Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Real Estate Marketing?

Many real estate agents waste a lot of money sending mailings that aren’t effective. Here are 4 ways you can improve your marketing right now.

Focus on your prospect, not yourself
The biggest mistake I see real estate agents make is that they focus on themselves rather than their prospect. Try this exercise. Pull out one of your postcards and count the number of times you use the words “I”, “me” or “we”. Now, count how many times you use the word “you”. The number of times you use the word “you” should be at least twice the number of times you focus on “I/me/we”. Too often, I read marketing material that says something like

Buying and selling a home can be a stressful time. My goal is to make the entire process stress-free and easy. I have the experience and dedication to deliver all of your real estate needs, but most of all I care. Give me a call, and let me help you through the stressful times.

Notice, in that marketing copy, there are 5 instances of I/me/we and only 2 instances of you.

“You” is an extremely powerful word because it focuses on your reader and your reader’s problems and ultimately, your prospect is concerned with “what’s in it for me?” They aren’t concerned with helping you grow your business. They won’t buy that you “care” about them. Initially, they are only concerned with themselves. Your marketing materials must first capture their attention by giving them something of value. Only then will they start to trust you and want to learn more about what you do and whether you can help them.

Show, Don’t Tell
The second most powerful word you can use is “because.” Give people a good reason why they should choose you that is different from everyone else. For instance, instead of saying

We have over 10 years combined experience, and we pride ourselves on choosing the right properties and loan products to fit our clients’ needs. For your next real estate purchase, there is only one call you need to make…

show them how. What proof can you offer? Can you provide a testimonial of a happy customer? Can you use past experiences - like how long homes stay on the market with you compared to the national average? Or that on average, you consistently help sellers get above listing prices? Or that for one client, you got them a home that was well below asking price? The more specific you can be, the more credible you sound.

Use a Powerful Headline
Your headline is the most important part of your advertising copy. If you don’t capture your reader’s attention in a second or two, your mailing is already in the trash or they’ve turned the page. Great headlines communicate a specific and compelling message that entices your reader to read on.

There are a number of ways to write good headlines, but as a general rule of thumb, focus on your reader. Can you offer something for free? Can you use “How To…” or ask a question that your reader wants to know the answer to? Can you give your reader “reasons why” they should read this?

Bad headlines are vague, such as “Serving all your real estate needs!” or “Thinking about buying or selling?” These headlines appeal to no one. They aren’t interesting nor do they draw you in and make you want to keep reading.

Instead, try “14 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Your First Home” or “8 Reasons Why Your Home Might Not Be Selling And How To Fix Them” or “Free Booklet: How To Save At Least $500 On Closing Costs” or “Is Your Home Prepared for Hurricane Season?” The more specific you can be, the more likely you’ll capture your prospect’s attention.

Give People A Good Reason To Contact You
I often see real estate agents offering a laundry list of “free reports” readers can send for. Instead of providing a checklist of 10 titles, focus on one and elaborate. For instance, if the title of your tip sheet is “10 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Sale,” elaborate on what your reader will learn by reading this report. For instance, you might include “Here’s what you’ll learn: 1) Why bright colors are a big turn off to potential buyers, 2) How to rearrange your rooms to look more spacious, 3) 5 ways to brighten your home.”

That said, I see many real estate agents offering the same free reports. Often, these are just quick checklists that don’t elaborate why these tips are important. Your booklets and tip sheets should:

• Be different from what other agents are offering
• Be valuable to your reader (Are they interesting? Practical? Useful?)
• Demonstrate your expertise

The best way to create tip sheets is to write down every question a prospect asks you over the next few weeks. Then, put together 5-7 articles or tip sheets based on those questions and offer them as a free booklet. Be specific. If you have more than one target audience, create a free booklet for each.