Please come and help us celebrate! You can also participate by giving a door prize, or be an event sponsor! Event sponsorship is only $150 and you'll be marketing your business to the top real estate professionals of the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley!
For Details, visit Hemet San-Jacinto Board of Realtors website
Or call the board at 951-925-0526
The Women’s Council of Realtors®, Inland Valley Chapter
requests your presence at…
Our Annual Holiday New Member Orientation and Networking Event!
This event is free and will have food, drinks and lots of fun. There will be a Christmas Inspired Silent Auction and Raffle,
So bring a holiday-inspired item (Christmas Ornament, trinket, etc.) Contact Danae Aballi at (714) 709-6558 if you will be bringing an auction item.
Wednesday, November 19th in Riverside
4:30-5:00 p.m.--Networking
5:00-5:30 p.m.--Orientation
5:30-6:30 p.m.--Food, drinks, networking and silent auction and raffle.
Please R.S.V.P. to Melany Denkers at (951) 479-2889.
Thank you to our sponsor:
Elite Home Inspections
____________________________
Guests and non-members are welcome!
But remember, if you join the WCR in November or December, you receive TWO months of free membership! Join today!
It’s Print AND the Internet
by Rob Wicker
Chief Marketing Officer
Homes & Land Affiliates, LLC
You’ve probably heard this one before: “Eighty percent of homebuyers are
online. You need to cancel your print advertising. It’s a waste of money. Go
where the buyers are.”
Speakers across North America are chanting this mantra. Many of these same
speakers have a vested interest in online marketing. Now I admit to a bias: I am
the CMO for a company that prints five million magazines per month. I do believe
strongly that the agents who listen to the hype and cancel their print advertising
are making a huge mistake. Online advertising definitely has a place in an
agent’s marketing portfolio, but online advertising is not sufficiently visual,
repetitive, or frequent enough to achieve all of a top producing agent’s career
goals.
Let’s examine what I mean. When agents tell me that they plan to advertise
exclusively on the Web, I ask them precisely what their plan includes. I usually
hear a mix of Google Adwords, SEO that might yield some clicks to an agent’s
website, listing enhancement on sites like Realtor.com, membership with a lead
referral company, and maybe a blog. Now each of these options has benefits,
and I encourage you to explore them all. However, even added together they
don’t provide the comprehensive marketing system that a productive agent
needs.
For example, an agent plans to buy sponsored links like “Orlando Real Estate”
on Google. This is a valid way to spend money; however, the reality is the top
three sponsored links on a search page get a lot of clicks, the next five spots get
some clicks, and after the top eight spots you get zero clicks. Even in medium
size markets there may be 2,000 agents competing for the top few slots with
obvious keywords like “real estate,” and most agents don’t have the time or
knowledge to go after the more obscure search terms. The bottom line is that
there will be very few agents in your market who can succeed by only buying
keywords, and these agents are open to immediate displacement by a higher bid
from a competing agent.
Perhaps an agent tells me that she is going to put more money into improving
her personal website and then hire an “expert” to help push her site to the top of
the search results. Once again this is a limited strategy. Almost every agent and
broker has a website, and it is very tough to get to the top of the search results. A
search on Google for “Orlando Real Estate” yields 1,820,000 websites. That is a
tough ladder to climb. There are a lot of so-called experts making big promises to
agents about what they can achieve. Most agents end up being disappointed.
And those agents whose sites come to the top are extremely vulnerable. Google
changes the algorithms that determine who gets to the top. If a change is made,
the agent’s rankings may fall without warning, and then where is she?
Some agents participate with lead referral companies. Most lead referral
companies offer designated territories, usually by zip code. There are a limited
number of spots available. These companies charge a referral fee on closed
transactions or a hefty per-lead charge. In addition, the popularity of these sites
is on the decline. Referral sites are not a bad option, but they are a limited option.
The agent plans to pay extra to enhance his listings on Realtor.com. This should
help, but there are over 4,000,000 listings on Realtor.com. Is that how the agent
is going to brand himself or win listings? Too many agents are already doing the
same thing.
Once again I am not dismissing these options; I believe they all have some
value. An important question to ask is, “What am I trying to accomplish with my
advertising dollars and will these online options achieve my goals?” Even added
together the online options don’t provide the comprehensive marketing plan that
productive agents need. Consider how print advertising can anchor a marketing
plan:
Lead Generation: Print advertising produces phone calls and email leads from
readers (and I like to point out that agents are more likely to get an actual phone
call from a magazine—which is a higher quality lead). Homes & Land also
generates leads from magazines sent directly to consumers actively buying and
selling. We offer direct mail programs where agents can mail magazines to their
target markets. Leads are also generated when relocating buyers request a
magazine from our 800 number. In addition, magazines are enjoyed by affluent
Baby Boomers and retirees, people who can qualify for homes even when credit
is tight.
Satisfying sellers: Home sellers get anxious when they don’t see any activity.
Advertising their home in a quality magazine is evidence that the agent is doing
everything possible to market that home.
Winning listings: In a down market agents need more listings than ever
because fewer listings will actually close. Advertising in a quality magazine
differentiates you from other agents competing for the listing.
Justifying a commission: When home prices decline, home sellers ask agents
to cut their commission percentage. This is a way for the home seller to make up
the lower sales price. A full service marketing plan that includes quality print
advertising justifies a full commission from the sellers (and an additional
percentage point in the commission can more than pay for multiple print ads).
Reaching past clients: Advertising in print is an effective way for an agent to
reach past clients. Print advertising shows past clients that an agent is still active
and understands the demands of today’s marketplace. This results in the client
referring friends and family to the advertising agent.
Market share: Maybe an agent will not reach last year’s production goals.
However, in slow times agents can still gain market share from the competition.
Cutting back on print advertising may save money in the short run, but it may
also cost the agent market share in the long run.
Branding: Many agents have worked hard to establish a personal brand. Why
would you cancel your print advertising and interrupt the brand you have already
established? And many of your competitors are cutting back and minimizing their
presence. Now is the best time ever to stand tall and project confidence.
Promoting recent successes, such as the number of homes sold this year, is a
great way for you to project a positive brand in a tough market. Print advertising
does this very well.
In addition, according to BIGResearch, magazines are the number one way to
drive traffic to a website—and this is across all age groups. The last point
illustrates an important truth: Print and Internet advertising each have unique
advantages. When you integrate a print campaign and an online campaign, you
are more likely to engage consumers earlier in the home buying and selling
cycle, with a much greater likelihood that they’ll contact you. The right choice is
not print or the Internet, it’s print and the Internet.
That’s what you get with
Homes & Land.
We have ALL heard the statistics about how many buyers use the Internet during a home search and it's a lot of consumers. NAR's last study reported a little over 80%. So I get why Realtors are all "taking their ad dollars online". But what frustrates me and is mind boggling to me are all the Realtors who think that the internet is THE ONLY way to market themselves.
Hear me out, here's something to think about: Did you know our internet reaches over 2 Billion users globally? Today, consumers are spending more time on the Internet than watching Television. And nearly 80% of consumers now use the Internet at some stage in the home buying process. Did you also know about 80% of people use the Internet to research cars before purchasing? And did you know about 80% of people use the Internet to research an engagement ring before purchasing? And I bet for most EVERY major purchase 80% people use the Internet before purchasing ANYTHING. It's simply not that big of a deal that people are looking for homes online.
The Internet is a tremendous tool for researching things and that’s exactly what consumers are doing, researching. No one is going online to find a Realtor. In fact, only 3% of buyers and sellers go online to find a Realtor according to a N.A.R. study.
See, the thing is that opportunities to effectively brand yourself to the illusive internet shopper are typically few and far between, further defining the importance of a strong, consistent personal brand in your offline advertising.
As a Realtor, you are the CEO of your company. You Realtors need to get with it and realize advertising remains critical for business success. That’s why you see TV commercials for cars, hear radio spots for engagement rings and so on. Because the only reason any one will ever do business with you is because of your reputation and brand. There aren’t any marketing professionals or fortune 500 companies who buy the “internet only” strategy. Fact is, leading marketers and real estate experts ALL agree that the BEST strategy for Real Estate Agent today is an integrated advertising campaign (print and internet combined).
Want proof? Here are some FACTS:
1) Dan Gooder Richard, esteemed real estate marketing expert and author of Real Estate Rainmaker Guide to Online Marketing presents 20 rules for today’s practitioner. Rule #5 reads Old Rule: Online Advertising will Surpass Offline Advertising. New Rule: Integrated Offline and Online Promotion Wins Every Time
2) Speaker, trainer, author, and consultant Michael J. Russer, AKA Mr. Internet from Realtor.com says “a multi-channel approach in which agents and brokers blend traditional print advertising with all the new online opportunities can best maximize their return on investment”
3) Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of Guerrilla Marketing says “One of the key factors in marketing today is integration. Integrated marketing gives your campaign a life of its own.”
4) According to Consumer Reports the #1 advice to Home Sellers is...PICK THE RIGHT BROKER. Look for local agents who are listing, marketing, and selling in your community, even if the market is slow. Ask several of them to make a listing presentation to discuss your home's value, justify their numbers and explain how they would market your property"
5) According to a Study of US Recessions: Agents that aggressively marketed in a recession grew their sales AND profits by as much as 256% post recession over those that stopped advertising.
We provide our advertisers with integration of both Print and Online, the traditional and the technological, to reach across every consumer segment and to best maximize your return on investment. We know that utilizing an integrated strategy of print advertising, targeted direct mail and online marketing will make a profound impact on reaching a diverse demographic audience. It’s Everything working together that engages the largest group of prospects.
This is exciting news for my advertisers! Being able to offer featured listings on three of the best websites in real estate:
Yahoo! Real Estate • WallStreetJournal.com • HomesAndLand.com
All by ordering from one location.
Beginning October 15 and for the next six months, advertising in my magazine
is the only way a Realtor® can take advantage of this opportunity. Harmon Homes and
The Real Estate Book do not have this working arrangement with Yahoo! Real
Estate and The Wall Street Journal at this time.
Your local Homes & Land team is the technology leader and can secure your competitive
advantage in your market. We hope that being the only publication with the ability to offer this
valuable program will make our advertisers look like stars to their clients.
Do your listings need more exposure? Do you want more leads?
Take advantage of Homes & Land’s new Featured Online Listings Program and your
listings can be featured at the top of the search results page on Yahoo! Real
Estate, WallStreetJournal.com and HomesAndLand.com. Your sellers will be
glad to know that you are making every effort to sell their home. And you’ll get
more leads from all the exposure.
It’s easy to sign up, just go to your control panel and click on Featured Listings.
You can select which listings to feature on up to three of the top real estate
websites.
You’ll be pleased with the traffic on Yahoo! Real Estate, they receive 4.6 million
visitors a month. And for your properties listed above $500,000 you’ll benefit from
the affluent visitors to the WallStreetJournal.com. Finally, HomesAndLand.com
offers nearly 1.5 million visitors of which 44 percent have a household income of
over $100,000.
Advertising with Homes & Land has its advantages! Call us today to get started
with the Featured Listings Program or if you have any questions.
Homes & Land Magazine and HomesAndLand.com is for professional, full-service REALTORS® who care about quality marketing for themselves and the properties they represent.
Homes & Land Magazine and HomesAndLand.com is for professional, full-service REALTORS® who care about quality marketing for themselves and the properties they represent.
Homes & Land Magazine has been in business for 35 years and is a network of over 350 magazines nationwide. As an owner and the VP of Sales & Marketing, locally my team and I publish:
Homes & Land Magazine of Greater Riverside County
Homes & Land Magazine of North & Central Orange County
Homes & Land Magazine of Lake Arrowhead
Homes & Land Magazine of Big Bear
Homes & Land Magazine of San Bernardino/Redlands
I have been with the company for 10 years and am a certified integrated marketing specialist. I also have a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. I have also been a licensed California REALTOR®. Current and active member of: Inland Valley Chapter Women's Council of Realtors®, Southwest Riverside County Chapter Women's Council of Realtors®, The Inland Gateway Association of Realtors®, Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors®, Pacific West Association of Realtors®, Hemet San Jacinto Association of Realtors®
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These REALTORS® are serving their clients using Homes & Land:
“Homes and Land Magazine is a great marketing tool that delivers! Not only do my clients love to see their home in print while out shopping locally, they love when I show them how many e-mail leads we’ve generated from HomesAndLand.com. We’ve even gotten international leads from Japan, Canada, and the Middle East! Thank you Homes & Land!” Tatyana Mitchiner is a 2007 Double Centurian Producer Award Winner with Century 21 Award.
“After advertising with other home magazines and seeing little response, I viewed advertising as simply an unnecessary expense. That was, however, until I recently advertised with Homes and Land Magazine. The first week of publication, I received over 30 calls! I’ve continued my advertising with equal or better results. Homes and Land has been paramount to my present business, especially in the current market we are in. Agents, if you are looking for new business, advertise in Homes and Land and get ready to answer your phone!” Karena Wherry has over 10 years experience selling real estate in the Temecula Valley and is REO certified.
“Homes and Land magazine has been invaluable to us procuring buyer and listing leads for years! We can attribute many of our sales just to the ads we run. The magazine content has kept true to it's mission even in a downturn market, which is to be a premier Homes and Land resource for Buyers, Sellers, and agents alike. Plus, it is not unusual for us to receive inquiring calls on properties we advertised 2 or 3 months previously - the shelf life is excellent!” Tom & Jackie Flores, First Team Real Estate. Multi-Million Dollar Producers
“I see Homes & Land every where I go! I feel confident that my area presence is recognized by colleagues and customers alike thanks to Homes & Land’s extensive distribution.” Jarrod Whitehorn, #1 Tarbell Realtors® agent in Lake Elsinore
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