By Rita D. Santamaria
When it comes to writing marketing pieces for promotion and advertising both you and your properties, there are some words that just do a better job of “call to action”.
The following words will help you do the selling:
You or Your – “You” is the most powerful word you can choose. It is more powerful than the word “Money”. So instead of writing for example, “My clients say working with me is the best thing that ever happened to them.” Write, “You will notice a huge difference between my professional experience and that of any agent you have worked with in the past.” “You are the most important part of my job.” “Keeping you happy is my goal.”
Money – Right after “You” is the word “Money”. People love to save “Money” and earn “Money”. Therefore, using the words, “Save you Money” makes a huge statement in any advertising piece or campaign.
Health/Healthy – People want products and services that help them retain good “Health” or make them “Healthier”. Advertising the amenities of a neighborhood that have golf, tennis, jogging trails, bike paths, and pools add to their desire to acquire that property. Using the phrase, “You will maintain your healthy lifestyle by using the bike paths, jogging trails in the highlands subdivision…” would be a good use of wording in your ad.
Guarantee – People want to feel like they have assurances with their purchases with as little risk as possible. In real estate, there are few times we could ever “Guarantee” anything. However, if there were a new roof or foundation repair that came with a guarantee for a period of time, with the guarantee in writing, you could promote and advertise that guarantee.
Easy – Everyone has a hurried pace in today’s world. People want things and tasks to be easy. Use the word “Easy” and phrases such as, “Your process from buying to closing is easy with the Villareal Team of Specialists.”
Free – Whether it is a “Free” market analysis, “Free” consultation, “Free” estimate, or “Free” report, try to put something “Free” into your marketing materials.
Yes – “Yes” is one of the most pleasing words to the human ear. Use “Yes” often with your clients. They enjoy hearing they were right or, you are just agreeing with them, or yes, the work can be done.
Quick/Quickly – At every turn, people want things done “Quickly”. Whether waiting for loan approval, for an inspection, survey, or appraisal to be delivered, clients want tasks done quickly. For example, “You can be assured that I will follow up to make sure all tasks are done quickly and we stick to our timetable of 30 days to closing and funding.”
Benefit – Everyone wants to know “What’s in it for me?” The extra that is received by this selection needs to be presented. “The benefit of buying in this neighborhood is that there is a community pool at no extra charge in your homeowner’s fees.” “The benefit of buying this house is that the school bus stops right in front of your home.”
Person’s Name – People love to hear the sound of their own name. Use it often during your conversation: “Marie, what do you think of the landscaping?” Always address marketing pieces to an individual’s name not “resident” or “occupant”.
Other powerful words include:
Love
Results
Safe/safety
Proven
Fun
New
Save
Now
When you advertise in the newspaper, remember to use the AIDA formula for best results:
A = Attention
Short, vision-creating words will entice the reader to go further.
I = Interest
Create interest in the next several words to motivate them to read the rest of the ad.
D = Desire
Now that you have their attention, you have to deliver a benefit to create a need for them to own this property. Choose a major feature of the property for building desire: “The perfect family room for gatherings by the fireplace on a cool night.”
A = Action
Now that you have the reader’s attention, you must ask them to move or take action on their feelings: “Call Tina today.” “Easy terms available; call now!”
To maximize results from your property ads, follow these 10 Tips to Effective Advertising:
- Collect as much information as you can about the property. Analyze the property to be advertised.
- Determine the target audience for the ad. Don’t aim your ad for everyone. Who is the buyer prospect for this house or farm or office building?
- Remember people buy benefits not features. How will the buyer benefit from this house?
- Every ad should have the location, price, and the indication of size of the house. In a survey of what is most important to buyers, 99% stated they wanted to know the location of the property, 75% wanted to know the price, and 66% of them wanted to know the number of rooms in the house.
- Never exaggerate. Avoid overused words like: beautiful, spacious, immaculate, nice, and lovely. They are the 5 most overused words in real estate advertising. Never use industry jargon or abbreviations. Always tell the truth.
- The headline should be attention-getting and eye-catching. “What’s in it for me?”
- Write the ad as though you were having a face-to-face conversation with the buyer.
- Close with a Call To Action. “Call Henry today!”
- After writing the ad, review it and ask yourself, “Does it inspire enthusiasm?”
- Keep a copy of all your ads and make notes as to which ones work for you better than others do. Which one inspired the buyer to pick up the phone and call? This will help in the future for all of your ad writing.
Will you use these ideas and techniques in marketing? Yes, because it’s easy! Are you going to love the results? Yes, because it is free and easy to do! Guaranteed! Start today!
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Rita Santamaria is the Owner and President of Champions School of Real Estate and Champions School of Professional Development. For more information, go to www.ChampionsSchool.com or call 281-893-4484.
