Tag: real estate marketing

Now that I’ve created my real estate ad, where do I run it online?

You’ve done the smart thing and created a real estate ad using Canned Banners. Now what?

There are some great options to get your banner ad seen by local home buyers. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Zillow.com

Home buyers use Zillow to search for homes, mortgages, and real estate advice. It’s a perfect target audience. You can target your ad based on ZIP code, which will ensure that only home buyers in your area see your ads.

Go here to get started: www.zillow.com/advertising/Agent.htm
 

Local news websites

The local news websites that you choose all depend on your area. For instance, if you want to find home buyers in the San Francisco Bay Area, you might consider advertising on SFGate.com, a local news website that gets millions of visitors every month.

You’re not just limited to newspaper websites. You can probably advertise on local TV and radio station websites, independent newspaper sites, and local blogs.

To get started, try a simple Google search like “san francisco news.”
 

Retargeting networks


Retargeting shows ads to your website visitors after they’ve left your website. If someone comes to your website and browses around for a few minutes, but leaves without contacting you, you can use retargeting to make sure they keep seeing your ads.

To get started, read this blog post we wrote about retargeting for real estate agents.
 

Google AdWords

Google AdWords lets you advertise with banner ads, not just boring little text ads. You’ll only pay when someone clicks your ad, usually somewhere between $0.50 and $1.50 per click (or more…it really depends on your campaign settings).

To get started, go to adwords.google.com and create an account. Then when you’re building your campaign, go to your ‘Campaigns’ tab along the top. Then click the ‘Ads’ tab:


 
Then select ‘Image ad’ from the ‘New ad’ button:


 
Then you’ll be able to upload the banner ads you created with Canned Banners. Make sure to upload the banner ad SWF files—these are the animated, interactive files.

In order to make sure your ads are being targeted at the right people, choose keywords that are unique to your area. For example, in San Francisco, you could choose keywords like ‘san francisco real estate,’ ‘san francisco real estate agent,’ or ‘noe valley real estate.’ Or read our blog post on how to target specific cities.
 

Questions?

Got more questions about online real estate advertising? Just email us.
 

1 Comment by on December 4, 2010
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What is retargeting and how can it help real estate agents?

This is Part I of a series. Click here to read Part II.

This post will explain how an online advertising strategy called retargeting can help sellers’ agents find home buyers and keep them updated on new properties via interactive banner ads.

First, a quick summary of how retargeting works:

When a home buyer visits your website, some very nifty tracking technology kicks in. After the home buyer leaves your website, the tracking technology shows your banner ads later when they’re browsing other websites. Some people think retargeting is a creepy marketing tactic, but then again so is Ronald McDonald. So there.

If you want to see retargeting in action, go to Zappos.com and then leave the website and start browsing around the web. You’ll probably see Zappos ads follow you around.

So let’s see how this plays out from the perspective of a couple looking for a new home:

Step 1: Home buyers think about buying a new house

Step 2: Home buyers do some research and come across your website

 

 

Step 3: Home buyers leave your website

Yes, it’s true. Most people who visit your website will not immediately rush to the phone to call you. Instead, they will have a look around and then continue browsing other websites.
 

 

Step 4: Home buyers see your banner ads online

Because you’ve started a retargeting campaign, you can show banner ads to home buyers as they browse other websites and continue their real estate research.

Your banner ads can contain your contact info, as well as current listings that home buyers can browse. Because they already came to your website, you can be pretty certain that they’re interested in buying property, so they’ll probably want to browse your ads. Your ad could look like this:
 

 
Build a free ad like the one shown above »
 

Step 5: Start selling some homes!

Admittedly, we here at Canned Banners don’t know much about selling real estate, so this last part is up to you.
 

 
Want to learn step-by-step how you can set up your own retargeting campaign? Click here to read Part II of this gripping series.

Questions? Just email us.
 

No Comments by on November 28, 2010
filed in Advertising Help & Advice
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How to launch a retargeting campaign.
Step-by-step instructions for
real estate agents.

This is Part II of a series. Click here to read Part I.

So now that you know what retargeting is, you probably want to know how you can start using it yourself. It’s easy. In fact, so easy that we’ve boiled it down to 4 steps:

Step 1: Create an account at AdRoll.com

AdRoll is a Canned Banners partner. They have a self-serve system where you can quickly build and launch retargeting campaigns. Best of all, they offer a very generous two week free trial (coupled with the fact that your first order with Canned Banners is also free, you can do everything described here for exactly $0).

Go to AdRoll.com and create an account. You’ll be given a piece of customized code (AdRoll calls it a “retargeting pixel”) to add to your website. This code lets you capture people and add them to your retargeting list when they visit your website.

Note: There are other retargeting networks—we just recommend AdRoll because it’s easy to use. If you want to check out other retargeting networks, visit the Canned Banners partners page or do a Google search for “retargeting.”
 

Step 2: Get home buyers to your website

Now that you’ve installed your AdRoll retargeting pixel, you need to build your audience by getting local home buyers to visit your website. You’re probably already doing plenty of marketing such as the things shown below. If you’re not, then start—retargeting only works when people visit your website.

A few commonly used marketing tactics:
 

 

Step 3: Create a banner ad using Canned Banners

You’re going to need a nice banner ad to show to home buyers. Go to Canned Banners and create an ad in minutes—seriously, all you need are a logo and a few photos. Your first order is completely free.

We have three banner ad templates that are specifically designed for real estate. Click the thumbnails to start customizing one:
 

Customize this ad » Customize this ad » Customize this ad »

 

 

 

 

Step 4: Upload your banners to AdRoll and
launch your retargeting campaign

 

To upload the ads you created using Canned Banners, log into
your AdRoll.com dashboard and click “Ads” on the right-hand side.
 
Once you’ve received your banner ad files from Canned Banners (takes 24 hrs or less … usually way less), go back to AdRoll.com and upload them. Then you’ll be able to launch your campaign and start showing realty ads to people who have visited your website.

Make sure to update your ads whenever you have new listings. Test different versions of your ads, too. Things like wording, color, and imagery can have a big impact on how effective your ads are. Luckily, with Canned Banners it’s easy to make multiple versions of the same ad.

Do you have more questions on how to launch an online retargeting campaign?
Just email us.
 

No Comments by on November 28, 2010
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