Agents, stop wasting money on advertising

Monday, August 04, 2008

Like you, I am overwhelmed by all the advertising pitches thrown at me every day.  Whether by email, by snail mail, in print media or on the Internet, my attention span for these “notice me” attempts is about as short as somebody with ADD on steroids.

I think this marketing recipe described in Inman News is spot on.  At best, advertising creates attention.  In contrast, good marketing compels someone to buy. For marketing to work it must feel like you are talking directly to me.  This is especially true in residential home sales.  Real Estate is a relationship game revolving around social networks. Unfortunately, most real estate agents do a pathetic job at marketing, wasting lots of time and money in the process.

The key points in the marketing recipe are:

1. Practice “Potato Chip Marketing”
2. Target market
3. Research your target market’s wants and needs.
4. Develop a hook
5. Keep them reading
6. Layout to stand out
7. You must have a call to action