What is the single most effective marketing idea for realtors?

[dreamgiver]

It could be anything you have seen or have done yourself. In a down market, marketing is becoming more and more necessary. The thing that comes to mind is becoming a "Foreclosure Realtor". Market yourself a Foreclosure Realtor.

Thoughts?

[fractional-homes]

Internet, Internet and Internet.

TV commercials are very low in cost-effectiveness. Print ads are out of date, especially Yellow Pages. Billboards are worthless. Everyone is converging on the internet, especially Google. Building a high-ranking website or more websites to attract users and increase visitor to customer conversion. Do it smartly, you will succeed. Many business people still have no clue as to how powerful internet marketing is. So, if you gain an edge, you will be ahead of the game.

[dreamgiver]

Internet, Internet and Internet.

TV commercials are very low in cost-effectiveness. Print ads are out of date, especially Yellow Pages. Billboards are worthless. Everyone is converging on the internet, especially Google. Building a high-ranking website or more websites to attract users and increase visitor to customer conversion. Do it smartly, you will succeed. Many business people still have no clue as to how powerful internet marketing is. So, if you gain an edge, you will be ahead of the game.

Awesome post Fractional-Homes....internet marketing is sure powerful...I don't think people realize how powerful it is.

Sincerely,

Dreamgiver

[wchua24]

truly internet marketing is powerful it can inform many people in just one click of the button...but in realty business one should pursue the client to buy not just to inform them...so internet is a good for informing them but one still must have a good agent in this..

[seg_cost]

I would use a combination of postcards to drive people to a personalized landing page.

I also use some very advanced PPC techniques to get cheap traffic and drive people to sites. Most people just don't have enough knowledge of PPC and pay WAY too much.

[amjadindiaint]

Internet Marketing is the best way forever for anything.
PPC for quick result
Organic SEO for long term results.
For this you have to have a website and the knowledge of seo.
If you have web site and no seo knowledge i am there to assist you.
If you have seo knowledge and no web site I am still there to assist you.

[Nealrm]

The internet is truely the place to be. But it most be done right. You do not want a potential client first impression of you to be a poorly designed website. Also the listing photos need to be high quality.

[silveraden]

Internet.. Create a website and advertise your service..

[agentwhiz]

Blogging is a powerful tool. It puts you in the forefront of your community as the expert, the one that knows his/her stuff! Buyers thinking of relocating can gather information on your area and your services. And the search engines love blogs, as they provide fresh new content...which allows you to move up higher in your search engine position and ratings.
~Hollie Dustin
AgentWhiz.com

[imranzaheer]

Go for Internet marketing. Build a SEO friendly website and get high ranking positions in Google for competitive and highly searched keywords and then you can generate more traffic and leads.

[RealEstate2009]

I concur. Internet marketing is an extremely power tool for real estate.

[Codythebest]

An extremely targeted flyer printer in B&W with a laser printer and distributed de visu by yourself.
Cost: 1 cent each.
Leads: 2%
Listed: 4‰
Closed:2‰

[silveraden]

Here are the lists of free advertising websites, forums, social bookmarking, etc..


Lists of Dofollow forums that allow Dofollow Signatures (http://myseoblog.net/2008/05/11/list-of-dofollow-forums-with-dofollow-signatures/)
Lists of Moneymaking and Webmasters Forums (http://myseoblog.net/2008/04/16/list-of-moneymaking-and-webmasters-forums/)
Lists of Freelance Sites (http://myseoblog.net/2008/04/07/lists-of-freelance-sites/)
Lists of Social Bookmarking Sites (http://myseoblog.net/2008/02/26/7/)
List of Real estate Forums (http://myseoblog.net/2008/04/26/list-of-real-estate-forums/)
Lists Of Free Advertising Forums (http://myseoblog.net/2008/03/20/lists-of-free-advertising-forums/)
Lists of Ad Networks (http://tinyurl.com/3hhkjk)

Additional Advertising Resources

Myseoblog.net - make money with your blog today (http://www.myseoblog.net)

[HHI Golf Guy]

There's no doubt that internet marketing is a powerful tool. Heck, I make a living off of real estate and the internet.

But I still believe that the single most powerful marketing tool in an agent's arsenal is their own social network. I don't mean an internet social network like Facebook or MySpace. I mean the network of people that agents meet through church, social clubs, charity events, and going to the grocery store.

Every top agent I know has a huge social network pipeline to tap into.

[Relationships]

I agree the internet is a powerful tool but it seems that everyone is focused on gaining new clients instead of focusing on leveraging the relationships you already have. Some of the world's best businesses got to where they are before internet, tv, and radio were even available. Good service yields repeat and referral transactions. These both come from solid relationships.

Remember it's all about balance. You should never get focused on only one thing. Work to obtain new clients while sustaining and leveraging the power you have with your current and former transactions.

Good luck!

[luckyrock2]

Blogs are a great mechanism. Though they require consistency, the other poster was dead on in noting that search engines love well-established, regularly-updated blogs. One great one is realestatesizzle.com, not necessarily for the layout but for the leads she generates through the site.

You might also consider Bluetooth marketing. It's low-cost, easy to set up and maintain, permission-based and has typical success rates of 30-50%. Try getting such a response from a print or TV campaign.