Success with Spot Runner?
A profile on Spot Runner from Money Magazine features a Realtor’s success with the DIY television advertising service. I first wrote about Spot Runner in an earlier post, where I criticized TV advertising in general as being ineffective. This piece however, highlights Sharon Nyman - a Century 21 agent in Key West, who claims that advertising through Spot Runner landed her a $7.9 million listing.
Although Nyman said she hasn’t had any buyers contact her directly yet, the traffic to her Web site has increased drastically. “It’s already starting to set me apart from other realtors,” she said.
And the best part? “I was competing with another realtor to list a $7.9 million house and because I was able to offer TV advertising, I landed that listing.”
You can click here and watch Nyman’s commercial. Personally, I’m not blown away by the production quality of her ad. But, I guess the price is right.
Was I wrong in doubting the power of TV advertising?
Technorati Tags: Spot Runner, Spotrunner, TV Advertising, Advertising, Century 21, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Blogging, Real Estate Blog, Real Estate Blogs, Real Estate, Realty Blogging
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
6 Comment(s)
3 Trackback(s)
- From realiventblog.com | Nov 7, 2006
- From dynamiclistingexchange.com | Nov 8, 2006
- From Marketing Real Estate On The Tube… And I Don’t Mean Youtube | Future of Real Estate Marketing | Apr 3, 2007
Niki Scevak | Jul 18, 2006 | Reply
I’d be a little suspicious that traffic to her web site went up as a result of the spot after viewing the commercial and hearing her web site mentioned only once and only in the audio.
That said, TV commercials are neither good or bad; they are good or bad at a certain price. So if the campaign demonstrated measurable results (the person listing the $7m home) then it certainly is worth it. The great thing about Spotrunner seems that it helps you get further along in that path of working out whether the spend does justify the investment.
The Landlord | Jul 18, 2006 | Reply
Maybe I’m completely off here, but if I had the resources and the interest in buying an $8 million dollar home, I’m not sure I’d be looking for it via TV commercials.
I think that the real future in selling homes is not over the television, but through the internet. There are so many properties out there spouting so much information. The internet remains the only medium we have that allows an individual to seek out specific information on relevant material.
I rue the day when, up here in Washington DC, I’m deluded with ad of properties I’d never want to buy because they are either in the wrong areas (but still in commuting distance to DC!) or generally in the wrong price range.
realestatemarketing | Jul 18, 2006 | Reply
The more I think about it TV advertising is little more than an ego-stroke to the property owner. Gee, my house will be on TV!
RealEstatePro | Sep 15, 2006 | Reply
Real Estate Pros have actually had these low cost services available for years. The only thing that has changed is the wrapper. By reading the fine print on the Spotrunner web site and comparing it to a semi-automated discount ad agency called Cheap-TV-Spots.com, I found that Spotrunner’s only advantage is its user interface. Spotrunner offers no real savings or value over similar service paradigms. The automated Spotrunner airings actually cost more than the semi-automated Cheap-TV-Spots.com system (air time is the most expensive part of any TV campaign). Spotrunner offers an upgraded ad comparable to CheapTVSpots standard custom ad, but at a price nearly 5 times the Cheap TV Spots rate. Spotrunner does not appear to allow national airings (because of licensing restrictions), and it does not allow a web version of the commercial to be freely distributed by the client. Cheap TV Spots, by contrast, provides both local and national airings, and allows the client to freely distribute a web version via e-mail and web postings. Spotrunner forces the real estate agency to keep purchasing their more expensive air time or Spotrunner will re-sell their ad to the agent’s competitor in the same market. Again, by comparison, the Cheap TV Spots system delivers local and national service with maximum flexibility at a cost (including air time) which is less than the limited Spotrunner system. Cheap TV Spots does not insist on long term contracts for air time. Spotrunner, inconveniently, also charges to speak to a live person. There are Silicon Valley rumors about Cheap-TV-Spots.com acquiring Spotrunner. Cheap TV Spots actually has the better system and has been around longer, but to the average agent or broker, Spotrunner’s interface could be appealing. A CheapTVSpots.com / Spotrunner hybrid model is actually the most compelling model for our business sector, and a real acquisition for Google, Yahoo, or even Ask.com. Importantly, in a down market, TV can be the difference between a sale, and no sale.
Greg Tracy | Sep 19, 2006 | Reply
I have used SpotRunner, aif fact I did a significant spend two months ago but had very little return.
Many factors could play a part, but I think one main factor was that in my market cable is not as big as in others. Many people here use cable for their internet, but use satelite for tv, or just broadcast. And SpotRunner mainly sells cable spots.
Sharon Nyman | Dec 30, 2006 | Reply
I have been a very successful real estate agent for over 30 years in the Florida Keys. I am not sure how I found your blog about me and my experience with Spot Runner TV advertising, but I thought I would take a few minutes to respond with a few points.
1. To the person who said the best way to find buyers is on the internet, I could not agree more. In fact most of my advertising dollars are spent on the internet. Buyers for the Florida Keys come from everywhere. Just three weeks ago, I got a phone call from a buyer who said he was looking at my web site and (if he could get out of Chicago) he would like to meet with me the following day to consult and possibly look at property. He and his wife flew in on Friday, we looked at property on Saturday, they put a contract in on an open water listing of mine and flew back to Chicago on Sunday. As it turns out he is the CEO of one of the nation’s largest investment firms. I tell every seller with whom I consult that no amount of traditional advertising can reach potential buyers like the internet; however, that does not mean I do not do local magazine and newspaper advertising.
2. When I decided to try Spot Runner, I did not expected someone to pick up the phone and say they want to see the listing they just saw on TV. I have now run three Spot Runner campaigns and with each one I have seen an increase in traffic to my web site. Yes, the web site is mentioned only once but my name is my web address and it is mentioned again.
3. Have you ever heard that expression: List to Exist? If an agent has well priced listings that are properly promoted, the buyers will come. So how does an agent get listings? Why would a seller call me? How do I keep my name in front of potential sellers? How do I set myself apart from the hundreds of other agents in our area? Well, I think Spot Runner does that for me and at the same time I might just sell one of the properties advertised. I have had many people in the community mention the TV ads so I know they are working. If Spot Runner helps me get listing appointments or helps me get the listing over a competitor because I do TV advertising, then it has accomplished what I wanted it to.
4. I could have done a spot about all the reasons to work with me but that is not my style. I think advertising a property on TV says it all. Of course I do not run all of my listings. I choose interesting properties and hope potential buyers will go to the web site for more information and find something there that fits their needs and budget.