February Marketing Tips

Custom House Publishers knows when the market cools, or slows, it is important for real estate professionals to utilize their marketing strategies. During this time, real estate agents tend to cut back on their marketing because there is little business to capture. Instead of cutting back, real estate agents should focus more on marketing during a slow market.

There are a couple of reasons why marketing is so important. The experience and knowledge of the marketing Realtors provide is important when the market is slow because it can be challenging for people to sell their homes when the demand is low.

Andy Clark of The Clark Team (Keller Williams, Corona, CA) says that his team has experienced small market cool downs over the past several years and knows the importance of marketing. “We have found that marketing is not where you should be cutting back. Your cuts should be in the fixed expenses, not the sources that generate business for you. When markets cool, our jobs as Realtors© become increasingly important. Houses will not sell themselves and Realtors© will have more value with the services they provide. It is important that we let the selling public know that, and we will do that through our marketing.”

Another reason to market yourself in a slow market is to sow the seeds of success for when the market heats up in the spring. Doug de los Angeles (Keller Williams, Everett, WA) understands how important marketing is for his team. “We look at these slow times in real estate as a perfect opportunity to really ramp up our marketing. Winter here in the Northwest is dark and dreary, and people are waiting for spring to arrive to put their homes on the market. Meanwhile, we are bombarding them with our marketing material during this slow season so that when the time comes to call a Realtor and list, we are the ones they think of first! Other agents who wait until spring to start heavy marketing have already ‘missed the boat.’ We take advantage of this slow time and see it as opportunity!”

Student of the Month
Have one of your advertisers sponsor a student of the month, making your
paper the talk of your area. Have a school in your farm choose the student. The principal can write a quick note about why that student is worthy. You can set guidelines or not. Schools will be willing to self-promote their excellence in education. If done correctly, you can offer an incentive for the student of the month. Print the application in your paper and tell the school to have their students look for it in their mailboxes. The bigger the reward, the more willing parents will be to look for your paper.

Sponsors: Have your local bank, mortgage company, insurance company, cell phone company, etc., sponsor one school’s student each month. Most companies will be interested in linking their name to education. Have sponsors put your papers in their branch offices.

Savings bonds as an incentive add credibility, without costing too much money. You don’t need to publicize the amount of the bond. A $50 EE Series Bond, for instance, will cost you $25. For details, go to http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/ols/olshome.htm.

Your farm will be looking for your paper if they know a local student’s picture will be there. If you publicize the selection process by taking treats for the entire classroom of the selected student, your paper will be talked about to parents of all of the students. Make sure to pass out copies to that selected student’s class for them to take home.

Alternatives awards include Teacher of the Month, School of the Month and Charity of the Month.