Mainstreet Consumer Outreach Campaign 2024

Mainstreet's 2024 Consumer Campaign Helps Chicagoland Buyers and Sellers Navigate a Complex Market

Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®’ consumer outreach campaign enters into its sixth year in 2024 with a focus on helping real estate consumers make educated decisions amidst challenging market conditions in Illinois.  

Over the last year, home prices and mortgage rates increased, while local inventory remained low, creating a difficult environment for Illinois buyers. Meanwhile, many would-be sellers chose to stay put due to fear they wouldn’t have anywhere to move. 2024’s consumer campaign aims to build confidence among both groups through education and information. 

New content for the campaign this year will include information about how to buy a home in a market with low inventory, how to ace an offer in a competitive home buying situation, and why it’s important to work with a buyer’s agent. Across all content, the 2024 campaign will highlight “the Mainstreet difference,” helping consumers understand how and why Mainstreet REALTORS® are best-positioned to help them navigate the buying and selling process in today’s complex market. The campaign will also evolve as market conditions continue to change this year, keeping consumers updated on factors like mortgage rate cuts and inventory fluctuations.  

As in years past, this content is being promoted through significant investment in Google advertising, which will reach real estate consumers as they conduct relevant online searches. However, while past campaigns have only run seasonally (leading up to and following the spring market) this year’s campaign will run the entire year. This is a reflection on shifts to the seasonality of the local real estate market; while spring has historically been the key time for new listings, in the last few years, we’ve seen Illinois become a more “year-round” market. 

In addition to big bets on Google due to its success over the past few years of the campaign, Mainstreet will also advertise on Facebook this year. 

Digital Details

Mainstreet’s digital ads are targeted at likely buyers and sellers in Mainstreet’s service area. These real estate consumers are served ads when they search Google using terms that indicate homebuying intent, or terms specific to a given suburb. Users are first directed to educational content on Mainstreet’s website about buying or selling in the local area, and they can then contact a Mainstreet REALTOR® when they are ready to start their search or selling process. Ads also appear on Facebook via the Meta advertising platform.       

Expected Campaign Results

Mainstreet’s consumer campaign has continued to generate more traffic and engagement year over year since its inception in 2019, and we expect continued growth in 2024. The 2023 campaign reached more than 42.5 million people, a 40 percent increase over 2022, resulting in more than 415,000 visits to Mainstreet’s website.  

Additional Information

Have any questions? Please reach out to Mainstreet's VP of Marketing and Communications Amy Robey.