I would appreciate your input so much!   It is so important to share success stories about advertising.   I look forward to your comments!

I guess my thought would be how many of those leads are you converting? If they aren't quality leads then I'd move on. It's the return on investment which matters. Not just staying busy answering leads.

-Colleen

Hey!  It's great to see someone from the Myrtle Beach area...can't wait to drag my camper down again this year from the Ft. Bragg/Fayetteville, NC area.

These are great questions...I, too, am looking at my budget and believe it or not I have never done an advertising campaign on realtor.com...wouldn't even know how.

Got any pointers?

I think if you're thinking about it then you should. When you could say no i don't need it then you don't.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

Does anyone really believe the "hit" totals on each listing on REALTOR.com?  If those numbers were accurate the houses should be flying off the shelf if 80% of the buyers truly shop there.  Most of their leads don't turn into listings or sales.  Just free info gathering.  My best return on investment is direct mail post cards.  A combination of sphere of influence data base, past clients, geographical target market area, and Just Listed/Just Sold.  The same $1,000 spent on a print ad or REALTOR.com upgrade will buy over 2000 direct mail pieces including postage. This has been a great advertising return on investment for me for over 18 years now.

I've already renewed for 2008 and wish I hadn't.  I just don't get much from realtor.com.  I'm anxious to see what others have to say.  I much prefer the free advertising and it seems to me that there's much available in zillow, trulia, etc.

Thank you, C.J. for your insightful advice!  Our area doesn't fare as well with that vehicle, unfortunately.  It did very well for me in the Sacramento, CA, market. 

Hi Mirela,

I am not very happy with Realtor.com. I have been using their enhanced showcase for the last two years at a monthly cost of $75 dollars. I recently changed companies and my new company has a corporate program in place with Realtor.com that includes the enhanced showcase for every listing. I contacted Realtor.com to cancel my subscription since all my listings are now shown under the corporate program and they refused. I am presently paying Realtor.com $75 a month for the next 5 months without any ROI.

Manny Reynaldo - www.2bocahomes.com

Jan,

You will need to buy a featured listing ad for your area.  Your Realtor.com rep will try to sell you the most expensive zip code, but most potential buyers will just spell out the name of the city; few use zip codes.  Find all the zip codes for your city; then get into your Realto.com control panel and click on "purchase a featured listing, and enter all the zip codes.  Find the cheapest one, and buy it.  You will be blown away by the activity your Realtor.com postings will garner.  You just have to edit your listings and make them enticing; add lots of pictures, streming text, a good headline, and then just watch the leads come in. 

Using my technique I saved about $ 3,000.  If you implement this, please let me know how it works for you.

Manny, I think you should copy your Realtor.com rep with these comments, along with the promise that you'll blog more about Realtor.com's modus operandi.  That shoud promptly stop your "bleeding"... 

Never underestimate the power of "bad press"...  I learnt that while doing volunteer work for an environmental group in CA.  They were trying to put a toxic waste facility in the middle of town, right next to an elementary school.  Yeah, we stopped them.  "Bad Press" sure helped...

Let me know how well this will work for you.  With the saved $ 375 you and significant other can go on a cruise...

Armando,

I like your reasoning.  If I apply that to my personal life, that could really get me into trouble...

Thanks for that cute, decision making strategy!

Colleen,

Internet leads are like fish: they go bad quickly.  The Realtor's response time should be only a few minutes, not hours, and definitely not days...

If you respond promptly, follow up dilligently, qualify them properly, you'll convert most of them.  My conversion ratio is through the roof, and that's my modus operandi. 

Good luck!

Jeffery,

I hope all these comments will answer some of your questions.  Feel free to contact me; I'll be happy to fill in the blanks, if there are still pieces missing.

Say "Hi" next time you're at the beach. 

They have and I most certainly will.  I hope to make spring bike week again this year...have been coming downt here since I was a kid....

Take care and if you ever have anything coming to Ft. Bragg / Fayetteville let me know!

Thanks, Jeffery! 

Have a great Bike Week in 2008!

I dumped Realtor.com.  I did not feel that I was getting my moneys worth.

Just like Realtor.com use Internet marketing approach of course it is measurable right  from the get go and fast.

As many have pointed out -- it is all about the quality of the leads and how many of those turn into closed transactions.  I would guess it iwll be different depending on the area you service. I will be back to read what others have to say. Good luck to you in 2008!

The only reason I never signed up with Realtor.com many years ago, was that before I made my final decision, I made some calls.  Infact, a lot of calls.  I spent several hours online looking for people who used the site on the search engines.  I found none easily.  Then I went back to the site and took down the names of those who were featured and began to talk with them about their experience. No one knew I had called anyone else.  But without exception, their responses were all the same.  You can guess what they said.  I didn't sign up.

I would stay away from newspaper. Work your SOI. I don't know about realtor.com. I've never used their services and I don't know if I ever will. I wouldn't use homes and land. Our company uses the real estate book but only becuae they have a good internet program.

Thank you Joan, Gary and Vicky!  I really appreciate you helping me save my money! 

What good advertising vehicles do you use?  I would love to get some great ideas here, as I am getting ready to roll my 2008 plan. 

I look forward to hearing from you on what actually WORKS !

How about concentrating on your frineds and family, giving them stuff of value. I am the wrong person to ask about this stuff, cause I despise giving lots of money into marketing and advertising.

Lola, thank you so much for your input!  Wow!  You sure are dilligent.

I am very much interested in finding out what you put your advertising dollars into.  Please, do share!

Thank you very much!

I have found ONE interesting thing about having the showcase package on realtor.com. If you put in the headline that shows up on the main landing page, something about foreclosures, and you can direct them to your website and have them land on a foreclosure page, you get decent leads that way.. I know for sure where these people came from because I only use one domain name per listing so tracking is quite simple. I'm not saying THAT is worth the 1000's of dollars they charge up front, but you can get leads and convert them into sales..  

I too went for the pitch, and I had a lot of listings so I had to pay more...My traffic count showed tons of hits, but no sales...They squealed like stuck pigs when I refused to renew...So, I guess a certain kind of home might do better, but all of mine were in the 220k to 460k, got not one showing, not one inquiry...I say that kind of marketing results speak for themselves...

Thank you Pam!  How do you like the Internet presence of the Homes & Land?

I have had an account w/ Realtor.com for years, 8 maybe and haven't gotten anything out of it to speak of. It's not the featured page you are doing but my immediate thought on Realtor.com is "drop it"   I have had my website www.patricia4realestate.com up and running for 8 years, the same amount of time and that is where I get 90% of my leads....serious leads that lead to closings.    We always think we're going to lose something by not doing the same thing over each year. But...if you look back and see what if anything you have gotten directly from this and then decide.  If it's 0  then don't renew is my thought.

Good Luck,

Patricia Aulson/Hampton NH Real Estate 

Thank you Mike for your input!  I guess the only reason my Realtor.com gets results is because I pay the extra bucks to list my properties at the top of the page for my market.  It's called featured listing, and it actually works for me, but you are right, it works much better for the lower priced properties!

Patricia, thank you for that advice! 

What do you do to your website to make it so successful?  Please share!

Any tips on your particular follow up?  Your results are impressive.

The only thing I have coming out of newspaper ads is name recognition. I advertise in a local paper and then the people I see at my daughter's school, or at the gym say "I saw your ad" Haven't had any leads yet, but I am one of several agents in that particular paper. it is almost more like a realtor newspaper. SOI has been my bread and butter so far

Joel, that's fascinating!  Wow!  That's a great idea!  Thank you!

Wow!  I'm learning a lot here!  Please keep it coming! 

Sally, athanks for sharing!

REALTOR.com just takes the product of our labor, and as our own trade group, sells it back to us, on top of the hundreds of dollars we spend a year on membership.  I don't think their hit count is reflective of true interest in the property, and their dominance of real estate on the web is diminishing.  Zillow, Trulia, etc. are gaining ground and offer better listing options for free, with much better pricing on enhanced listings.

Where should you put your marketing time and energy?  Ensuring that your website is getting traffic (findable) and that it captures visitor information when they get there.  And of course, blogging.  Focus on your unique market and specialties, and leverage that sphere -- don't spend tons of money fighting for recognition on the big stage.

I personally wouldn't voluntarily waste money on REALTOR.com.

Wow!  That's quite a diatribe!

Duly noted!  Where were you when I blew my $ 4,000 with them this year? 

Great ideas with Zillow and Trulia.  I am going to give them both a try ASAP.

Trent, I thank you so very much for your empassioned contribution here!  I think I speak for all of us.  Great comment!

This is really turning into a fantastic post, thanks to all of you!  For anyone reading this post: the comments are even better than the blog.  Thank you!

I use Realtor.com and I love it. Enhanced showcase listing is the best investment you can make. If you use all the features, it works great! Just to mention 25 photos, virtual tour, video, custom description, headlines and scrolling text. The best Open House response comes from OpenHouse at Realtor.com.  Did you notice all great neighborhood and demographic info by Onboard LLC. which goes with enhanced listings? Have anyone ever shopped for Onboard's products? They are very expensive (and included in Showcase at Realtor.com!)

You should work with your account rep and negotiate the deals. These guys may be very good and cooperative. Featured listings in some areas are very expensive and not really efficient - then switch to more efficient ones. I usually buy only zip codes which are in or around my farming area and are less expensive. I also try to figure out how many spots are purchased by other realtors. There are usually 8 spots per zip code available. Only 4 of them are displayed at once. Obviously, you get more exposure if you have one of 4 or less featured spots. If all of 8 are busy, you get less exposure for the same dollar. AND - you are not married to one spot. You may negotiate and use your money for any of Realtor.com marketing features. Be creative and flexible and respond quickly.

One more thought. There is nothing free in this world.  I prefer to support the Realtors' site, not the sites which fight against Realtors. So far Realtor.com works well. With right management and our support it should lead the pack. Maybe things change and even if many years ago it was not that efficient, it works great now.  

I have switched over my entire advetising to the internet. I do have a capture site for Buyers which allows them to recieve daily or hourly emails. My site furnishes Buyers with the entire listing including the Address.

So all of my efforts are directed towards links to that web site. Blogs are by far the best for this. I can always tell when I have written a blog that is being followed by the number of signups on my web site a a day or so after.

I do not pay companies like Realtor.com There are just to many free sites out there that you can get the same results for.

When I get up in the morning I go to the coffee shop around 6:30 AM and that is when I search for the free sites. I do not set them up I forward them to my email account and review them in the evening after dinner.

Mirela,

I have not used that type of marketing.  I have found a great marketing site where I get my postcards from and it free.  The name is site is www.vistaprint.com. I get 100 postcards for free (I pay for shipping) and they are quality postcards that I create wuth their templates.  I mail them out to my target market , leave them in local businesses or hand them out.  The only thing I am spending is a little time.  There are some many ad companies that love to prey on Realtors.  I find that there is no one that can market you better than you if you take out a little time to market yourself.  Have a properous New Year:-)

Dwenda, I checked out Vistaprint. They do have some free products. Didn't see any free postcards though.

Thanks everybody for your comments.  I think I would stay away from the realtor.com ad.

I did not do enhanced listings this year. I have no return on the investiment. I had only been doing it for my sellers but just couldn't justify the price. They called me up after 2 months to come back. I told them only if it was 68% lower. Why 68% the rep asked. I told them aol dropped them and that was 68% of their traffic. He said he didn't know about that and offered my 250.00 off, I said no thank you.

All my marketing is internet, no paper or print media. I track every lead and closed deal so I know exactly where they are coming from. Realtor dot com has no Rate of Return for me since I began tracking in 2004.

I personally have never used R.com, but IMO it comes down to how much ROI you saw last year. Leads are great, and hits are great, but they mean squat if they don't equate to deposits in your account. The majority of my marketing is free and I do more business than 98% of the agents in my market, all off the leads I get online, referrals from my SOI, and listings from my expired efforts.

If I knew I'd get at least 2 deals a year, I wouldn't have a problem spending the $1K. Otherwise, I'll put my money and effort elsewhere.

I used R.com for a couple of years, same story as some others, a few leads, no sales. I get 90% of my new business from my personal websites. I do not pay for any other websites.

p.s. I also meant to mention that IMO your money could potentially be best spent investing in your own online presence, not R.com's. Internet exposure is the name of the game and the future of our business, and any money put into your SEO is money well spent for the future. R.com only makes you money as long as you're paying them, right?

Thanks for posting this blog.  Sounds like you got some valuable information regarding realtor.com

I just now checked my blog before going to bed, and I just can't believe what's happening here!  This was the best idea I've ever had - to ask you guys for help with advertising.  Wow!  You have been extraordinary!  I sure am glad I asked the question!

This is going to help all of us.  What great input!  The blog was the start of a great conversation.  I will have to get on here in the morning and address all the wonderful posts. 

Thank you all so very much for sharing your ideas and experiences!  It will make a world of difference to all of us!  Keep checking back, as some of the comments are most educational and will save us all a lot of money.

I did not renew with REALTOR.com,  I had 4 featured spots and received nothing, I was with them for over 6 years and had 1 lead, which still didn't produce a deal. I get more from zillow & craigs list. I to over spend , but am learning the hard way. 

I did not renew with Realtor.com for the same reason as many of the above commenters--no ROI--only a few calls from unqualified buyers.  A waste of time and money for me.  2008 will find me focusing on past clients and their referrals, increasing my Internet presence and reducing my print advertising.

Join the group "real estate rock stars" you'll learn exactly what you need to know to be successful.

What would happen if you stop advertising? 

Usually during a downturn in business it is the best time to gain market share.  Why?  Because most businesses will cut back on their advertising at the first hint of a slowdown.  In many ways the downturn is a self-fulfilling prophesy, isn't it?

Now, the current downturn in real estate is a funny thing.  So many folks got into real estate because it was easy money.  But they weren't truly dedicated professionals.  Many of them are out of the business now.  They never got beyond being order takers.

That's why true professionals will continue their marketing efforts.  Maybe with a few tweaks, but if you endure in the end you will prosper.  A farmer never will harvest a crop that was never planted.

Good luck!

I've been really successful with buying leads (10 closed transactions since May) and took out two buyers today from leads I purchased. One of those leads gave me a lead I'm taking out next Saturday (all 3 preapproved) and I'm taking out another relo next Wednesday.  It can be pricey and you can get some crap leads but if you know how to work them, they will work. I've also done some farming but not with direct mail - I've done door drops and VERY successful. I'm thinking of starting a new blog with my monthly ideas. Very cheap to do.

We are fortunate in our community of 80,000 we have 2 newspapers dedicated to real estate ads only that everyone reads 1/3 page 4 times a month full color runs me 900 bucks. I also have advertising on my car, farm 3000 homes monthly send out just listed and just sold around homes that I do just that. Also bus benches are big. Each one that I do has a different web address all aimed to the same web site, That way I can track each medium. They all pull some. Paying spotlight ads with google did not bring clients it brought more traffic but no clients. Other spotlight web ads were the same. It is all trial and error but needs to be tracked so as not to waste ad money.

There are so many places to advertise...I keep trying to figure out where NOT to.

Here is a WONDERFUL free (yep, FREE) resource that seems to work for the right properties

www.craigslist.com

It is free classifieds.  The only trouble is that it needs to be revisited about every 3 days to keep placement fresh.

Hope that helps.

Live good. Be happy.

-Mimi

I have in the past spent 2000 a year on realtor.com and sometimes more. I have not recieved back leads that have paid for it. However, it is one of the things I use for getting a listing.

If I were you I would chack out the five or six free ways to advertise and keep realtor.com to the six picture package

I've had realtor.com for 6 years now. I spend about 2700.00 a year on it. I can honestly say I've never gotten a good quality lead from it. 2008 I will not be renewing as I think realtor.com is a ripoff. I have several other websites which I've gotten tons of good leads. great post.

Geri Doyle

www.doyledevoe.com

www.newtoniowarealty.com

I'm astonished that nobody has brought up the use of IVR systems.  I've closed 8 deals in the last year that all originated from my IVR system.  The only trick is to call them back as soon as possible and to pay very close attention to your marketing digits so you know when they're calling from your listing or from your advertising.  I cross list all of my properties on the back of each listing's flyer so I multiply my exposure exponentially.  Best part is that I pay less than $30 per month.  My website of course contributes as well as the multitude of free Internet sites such as Craigslist, Trulia, etc. . .  Think about it, less than $400 per year with an amazing return.  Hmmm, no brainier!  You must have good scripts though and be good at them.  It's also a great way to get listings. . . maybe I should be writing my own blog about this stuff :)

I've been a Realtor.com subscriber for 6 years. Early on, I converted several leads into sales, which is why I have continued their service.

For the last two years, I've had a few 'P.O. Box zip code' featured homes. While it has doubled and tripled my hits, the leads have been sparse and sales have been zip. So no more, but we'll likely continue to maintain the enhanced listing feature as my partner has converted several leads from that. I'm focusing most of my efforts on organic search techniques and social networking.

Debra Drummond
http://MichiganMoves.com

I tried R.com years ago, when it was actually still owned by NAR.  At least I think it still was.  It's gone totally downhill since, and I don't even want to talk to them.  They are just another leach looking to take our money, our leads, and our hard work and sell it back to us.

Hi Mirela - try http://www.classifiedflyerads.com for effective online real estate advertising.  Your listings are syndicated to over 20 online directories and many listings make it to the 1st page of Google and other search engines.

Mirela -

I am not a big fan of Realtor.com at all!  However, it seems to be expected as the first level of coverage by clients with even a passing knowledge of the internet.   I do not use the Spotlight Ads or Featured Pages at all - only Showcase Homes, which, for our Team here in Chicago, runs $1,450/year.  No additional website either. 

A Showcase Homes subscription also allows you to post as many Visual and Video Home Tours as you would like - and not pay the $20/listing subscription fee.  This saved us about $840 last year.

I started with Realtor.com when it was only $300/year, about 7 years ago.   Until last year, they only let you load six photos - now, 25 - they have entered the '90's, 10 years late.

Beginning last year, with some help of the KW System, we commited most of our advertising dollars to the web, rather than print or direct mail media.  Online presence is targetable, measurable, and impactful to the right group of people (the younger ones!).  Also, according to the NAR Survey of Buyers and Sellers, 2007 - 84% of home buyers begin their search on the net - not from Open Houses, the local papers, Homes & Land, Harmon Homes, etc.  That's why the print media industry is hurting now - other big advertisers are finding this is true, and diverting their dollars to the web.

Other no or low cost sources of leads from the web - Craigslist.com, ListingDomains.com, Postlets.com, VisualTours.com,  our Team's main Web Center and Blog Center through Point2Homes, some SEO (which I will trim in  2008), a little Pay-Per-Click (but not too much - it can get out of hand quickly) and syndication (usually FREE) from these sources throughout the web.

There are a billion ways for us Realtors to spend money, and a billion companies that want us to spend it.  It is important to spend your money WISELY - THAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE.  Also, you have to convince your clients WITH CONFIDENCE that you will do what it takes to sell their homes, without a lot of unnecessary "gravy" that looks good, but doesn't achieve results.

Hope this helps!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2008 - Spend wisely next year!

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO

Mirela- I believe that Realtor.com is a great advertising source. It appears that more and more consumers are using it to find homes. If it isn't the best site, it is growing. Other than my website, it's number two in buyer leads.

Ok, so I couldn't sleep thinking about this blog.   Wow!  What awesome ideas!  I can't wait to try it all!

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  My entire team thanks you!  Your advice is invaluable!  What great comments. 

The value of this blog is in the COMMENTS !

Mirela,

I highly recommend adding a virtual tour to realtor.com through www.realestateshows.com, cost is $25 per show. Fabulous returns so far in 2007, lots of calls.

My advice, use www.realestateshows.com - you will love it. Great value, great product. They should have an affiliate program - I would make money since I recommend them so often!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!

All of my online expenditures have produced nominal results.  A personal website is important but Realtor.com has no ROI.  I now prefer to use the good old telephone and meet people "belly-to-belly".  Once you have your listing posted in MLS, it gets to Realtor.com.  I've been paying for Featured positioning for one zipcode and regret it.  I've gotten maybe 2 calls in 2007 but not from that Featured spot.  The stats are misleading and the service doesn't have a positive return.  

There are many places to post for free that will syndicate to Yahoo, Google, and many other places.  (Places to post your listing Far, Wide, and FREE) Create your own Craig's List ads from PostLets.  And even get free virtual tours created.  (But with poor photography, a virtual tour just makes it worse.)

Not everything new is better.  C. S. Lewis

Oh my, there is a lot to read here.  Realtor.com just called to renew my featured homes package.  It's a jagged little pill and I haven't made up my mind.

Seems like an unending battle.  You need to advertise to make money but need money to advertise.  What is your ROI?  I set my budget to spend $1 or less for every $3 I make.  Ask people how or where they heard about you and see where your money is best spent.

I have have just started using Realtor.com and received many leads on the rental listings.  I rented several that way.  But, I'm not receiving many inquiries on my homes for sale.  

I give most every advertising vehicle a one year ride sometimes less to see results. I cut Realtor.com loose after one year. Others I got rid of were the Verizon Yellow pages and Travelhost Magazine. All were big zeros for clients and sales.

I'm sure there have been others, but these come to mind as being non-productive for leads or sales. The best bang for zero bucks has been from Activerain and Localism writing for my blog. I have never sent out postcards or farmed an area. Now, I get referrals all the time