As a sales person regardless of whether you’re selling real estate or real estate websites, a pivotal point in your success is justifying to a client why the service, product or asset is worth the investment outlay. In real estate web development this can be a difficult task, especially if the client sees very little value in the web. However, this is now become a whole lot more easier thanks to a service offered by a company called The Ad Network.
The Ad Network is a specialist digital agency which focuses in real estate advertising representation. They’re basically the middle person between advertisers (who wish to market their products and services) and website owners (who’s audience is the advertiser’s target). The Ad Network perform all of the leg work in finding an advertiser who matches your website profile, looks after the contracts and the relationship, serves the ads on your website and then provides you with a quarterly cheque for the advertising revenue your site has made.
From a recent press release:
“The Ad Network represents Australia’s biggest Real Estate Agents, including Raine & Horne, Century 21, First National, Richardson & Wrench and Laing + Simmons with exclusive advertising rights. They have also established themselves as Australia’s leading real estate industry network, working with a variety of partner sites within the real estate industry including Myhome, Rentfind, Homeloanhints and the Real Estate Institute of NSW.”
You might wonder how this links in to your own real estate agency website given you are not operating a head office website. In recent times, The Ad Network has seen a strong demand for targeted local area marketing, where advertisers are looking to promote their goods and services to a specific audience in a particular geographic area. In an industry first The Ad Network placed ads on an individual office website Richardson & Wrench Mosman (here Sales Results and Property Page along with their sales and news alerts). These ads were negotiated independently from the R&W network and relate solely to Richardson & Wrench Mosman with the reported advertising fee being 5 figures each month.
This is quite a significant return for RWM given the average website outlay is in the thousands not tens of thousands. Obviously, the normal real estate agent website would initially not attract this type of advertising revenue but over time through building up a readership and audience it is possible. Basically, the more people that come to your website, the more revenue you can potentially make.
If you’d like to find out whether your website is suitable for advertising, you can contact Rowena Gupta at The Ad Network Rowena@theadnetwork.com.au.
13 Comments
Robert Simeon
So true – so true.
The Ad Network offer a most unique service and we have a great relationship. Naturally our number one aim with our website is to attract vendors and purchasers – where third party advertisers is the icing on the cake.
It is also an amazing POD (Point of Difference) over competitors given it sends a clear message that (in this instance) our website attracts a large audience through database and SEO. Having an audience subscribing to email alerts and the weekly newsletter adds more and more subscribers – which is exactly what ones core online business should be about.
I think it is also important to note that we will only allow one banking advertiser to appear on our website and no more than one other firm as we certainly don’t want to go down the path that REA went.
Our very own business is priority number one.
Nick
The only thing I’d watch out for is that on some sites, ads complement the site. On other sites they can clash.
Greg Vincent
Another great example of why it’s important to invest $$$ into the right company website and maintain constant communication.
An agents database is so important, especially when it’s linked with a consistent, quality communication strategy that continually sends traffic back to the agency website.
PS: Robert, did you read that REA has just added Adslot? http://www1.propertyportalwatch.com/2010/07/realestate-com-au-adds-adslot/
Robert Simeon
Thanks Greg,
No I had not read the article although in my opinion a stand alone strategy is the best course of action for a website. For agents it is pretty simple:
No Plan – No Fans
Wayno
Hi Robert
Not the right topic to post here I suppose but just wanted to tell you that after reading all your posts on here after 5 and a half years I have just managed to rank 1 on google rating for my website. Thanks for all the help, I am just starting to crawl along and hopefully get up to a jog soon.
Greg
This has been my complaint with REA for a long time, they are getting heaps in advertising dollars but still insisit on raising our fees. They should be lowering them to us as their advertising revenue increases, when I renew my subscription I will be going statndard only.
Wayno
Ryan I almost forgot, when will the follow up article be posted, the one where you are going to give a real example of a website that has integrated a wordpress blog?. I can
Rowena Gupta
Robert, thanks for the kind words, if only all agents were as easy to work with as you!
Hi Nick,
we work in consultation with the agent to select appropriate advertisers that suit the environment. Most of our clients are financial institutions that are wanting to promote home loans or insurance products to those moving home, telco and retail are other industries interested in reaching this audience. We pride ourselves in being different to the performance based networks where you have no control over who appears on your site, as brand integrerity is very important.
Robert Simeon
Wayno,
Congratulations mate and well done! We are all here to assist one another so great news that you are following the clues. In time you will reap the benefits and there is no stronger statement to vendors than to re-enforce your online position on Google.
Cheers
Ryan O'Grady
Wayno,
Great work on the site ranking. I was part way through writing the article 6 weeks ago and then was sidetracked with work. I’ll finish it and try and post it before month end.
Wayno
Hi Ryan
Sounds good can’t wait to see it
Wayno
Glenn Batten
Robert,
That is some icing on the cake mate… Extra tasty, oh so sweet and wonderfully rich 🙂
Robert Simeon
Thanks Glenn,
Mate I know how much work you put into your online model so it is exciting to see similar businesses being financially rewarded. Personally, I see this as just the beginning given the market success and concentration that similar individual agency sites deliver to consumers in their respective demographic areas.
I know that when we were first approached we also made certain that The Ad Network was reputable also – they are every bit of that given a brand that goes pear shaped can then damage our brand given potential clients are being introduced through our online model – our customers.
I look forward to seeing more Business2 participants displaying third party advertisers on their websites – as I see it this is just the beginning. Waiting to hear but I think the client mortgageport are extending their contract with us which is great news – given we are a test case for results.
Jack
It