Century 21 TV Ads Cancelled In Favor Of Online

Realtor Focusing on Customer Interaction

Century 21 Real Estate made a bold, forward thinking move by terminating their television advertising and shifting the budget to the Internet.

There’s bound to be some hand wringing in TV ad rooms across the country.

Century 21′s new marketing strategy will focus on more customer interaction and less upon ‘one size fits all’ advertising.

Using Online Advertising and PR to Reach Buyers

Let me expand on David Meerman Scott’s ‘Top Ten Ideas‘ for Century 21.

1. Cut Back on ‘Insanely Expensive TV Commercials’

Mission Accomplished

2. Cut Back on ‘Product-Centric Advertising’

Internet geo-targeting and behavioral targeting eliminate the need for broad strokes, allowing you to focus on customer needs and desires instead of pushing product (everyone’s buying a home and we all do our homework before even calling an agent).

3. Get Out of the Office and Meet Your Customers

Check out Comcast Cares on Twitter. Empower your local franchisees to meet with prospective buyers without hard selling anyone. Put an inexpensive video recorder in their hands and interview Americans from every background to learn about them.

4. Find Out as Much as You Can About ‘Buyer Personas’

Combine traditional surveys and focus groups with user generated content. Let people tell you who they are from inside their homes (where people are more likely to open up).

5. Create Dynamic Content Using YouTube, eBooks, Podcasts, Interactive Tools, Calculators…

Once the media is created make sure you don’t spam Twitter with a generic online message. Make it viral.

6. Your content will become a centralized SEO strategy.

Don’t forget SEM and display advertising (which can boost your search marketing campaign).

7. Localize Content.

Great idea David. Ship a Flip Mino to every single agent in the company and train them how to record local conversations with customers, friends, and concerned homeowners (empathize with them).

8. Online Training Program for Agents and Managers

Look how the Travel Channel is teaching amateurs to shoot video.

9. Localized Facebook Pages, Twitter Feeds, and Blogs

Start with the go getters and trickle down. Once agents see the money is in local communication and sharing, everyone worth their salt will jump on board.

Don’t allow anyone to backslide into generic messages.

10. Local SEO Strategy

Don’t obsess about the term ‘real estate‘. Learn how to use the Google Keyword Tool and SEO Book.

This is an exciting new strategy for Century 21, one I believe reveals their dedication to customers and technology working together.