Realty Innovator

Homes magazines (“Homes and Land,” “Harmon Homes,” etc.) and newspapers are the most common mediums used to advertise real estate.  The ads solicit responses by profiling a picture of a home with a few descriptive words underneath.  To ensure that your picture ads generate response, you should follow similar rules to those used in your editorial direct response advertising.

The ad should still use a headline that targets a specific demographic.  The picture of the home will function as the offer, replacing the value proposition used in an editorial ad.  You should limit the amount of text you disclose under the picture to a few unique features of the home.  In your close, you should instruct the prospect to respond in a timely manner.  The ad will still contain the following three necessary elements:

·         Headline: The headline drives the ad.  It must generate sufficient attention to cause the prospect to read the rest of your ad.

·         Offer: The picture of the home is your offer.  It creates value and credibility and projects uniqueness. 

·         Close: Compels the prospect to respond in a timely fashion.

In a picture ad, or when using a picture of the home as your main value proposition, ask yourself these two questions:

(1)     What do I want the prospect to know about the home?

You want the prospect to know just enough about the home that, should they find it desirable, they respond for more information.  You do not want to disclose information to the point that you potentially disqualify the prospect and lose an opportunity to follow up.

(2)     What do I want to know about the prospect?

You want to gain as much information about the prospect as possible to allow a professional follow-up.  Call capture is an extremely effective tool in managing these processes.  It enables you to generate an increased response from traditional picture ads by eliminating text that disqualifies a prospect and requires them to dial the call capture hotline to receive additional marketing information.  Once the prospect calls, your call capture system provides you with all the necessary information needed to follow up.

Everything Needs a Headline

Every picture ad requires a headline.  In fact, all ads have headlines whether or not the advertiser consciously developed one.  In a TV ad, it may be just the first few words you communicate, but it has to be a targeted message with the power to grab the audience’s attention.  If you are running picture ads that do not use a headline, unless the home is highly desirable and priced right, your advertisement will fail you. 

Value Creates Desire

If you have a very desirable listing in a prime location and you’ve priced the property correctly, you should leverage that property in your advertising so as to create more opportunities.  Many agents would not advertise the home at all, knowing it is going to sell automatically and hoping to maximize the yield on their commission.  You should do just the opposite.  Why?

You are not advertising to sell that desirable home; you are advertising to create more opportunities for future business. 

It is imperative to always keep in mind that selling real estate is not as much about the real estate as it is:  

• Uncovering new listing opportunities

• Winning competitive listing appointments

• Pricing listings correctly

• Negotiating price reductions

• Uncovering new buyers

• Qualifying buyers

Performance Creates Brand

Brand is created by performance.  Performance is created by sales, and sales are created by generating opportunities.  Certainly, high volume, well established, branded agents can create momentum with branding ads.  But those types of agents are few and far between.  To create your brand, focus on performance. 

• Put emphasis on your headline.

• Offer value in your copy.

• Close with an instruction and a perishable time stamp.

• Provide a simple way to respond that provides you with accountability.

 Sample Homes Ad.pdf