The glossy real estate magazine herd was thinned by the onslaught of Internet marketing. Sure, there are still a few die-hard agents pouring major money into the few mags remaining. I'm a fan of gorgeous photos and enticing copy, but I also like a respectable return on investment. I bought those full page ads for years and it was not an easy marketing habit to break. I stand before you and confess I'm still tempted to splurge (squander) several hundred dollars a pop for a 30-day shelf life, but the consumers have convinced me to move from passive advertising to active marketing.
Selling real estate is a contact/lead dependent business. Buying leads whether from a company or with your advertising dollars is expensive. Generating my own leads with 30 minutes of blogging a day delivers more bang for the buck than those $1000 ads ever did for me.
I blog about what I know--the local real estate market. I blog about the real estate business and give "how to" tips to buyers and sellers. I blog about market trends, statistics and what is selling and why. This is the information age and I want my clients to be informed and on top of the latest and greatest real estate news and opportunities.
It takes time to blog effectively. It requires knowledge and expertise and the desire to share it. It also works. The shift has happened. More than 50% of my new customers come from my Internet marketing efforts. I still do a large portion of business from past clients and their referrals, but new business comes primarily from blogging.
I have 5 minutes to post time if I want to make the 30 minute cutoff so I'll wrap this up with an example: Two buyers I'm currently working with googled one of the areas I blog about and found several articles on my blog. As one of them answered when asked how they found me, "On the Internet of course. Why would anyone look for homes in the newspaper? It's very old fashioned, don't you think?"
Do you want to capture the consumers of 2010? Pump up your Internet presence. Your future clients are already there.
Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800
PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.
South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
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Palos Verdes Homes Blog - Palos Verdes Houses
Rancho PV Horse Property - Palos Verdes Blog
Coachella Valley Lots for Sale - View Homes in Rancho Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Estates - Rancho Palos Verdes Homes
Los Angeles Photographer - Palos Verdes Homes Videos
Sell Smart, Buy Wise and Live Well
Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333
PalosVerdesLifestyle- Norma's award winning site as the best Palos Verdes homes and real estate blog since 2007. Selected by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Chosen by MovingCost.com as one of the best Los Angeles realty blogs. Awarded 5 out of 5 stars by Lender411 blog review. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.
South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Based on information from the Association of REALTORS®/Multiple Listing as of the initial date of this article/blog publication and /or other sources. Display of MLS data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the MLS. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent.
Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Email Norma
Palos Verdes Homes Blog - Palos Verdes Houses
Palos Verdes Horse Property - Palos Verdes Realtor Agent
Palos Verdes Coastal Homes - Los Angeles Home Search
Photos of Palos Verdes - Palos Verdes Videos
Palos Verdes Luxury Homes - Beach Cities Homes
Since time is as important a commodity as cash, limiting your investment of time in any one area such as blogging or hangin' out on the web is very important.
This is a good discussion Norma and one we had been thinking about. Since late 2009 and into 2010 so far we have been concentrating a majority of our time and efforts into SEO and blogging. We spend thousands upon thousands upon thousands on paper advertising and like you would love to give that up! However, we still seem to be getting new business from the paper media!!???!! Takes time to cultivate this internet presence we know, as it did with the print media. Thank you very much Norma for blogging topic tips.