from Florida Realtor Magazine, December 2007 | page 52

Consider Telling Your Vision with Television

After 30 years in real estate, Sharon Nyman finally discovered her magic formula. Find out how she’s having her best year yet.

Douse a palatial home in the rich light of a red tropical sunset, add a 30-second creative description, and set it all to the backdrop of an acoustic melody that will compel the viewer to take up residence, umbrella drink
in hand.

That’s the gist of Sharon Nyman’s TV commercials, which she started about 20 months ago. She and her husband, George, own Century 21 Prestige Realty Group in Key Largo, and their offices span the Florida Keys.

When she started her ad campaign in April 2006, she had $24 million worth of listings. Now she has more than $80 million worth. As of September 2007, she had scored $20 million in 2007 sales and was on track to reach $30 million by year’s end.
Here are Nyman’s tips on applying TV advertising to your own market niche:

1. Partner with a Producer
Century 21 international has a partnership with Spot Runner (www.spotrunner.com), a firm that offers a complete solution for television advertising—commercial production, media planning and media buying. With Spot Runner, Century 21 associates can produce and air an ad within a few days (not months) for $249 per ad. The company normally charges $500.

Here’s how it works: the sales associate provides five to six still photographs and about 30 seconds of ad copy. Then, Spot Runner puts it all together, using a professional reader and music, and the company provides a consultant to help the sales associate decide where, when and how often the commercial should air. The ads may be run only on cable stations; satellite companies don’t work with Spot Runner. Sales associates can also download the ad to their computer for listing presentations and for e-mailing to people.

2. Advertise in Peak Season
The price for airtime varies, depending on the station and time of day. Costs may be higher in metropolitan markets like Miami, compared to the Keys, Nyman says. She usually pays about $5,000 for an eight- to 12-week ad campaign containing 60 ads that run about twice per day between 6 and 9 a.m., primarily during peak season (January through March).

3. Target Your Audience
Nyman’s ad runs primarily on the Weather Channel and news channels like CNN and Fox News Channel, and also occasionally on ESPN or HGTV (the Home & Garden Television channel). She chose the early morning slot because viewers tend to be vacationers who might want to catch the weather or news before they head out for a day of boating or sunbathing. The ad features the waterfront properties that vacationers crave.

“You [should] match the product to the station. If it’s a golf community, you could run something on ESPN that would match the specific time of a big tournament,” Nyman says.

4. Pump Up Sales
All things considered, the one reason Nyman is a believer in the power of TV is her results. The ads simply get her business.

Nyman created an ad for a house auction, for example, and Spot Runner had it ready to be aired within two weeks after she got the listing. “My seller’s neighbor was amazed that by the time he had decided to auction it, we already had a commercial running. Sometimes you can’t get a print ad out that fast!” she says.

Another ad featured three houses on the same street, in a community of just 20 properties. “I advertised all three on one 30-second commercial,” says Nyman, adding that it cost less than advertising each house separately.

Nyman’s high-end clients like the exposure their properties receive. “It takes everything to a new level,” she says. Recently, Nyman was vying for a $7.9 million listing. She says she beat out the competition simply because of her television ad. “The sellers love it!” she exclaims.