Be Pro-active and Stick around Long-term

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Commentary by Matt Caldwell

RISMEDIA, Sept. 24, 2008-Today’s consumers can be divided into four distinct generational groups: Gen. Y & X, Baby Boomers and Traditionalists. For the most part Y & X generations prefer Internet while Boomers and Traditionalist are more comfortable with print. With so many groups of people searching for homes in so many different ways, there is no single method that reaches everyone. It is essential for agents to implement a marketing strategy that integrates print and Internet to target all of these groups using a variety of methods. Choosing a single method of advertising will completely ignore a large portion of the home buyer and seller market, leaving a significant number of consumers without your message. I have found a new product that gives you the means to do multiple marketing methods, at a very reasonable price.

Magazines, more than any other media option, provide advertisers with a choice of highly selective alternatives that offer a wide variety of formats and contexts. The overwhelming advantage of magazines relative to other media is the ability of magazines to attract, and therefore target, a highly selective audience. Another advantage of magazines is to offer a wide range of creative opportunities. Because of the ability to vary the size of an ad, use color, use white space and so on, magazines represent a favorable creative environment.

Everyday we hear the negative reports regarding current housing market conditions. Let’s face it; these are not the best of times to be in the real estate industry. If you’re willing to “stick it out” until things pick up, you have to make sure that your clients know you are still out there. Opportunity is knocking with so many agents exiting or near exiting the profession due to career changes or cash flow issues. The time is now to pounce on the client-base left unrepresented.

New conditions require new marketing

Staying in front of every past client and prospect on a regular basis is now more important than ever. It’s time to consider replacing the way you promoted yourself before with new and improved marketing that will serve you and your clients better in this new marketplace.

Stand out on a quarterly basis

One product that stood out to me when researching new marketing products tailored to our needs as agents is Tailor-Made magazine. This is a vibrant twenty-page publication, in print and online, that allows agents to truly customize their own magazine to fit their needs. This is not template based as many of you have seen before in other products. This is total customization at less cost than anything-similar available today. The best feature is there are no contracts or long-term obligations, so the risk to you is removed. Sending your client base a refreshing product focused on the positive in life, while promoting your latest listings and updates will pay off. It will also save you money in terms of how many other areas you can stop wasting precious marketing dollars.

Matt Caldwell is a Windermere real estate agent.

For more information, visit http://tailormademag.com/agent/.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

For more real estate tips and topics on RISMedia.com, see:

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