In a soft market, the quality of your property marketing is key to your success.
There are tried and true advertising rules which are based on real results. Most real estate professionals have never heard these rules (many ad agency types haven’t either). Implement these rules well and your luxury properties will be the ones that sell in today’s challenging marketplace. Forget what you think you know about advertising and try what really works.
Rule #1. Good long copy outsells good short copy every time. Can this be true? Absolutely. But the corollary is that if your copy is bad or mediocre (most real estate copy), then keep it short and put the reader out of his misery. Two examples of long ads that worked: A 6,450-word advertisement for Merrill Lynch generated 10,000 responses. An 8000-word ad for Mercedes increased US sales from 10,000 cars a year to 40,000 sales annually. The right story with the right benefits will sell. People will read long copy if it is meaningful to them. If you have a product which everyone recognizes and understands the benefits of, you may be able to get away with short copy. But, do you have a single listing about which the consumer is totally informed? No. This means telling the complete story of each listing is necessary.
Rule #2. Use the Principle of Sacrifice. Know who you it is you are trying to sell, ignore anyone else. Stan Barron of Stan Barron Properties in Austin (TX) calls this rule “The Principle of Sacrifice.” He says that you should sacrifice anyone who isn’t a real prospect for a particular property (as defined by the property’s characteristics) and reach out only to someone who is. For instance, if a home has no backyard or is on a busy street, you have to find the short list of prospects for whom these features are reasons to buy. Attracting a prospect who wants a big backyard or a quiet cul de sac won’t do you any good. However, the headline “Backyard removed for your convenience” may attract the buyer who wants to avoid spending time or money on yard maintenance. A luxury home on a busy street might benefit from a headline which says, “This home and its location leave no doubt about your success.” After all, when everybody in town drives by this home daily, the owner will have plenty of visibility!
Rule #3. Your headline must be a grabber! The headline has to grab attention and make the targeted reader want to know more. Five times (5X) more people will read your headline than will read the body copy. Never waste your headline by making it the property address. The goal of the headline is to grab attention and make the reader want to read the subhead, both must be compelling. The goal of the subhead is to make you want to keep reading. In other words, you have to make your headline and subhead pull the reader through your copy.
Rule #4. Every home has a story, tell it. If your copy could be used with any number of homes, scrap it and try again. Your copy should be specific to your listing.
Rule #5. Format matters. Here are just three things to keep in mind which will help ensure your ads are read. Never, never, never use all capital letters. ALL CAPITALS ARE VERY HARD TO READ AND YOUR READER WILL OFTEN GIVE UP AND MOVE ON TO READ SOMETHING THAT IS LESS WORK. Make sure your copy is at least 10-point type. When type is too small, readers don’t bother. Avoid white letters on a black background -- this is called reverse type -- unless the type is large and clearly readable. In publications, ads which look like articles are read five times more often than ads which look like ads.
Rule #6. Use as many good photos as possible without sacrificing copy. More good photos will result in faster sales. According to research done by the National Association of Realtors, using six photos instead of one, sells a home 43% faster. When possible, use an explanatory cutline under each photo. Be sure the photographs illustrate the most important benefits of the property and help you tell the home’s story.
Rule #7. Ignore the “naysayers.” Share these rules with your friends and associates and they’ll say, “Oh, that can’t be true.” Ignore them. Decades of advertising research and sales results say they are wrong. Instead, tell the unique story of each property – what is it that makes this property different? Recognize that a “negative” may be the very reason someone chooses this home. Try to grab the reader with your headline and subhead. Don’t be afraid of long copy, but use a format that makes it easy to read. Support your copy with multiple professional photographs.
Do all this well and watch your listings sell. These rules work!
