The State of Real Estate

The United States real estate market has had a slow recovery since the recession, but consumers are finally interested in buying again—which means Realtors and property managers need to start attracting them. Promo Marketing reached out to a top distributor and supplier for the real estate industry to get the lowdown on the rebounding market.

WHAT COMPANIES TO TARGET
"The housing market in the U.S. is making a comeback, so opportunities exist for those in the real estate market to reinvest in their brand and their marketing materials," said Dino Scalia, vice president, sales for Navitor, North Mankato, Minn. Both he and Seth Weiner, MAS, president of distributor company Sonic Promos, Gaithersburg, Md., agreed that especially now in the post-recession U.S., the real estate market extends beyond real estate agents. Weiner listed property management and mortgage companies, while Scalia added title companies, city planners and loan companies as good targets.

HOW TO ATTRACT THEM
Weiner had interesting advice on attracting repeat-order and long-term real estate clients: avoid real estate agents. "We do not actively search for or try to attain Realtor clients," he said. "We find most budgets to be small, and most times the prospect is looking for commodity items, which we try to move away from as we like clients to be unique in order to separate themselves from the competition." Instead he suggested looking for business in the companies that work with Realtors and renters since they have bigger budgets. "We are associated with property management associations and other networking groups that focus on the real estate market."

HOW TO STAND OUT
Whether you decide to work with agents, property management companies or both, Weiner advised distributors that the products used need to be in sync with the company's message. "Much like any industry, I think that it is important for agents to dial into their current client base and their referral sources," he said. "Creating recognition and referral programs helps as well. The products should support the message, not be the only message."