Big yellow boxes being relocated to high-traffic areas

      Contrary to a recently circulating rumor, the big yellow boxes around town that serve as stands for the Mississippi Homes Magazine, are not being removed. The folks who are spreading this information either know it is not true or never go anywhere around the city or they would have already seen them popping up in front of retail establishments everywhere.

     A couple of months ago, an analysis was done to determine the best locations for a real estate magazine which would maximize the number of “pick-ups” by potential home or land buyers. It was determined that the piling of stacks and stacks of copies inside and outside the offices of real estate firms makes little or no sense if you consider that if the potential home buyer is already in a realtor’s office, why would he or she want to pick up a magazine instead of just talking to the realtor? It would seem that a professional real estate sales person, right there in the office, might do a better selling job than a magazine that is also complete with other realtor’s ads. The only advantage to be gained by anyone is that by having prospects peruse a real estate magazine while waiting to see a realtor, the real estate firm with the most advertising in the magazines stacked around gets an unearned shot at the customer before they get to see anyone. While it must be reassuring to some that a lot of copies are going out, the stacks in their offices (many from months prior) just aren’t being picked up by those who may not already be a firm prospect.

     Mississippi Homes yellow boxes are being put in place in high-traffic areas around grocery stores, restaurants and retail stores where people who may be thinking about buying a home or a piece of property are more apt to pick the publication up, take it home and spend some time looking at it. A study of other similar publications in other areas of the country confirms that these distribution and location ideas are sound and being practiced everywhere.

     We’ve actually had some unsolicited help when one of our big yellow boxes was moved recently without our permission from a public sidewalk by a private individual,. It really didn’t matter since the business outside which it sat is not and probably will never be high-traffic enough for our marketing plan.

     At the same time, we are taking this unexpected opportunity to also move our New Albany Gazette news stand as well since that same lack of customer traffic affecting the “pick-ups” of Mississippi Homes, has been producing a similar lack of newspaper sales, while single copy sales are up everywhere else in the city.

     So, in the future, when you hear the Mississippi Homes big yellow boxes are missing, just look for the places where most people shop and there you will find Mississippi Homes Magazine, featuring New Albany and Union County properties, being picked up by hundreds of prospective home buyers. We hope you will pick one up too. We print and produce enough of them right here in Union County and put plenty in those big yellow boxes to make sure there will be a copy for everyone. If you find that the magazines have been removed from the front, please call the New Albany Gazette office and we will replenish the supply of magazines and arrange them properly.  Vandalism should always be reported. 

     If you’re in the market to rent, lease or buy a home in Union County, we urge you to patronize the locally owned real estate firms who advertise in Mississippi Homes Magazine. They actively endorse and demonstrate the practice of shopping at home and doing business with Union County vendors. Out-of-town-suppliers take money out of the market and put none back in. Sending advertising money out of the market probably helps fund home sales out-of-town, but is helping no one here.