The internet continues to be an exceedingly cost effective way to reach potential clients. More and more people everyday utilize the capabilities of the internet to search for real estate to buy, sell, invest in or rent. How do you get your property to stand out in this sea of information? Tip the odds in your favor by following a few basic marketing principles.
1. Begin with the End in Mind.
Before you begin to write your ad, take a few moments to think about who would be the ideal candidate for your property. Ask yourself, what would that candidate be looking for that you can provide? What uniqueness about your property can be differentiated from all the other properties available? Once you have an answer to these two questions, you have the features of your property that you will want to highlight.
2. Sell the Sizzle.
People buy on emotion then justify logically. Think about it. We all do it whether we want to admit it or not. The uniqueness of your property that you want to highlight is a feature of the property. How the feature benefits the buyer is the sizzle.
Remember this phrase- benefits sell, features tell. Benefits create the internal emotional responses that motivate people to act. When creating your ad, use words that create emotional responses while painting a picture in the ideal candidate’s mind. Help them see themselves in the home and how that feels.
3. Create an Attention Grabbing Head Line Utilizing Search Engine Key Words.
I do not even begin to claim to be an internet expert. But keep in mind that most websites like Craigslist have a search feature. Rather than scroll through 100 postings, people utilize the search feature to narrow their list of potential offerings. The search feature allows searches to be conducted based on price range, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, location and keywords.
Conduct a little keyword research to know what the most popular keywords are that you want to target. Then write an attention grabbing headline working a couple of those keywords in. Also do a little research noticing how everyone else is posting their ads then do something different.
For example, if everyone seems to be using quotation marks around their ad, use 2-3 asterisks before and after your headline. This constantly changes, but the key is to be different and stand out so your ad will catch the eye. Some people post in all capital letters but remember that in the internet world that is akin to yelling, which is probably not a good thing.
4. Create a Call to Action.
You have determined the features of your property that you want to highlight, you have developed the benefits that have created the emotional desire that your candidate wants your property or at least wants to take a closer look at your property. Now tell them what they need to do to get your property before someone else does. Create a sense of urgency and who they need to call or email now-not tomorrow.
By creating a feeling that your candidate may not get what they emotionally want, that can be the extra little nudge they need to send you an email, telephone you or put their email address in an opt-in box. The key is to get them to act now.
Implementing these four basic marketing principles into your real estate ads will greatly increase the odds in your favor to attract the type of potential clients you are seeking. Feel free to share what has worked for you as well in the comment section below.
The call to action is very important. I am always amazed at all of the advertising that people spend money on that just confuses the reader and does nothing in the way of instructing them what to do.
I am curious what type of success people have had marketing for motivated sellers using online methods?