Posts tagged: property in dubai

Frequently sellers insist that their agents put ads in the local paper. Is this means of advertising still legit? While newspapers are still running For Sale and Open House ads in the paper, these sections are not what they used to be a few years ago. Buyers just aren’t utilizing the newspaper classifieds like they used to.

Reasons? Here are two reasons that I’ve come up with based on what I’ve seen and done. First, newspapers have a definite shelf-life. Newspapers are very current and only last for that day. If you don’t see the paper on a given day, chances are you will not see it at all, unless you take a trip to your local library or newspaper archive. And who looks for a new house in their newspaper archive? Online advertising, however, has a much longer applicable period. With good search engine optimization, a single site can draw many visitors…for as long as you keep the site up. I’ve heard agents say that they sometimes get inquiries after a home has sold as the website is still live.

Second, if I were looking to purchase a home, I would want as much information about the property as I could find. A newspaper ad might show a photo of the home (if that) and the basic details: bedrooms, baths, sq. ft., etc. The internet allows Realtors to put up a multitude of information about a listing, and allows prospective buyers a chance to “see” the property virtually through photos and 360° panoramic shots.

Having said all that, sometimes print ads are beneficial. Occasionally, newspapers run special sections just for real estate ads, open houses, etc. and you can reach a large, targeted market that way. A person who typically doesn’t search the paper for real estate will purchase the paper on that day for the special section.

So, when you do create a print ad, whether for a newspaper or a magazine, here are some things you definitely want to do:

• Address: Make sure to give the address of the home in the ad. If you have a website URL that is the house address, use that here….double duty!
• Photo: At least display an exterior shot of the house, and a good one of the inside if you can.
• Description: The room for a description is rapidly shrinking, but at least get the vitals (bedrooms, baths, sq. ft., etc.) in. A good sentence incorporating a key selling point or two is ideal.
• Price: Be open and honest about the listing price of the home. Hiding prices to force folks to contact you isn’t worth it.
• Contact: Of course you want your name and phone number. But make sure your website is there too!

For my part, if the above information isn’t in an advertisement, I won’t bother to look any further. In doing research on a property, buyers want to know where it is (address), see it (photo), know how much (price), and learn more about it (website). The rest is just icing on the cake.

The Real Estate business… what could be less online oriented? Sure you can look at pictures, but your clients have to see the home, walk around, get the feel of the place. How can Social Marketing tools help you there? What’s Facebook or Twitter got to do with selling property?

Lots!

Every real estate professional knows that selling homes isn’t about buildings, it’s about people. And between advertising and networking, the pros spend 50-75% of their time trying to reach and interact with them. Present clients, potential clients, and past clients form the core of a realtor’s social network. Naturally, every active agent wants that network to grow.

But how?

Even at the most basic level, a site like Facebook lets you reach out to, contact, and interact with many more people than you could ever see face to face. It simply has a wider reach even than your phone. Something as simple as creating a Facebook Page instantly puts you in the pool where you can swim with lots of others.

Expand your web presence and build an online community through Twitter and Facebook Pages for your business. Then reach out. Explain what you do, and do it in a way that shows your Facebook Page fans how you can help them. It’s not about you, but your clients.

Hit that theme in a dozen ways. Create a Poll to find out their biggest gripes when shopping for a home. Post relevant news stories, offer photos, use the discussion board to generate buzz. Let everyone know about upcoming events.

Nothing wrong with self-promotion, though, done the right way. Tell your Facebook Page fans how you just closed a deal and made a young newlywed couple ecstatic over owning their first home. Talk up your town, about how it has unique features. If it’s made a Best Places to Live list, even better. Tell everyone!

Social Marketing Ideas to Promote your Real Estate Business Now – take it to the next level with Twitter. Twitter is much more focused on real-time interaction.

You’re in the middle of an exciting deal. A family has just moved to your area and you’re showing them some of the unusual properties that are newly on the market at historically low prices. Tweet your enthusiasm to everybody out there. Passion breeds passion.

Invite all your online friends to visit at the first opportunity. Give free tips on how to find a great carpenter or gardener or plumber. List open house information. Inform everyone of local market trends. Everyone today is interested in how the economy impacts real estate and vice versa. Be the go-to guru on Twitter for those insights.

Real Estate pros can keep in touch with their current client list, and considerably expand it, by taking advantage of the latest social networking tools. Real life, meet virtual reality. See how one enhances the other.

Both Facebook Pages and Twitter are where you can –

• Build a community surrounding your business and gain extra exposure
• Share valuable content about DIY resources and ideas. What’s new in the “green housing” arena? What are the biggest benefits of using a real estate agent over doing it all yourself.
• Inform fans of what’s going on in the real estate industry. Are home prices going up? Down? Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market. Tell them how they can best approach house-hunting in the current market. How can they best stretch their dollar? Don’t forget about sellers – let them know the top 10 things they can do to increase their chances of selling their home in the current market. Or what they can expect when they first put their house on the market.
• Ask fans for input and comments about their house-hunting experiences. What have been the biggest obstacles, and how did they overcome them? Could they list their best resources they used for their renovation projects?
• Create contests and special offers
• Get a little crazy and creative – loosen up and have a bit of fun
• Announce your upcoming events, such as Open Houses, etc.
• Upload your videos and pictures of homes you’re selling. Encourage your Facebook fans to upload “Before and After” renovation pictures and videos.
• Announce your new products / services
• What’s going on in your town and nearby areas? Get people excited about moving to your town. Think about the different ways you can do that. Explore what the various neighborhoods are doing for fun and excitement. Why not share these with your social network visitors?
• What about other related topics your audience is interested in? Could you provide information for them about: home decorating tips, green home project ideas, flooring options, diy resources, ROI for typical renovation projects, how to recycle their old material from renovation projects – both inside and out in the garden. The list goes on and on when it comes to topics dealing with home and garden.

In, most types of real estate markets, the quality and insights of the marketing plan, is, often, a significant factor, and difference, in the results, in terms of price, potential buyers, etc! Although, this may not be as significant, in an extreme, sellers market, such as what we are presently, witnessing/ experiencing, as it is, in others, it still has some impact! The finest quality, best, real estate professionals, often, differentiate themselves, from the rest – of – the – pack, by the development and significance of their plans, and approaches, in this area! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, 5 key steps, towards creating, truly, successful ones.

1. Overall plan: How does the specific property, differ, from its competition? What, exactly, is its competition, and why? Which, specific, niche, if, any, might this house, fit – into? An agent owes it, to his client (the homeowner), to, thoroughly, explain, his reasoning, and how, he plans, to create, the necessary degree of buzz! Homeowners and agents, must proceed, on the same – page, from the onset, to maximize desirable results, etc!

2. Table of responsibility between agent and client: If, you want the desired result, begin the process, in a mutually, informed, manner/ way! Each must understand, realize, and agree to his specific duties, as they relate to this Table of Responsibilities! When the owner, and the agent, he chooses, and hires, are comfortable with, and agree, from the onset, the plan, is better performed. For example, the homeowner must keep the house, neat and clean, and ready, to be, shown, on short – notice, to achieve the finest possibilities! They must discuss items, such as showing, advertising, Open Houses, etc!

3. Timeline: Most people, selling their homes, are concerned, with the stresses, tensions, and hassles, etc, which, often, accompany this period! Frequent discussions between client and agent, help to create, a viable, timeline, and often, a more realistic, prepared, homeowner!

4. Review/ discuss: The best – laid plans, of mice and men, often go astray! How many times, have we heard that, yet, continue, not to learn the key lessons? Since, it is impossible, to precisely, predict the future, usually, there must be a pre – scheduled, weekly time (at the minimum), where the parties, fully discuss, results, showings (or lack of), and, whether, there is a need to adjust/ tweak the plan and approach!

5. Modify/ tweak, as indicated/ necessary: Avoid being inflexible, but, maintain, a balance, between, what one hopes for, and reality! There may be a need to modify, and tweak, the plan/ approach, if, and when, it’s necessary, and indicated!

Smart agents and homeowners depend upon a quality marketing plan! Doesn’t it make sense?

In order to be successful as a real estate investor or basically in any other market, you must know how to market. Marketing is the pulse of your business, without a pulse, you flat-line and you DIE, no really, you are dead, or you might as well be because you aren’t doing anything in the business. You can be a newbie investor or a weathered one but if you “act” busy, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are doing the things that count to increase your leads.

MARKETING IS LIFE. You are not a real estate investor, well not precisely; real estate is just your vessel, your means of becoming financially independent. In essence you are a marketer. Learn this craft well; study it day in and day out. You must become the World’s Greatest Marketer, but in your farm area first. Baby steps, come on!! All of you insist on getting coaching, products, courses and real estate books. Those are all good and well but what about marketing? When does that come into play? Invest in some marketing books, they go a long way, even if they are in a different market, they all have great ideas and useful techniques to put into good use.

I use many different types of marketing strategies on a day to day basis, but what helped me the most which I highly, highly recommend is… Guerrilla Marketing!! That is right, how I launched myself onto the scene was with several subtle but extremely creative and powerful Guerrilla tactics that can help any investor, especially the newbie investor. Oh man, I felt like a little boy at Christmas once I started getting my phone to ring off the hook!

Shhhh, do not say anything, but what I am about to share with you are some of my secret, but really not so secret techniques that helped me get my phone ringing off the hook!! With this approach you can make $10,000 within the next thirty days if you start right now! Unfortunately some of the strategies I used involved hitting the streets, that’s right… you have to hit the pavement and I mean hard, hard like “curbing” as in American History X hard. Uncomfortable going out and about, well you might as well stay comfortable in your lousy life. In order to succeed you have to just do what it takes, remember, pain is only temporary but victory is forever.

As I was saying, yellow signs, the oh so lovable 18″ by 24″ yellow corrugated plastic, how I loathe thee. Two ways to use them, the first is to attract sellers and the second is to attract buyers. Like anything else in the world, this is a numbers game and you must stay persistent. Every month, if your budget allows for it, shoot to purchase 300 yellow 18×24 corrugated signs, a pole stapler and either a red or black “KING” sharpie. You are going to write on 200 of them:

WE BUY HOUSES

FAST FOR CASH

XXX-XXX-XXXX

Every week you will place 50 signs in high density areas, but use common sense guys. Do not put these signs on a highway!!! You are most definitely going to cause a car accident but most importantly you aren’t going to get any calls. For every 50 signs you put out, you will get around 5 calls of the highest motivated seller you will come into contact with, but in the end it will only result in a deal or two which is very good.

At the same time, you grab the left over 100 signs and write:

HANDYMAN SPECIAL!!

HOUSE 4 SALE

MUST SELL QUICK

XXX-XXX-XXXX

Or,

CHEAP HOUSE 4 SALE

4 BEDS/ 2 BATHS

MUST SELL QUICK

XXX-XXX-XXXX

Most of you at this point are going to whine, “But Lou, I do not have a house to sell, isn’t that wrong?” After I am done smacking you, I will remind you that you are a Guerrilla Ninja and that you need to have an ever expanding Cash Buyers List. The beauty of this is that you will get tons and tons of calls, I mean tons. About 40% are tire kickers, 40% retail buyers, 10% wholesalers and 10% legitimate CASH BUYERS!!!!

So once you have a deal under your belt you can quickly call and email the cash buyers to sell it quick! And since you placed all these signs in the same area, you will not have an issue matching them up to a property that they want. Also, since you have gotten in touch with some of the local wholesalers, try to get one of the deals they have and Joint Venture with them. It is the quickest way to make $1,500 and up for being the matchmaker between the two. And the more Cash Buyers you talk to, the more confidence you will have in shooting them out a deal when you are on a friendly basis with all these wholesalers. Wholesalers may be a little hard to get through the first time around but trust me, they only care about one thing and that is moving a property, and moving it quickly.

But wait, there is more, I highly recommend you save all those phone numbers you receive so that you can market to them in different ways. It does not matter if the calls are coming from either Seller signs or Buyer signs, but save them and you can market to them as well. But those strategies are for another time. Anyway, this was a quick but simple overview of one of my favorite Guerilla Marketing methods, the Yellow Sign.

Cheers!

P.S. If you want to get some cheap signs I recommend you going to signwarehouse.com, they are very inexpensive there as opposed to the local sign shop.

If you want some great books as well, I highly recommend the following books:

– Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Levinson

– Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz

– Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith

– Do It by David Newman

Instagram’s simple platform and focus on photos makes it the perfect app for real estate agents to share their listings. However, agents who aren’t familiar with the platform may not know what kinds of pictures to post. Simply posting a photo of your listing with the address and a description isn’t going to get much attention. You need to create a story around the listing and share multiple photos to tell that story.

The easiest way to start “Instagramming” your listings is to use Instagram during an open house. Below are 7 different pictures you can take to create and share your open house story.

Start with a selfie

A “selfie” is a photo that you take of yourself. Take a selfie in your car, in front of the sign or by the front door. Caption it with something like “Excited to host an open house at 12345 Main Street.”

Your favorite room

Take a photo of your favorite room in the house. In the caption, get your followers to imagine life in that room. For example, if your favorite room is the bathroom with the huge soaking tub, say something like “Can you imagine coming home from a hard day’s work and getting to soak in this tub? Glorious!”

Your favorite outdoor feature

Photograph your favorite outside space. Again, get your followers to imagine themselves living there. “Check out this built in BBQ. Would you love to host summer BBQs at this home?”

Give a shoutout to other agents

A shoutout is a social media referral. If a real estate agent you know comes by the house with clients, snap a picture with them and give them a shoutout in the caption (be sure to use their Instagram handle if they have one.) Your caption could read something like this “Look who stopped by my open house today! Thanks for bringing your buyers @realestateagent.”

Share your “to-do list.”

Write or type a list of things you need to do to prepare for the open house then post a picture. This gives people an idea of the services you provide when hosting an open house. You can also share the owners to do list to educate people on how they should prepare for an open house.

Tools of the Trade

Do you always bring a specific water bottle to open houses? Do you often bake cookies or bring a vase of flowers? Lay out your items and snap a photo. The caption can read something like “Here’s my open house survival kit!”

Get the owners in on the fun

If the homeowners are around, take a photo with them. Tag them and ask them to share the photo on their Instagram and to tag you!

Instagram is easy to use and the perfect platform for real estate agents who are unfamiliar with social media but want to use it to market their listings. With a few clicks of your smartphone camera and some witty captions, you’re next buyer could be one of your Instagram followers.

All too often I see small business owners missing the mark with their marketing. Sure, it’s easy to do when you specialize in a specific industry niche and you spend your time engulfed in industry sector jargon. However, it’s best to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes and think your marketing through from their perspective, addressing their most important questions. Your customers want to be able to trust you, to know you are looking out for their interests and that you don’t just see them with Dollar Signs in your sunglasses.

Below is a sample page, perhaps good for a website, brochure, email, or letter. Why not look this over and consider how you might form your own message. Use your own voice, your own style and remember you are talking to your customer across the table for the first time. You know what questions they will ask. Show that you care, that you are working for them, and will go out of your way to get them the best rates, and great service. Here is the sample:

Commercial Real Estate Loans

Are you looking to purchase an income property such as an apartment building, small office building, or retail center? Would you like to put several rental properties in your real estate portfolio into one commercial mortgage? Wish to find a suitable piece of land and develop that property? Do you need a loan for acquisition and construction?

Do you want to buy a business property with a business on it; a restaurant, carwash, service station, laundry mat, hotel, etc.? Are you looking for a commercially zoned property with a warehouse or industrial building on it? Are you expanding an existing business and/or want to own the property under your business rather than paying the monthly lease?

Are you in the agricultural sector, looking for specifically zoned farming property; land for a vineyard, orchard, or crop such as berries, vegetables, or flowers? We have significant experience to make this happen. Our area in Southern CA has one of the best climates in the world, and incredible top soil for growing almost anything.

We can assist with all types of commercial real estate loans including government-guaranteed loans such as FHA, USDA, and HUD. If you are looking for an SBA 7(a) loan or a CDC/SBA 504 loan for commercial real estate we can get it done.

We can assist you with traditional commercial mortgages, commercial bridge loans, or commercial hard money loans. We also have lines on non-traditional sources for hard money commercial real estate loans, which are custom tailored to you needs for complicated projects outside the normal scope of typical commercial real estate loans and mortgage offerings.

— — — —

Why not try something like this? Just because the Federal Reserve has raised rates doesn’t mean you have to let new deals and new clients move to your competitors. I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Because of the challenges involved in today’s tough real estate market, more and more realtors are leaving the business. This exodus is causing an unprecedented opportunity for those realtors skilled at marketing to move forward in gaining large amounts of market share! The simplest way to focus your marketing efforts is to select a niche and focus on that group. Here are some niches that you may want to consider:

A Farm – This is the easiest niche for most agents to understand. A farm can be a subdivision, an area like waterfront homes on a certain street or even a county if it is small. Some great ways to start to become an expert in an area are to visit all the homes currently listed for sale in the neighborhood, visit all the FSBO’s who currently have their homes available, and offer to do open houses for agents who have current listings. Let the FSBO’s know when you are going to have your house open so you can coordinate with them to have theirs open also. Send postcards to the homeowners and also start a neighborhood newsletter giving sales information and relevant neighborhood info.

First Time Homebuyers – These are people who need the expertise and connections that a realtor can provide. To reach these buyers you can send postcards or walk apartment complexes, renters make great first time homebuyers! Offer to hold “lunch and learns” to large area employers who have younger workforces that need to find housing solutions. You can partner with the affordable housing government agencies in your area, finding out the requirements for buyers to qualify. Offer to send them “hot” listings that are in great shape and meet the pricing requirements of their programs. Make sure you preview and hold open all the houses in these price ranges that you can get your hands on so that you can know the ones that will be worth taking your clients to!

Luxury Home Buyers and Sellers – This one can feel like a farm but it is a little different. Targeting high end buyers and sellers will result in larger commissions AND larger expenses! Make sure your marketing materials are professionally designed to appeal to people in a top tier demographic. Target international buyers by displaying high end properties on your website and blog (if you do not have your own listings “borrow” some from the other agents in your office after asking for permission). Make sure you list information about marinas, yacht clubs, tennis clubs, country clubs and golf courses on your website. If there are high end retail areas in your market list those shops and also any five star restaurants that may be nearby. Join the local country club and support the regional arts councils.

Baby Boomers – If you live in a warm climate this group is for you! Find out all the retirement and 55+ communities in your area and list them on your website or blog. Become familiar with the restrictions of the different communities (some allow pets, some don’t, some allow one person to be under 55, some require everyone to be over 62). Advertise in the senior magazines in your area, focusing on your expertise as a benefit to finding the perfect retirement home. Have a group of vendors that you can recommend if they need property management services while they go north for the summer or visit family for extended periods of time.

Those are just four of thousands of different niches you could choose! Whether you like boating or golfing, like working with buyers or sellers, love children or dogs, there is a niche for someone like you. Pick something today and focus on it with all your energy and you will be able to capture more of the market than you ever thought possible!

Most of us, have lived through, a variety of real estate markets, from a buyers, to a sellers market, to, what many consider, a normal, balanced market. Sometimes, this occurs, over an extended period of time, and often, we witness, changes occur, without much notice. For example, in the last year, or two, we have gone through, a strong, sellers market, where there were more qualified, potential buyers, than, homes, for sale, on the market. After, over a year, of ever – escalating, home prices, combined with little available inventory, we, then, observed, a little cooling, and more of a balanced situation. Many factors are involved, including: perceptions (buyer and seller); local area; overall economy, local economy; interest rates and availability of mortgage monies, etc. With that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, some recommended, marketing strategies, for a variety of circumstances and conditions.

1. Sellers Market: When inventory of houses, for sale, is extremely limited, and conditions, are such, where many qualified buyers, are seeking a home, there are two possible strategies, which might be most effective. One, which, we see, most often, is pricing the house’s price, in the highest range, believing that the number of buyers, will bring, a higher price. Another possibility, especially for a homeowner, who wishes to market/ sell his home, in the shortest, possible, period, is to price, the house, on the lower end of the real estate market. When this strategy is used, it often, brings, far more views, and action, and we often witness a bidding war. I did this with a client of mine, during this past, recent market, and received 22 over – asking price, offers, in the first weekend, and the house sold, for more than fifteen percent, over the listing price. Sellers should interview potential agents, and discuss, marketing strategies, and which might work, best, for a specific property!

2. Buyers Market: When there is more inventory, than qualified buyers, we often, witness a buyers market. Obviously, in these circumstances, the best approach, is to conservatively, use, a Competitive Market Analysis, in determining the listing price. Remember, in the vast number of instances, the best offers come, in the first few weeks, after it’s been listed, so, those who price the house, too aggressively, often suffer. Price the house, right, from the start!

3. Balanced Market: When neither side, experiences, a significant advantage, over another, we see, a balanced market. In these instances, smart pricing, and accentuating a property’s strengths, against the competition, in the local area, is a necessity, for success!

A wise homeowner, interviews potential agents, and hires, the one, who has the vision, and understanding, to use a strategy, which works, best, for the particular property. Since, for most, their house represents their single – biggest, financial asset, doesn’t that make sense?

The real estate industry in India has found out a new and effective way of marketing that is known as Real estate marketing. Today our country has more than 200 million users online and it consists of people of high net worth, lower middle class and middle class people. Real estate companies in India are paying about 25% of their marketing expenditure on digital marketing. Today each and every customer does an extensive online research before purchasing any product.

There are various ways to boost online sales with the help of digital marketing.

• Blogs are the Most Effective Way

Where any high-valued product is involved, in-depth details of the product help the customer to take better and informed decisions. Therefore, it becomes important to develop blogs on your products and FAQ’s related to the sector. Try to conduct a survey within your present customer base. Jump into the deeper questions and mention answers for all of them on your blogs. Search for the trending topics like in the past few of the banks reduced the interest rates on home loans. Such type of news should be always be presented in an effective manner.

• Develop Your Strategy and Campaign from Conversion Perspective

It is very important to do all the promotional activities from conversion perspective. There is no meaning of any campaign if it doesn’t have any call to action. You have to tell your audience, what they are supposed to do after watching any video or campaign. Hence the phrases like “call to”, “visit here”, should definitely be used. Be creative in the campaigns, but tactfully keep the customer engaged and induce him or her to contact you. Do not compromise on the creativity because it is the key to any marketing strategy.

• Engage Your Customers Wherever Possible – Email, Blog, Social Media, Forums etc.

You can track customers over internet through emails, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc. and you can create blogs, forums and groups. You have to just join all these and you would find more and more people searching for you. Engagement is the quickest and the most effective tool to find an audience and this is done by various methods like blogs, info-graphics, videos and you should start any campaign, keeping in mind the end result of the same like sales, loyalty and identity. These engagement techniques are effective and if done at the right time, would take your business to new heights.

• Second Screen Marketing for Real Estate

India is witnessing a new wave in technology and smartphones are the first ones. Today, more than 90% of the youth have smartphones and so it becomes essential for real estate companies to implement second screen marketing strategy and should have mobile responsive sites. It should make groups like Whats App etc. and social media platforms like Instagram, vines. Real Estate Developers target both desktop and mobile customers and in a very short span of time, the results would be in front of you.

Most real estate agents are not marketing experts. They did not get into real estate on their way to a lucrative marketing career. In fact many agents don’t know anything about marketing and so they just do things as they have always been done. And the way it has always been done in real estate is with image advertising. This is not news. It is an obvious fact that can be found by simply looking around your own neighborhood and in your own mailbox.

One of the major aspects of image advertising employed by real estate agents is the large color photo of themselves. When I see these kinds of ads and signs, with the agent’s picture being the most prominent thing in them, I wonder why I should care what they look like. I know this will sound harsh to many of you that are currently using this kind of advertising, but I am not sure how my real estate agent being photogenic will help them sell my home. I consider myself to be an average consumer. And as such, for me to pick up the phone and call the phone number off of any advertising, I need to see the benefit to me. I don’t see any benefit to me in these ads.

So if image advertising is not the way to go, what is? Direct response advertising. With a direct response ad you give people a reason to pick up the phone and call you. You can compel people to dial into a call capture hotline with any number of benefits to them. The key is that you offer them something of value such as a coupon, a free report, or a free home evaluation. People are much more likely to call an agent that is offering them a free report on “10 Tips To Selling Your Home Fast” than they are an agent that is only offering them a nice smile.

The other important thing that you can do in a direct response ad is set yourself apart from the competition. This kind of marketing is perfect for yellow pages ads. If you look at the ads that are usually running in the phone book, they all look the same. What is going to compel someone to choose you over all the other agents in there? If you use the standard image advertising approach, there is nothing there to get the consumer to pick up the phone and call you. However, if you have a direct response ad that immediately grabs their attention and tells the consumer what you are going to offer them (a FREE report for example) and how to get it (by calling your 24/7 toll free call capture hotline) you set yourself apart from all the other agents in the book.

Direct response advertising also has one more major advantage over image advertising. You can’t track image advertising. Image advertising has its place and that is in businesses that have the time and resources that are necessary to have people recognize their name or logo on sight. Real estate agents usually do not fall into that category. They are working with tighter budgets and shorter timelines. They need to know if the ads they are using are working now, what their return on investment is, and what ads need to be scrapped. This can all be accomplished with direct response advertising. Direct response advertising, when done correctly, has a call to action built in that when acted on, can be tracked using call capture technology. This allows real estate agents to really see what is working for them and what is not.

Most real estate agents are not marketing gurus. When they got their real estate license it did not come with a degree in marketing. So it is understandable that most agents just do things the way they have always been done when it comes to advertising. Unfortunately, that is image advertising. If you want to compel people to call you, stand out from your competition and be able to track your results from your advertising efforts, direct response marketing is the way to go.