Forms of Advertising

• Advertising choices bombard the real estate professional. One of the most effective forms of advertising is the basic for-sale-sign, placed by the property. For many years, real estate professionals focused much of their advertising budget on print advertising. It was expensive and, like the old axiom, the real estate agent wasn't immediately certain, which print advertising was working, and which wasn't. After the advent of the Internet, consumers began searching online for properties, and many real estate professionals shifted their dollars from local publications to online advertising, which was often less expensive.
  
  

Timely Factor

• One form of print advertising is the real estate magazine, typically a full color glossy magazine, featuring property listings. While some real estate professionals might insist they have success with this type of advertising, there is the time factor to consider. In a brisk market, properties listed often sell by the time the publication makes it through the production and printing process. Even in a slower market, information contained about a listing is often outdated and while the magazine might be interesting to look at, the serious real estate buyer in the 21st century is more apt to go online for current information.
  
  

Consideration

• Print advertising might work better in one region or community than another. One factor to consider is the number of local publications featuring real estate advertising. If the fictitious town of Sunny Ville has just one newspaper that offers real estate advertising, advertising in that publication might work for the real estate professional. Yet, if Sunny Ville has 500 local publications offering print advertising, this form of advertising becomes less desirable for the agent. While the real estate shopper is likely to pick up the one paper featuring real estate ads in the area, the same shopper is not as likely to pick up all 500 publications. Therefore, the challenge for the real estate agent is to figure out which of the 500 publications to use.
  
  

Marketing

• Print advertising is often more effective at marketing a real estate agent, as opposed to advertising real estate listings. Strategically targeting print media with consistent ads about a real estate agent can be effective in a long-range plan, by constantly keeping the agent's face and name in the public. For listings, advertising online is often more affordable, more current and offers more information for the consumer. Online the agent can add color images and videos of the property, often with the ability to update a listing instantly.