It's no secret that most real estate advertising is totally ineffective. As the Marketing Director for a leading real estate company, I met regularly with many of the firm's 500 associates to discuss their personal marketing. They had tried post cards, newspaper and magazine ads, email marketing, billboards ... all with miserable results.
While there are many reasons that advertising fails, one common mistake is that agents don't provide any incentive for a prospect to stop what they're doing and pick up the phone. To inspire action, "make them an offer they can't refuse."
The offer is one of the most important components of a direct marketing effort. Author Dan Kennedy says "An offer is something like "Buy this, get a 2nd one free" or "Call for your free catalog and DVD." The more interesting and appealing the offer, the better. But the most important basic point is: never end the "conversation" in any media without making a direct offer."
A free CMA is an offer that some agents use, and though it is not especially compelling, it is better than the typical "glamor shots" photo advertisements we see so often. You can also create a special report like "7 Costly Home Buyer Mistakes" or "Inexpensive Ways To Boost Your Homes Value." These reports can have the added effect of working to establish you as the real estate expert in your area.
The offer should be something of value to the people you're trying to motivate. Try testing different offers to discover which one work best.
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