The Affordability of Internet Marketing on Insight Inbox

This graph represents a study comparing advertising on websites with search terms (gray), display ads (orange), and both (blue) and the effect they have on sales versus a control group seeing no online advertising. According to the article, 18 separate businesses were tested to determine what type of advertising affects sales online and offline. Since our sites are database driven, think of the term “search ads” to include new home listings, location searches, and/or price range searches on a site like www.NewHomeSource.com. “Display ads” are simply banner ads which show up with the results of a user’s search.

Note** -- the most successful increase is offline sales when display and search term ads were presented to the potential customer online within the same time period. This is the first study we’ve seen effectively measuring what online marketing does for offline sales.

We know, based on our reporting, driving directions are requested more often than leads or website click throughs; this is, however, an independent third party, testing online-to-offline conversions through 4 business sectors, showing that Internet advertising brings more people to your door than to your website. You don’t have a product to sell online, so picture these results in your industry, where they must come to your door to buy…

A link to the original article online is below the graph:

http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?ml_action=get-article&articleID=F0804H&ml_issueid=BR0804&ml_subscriber=true&pageNumber=1&_requestid=294432

So what does this mean? You should be listing online with more than one website (our service places you on more than 15 other industry sites); you should run banner advertising; you should use engagement tools including video and interactivity, and you should be sure your onsite sales agents are asking the hard questions. With gas at $4.50 per gallon, your signs aren’t bringing them in… signs are just the last thing they saw.

We know the market is a little rough right now, but this kind of research is encouraging as Internet marketing is so much more affordable than offline efforts. If there is anything I can do to assist you in your marketing online or off, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.

Chad Bria
Sales Manager
Builder Homesite, Inc.
cbria@builderhomesite.com
480-370-3141