Learn Marketing That
Gets A Response!
by Brian Rodgers
Most advertising tells you how great the company or Realtor paying for the ad is, or how old they are, or how they are # 1 or some other cute and uninteresting facts. Many other real estate advertising is a bunch of boring property ads that generate very few calls.
This is called Institutional Advertising. The way it is used by most people is a pure waste of time. It doesn't give any good reason for the reader to pick your services over another. It doesn't make a case for the services you sell.
The way most companies do it, it comes across like this, "Buy from me instead of my competitor, for no other reason except that I say so."
Don't Use Institutional Advertising
Institutional advertising doesn't tell the reader, viewer, or listener what to do.
Do Use Direct-Response Advertising
Direct-response advertising's very name explains itself. It is designed to get an immediate response - a visit, a call, or a purchasing decision. Direct-response advertising tells a complete story. It presents specific reasons why your company, product, or service is superior as opposed to the mere guesswork and platitudes used in institutional advertising.
Direct-response advertising is salesmanship in print or on T.V. or Radio. It makes a complete case for your company, product, or service. It overcomes sales objections. It answers questions and it promises results, and it backs it all up with a risk-free warranty or money-back guarantee.
Direct-response advertising asks for some kind of action. To call you, e-mail you, fax you or drive to your office to ask for more information. Used properly it can produce tons of super-qualified leads. At its best, it gets people to call or buy.
Also, you can figure out the profitability of direct-response ads you run, because it produces an action you can track.
Institutional advertising produces no results you can actually track. If you run institutional ads, STOP NOW, change them to direct-response.
Put information in the ad that's important to them, not to you. Give the facts and benefits of your product or service. Tell them about your guarantee. Give them reasons why your products and services are better than your competition.
Important note: When I refer to products in this manual I am referring to the actual "homes" you sell. When I refer to services I am referring to your professional real estate listing or buyer services.
In addition just use simple language they can relate to.
All the prospect cares about is what you can do for them. How can you improve their situation and save them effort, time and money? How will your product or service improve their life, and why?
Finally, after building a case, tell them exactly what to do. Tell them how to get to you, who to call, who to ask for, tell them what to do when your assistant or you calls, remind them of your risk-free guarantee, and, most important of all, tell them what they can expect from using your product or service.
