Real Estate Advertising Through Radio Endorsements

You’re in the car on the way to work, thinking about the houses you haven’t sold and how your real estate career is going down the toilet. You’ve got six miles left to travel down open Interstate before you arrive at the real estate office, but the traffic is so bad that it might take hours. Your morning coffee has gone cold in its cup and you’re trying not to think about the deadly exhaust pouring out of the old, beat-up truck in front of you or the tongue-lashing you’re sure to get from your boss and fellow real estate agents when you don’t make it to your eight o’clock meeting.

To block out the sounds of horns blaring and tires screeching, you spin the dial on your radio to your favorite station and listen to the DJ as he talks about current events.

You like this guy. He’s funny and articulate and he plays a great set of music; it’s your favorite radio station in the morning. He’s just what you need to get through the next hour and a half of mind-numbing traffic.

After he finishes analyzing the situation in Iraq, he starts to tell you about this new product he’s tried. It’s changed his life, and he wants it to change yours, too. He tells you about the great bargain he received, and you believe him. If it worked for him, it’ll work for you.

Radio endorsements are one of the most powerful and untapped sources of direct response marketing. Most people have a favorite radio station, and they trust the recommendations that their DJ’s make. This is a great opportunity for you to step up in the real estate market by setting your agency apart from all the others. After all, your competition is fierce, especially if you live in a large city.

Here are some of the major benefits of radio endorsements:

�· Radio endorsements usually run 30% longer than the average 60-second, paid-for advertisements.

�· There are far fewer radio endorsements than advertisements, which means that your business stands out.

Ã?· Radio endorsements can be modified on the fly according to changes in your market or inventory – usually within a few hours.

�· Radio endorsements sound like friendly, conversational recommendations by the radio DJ, which makes people feel more comfortable responding to them than with typical radio advertisements.

Ã?· Radio endorsements are usually placed at the end of talk time on the radio, so it doesn’t sound like an advertisement, but a continuation of the DJ’s monologue.

Some radio stations prefer that you work through an advertising agency, while others will negotiate endorsements through their advertising department. Either way, this is a great way to boost sales and to earn yourself a name in the ever-changing market.

Many corporations pay celebrities millions of dollars to endorse their products. A DJ is very much like a home-town celebrity, but his endorsement will cost far less than contracting Brad Pitt or William Shatner. Studies show that people respond to this kind of endorsement, and the radio stations in your area will be able to give you specific statistics.

When you are researching radio endorsements in your area, ask about their key demographics and about their prices up front. They will most likely want to meet with you face-to-face to work out the details.