Real Estate Marketing Tips from The National Enquirer

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” -- Richard Branson

[caption id="attachment_291" align="alignright" width="225"] Decapitated snake head bites man[/caption] Did you know that 9 million copies of The National Enquirer, The Star and other gossip tabloids are sold each week? And this doesn’t even include the more upscale gossip rags such as People and Us. You may not read them, but your prospects do. I’m sure you’ve been caught by the headlines at the grocery checkout counter. You may think that these are too sensational and unprofessional for real estate. Perhaps they are, but the formula is right. Consider these typical news rag headlines:

10 Ways to Keep Your Man Happy!

7 Steps to Losing 10 lbs in 2 Weeks

O.J’s Shocking Revelation Stuns Courtroom!

How to Triple Your Income in One Year!

The Amazing Truth about Prostate Cancer

Find Out What Your Doctor Hasn’t Told You!

The plain truth is that these publications are doing a much better job of selling than you are. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself the following questions:
  • Do your headlines excite people?
  • Do people notice your headline?
  • Do they call you on it?
  • If your ad was beside the National Enquirer in the grocery checkout, which one would people be more likely to read?
[caption id="attachment_292" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cops get a giggle over 'Batman' stop[/caption] Even big, “serious” media vehicles understand the stopping power of a few carefully chosen words. Trolling through CNN’s online edition, I came across these juicy headlines:

Decapitated snake head bites man

Cops get a giggle over 'Batman' stop

Crooner sings Bohemian Rhapsody to cops

Mike Tyson: I'm a horrible parent

The man with 1,000 stewardess uniforms

Harry Potter actor jailed over London riots

President Obama's 'sexy' singing?

You should be very clear about the fact that the other agents you compete against in your marketplace are far from your only competition. If you’re one of those agents who picks up your local newspaper each week to scan the real estate section to see what other agents are doing, or jump onto the homes for sale section in Craigslist to scroll through and see what your prospects are looking at, you’re blindly ignoring the real monster you’re up against in your fight for your prospects’ attention. The real monster you have to face down is everything else that is competing for your prospect’s attention, and in the increasingly online world we live in, that “everything else” quotient is huge and pervasive. Your marketing has to be strong enough to break through all that clutter.

Your marketing has to be strong enough to break through all that clutter

People don’t read real estate ads for fun. The only reason someone browses through ads in the real estate section is to find information. I’m constantly amazed by how many of you still spend so much time “prettying” up the no nonsense, straight-to-the-point information ads we give you. Just last week I was looking at some members’ ads and despite what we teach, they had added fancy swirls and splashes of color to make the whole presentation more pleasing to the eye. I know what they’re thinking, but this thinking is all wrong. Unless your ad pulls your prospects in through their own self-interest, they’re not even going to “see” your ad much less respond to it. I’m sure you’ve heard us talk about the fact that your prospects are only interested in WIFM (What’s in it for me), and this is the filter you have to consistently measure your ads against. What’s in it for me to click on some of the CNN headlines above? Simple … the story behind the headline is bound to be entertaining, and we could all use a little fun in our lives. I’m not, of course, suggesting that you put a decapitated snake in your headlines, so what should you put there? This real estate coach’s answer is simple. Ask yourself: ‘What is it that my prospects are really looking for’? The simple formula I stumbled on to is to offer prospects something they want and make it easy and non-threatening for them to get it. The traditional agent headlines such as “Top Agent Joe Smith – Let Us Show You How We Care” doesn’t fit the bill, but the headlines we give you do:

7 Costly Homeseller Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

How to Sell Your Home Without and Agent

27 Quick & Easy Fix Ups to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar

How to Stop Paying Rent and Own Your Own Home

In each case, the answer to the question “What’s in it for me?” is simple: if I read this article, I’ll learn how to easily solve a problem I have. If your headline can answer this question in the same way, you’ll have a winner. P.S. You can test drive my ideas and systems absolutely free by signing up for Free Weekly Training which includes live weekly webinars, a monthly newsletter and priority invitations to free half day training events. This Free Weekly training will expose you to inexpensive and highly effective methods of lead generation (with no cold calling) -- what I call “Reverse Prospecting”, where qualified prospects actually hunt you down rather than the other way around, and then how to follow these leads through to maximum GCI via proprietary lead conversion and prospect presentation systems. This is the easiest way for you to find out with no risk or obligation what my system is all about and how it can help you profitably grow your real estate business and vastly improve your quality of life. JOIN MY FREE WEEKLY TRAINING PROGRAM HERE  

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