Real Estate Marketing Dollars for Print vs Web

Study into Real Estate Advertising

Disclaimer: we have a good friend that works at the Burlington Free Press and do believe there is a role for print in the real estate advertising model.

This blog article on real estate advertising in newspapers from a veteran media executive is a must read for REALTORS undecided about the ratio of print to web investment. The article states that 6 out of 10 real estate agents think newspaper advertising is useless. However, 80% still buy print ads often just to appease the sellers they are representing!  This is consistent with the anecdotal reports we’ve heard from our clients.

We feel that REALTOR are the expert in their field.  With their knowledge of the market and trends, they are best qualified to know how to market their properties and to whom.  If the high quality leads are coming from the web then this is the sort of quality control that needs to be measured and communicated to sellers.  One client of ours has recently started offering sellers $250 back at closing if he never has to run their house in a print ad.  Think that’s crazy?  Try pitching it as your next listing presentation.

Brian Boardman on real estate marketing

Brian Boardman, the broker and owner of Hickock & Boardman  and a longtime USM client, spoke to us recently about the growing trend of moving away from print to web to market properties.

Utilizing Google Local For Your Business

Search Engine Optimization is a time-intensive exercise. We regularly tell clients that search Engine Optimization is an endurance race not a sprint. You must work on your site consistently to make sure that you are accurately represented in Google Searches. This is because as we frequently tell people “No one can pull the strings a Google.”

This statement has one notable exception, the Google local listings. You have undoubtedly run across the local listings as you have preformed searched in Google when you search for a term with a location attached. For example lets say you search for “web design 05401″ you get a search page that looks like this:

The local listings are the ones that appear next to the map. You can have direct control over these listings. By utilizing Google Local listings you will give your business great visibility for people searching locally for your services. If you click on Union Street Media’s entry you are taken to a page that we have set up for our business that looks like this:

As you can see, you can literally write your own ticket in Google. You can add pictures, enter hours of operation in addition to many other pieces of information that will give your business visibility and attract attention. A great way to get a better idea of what this feature has to offer is to look at the Google Local Business Center Introductory Video.

Setting up your Google local account takes some work. There is a phone or mail based address verification check that you will need to complete but it is totally worth the investment of time. To get started click here to go to the Google Local Business Center.

Union Street Media Introduces the New Online Face of the Northwestern Vermont Board of Realtors

We here at Union Street Media are pleased to announce the launching of The Northwestern Vermont Board of Realtors new website, NVBR.com. We are very happy to add this new site to our growing list of Realtor board and Association sites which include The New Hampshire Association of Realtors and the Vermont Association of Realtors.

New Site Launches by Union Street Media

As always, we have been busy here at Union Street Media adding new clients and websites to our portfolio. We are pleased to announce the launch of four new websites for four great companies this month. Our Real Estate Department has been very busy and has introduced three new sites in the past month. They are:

Atlantic Bay Sotheby’s International is a great real estate agency serving Outer Cape Cod. They are located in Provincetown and specialize in primary and vacation homes as well as summer vacation rentals. This our second site on the Cape, and a welcome addition to the Union Street Media family.

We are also happy to welcome Kristie Dinsmore’s new site to our portfolio. Kristie Dinsmore is an expert Realtor in Southern New Hampshire Real Estate. Kristie has been a customer of ours for a number of years using our IDX integration on a third party website. We are very pleased that she has decided to build a complete site with Union Street Media.

The last Real Estate Site that we have introduced is a really interesting site for Lina Panza, a Realtor in Montclair, New Jersey. She has chosen to focus on a particular topic which is becoming more and more relevant: walkable suburbs. Partnering with Union Street Media, she as built a site focusing on suburban real estate with walkable commutes to trains and commercial districts. Her site is a great example of an agent seeing an unfilled niche in their market and building a website to take advantage of the opportunity. We are pleased to introduce this as our first real estate site in the state of New Jersey.

In the interactive realm, we launched an extensive travel information and resource site for a client based in Seattle. Know Your Trip is a great travel site that acts as a hub for travelers to share information and stories from their experiences. The site is organized into regions allowing travelers to find the information that they want quickly and easily. We are very pleased to introduce it to the travel community!

The last piece of news that we would like to announce is the first example of Union Street Media’s new video bio services. We are always looking for new ways to break down the barriers between our clients and their online visitors. To this end, we have begun to offer video production services to help our clients showcase their personality and their vision for their market. Our first subject was Burlington Realtor, Brian Boardman. We included testimonials from past clients and showed what makes Brian’s view of the area unique and exiting. Please watch the video here and let us know what you think!

Union Street Media Client Named To The Top 10 Tour Operators In The World By Travel and Leisure Magazine!

We here at Union Street Media would like to congratulate Boundless Journeys on being named #7 of the best adventure tour operators in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine’s Annual World’s Best Competition!

Travel and Leisure said: “If diversity of adventure is what you are seeking, Boundless Journeys has trips to satisfy your most imaginative spirit. Offering worldwide adventure tours, featuring experiences ranging from wilderness treks to cultural journeys, we always find the hidden gems of each destination. Small group or private itineraries, memorable accommodations, and expert local guides define the signature Boundless Journeys adventure travel experience.”

Congratulations to everyone at Boundless Journeys and their latest achievement!

Staff Web Developer Introduces Iphone App in His Spare Time

Morgan Newcomb has developed a new iPhone app called Aquaria.

In his own words “it is a reference to help you maintain proper water quality with your salt water aquarium.” We at Union Street Media would like to congratulate Morgan on his creation!

Visit Union Street Media on Facebook!

Union Street Media is pleased to have a new Facebook user name account. Visit us and become a fan so we can keep you up to date on what we are up to here at USM.