RELO Roundtable…a gathering place

Have you ever wondered why licensed real estate agents have never had a closer, more collaborative business working relationship with approved full-service moving and storage pros?

In today's drought-stricken economy where everyone is thirsting for the same elusive private transferee, profitable corporate account, overworked HR specialist, or anxious lump sum customer, you'd think it would be a natural occurrence to find peckish members of both industries grazing around the same watering hole of potential relocation dollars.

After all, both groups are involved with providing professional relocation products and services to potential customers, clients and accounts contemplating some type of local, long distance or international move.

Since most folks normally have to FIND a home before they need to MOVE a home, however, you'd probably also expect that the first customer contact would normally be made with a trusted real estate resource – and that a moving or storage sales agent would be standing just behind them supporting (and benefiting) every step of the sales and marketing process.

That's apparently not so.  At least when it comes to mov·ers.

Movin' on Up

Scan through some of the most popular real estate resources online, it doesn't take long to realize that the term “mover” carries different connotations to different readers in the relocation supply chain.

In a recent Zillow Mover Study, for instance, the most visited “home and real estate marketplace' online defines “mover” as "people buying a home". The accompanying infographic, Movin' on Up, explains how moving – regardless of the location or distance being transported – prompts purchasing decisions.

According to the Zillow stats, “movers” spend more on baby products, dish washing detergent, expensive room sized TV's, new kitchen appliances, the latest electronic technology, and well-appointed automobiles than the American average consumer.

As interesting and informative as the colorful detail is, however, it doesn't say anything about how much movers spend on movers. Or even how they shop for movers. 

And according to eBizMBA's most recent September Top 15 Most Popular Real Estate Websites, Zillow has 15,000,000 unique visitors each month. 

Zillow's Compete website U.S. Traffic Rank rank score is 211, their Quantcast rank in the U.S. is 284, and Alexa "Global Traffic" ranking is 657. 

It's hard to find a watering hole richer in unique new visitor interest anywhere in the relocation realm. 

Metro Movers Report

When Trulia, another very popular “all-in-one real estate site”, released their first Metro Movers Report in February, 2012, they plotted where 'movers' currently lived today “and where they want to live tomorrow”.

EBizMBA estimates that Trulia has 8,000,000 unique monthly visitors. In September, 2012, the real estate aggregator has a compete rank U.S. traffic rank of 246, a Quantcast rank in the U.S. of 329, and an Alexa global traffic ranking of 987.

Normally, you'd think most van lines execs, small business owners, agency managers, and trade association personnel involved in providing local and long distance moving and storage product and relocation services to potential new customers would probably be intensely interested in the detailed demographic data and relocation trends included in Trulia's Metro Movers Report analysis.

Except it wasn't prepared for those kind of movers.

The Mover Profile

Imigitas, a Pitney-Bowes company, is “a lifestage marketing services business” that connects relocation industry advertisers with highly valuable and sought after “mover” audiences through their four Mover Advertising Solutions.

In “What Makes Movers an Attractive Audience?”, is states that “Mover's are in a state of hyperconsumption, purchasing boxes and rolls of tape, home improvement supplies, electronics, appliances, furniture and everything else in between.”

Notice that it doesn't say anything about movers purchasing moving products or services?

Definition disconnect

So why do the very industries which have the most vested short- and long-term financial interest in servicing the current and future relocation needs of potential customers have this ongoing definition disconnect and inauspicious working relationship?

Probably because of the lack of true understanding of individual consumer needs and the wealth of information and resources available to fulfill them.  

Since most consumer historically relocate so infrequently, both the real estate and moving industry have recently experienced a have a high turnover in trained office staff and highly-skilled service personnel – especially during the last few years.

Perhaps this is the reason that neither household relocation segment understands exactly how movers shop for movers. 

Query the term mover ( or 'mov·er') in you favorite browser or keyword advertising tool and you'll find that a great deal of time, effort, and advertising dollars are being spent on search marketing hype to grab a shopper's attention at the relocation watering hole online.

It appears, however, that very little collaborative thought or effort is actually given by those most familiar with the process to help these potential customers sort out the problems and pitfall, or tips and tricks involved in making the best purchasing decision when planning a local or long distance relocation.

In today's hypercompetitive virtual marketplace, what's the best way for those in the relocation business to grab the attention of a mover shopping for a mover online?

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