I am a relatively new Real Estate Agent (April, 2007) and I am putting a full time effort into building my business. Since I was not generating many leads with Open Houses, Phone/Floor Duty, "Buffini" Techniques, and SOI contacts I decided to try House Values for a one year contract in June, 2008. I was to receive 10 Leads (Buyers as opposed to Sellers) a month for $300/month, except for November and December which was to be 8 Leads. The Leads were basically people who had requested information about real estate and gave an e-mail address to the service. (I am not sure what web-site the Leads gave their e-mail information.) There were many months when half of the Leads never responded at all. I have had one transaction from the Leads that were sent to me. I stopped the full service in July, 2009 and now pay $50/month to follow those who view the listings and request information. I am still hoping that those who recently joined (May, June, July) will become clients soon. I will probably stop this service soon since the Leads I have contacted are not really "buyers" but "lookers." Many ask for more information on a home and when I finally got to talk to them they have no interest in buying a home, they are just "looking."

I hope what I have learned from the e-Pro course, having my own web-site, using old techniques, and farming will start to generate perspective buyers.

House Values does have a drip campaign and updates available listings.

Social Media Marketing Guru

Group Member

Oct 6, 2009 6:39:11 AM

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Become your own lead generator. That is sufficient budget to generate hundreds or even thousands of high quality leads per year using our system: we create a community resource and/or niche social media community like this one, that targets your market specifically, for as little as $479. An ongoing budget like that could become worth more than the underlying business: STOP PAYING LEAD GENERATORS TO BUY YOUR MARKET AND SELL IT BACK TO YOU using your money!

Learn more at:

http://socialmediasystems.com

Paula Bean

Group Member

Oct 6, 2009 3:49:53 PM

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I must respectfully disagree with Social Media Marketing Guru....

NEVER BUY LEADS!

After 30 years in this business I can tell you that the best lead generator there is is YOU. Network with your fellow agents, do a blog, get on Active Rain, Realtown, join your local chamber to network, email all of your family, friends and relatives, do a newsletter with relevant real estate info (constant contact is a great one) and provide important info, keep in touch on a constant basis, call once in awhile just to chat and see if there is anything you can help them with... hold a seminar for people who need to know info on short sales, foreclosures - get your loan officer and title company involved, pick a niche to specialize in, get more than one web site that specializes in this niche, do some ppc, seo.

In the long run, who you know and who you provide service to is going to get you much further than paying someone like you did...the worst thing about them is that the leads they provide have NO idea that an agent will be calling, they think it's a pc generated report, oh and of course they do disclose this, in iddy biddy print, hidden very well way at the bottom of the screen.

Go to open houses, do stats on MLS to see what is the most moving price range, focus on the basics and you'll do well.

Allen F. Hainge

Group Member

Oct 7, 2009 4:50:12 AM

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Amen, Paula!

Social Media Marketing Guru

Group Member

Oct 7, 2009 6:42:18 AM

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Actually, Paula, we agree. I am saying to not buy leads, to generate your own, and offering to help techically with that effort.

You just seem to want to dissagree with me. Everything I do can be done for free: but is so innexpensive with me, you are better off selling real estate.

However, you can learn to do it all for free here:

http://socialmediasystems.com/blog/

Eveything needed is there, and it is free.

Beverly King

Group Member

Nov 2, 2009 5:46:21 AM

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Paul,

2 Tips

First, Realtor.org has a section on prospecting and it comes with some great articles and ideas on prospecting.

http://www.realtor.org/toolkits/prospectingtoolkit

Second, try an "Online Open House". What you do is create a webinar open house, pick a date and time when you want to hold it, advertise it everywhere (Craigslist, Yahoohomes. etc), and you give an online tour of the home and people can ask you questions, just as if you were at an actual open house. Turn out for these are much higher than actual open houses and you will get the same quality leads or better, that you get from any paid lead generator.

Don't forget about your own Sphere! They are your bread and butter.

Bev King, Virtual Assistant

Advertising – what is working? Could you use 8-10 new prospects a month?

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