Real Estate Marketing Comparing Traditional Print Media to Online Digital Marketing

WHAT EVERY REALTOR AND EVERY HOME BUYER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT DIGITAL VS. PRINT ADVERTISING FOR 2014

Everyone is well aware of how Google and the internet has taken over our daily lives. You almost cannot spot a 20-60 year old in public these days without a cell phone in their hand or in their pocket.

Watch people sit down at a nice restaurant and the phone is usually placed within eye contact if it’s not in their hands. …and these are NOT your father’s cell phones…these are miniature computers. People are now using their phones more than they are ANY laptop or desktop computer to search for anything from directions to the nearest ATM machine, to what’s playing at their local theatre, to homes for sale.

Put everything else that you think you know about Google and the other search engines aside and just know that they are consumer driven. Every move or change in Google’s algorythms are driven by the average consumer. As that applies to the business of real estate, Google recently released research findings of how consumers are now looking for homes and properties for sale.

It should come as no surprise that the internet is used by 100% of people now looking to purchase real estate. 100%. In fact, out of 100 people, here is the breakdown of sources of information that those 100 people are using:

Internet – 100%
A Realtor – 89%
Yard signs – 53%
Print Newspaper Ads – 28%
Home book / Magazines – 19%

Like it or not these trends are not going away…in fact they are escalating with lower and lower numbers of consumers who are looking to print media for their information.

This information has not gone unnoticed by top REALTORS either. According to Google and all other industry marketing experts advertising spending on digital channels (online) is expected to surpass traditional print this year. When you look at the consumer numbers when only 19% of consumers look to home books or real estate magazines anymore you can understand why savvy realtors are placing their ad dollars online.

Industry analysts and marketing experts, BIA/Kelsey are reporting that online marketing for real estate is poised to make huge gains from now through 2017. In fact, their data reflects marketing trends for realtors in terms of where they’re spending their ad dollars now and over the next couple of years:

Online 40.8%
TV/Cable 11.6%
Direct Mail 7.9%
Out-of-home 7.5%
Mobile 12.6%
Newspaper 6.9%
Radio 4.3%
Magazine 1.1%

HERE’S MORE:

In 2005 only 11% of advertising budgets for real estate firms were allocated for online platforms. By 2010 that number had skyrocketed to 64%. Today the numbers are even higher.

Real estate professionals know that their customers are uber-connected and informed. Nine in 10 home buyers today rely on the internet as one of their primary research sources, and 52 percent turn to the web as their first step.

Recognizing the shift away from print marketing, real estate agencies and individual Realtors recognize that they have to spend more of the time working with top SEO firms to guarantee top visibility and position in home and realty searches.

If you’re a home or property owner who currently lists your property or if you are looking to list your property with an agent, you should look for an agent or agency who is savvy about these online vs print media trends.

You can get your home or property seen by hundreds or thousands of people every single day and you’re one click away from selling that property online.