Layoffs, Bad News, Media… Has it all got you down?
October 20th, 2008 by AnnaI am sure many of you have seen the press about web-based real estate companies Zillow.com and Redfin.com laying off a significant portion of their employees. Zillow laid off roughly 25%, while Redfin let 20% of their employees go.
I am curious if real estate agents located in Seattle and the nearby markets are seeing more of a decline in contacts, prospects, and business as a result of this.
What effect is all this “doom and gloom” having on your own personal economy? What are real estate agents all over the country doing on a local level to reduce expenses. You are the human version of these sites… what is happening with your business while things aren’t likely to be “booming” for you?
There are places to make cuts, many of us have to be realistic and just tighten our belts. I would encourage you to take a look at your marketing budget; is there a way you can cut some of your print marketing? Do you need to send post cards right now? What about ads in the newspaper? In my opinion, this is not where your target audience is.
I’ve looked around at a lot of blogs and websites, and I’ve checked out some press on home sales… there are still clients out there. They are online searching for homes and real estate professionals. Make sure you are there to meet them.
Now, more than ever, it is important to be competitive in your market online. The great thing about your real estate website is that you can run effective ad campaigns via email and many other online sources for free.
Use the email marketing program that came with your site (all Advanced Access clients have IntelliCards) to send a personal message to all of your contacts. Now is a great time for an update. I’m sure you have something to say about your market right now. Do you have advice on avoiding issues with mortgage payments? What about advice on going green to save money and help the environment at the same time?
Get this kind of stuff to your clients. Keep your name in front of them in a meaningful way. Post the info to your website too. It’s a great way to have some of your pages found for search terms other than “City Real Estate”. Why not be found for “saving money” type terms? No doubt those searches are way up these days.
Don’t forget your marketing right now - now is one of the most important times to be sure you are the trusted name in your market. Don’t fade now, shine and you will be followed. Be the real estate professional that is there waiting to do business when people are ready. With real estate being such a hot topic - good or “bad” - you want to be the trusted name.
What are you going to work on today?
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