The amount of money a real estate agent spends on classifieds is vital for generating interest in their listings. Because of the massive decline in local and national newspaper readership – circulation of newspapers has dropped to the lowest level since the 1940s – is now the time to move all your classified ads online?
At first sight, it certainly seems so. Many industries that once depended on newspaper ads and classified listings to market themselves have made the shift to digital. Does this mean print ads are dead for realtors? The answer is both Yes…and no.
Digital Marketing Offers Many Benefits
It’s no secret that digital marketing tools offer amazing benefits to realtors,some of the biggest benefits are:
1. Active buyers
When you advertise a property on a classified ad website, you know that your audience is actively looking to make a purchase. You won’t be spending significant sums of money on ads trying to appeal to people who have no desire to buy.
2. Do more with digital
Digital ads also let you do so much more than print – such as using pictures and video’s in your ad,
3. Measure ROI
Advertising your listings on digital media lets you use various kinds of tracking software to monitor the impact of your ads by measuring clicks and traffic to your website.
So, digital trumps print for real estate advertising, right? Not so fast!
Print Still Offers Value
Don’t declare print dead just yet. There’s still a lot of value in placing your classified ads in local newspapers, magazines, direct mail and brochures:
1. A passive audience
While, people reading a printed publication may not be planning on buying a home right now. But if they see your ad, it might just get them thinking – and a couple of months down the line, you’ll be the first realtor they call.
2. More effective
A print ad feels more ‘real’. And research shows print ads stay on people’s minds longer than digital files and pop-ups. The research also showed that people seem to trust something printed on paper more than something on a screen.
3. Reaches certain audiences
Sure, if you’re selling downtown apartments to digital-native millennials, online ads might be the way to go. On the other hand, print ads are more likely to be seen by senior citizens and some other demographics too – so if you’re targeting these audiences, print is the way to go.
The Marketing Mix
Does digital beat print for classified property ads? The bottom line is that it depends on the property you want to sell and the kinds of buyers you want to reach. You will likely find that mixing the two provides the best results.
