Contrary to popular belief, it's alive and well.
I mean people still subscribe to magazines
and read newspapers.
And many of these publications offer
incredibly targeted audiences for real estate investors
looking for their next deal.
I'll show you why you want to consider print media,
and how to make it work for you.
And I'm going to show you it's much cheaper
than you might be thinking.
But before we go there, click the Subscribe button,
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because I post cool stuff like this each and every week,
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Let's go.
Hi, I'm Matt Theriault, CEO of Epic Real Estate,
where we show people how to invest in real estate
with an emphasis on retiring early.
Now, don't let anybody tell you
that print advertising is dead.
Even in the age of the internet
and the convenience of smartphones,
people are still paying attention to the printed word,
and you can find motivated sellers
by advertising in magazines and newspapers.
Digital ads have become the norm
when it comes to real estate investors marketing,
but print advertising is hardly dying.
If anything, it's leveling off
after a long period of its decline.
It's not going to ever completely disappear.
And the truth is that the most effective advertising strategies
will probably combine digital media and print.
That can make for an inexpensive
and surprisingly effective way to advertise
for motivated sellers.
Specifically, we're talking about magazines and newspapers,
and to some extent direct mail.
First, magazine ads.
People still read them.
In fact, most people who read online,
also read magazines in print, and those could end up
generating some of your best leads.
Digital advertising might reach more potential customers,
but print is more likely to reach the right ones,
especially when you're operating locally,
like most real estate investors do.
The free local magazines are often a strong option.
Local businesses frequently supply
stacks of free local magazines.
Look for them next time you exit your grocery store.
They're free to the public
and typically run informative articles
such as spotlights on local business people,
or events that many find interesting.
They often enjoy longer shelf life
than the big national magazines,
and what I like about them is
they're automatically targeted for your local area.
By definition, it's called a local magazine.
Second, local newspapers can offer great brand exposure.
Not everyone who scans the local paper
for news, jobs, apartments or high school sports
is looking for your service,
but they will be exposed to your brand
every time they pick up that paper.
And marketers know that the more brand exposure they get,
the more inclined consumers are
to consider their product or service,
when they eventually do feel the need to call you.
Besides, people who read local newspapers
often do so for the ads.
They're looking for deals, they're looking for discounts.
Like local magazines,
local newspapers offer businesses
a highly targeted audience.
If there's any form of media that has become a poster child
for the disruptive nature of digital media,
it's the newspaper.
The days of people reading the paper on the train to work
or at the breakfast table might seem to be over,
but newspapers, even in print, are far from dead.
Nearly 70% of Americans read a newspaper,
and 50% of those readers consume it only in print.
In fact, some major big city newspapers
are actually adding staff because they're doing so well.
And newspapers serving smaller cities and rural areas
have never suffered much from digital competition.
They're still the best source of information in those areas.
Generally speaking, the more hyper-local the newspaper,
the more importance it's likely to hold among its readers.
They do a lot of work to build relationships
with their readers, to grow their own reputation.
As they build trust,
advertising with them becomes more beneficial because
you're essentially siphoning off some of that trust
for your business.
Of course, a lot of people who read newspapers,
read them on tablets and smartphones.
And that's okay, as is the case with magazines,
your print and digital ad buys will likely be linked.
Tailoring your ad to your budget
is easy with choices like quarter page,
half page, full page,
and even small business card sized advertising spots.
More on how you can save a ton of money
with print advertising in just a minute.
And if you like the idea of saving a ton of money,
let me know by smashing the Like button.
The classified ads in your local newspapers are perfect
if you are looking to post a job opening
or offer a household service
such as lawn cutting or cleaning.
And people looking for those services
are the same people who would potentially look
to sell their house fast and for cash.
As for how to write a magazine or a newspaper ad,
keep it simple.
Your best bet is to begin
with an engaging eye catching headline,
relatively little text,
and an arresting image when they're allowed.
Use the principle of simplicity to your advantage.
Remember that the average reader's attention span
these days is about 140 characters.
The former maximum length of a tweet.
If you're using more texts than that,
not counting your company info and contact information,
you've probably written too much.
All you need is a mention of your service,
what it does for your ideal customer and a call to action.
And I'll give you examples of the three parts that you need.
First, an engaging headline like say,
Fast Fair Offer for Your Las Vegas House.
Or, If You Need to Sell Your House Fast, Read This.
Or, Get Cash For Your House "As Is"
No Commissions.
Those are examples of headlines.
Second, your body text might read something like this.
I buy houses, any condition, quick cash and quick close.
Straight and to the point.
Third, your call to action might read like this:
To hear how much you can get for your property
and how the process works in as fast as 2 weeks,
call or text Matt at (702) 553-3333.
And if your ad permits an image,
maybe something eye grabbing like this,
or this.
It doesn't necessarily have to be related to your service,
as long as it gets the reader's attention.
Or a photo that includes a local landmark
works really well too.
Like this.
So with all of that said,
one of the basic commandments of advertising
whether online or off, is to always be testing.
Track the effectiveness of your ads
by using different tracking phone numbers in each ad,
or vanity URLs for your different landing pages
if you're driving people to a website.
If you are not tracking the response
and measuring the results,
you won't know if your ads are actually working,
or you won't know which ones are working best
so that you can double down on those.
Regarding the cost,
it's not nearly as expensive as you may think.
And here are five ways
to cut your print advertising costs even more.
1. Negotiate.
Don't just accept the list price
or first price you're offered for your ads.
Newspaper sales teams often operate on commission,
and have a reasonable amount of leeway in terms
of their ability to offer deals.
And if you ask for consideration or a discount
in order to win your business, you will usually get one.
Check if the cost of your ad
includes listing on the newspaper's online portal too.
And if not, negotiate inclusion as a part of your package.
Some publications practically give their print ads away
if you advertise with them online, and vice versa.
A print buy can lead to free digital ads too.
Don't hesitate to negotiate a print package when possible
when you're buying other forms of advertising.
You might get better results from your free print ad
than you get from your paid digital ad.
2. Advertise multiple times.
The number of times that you advertise
also known as frequency,
will change how much you pay per ad.
These discounts should be listed
in the newspapers rate card, the magazines rate card,
and can be broken down by the amount that you spend,
and still ask, is that the best you can do?
In addition to getting better rates with more frequency,
those reading the newspaper
are not necessarily in the market for your exact service
at the time your ad is running so,
consistency, like with any other advertising, is key.
3. Buy leftover space.
Sometimes newspapers offer a remnant space rate
that can be discounted up to 80% off the list price.
Consider asking your media buyer or advertising sales rep
to put you on a remnant list.
If you're flexible with your ad dates,
you're going to save a fortune this way.
And to do that you've got to have your creative ready
in a variety of ad sizes,
so you can pull the trigger quickly for these deals.
4. Ask about special publications.
Contact your local newspaper
and ask if it has any upcoming special event inserts
that may be in alignment with housing,
or gardening or home repair,
anything having to do with a house or property
directly or indirectly.
The cost for printing in one of these special inserts or handouts
is usually much less expensive than
running an ad in the regular newspaper
since fewer people will see it.
However, the people who do see it
will be your target market.
5. Pitch articles instead of paying for ads.
Magazines and newspapers
are always looking for good content.
Articles that give value to the reader
can trump a paid ad by establishing credibility,
and authority as an expert in your given industry or field.
You could pitch an article that you've written,
or with a little legwork,
you could identify and approach the best writer
at any given publication
with an article idea that is newsworthy to their readers.
And then offer to contribute your expertise
positioning you as a thought leader.
Let me know in the comments below
what you found most valuable,
and please share this with someone you know
who may also find it valuable.
Thanks for watching, see you next time.