Gary Woltal's Blog

We just cut our newspaper ad from a full page to a half page and probably will downscale from there.  Even the sellers aren't crazy about the paper adverising anymore.  It seems to be a vanity for the agent as opposed to the selling tool it had previously been.  We're investing in the internet more and more...

Last month was the first month since I became a Realtor almost 2 years ago that I did not run an ad in The Real Estate Book. I use to get calls from it but not many lately. Never used news paper unless it was for an open house. But I think for the money signs in the yard and the Internet is the only way to go. I admit I ran that add for at least 4 months longer than I should. Guess it was because for 20 years as a hobby I always had one of those small little Real estate Books in my handbag. But times are changing I it is going net all the way.

Gary - I have not run anything in print for well over a year, and I think in 5 years it will be basically extinct.  I explain to Sellers that I track where my investment dollars go and what is returned to me, which I do.  If I come across a Seller that wants print advertising and Open Houses ... I refer them to someone else.

Gary:  The only advertise "Open Houses" in the newspapers and can't believe how expensive they have gotten.  I don't get calls any more from the print advertisements.  I just can't justify the expenditure. 

The internet is where it is.  However, we still advertise in our local real estate magazines.  We're in a second home market and people still pick up the magazines and search every listing and call you when they get home.  The magazines also have a web presence so people can see all the properties on the web also.

Gary, great post.  I had a magazine sales person tell me that I need to advertise to make my seller happy.  What makes my seller happy is to sell thier home.  I tell my sellers upfront at the listing appointment that they WILL not see their home in a color ad or the newspaper and I explain why this is the case.   I have never had an objection once I explain this to them.

NO PRINT ADS FOR MY TEAM!!!!

We haven't ran a newspaper ad in 3 years, Gary, and don't plan on doing it again anytime soon. Less than 8% of the people even read the paper, and less than that read the classifieds - the most boring part of it - unless your home is featured. It is always about the seller! Buyers aren't there anymore, alas.

I use to run mag ads every month and did so for about 3 years straight. "Back then" that is what we did. Did I ever receive any type of return - no. Now I can explain the other ways of marketing and sellers don't mind. I take "cut outs" of real estate agent ads with their smiling faces plastered all over (the bigger the better) and use that as an example of "what do you think they are marketing" type of conversation. I have a nice collection of some pretty funny stuff - some of mine from the old days included.

Hi Gary,

Great info and timely subject. We're all seeing far less in the print media for obvious reasons. However I don't think it's history, yet.

Personally for my office I eliminated newspaper ads long ago, and the homes magazines just recently. Why? In my area our magazine calls have dropped off for about a year, and I think I part it was due to distribution here.  In our case my company ad also promoted our company website and something like "for more photos view www......" Now to the credit of the publisher since I've left, our property hits have dropped off enough to be noticeable on the site. So with that, we're always looking for more ways to gain maximum exposure for our clients.

Bottom line, I see this form of advertising as another vehicle which may or may-not at the point be worthwhile.

You should consider some occasional display ads in the newspaper to keep your name out there in the public domain. Classifieds don't contribute that much because many people are searching the internet for properties.

You still see newspapers on driveways and in mailbox holders, so people are looking at them for local news and entertainment. 

Gary, I just signed up for a local newspaper ad that will run 2 times a week and is a 10" ad.  The reason I did it is to help the newspaper that is a local business and to keep my face in front of the public....the ones who may not be shopping to buy but is looking for a listing agent.  I don't like meeting people in the grocery store and being asked if I'm still in the business. I want them to KNOW twice weekly that I'm still in the business.  As someone said, we spend most of our time trying to SELL houses and we also need to spend some time trying to LIST houses.

If you track your leads and know where EVERY lead comes from then you will know whether or not this is good for you.  I track every lead that comes in and in 6 months of color ads, full page, two pages, 1/2 page, and with newspaper ads, I did not have one person other than the seller of the property call me or contact me from the ad.  For me, that was enough to say NO MORE.  We need to hold our marketing money highly accountable.

I am a marketing "guru".... degree in English, writing, and marketing.  I don't spend a dime on the newspaper or other print unless:

 

1. I advertise on our newspaper's home page--a banner ad on the front page.

2. I advertise in our newspaper's annual business review to toot the company's horn once a year.

3. I only advertise in the journals if I get a cover ad. Nothing inside.

 

Print is dead as far as house hunting is concerned.  

Gary - From my experience, print advertising does work, but... unless you use a call capture system, you don't know if it works.  With call capture, you will get leads but it is a lot of work (consistent follow up) and it gets expensive (you're paying for the ad and for the call capture system).  The Internet works much better and is less expensive.  So... I vote for the Internet.

When I sit down with prospective listers, I tell them I run little paper ads and I back it with the numbers.  I have had few problems.

So for the folks that use print ads, What is your marketing budget? 

I think sellers just need to be educated that in today's marketplace the vast majority of "buyers" are not looking at print advertising for a specific house, particularly the one you would be spending marketing dollars on to advertise. Put that money to better use elsewhere. How bout' more balloons on the For Sale sign in the front yard on weekends?? LOL.

Gary - not me, that's for sure. I get 90+% of my new clients from the internet. I'd rather spend the money there - not on ads.

Good question.  I find that many buyers are still reading the newspaper. It is as if they feel like they might be missing out on something.  Generally, the question starts out with, "I saw this house in the paper...."  Generally, they've already seen it on the Internet but wasn't interested when they had more complete details.   

Gary...I advertise once a year in a publication that comes out twice a year here at Lake Anna.  I pay for the spring edition and skip the fall one.  As far as newspapers, it has been a year or more since I advertised there.  I do some in a monthly publication and that's it.  I feel like I'm pretty much throwing money away on the daily or weekly papers, no shelf life.

Kathleen

Gary, The open houses are still listed in our papers, both in Newsday and the smaller ones.  I know Newsday has been having layoffs for years now because there is so much access to find everything on the Internet, most people don't read the paper anymore.

Gary,

Paper's going out. Internet - Video Streaming is coming IN!

Cheers, Mr. C. KIM McGuire, the VideoRealtor

Gary, I faced this very same comment from a seller client of mine about a month ago. The thought was that their house wasn't getting enough exposure since I wasn't placing it in the magazines and newspapers. I asked her what magazines and newspapers she thought the house should be in and the answer was "all of them!"

I used to advertise heavily in magazines and in other print forms. It was extremely expensive. in conjunction with my office, I had ads on the back of the Real Estate Book month after month, year after year. Did I get calls from it? Sometimes. I think I ultimately did gain a few clients, but never sold a house from that source.

 

Seems that more and more agents are getting totally out of print advertising. When i look at these mags, I am just seeing what the competition is doing...

All the best! Charles

I have revamped my print advertising and do very little in print advertising. Over the last year, I was advertising in print so my sellers could have something to hold on to. Less for its effectiveness in selling the house or for bringing me new buyers.

print will always have a place, it's just changing. I think print has inflated prices right now, the web is a relatively inexpensive/easier to track/easier to target demographics medium compared to print. Print by and large is still priced as if it were the only good advertising medium, like it was 15 years ago. The print publication companies are starting to feel it too.

Gary - I have only one ad left in print & its only because its a very niche paper of an organization my kids are involved in and the ad $ goes directly to making sure the paper prints in the first place - if it weren't for that, I would be done.  

I can't afford to waste money so print isn't even in my mind....unless a client is demanding it.

Gary, Coldwell Banker still  does some print ads, but is phasing away to the internet.  However- when I asked the people at my open house last Sunday- they all said from the paper... Took me a little by surprise

Latonia,

print is costly, and I would be tempted to eliminate it before other things also if I had to. 

GARY - I think that the glossy magazines will always have their place, and most of them actually include an Internet component as well.  The newspapers, on the other hand, have become a complete waste of money.  People will at least thumb through the magazines, and it's not a bad way to just keep your name out there, but newspapers don't achieve that goal unless you spend a fortune on large ads, and even then, it's not a great tool.

I just don't have time to read the newspaper anymore!  I think maybe more for branding than anything and like everyone else said to appease the sellers

Hi Gary - I think open house ads work to get people to the open house.  I occasionally run simple ads with agents in my office, just to get my name out, they do not generate any calls.  I tell sellers right up front that I don't use print ads because people don't read them.

Gary-

Look at the ad you posted with your blog.  I believe it is worth EVERY CENT put into it. 

Advertising is always analogous to me with 'fishing', so here I go:

Ads are the 'bait' that will drive the 'fish' into an online 'net'.  You have to get folks visiting you online somehow, you have to tell folks where to go and how to get there.  So, tasty 'bait' that makes 'em bite is ALL IMPORTANT!!!  Don't put everything about the property on the flyer or in the ad.  Give people just enough "wow" to want to know more, and then give the link to your site so they can get more!  YUM!  That ad that you included in your post makes me want to see more! (Nibble, nibble...)

I think it is all in how you look at 'why' you print advertise, and 'how' you print advertise.  We MUST change our headspace.  No longer does print advertising sell homes...and it hasn't for a very long time.  Print advertising should advertise where the 'real' information is...then be ready to show it to them, quickly and easily, and differently and wonderfully when they arrive at YOUR WEBSITE for the bulk of the information.

Now that folks have come to YOUR WEBSITE...allow them to KNOW YOU the moment they arrive.  It should EXUDE your personality, it should be memorable...AND it should have tools and information they want to USE. 

That's my 2 cents my friend.

Live good. Be happy.

-Mimi

(Oh, by the way...I LOVED your comment on my 'tranquility' post:  The reminder of, "Be STILL and KNOW that I am God.".  What truth!  Nice to know you are a fellow believer.)

Thanks for all the great comments everyone has provided. Very knowledgeable people all here!! 

Judy: Many of the large traditional brokerage firms still do a lot of print advertising you are right. 

Adam: I know Homes.com has a magazine and a website. 

Virginia: You and others here are saying the open advertisements at least in that category work. 

Mimi: I like that you are somewhat the contrarian here. Glossy magazines can be the landing page so to speak to lead to more information elsewhere. Yes, God's voice does speak if I only will be QUIET!

Spending money on a newspaper ad is a bit wasteful, when more and more people are going to the internet to look up things. To many places online to place free ads, market for free and reach a lot more people.

I know at a former job with 200+ employees, about 4 of us would ever buy a paper.  May people use the paper out of habit.  It's just so easy and free to look up the local paper on the Internet.  The real estate magazines are feeling the squeeze too.  It's too easy to get lost in them.

If you are going to use the paper to do ads, I think special editions or your little local paper stands the best chance of keeping you out there.  Of course the Internet is the best way to go.

Gary - We've pulled out of nearly all print advertising.  I have stopped running classified ads completely and only advertise in a select few real estate inserts in the spring.  Our contract with the "homes" magazine is up this month and that's gone as well.  Horrible ROI when compared to the Internet.  Some seller and buyers still probably use the paper, but they also use the Internet... I would rather capture them there. 

Marey: Good point on so much on line can be posted for free.

Karen: I like the special editions idea. I've seen Realtors advertise in high school football programs.

Jesse & Kathy: I see we agree on the horrible ROI. Who can waste money?

No one uses print ads anymore.  There is not enough detail.  Show me the home in XYZ subdivision, virtual tours, multiple photos, a map to the property, neighborhood demographics... school reports...etc?  Print media can't!   Why do you  think all the newspapers and magazines are almost collapsing?  They are laying off in droves.  I stopped years ago, and never made more money than when I concentrated on the Internet.  Many real estate agents do not get it...that is good for those that remain. They'll spend their way out of the business...and still not get it.

Jim: Thanks for your on target commentary. The print ads, as someone earlier commented on, do seem to be done for vanity reasons.

I have notice that more and more newspaper are offer the realtor a choice of advertising in the paper or on the internet or both.  I recently did the on line advertisement.  I did not notice an increase in calls, but it was my first time using it.  I will try again soon.

Serena: Many of the print publications are "linking" also to online. I think it is a matter of survival.

I stopped advertising in newspapers when I realized no one was calling off of the ads.  Online is the wave of the future.  That is why our local newspaper has an online classified ad section to boost traffic and business.