If video killed the radio star, the web killed the newspaper ad...

Who does not remember the song, "Video killed the radio star?" I do, and I remember when MTV came out and wow, radio changed forever. So much so that the satellite radio companies hired all the old MTV "VJs" to be on their shows after MTV became something other than music television.

Now we are seeing where the vast majority of US Adults, 164 million of us, read newspaper content either online or in print. 34 million of those view the newspapers online or on a mobile device, up 58% year over year. The trend is that as Americans age and get older, we will be viewing the newspaper online. Will we be viewing the advertisements too????

There was a time, not so long ago, when my family and I would sit down on Sunday morning to have breakfast and I would watch my dad read the newspaper from cover to cover. Now, he reads the news on his phone or on his laptop. Newspaper publishers miss my “old” dad, the one who would glance over the open houses every Sunday. However, that dad just doesn't exist anymore. The same goes for so many other moms and dads who read the news every Sunday.

The survival of regional/national publications and death of local publications causes major problem for real estate professionals because many brokerages prefer smaller publications because the major/regional pubs are very costly. We advertise in the local paper, The Resident because our Niche is Historic +Avondale +Riverside +Sanmarco +Springfield and +Ortega.

They see local publications as a way to stay connected with their local consumers, where regional publications aren’t as hyperlocal with the listings they share in their newspapers. Regardless, so many local real estate agents beg their brokers to continue print media campaigns, not thinking of the return on investment (ROI) print has, just wanting coverage in as many different media as they possibly can. According to the National Association of Realtors, more than 90 percent of homebuyers begin their search online, while only 27 percent stated that they bought a house they saw in the newspaper.

Another major concept to think about in this argument is the functionality behind listing online versus listing in print. National listings solution providers like realtor.com, Trulia and Zillow have theorized major search metrics in optimizing the amount of eyes viewing a particular listing, especially listings where a paid search campaign is in place, whereas those few who still read the locals can easily lose a listing when skimming over the 2-by-4-inch, black-and-white local listing ad below the fold on page 6 of the real estate section.

Also, tracking view is much more possible online than in print. With digital, the listing broker can quantify the amount of consumer engagement by tracking impressions and landing pages, while with print, the only traceable functionality is the “Mention that you saw this ad in the _____ News!” line at the bottom of the page.

I believe there is a place for both, as newspapers begin to restrict  premium content to paying subscribers, so too will social media restrict access to those who are helping to feed the base of the social platforms. They both can co-exist and feed what is the ultimate need of the consume, information on the most expensive solution they will ever purchase.

#LizBobeck