The top 10 tips for writing great real estate ads Tip No. 1 - Ian Grace

TheTop 10 Tipsfor writinggreat realestate adsby International “Mr Real Estate Advertising”Ian Grace

Published under 'Amazing' BooksIan Grace MarketingPalm Beach, Queensland, 4221, Australiawww.iangrace.com.auamazing@iangrace.com.auc Ian Grace 2005All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no partof the publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, ortransmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner,Ian Grace.

TheTop 10 Tips for writinggreat real estate adsIndexTip Number 1 -- It’s all about “HOODOO”................................................................ 1Tip Number 2 -- How to create powerful headlines....................................... 5Tip Number 3 -- Powerful photos for great results...................................... 10Tip Number 4 -- Put people in your photos....................................................... 18Tip Number 5 -- Use people’s names in your ads......................................... 23Tip Number 6 -- Use different ads for different target markets .......... 28Tip Number 7 -- Media Match, all your media working together ......... 33Tip Number 8 -- Keep the same ad running ................................................... 38Tip Number 9 -- Pricing -- take your sellers for a ride! ............................ 42Tip Number 10 – Get your sellers to pay for the advertising ................. 47Bonus Tip Number 11 -- Research your advertising, before & after .. 52

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 1It's all about“HOODOO TM ”1

HOODOO?Remember that word and you will always remember what effective advertising is allabout, not just a week or two after you have read this article, but for the next 10/20/30years or more. It's the most effective way I know, to help you to understand, always,the formula for effective advertising.In fact, once you read and understand this, it will drive you and/or your partner nutswhen you are next watching TV and the professionally created ads come on -- "thereit is, HOODOO -- and there's another ad, HOODOO" -- you are going to seeHOODOO in every good ad from today onwards.Let me explain, while I take the mystique out of effective advertising. Virtuallyeveryone has sold household items at some time -- when they do, being untrained inadvertising, all they do is describe the item, perhaps its make or brand, its condition,price, person to contact and contact detailse.g. a bicycle for sale -- it's a Brand Name, Rockbreaker, green colour with twowheels lined up one in front of the other (which is pretty handy), bell on the front,brake at the back, right handlebar, left handlebar (you get the picture?), price, person,phone number - have you seen those kind of ads? We all have -- but sadly, most realestate ads are doing the same thing -- merely describing the property for sale -- andthat is certainly not effective advertising.Professional advertising agencies obviously know what product or service they areselling, but they won't write anything about it, or (particularly take note of this) takeany photos, until they have first determined WHO will see the most value in theproduct or service they are advertising -- and when it comes to real estate, they arethe people who will always pay the highest price.Once they have established WHO they are aiming at, they now know how to talk tothem e.g. if they are advertising a high-class department store, they may be talking inthe main, to a very different audience and in a very different way, than if they werepromoting a bottom of the line discount store -- make sense?When it comes to real estate, families with young children, retired couples, careercouples or singles, all have very different needs and values and should be spoken toappropriately, once identified as your prime WHO -- obviously being aware of andusing common sense, when it comes to local anti discrimination legislations.2

Now they know WHO, in their advertising they proceed to show and tell their targetaudience what they will be able to DO as a direct result of the purchase -- and that iswhat effective advertising is all about.It's all about HOODOO -- a memory device that will always help you to remember --WHO and DO -- so now you know what effective advertising is all about.Let's test it -- who's ever seen an ad on television for washing powder? You know, theone where mum (for example), is trying to get the family’s clothes clean, but they’realways rolling in the dirt or the grease at work, whatever. Then, along comes Mr/MsXYZ washing powder representative, who saves the day and all the washing iscleaner than clean, whiter than white -- have you seen ads like that? They've beenaround for decades -- and as you can see, it's all HOODOO - in this case, she is theWHO and that is what she can DO, as a result of her purchase, when she buys thatparticular washing powder. How are we going -- is it all making sense?Another example -- imagine a TV ad for a 4 wheel drive vehicle or SUV, perhapsdriving along the beach, or out in the rough somewhere. Now if you can see thedriver, you can pretty well guarantee it won't be an 80 year old person driving thevehicle -- pretty obvious isn't it?The advertising agency will have already very specifically determined that their primemarket, where most sales will be made, may for example, be 38 year old males -- thatis their WHO -- then, they go to the model agency and book a 38-year-old malemodel, place him behind the wheel, roll the cameras and there's your ad, as heenjoys himself driving through the rough or wherever -- he's the WHO and there is theDO – simple, isn’t it!With real estate advertising, this concept is mostly totally ignored, with Realtorsmerely describing the house that is for sale and as we will see later, that is not whatthey are selling.Firstly, establish WHO will see the most value in the property you are selling and thearea where it is located, depending on their particular value structure at that stage oftheir lives -- then show them and tell them what they will be able to DO as a directresult of their purchase -- now, you'll be starting to produce really effective real estateadvertising that will achieve the best end net result for your sellers.A great way to do this is to use the sellers, with them telling their story about living inthe house (and even appearing in the photos, but we'll cover that aspect in detaillater).3

So, it's all about HOODOO – WHO/DO -- then later, when we look at putting togetheran effective media mix advertising campaign, we look at the WHEN and WHERE theadvertising will be placed.I sincerely hope this is helping you so far -- in TIP No. 2 I'll be talking aboutHEADLINES, how vital they are and the formula they MUST follow.4

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 2How tocreatepowerfulheadlines5

Headlines are absolutely vital for any good ad -- in fact, it's only the adand/or photo that will determine if the prospective buyer decides to readthe ad at all. Scary statistics show that, with all advertising, only one outof five people read past the headline of an ad. So, when Realtors say"when they read my ad, they will understand that...........", I point out it'snot when they read the ad, but if they read the ad. Your aim is to createads where five out of five people, in the market you are targeting, will readyour ad -- then, you are on the path to great success!Remember HOODOO? Now, remember the WHO when you write yourheadline, then QUALIFY it quickly, so the reader knows you're both onthe same wavelength. Then ideally, REINFORCE or remind about theheadline at the end of the ad.For example:-perhaps older buyers who are looking to downsize to avirtually maintenance free home, so they can really relax every weekend.A possible headline -- "Now you can relax every weekend", or "No moreweekend work" etc -- now you have an instant match what is already intheir minds. The reaction? "That's us, that's what we want -- let's readfurther ..."Another example:- Headline -- Swim in winter (depending on which stateyou are in of course, reading that headline, one would assume that toswim in winter, the pool would have to be heated, so the qualifyingstatement might be:-The solar heated pool will give you year-round family fun andentertaining.When reading an ad, people's attention is distracted by other ads, so, atthe end of the ad it can pay to reinforce the headline and bring theirattention back to what attracted them to the ad in the first place e.g.:-So, if you'd like to be in the swim this winter, phone me, Fred Smithtoday at......The rules for great headlines-- powerful headlines must contain one or more of the following:-6

a benefit or implied benefit for the reader something that is new, news or topical at the time a curiosity element -- but beware of gimmicks for gimmickssakeFor example, have you ever seen or heard headlines such as:-Announcing the all-new XYZ dishwasher, that will save you time andmoney -- we've all seen those kinds of ads haven't we, for all types ofproducts?Think about it, how many of the "rules" above, does it have in thatheadline -- yes, that's right, all three of them. So, great headlines willcontain at least one, often 2 and occasionally three.Another example -- "Hard work does pay" as a headline for a propertythat needs work done to it. That headline has two of the rules -- a benefitand also the curiosity element "what/how much do I have to do?"Now is probably a good time to explode a myth in the real estate industry,as it will pave the way for what else we are going to cover and help you tocreate better and better advertising -- then enjoy the success it will bring.Most Realtors around the world believe they are selling houses andsadly, most real estate ads reflect just that -- in fact most real estate adsonly seem to prove that Realtors can count "4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1study, 1 dining room etc.It is vitally important to understand that YOU ARE NOT SELLINGHOUSES!!What you are selling is:-living thereYou see, that is the picture the prospective buyer has in their mind - livingin their new home, that may have an extra bedroom or two, so the kidscan have their own space and privacy and the resultant family harmony.Or perhaps the extra entertaining areas, where both parents and theirchildren can entertain their friends at the same time, but separately etc.7

Once an ad matches the picture the prospective buyers have in theirminds, about what it will be like living there, you have a match and havenow attracted the right buyer.When I was speaking at the NAR (National Association of Realtors)Conference some years ago, Colin Powell was the keynote speaker andhe told a story about a military officer who was continually transferredfrom base to base, city to city. Their young son was asked if it was hardfor him, always living in a different home. His response was "oh, no, no,no, no -- we always live in the same home, we just put it in a differenthouse".Isn't that cute, but isn't it also so true? Think about it -- ever been to abrand-new display home, when they are selling new houses -- they arenormally decorated exquisitely and as you walk through them, you canreally imagine and feel yourself living there and enjoying what it has tooffer.However, when you buy the house and they take all the furnishings out,all you are left with are bare floors and walls -- doesn't look so good now,but then, you fill it with your furnishings, your knickknacks, your photosand make it your home.But after that, you need all the information to know what living there is allabout -- what are the neighbours like, are they friendly? Which way to theschools and what are they? Where are the nearest golf courses? Wheredo we go shopping? What transport is available and where? What are thequickest driving routes to my work? Are there other children in the area forthe kids to play with? The list goes on.Great real estate advertising, particularly utilising the flexibility of theInternet and social media, will answer all these questions for them.As an example -- we sold our own property in Brisbane a few years ago,before moving to the Gold Coast -- the buyers lived a two hour plane flightaway and only the husband had visited our home and made the buyingdecision.The day before the family was due to pick up the keys from our solicitor,we agreed to meet them there, run through the pool and the spa (hot tub),their operation and the chemicals that were necessary.8

Their two children ran around the house saying "there's my bedroom, theone with the V shaped bookshelf" etc -- they knew exactly which roomthey would be living in, even though they had never visited the homepreviously -- that's what great real estate advertising does. Oh, by theway, we had four other prospective buyers lined up, waiting in case thesale fell through.The headline for my campaign by the way, was:-Relaxxx in privacy, after a hard dayAnd the photo -- well, that will blow you away, but it takes us into a wholenew realm of real estate advertising and will change the way you do yourreal estate advertising FOREVER!! And the results will blow you awayas well.But, that is the subject of Tip No.3, when I cover your photos in detail andhow they work with your headline and body text in your ads -- so, getready for a paradigm shift in your thinking!!As a preview, John McKenna, Pennsylvania Realtor, who has beenfollowing my advertising system since 2008, recently picked up a listingthat had been on the market for three years -- the previous Realtorcouldn't sell the property for $259,000, so the usual reaction would be toblame the price and drop it to $249,000, $239,000 maybe even $219,000,just to sell it.Following what we have covered in this article and what I am going to talkabout regarding photos, John sold the property in a few short weeks, for$289,000 -- a staggering $30,000 more than the previous Realtorcouldn't sell it for.Are you ready for that kind of success? Then, be ready for Tip number 3!9

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 3Powerfulphotos forgreat results10

What is the most important part of any ad? The top bit! -- the very first part ofthe ad that prospective buyers see. People will never read every ad -- rather,they skim from ad to ad, letting the photo and first few words (which is normallythe headline of the ad), decide for them, whether they will read the ad further.So, now we know the photo and headline are absolutely vital -- as I said in mylast article, if research shows that with all advertising, only one in five peopleread past the headline of an ad, then it is imperative we get the headline right --and the photo!In my last article, I talked about the ad campaign that sold our own home (it wasonly the 4 th day of the campaign when the buyer contacted us, by the way) -- Ialso said the main photo I used would blow you away -- I will come to that later,but it illustrates a vital point, a vital rule of advertising, that most real estate adsignore completely.Photos and headlines must work together -- to grab the prospective buyersinterest initially, enough for them to decide the ad has something to offer themand that they should read further -- remember, benefit, new/s, curiosity?This is where we will change what the real estate industry has been doing foreverand I promise you, the results will be amazing -- time for a paradigm shift in yourthinking!Visualise a properly that, from the back deck or verandah, has a lovely viewdown over the ocean -- now let's assume we have a headline something like:-and the body copy might continue:-Watch the yachts sail byRelax with your feet up on your back deck, enjoying this glorious view ofthe sea, the seagulls circling and the yachts sailing by..............Got the picture so far? Now, what would be the ideal photo to complement thatheadline?You've got it haven't you? A photo taken from that back deck, with the viewprospective buyers will enjoy once they are living there, in their new home --certainly not a photo of the front of the house -- make sense?11

Watch the yachts sail byNow, with that photo and that headline, can you see how they are absolutelyworking together, to give the prospective buyer a clear picture of how they willenjoy what they will be able to DO as a result of their purchase (rememberHOODOO?).Now, just to reinforce what I am saying, go and pick up some magazines, yourdaily newspaper and look at the professionally put together ads -- looking at whatwe've just done above, do you think you might find that the photos and headlinesare working together, to identify prospective customers, their wants, their needs,their problems (and how to solve them), so they will make a decision to read pastthe headline, to see what the ad has to offer them? Pretty logical isn't it? Photosand headlines must work together!Which means -- the address is NOT the headline of an effective ad!Now, this is where we come across a dilemma -- looking at real estate ads,whether they be on the Internet or hard copy i.e. real estate magazines,newspapers, flyers etc -- what do you find as the main photo in almost everycase? Yep, a photo of the front of the house. (MLS pretty well guarantees it!)However, if the rule of photos and headlines working with and complementingeach other makes sense, then, if we have all fronts of houses as the main photo,with different headlines -- they can't work together -- breaking one of themost vital rules of advertising -- with the most important part of the ad.Therefore:-The main photo does not need to be the front of the house!!12

Research -- in Australia and New Zealand, one of the real estate franchisegroups wanted to develop a new logo or identifying symbol, that would infersuccess -- that they are the franchise group that buyers come to. Research wasconducted and they found that people skimmed across the ads, mentally orphysically crossing out the ones they felt weren't for them and roughly circlingthose they might look at in more detail.Therefore, to tie in with this obvious practice, their design people came up with alogo/symbol that looked as if somebody had roughly circled a graphicinterpretation of a house -- inferring, that buyers mentally circled their houses firstbefore others, so for those intending to list their property, they were the obviouschoice.However, it rather powerfully illustrates that most real estate advertising is notdoing what ads are supposed to do in the first place.In fact, if the newspaper and magazine ads, selling all manner of products,department stores and services, did what real estate ads do, they may as wellclose their businesses tomorrow -- they would be out of business!Real estate advertising has been protectedThink about it -- with real estate, on the one hand the industry is very fortunate,as there are specific advertising sections/media, that focus purely on real estate,whether it be real estate Internet portals, real estate magazines, newspaper realestate sections, etc.Therefore, you know the audience attracted are definitely interested in property.However, knowing this, the industry has been complacent over decades, placingthe same old boring, mindnumbing succession of ads in front of the buyingpublic.13

Have you ever looked to buy a property yourselves? Then you look throughpages and pages (Internet or hard copy) of ads showing fronts of houses --boring, boring, boring -- how can people possibly make an informed decisionabout what it would be like to live there, in that house, with those neighbours, inthat area with everything it has to offer, by looking at those ads?Consequently, time after time, prospective buyers look at a property they haveseen advertised and it is not for them, it is nothing like they expected from the ad-- what a waste of everyone's time!Another observation -- have you ever noticed how people will often buy ahouse totally different from what they had first specified? Very simply, withthe property they actually bought, they had a clearer picture of living there andwere prepared to change or sacrifice some of the features they thought theyoriginally needed.Once again, that is what good advertising does -- it puts them in thepicture, so they can already visualise themselves living there -- verypowerful!!Now, most other products don't have dedicated sections/media -- there isn't arefrigerator section or site, same with TV’s, food, furniture etc. When people reada newspaper or magazine, they are reading the articles, they are not looking atthe ads.Therefore, what the ads have to do, is grab their interest (this is where the photoand headline come in) -- with a product or service they weren't even necessarilythinking about at that precise moment and get them enthused enough to make alooking or buying decision.That is what ads are supposed to do -- grab people's interest or attentionimmediately-- wouldn't you prefer that your ad leapt out ahead of any other ads, thefocus of attention?Once you get your photos and headlines working together, then that is what isgoing to happen -- and as I said before, the results are absolutely amazing. Whatis also very important to remember, is that the other photos you take, must alsomatch the body copy/wording of your advertisements, in the sequence that theyare addressed.Relaxxx in privacy, after a hard day14

Remember the headline of the ad that sold our own home, that I mentioned in myprevious article? Now, the three “x”’s (three “a”’s could have done the same job),really emphasises the relaxing.The photo? In my last Tip, I said it would blow you away and compared to thefront of a house, it is like chalk and cheese.The main photo showed my wife and myself in our bubbling spa (hot tub),relaxing with a glass of wine -- now, how easy is it for you to visualise yourselfrelaxing in exactly the same way? The buyer, who first saw the property on theInternet, asked if it was myself and my wife in the photo -- it totally personalisedthe ad, gave it a life, depicted enjoyment and created the perfect picture of whatthe buyer could do, once they owned the home.Then, the copy talked about doing some laps in the pool, or just relaxing in theshallow beach entry area -- so, the next photo was of the pool.Then it talked about them enjoying a game of pool and of course, the next photoshowed the games room with the pool table.Then it talked about enjoying a game of darts -- you guessed it, the next photoshowed the dart board with scoreboard and its own light -- and so on. Oh, by theway, we had over 20 photos in total, showing the home and all the area had tooffer and if there was a photo of the front of the house, it was probably about thelast one to be seen -- not important. If a house has "street appeal", then that is abonus, not the reason to purchase a house, except on very rare occasions, witha house that is absolutely unique for some reason.15

Do you get the picture? Can you imagine how different these ads will be and howthey will stand out against your competitors’ ads, time after time after time?16

Final thing to remember -- always make sure your photo matches theheadline, not the other way around.I hope this has all made sense to you -- I've been teaching real estate advertisingin Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and UK for the past 17 years and forthose following these basic rules of advertising, their success is legendary,including John McKenna from Pennsylvania, who I mentioned in the previousTip, who hasn't missed a listing since 2008, because he has become "theadvertising expert" in his area.In Tip Number 4, we will talk more about photos, personalising your ads and alsounderstanding something that is vitally important -- putting a media mixadvertising CAMPAIGN together - powerful stuff!17

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 4Put peoplein your photos18

As we established in my last Tip, photos and headlines should work together,always keeping HOODOO in mind. Choosing a photo that is not the front of thehouse, as the main photograph in your ad, is a paradigm shift for most Realtors,as the industry has been doing the same old thing, for so long.However, once we make that bold step, then we can take photographs that willcomplement and work with the headlines and the results can be quite amazing -- very often, just like clicking on a light switch, from bad, dull, boring ads to greatads that instantly produce fabulous results for your sellers.Living there -- as we said previously, that is what property ads should beselling and what better way to show potential buyers what it would be like to livethere once they purchase the home, than by putting people in the photos,enjoying themselves.So now we take the next bold step by putting people and/or pets in your photos- it's a great way to show people what they will be able to DO when they livethere. As I said before, using the sellers themselves is a great option.Remember our personal home we sold?19

See how easy it is for the prospective buyer to project themselves into thatpicture, visualising themselves relaxing after a hard day, once they are livingthere?When the buyer (who lived a 2 hour plane flight away) phoned me on the 4 thday of our advertising campaign, he only had two questions for me -- "do youget any noise from the highway" (which he saw from Google Earth, was about 1km away) and "is that you and your wife in the spa? It was!Another example of the main photo not being the front of the property andshowing people, is when we worked with a local Realtor to sell an investmentproperty of ours.Watch the waves... and the $$$’s roll in!Again, see how the photo complements the headline and specifically targets theinvestor market -- we wanted an investor to buy it as a going concern, includingall furniture and that was exactly who we attracted, achieving $6000 more thanthe price in the ad after the campaign had only been running for six days.20

Remember John McKenna, the Pennsylvania Realtor who hasn't missed alisting for over 22 months since he began putting this advertising system intoplace?Well, this is what happened with the very first property where he put this all inplace:- it was a difficult place to sell, with an unusual layout. He used the sellersin the main photo, with the headline:-"Many Years Of Wonderful Homemade Memories""Jeff, Nicole and their 3 children have sadly outgrown this lovingly maintained 3bedroom home. You will love the amazing kitchen with vaulted ceiling, woodbeams and skylights. BBQ's in the yard - Relax in the pool - Fun with the kidson the swingset. All within the safety of your fenced in yard. Call me now forprivate showing."He sold the property for $131,600 -- that's $13,600 more than anybody anyoneexpected -- AND THE FIRST OFFER WAS $3800 ABOVE THE ASKINGPRICE -- how's that for results?!More recently John shared with me a listing he picked up for a property that hadbeen on the market almost 3 years. The previous Realtor couldn't sell the homefor $259,000. With a very different ad campaign, John had the property sold injust a few weeks, for a staggering $289,000 -- yes, that's right, $30,000 morethan the previous Realtor couldn't sell it for – WOW!! Almost unbelievable!The headline:-Ron and Janet recall the many family barbecues andThe photo?get-togethers enjoyed on this patioI'm sure you guessed it -- a photo of a smiling Ron and Janet on their patio,next to the barbecue. Imagine how that ad stood out amongst all the other usualboring real estate ads showing nothing but fronts of houses -- and the samewith the other two ads just shown. They give life to the properties for sale andthe prospective buyers can match it to the picture they already have in their ownminds, of what it will be like to live in their new home.21

TestimonialObviously, John uses this example as a very powerful testimonial, showing thatphoto and headline. Other sellers love the very different advertising approach,look forward to achieving similar results and happily list with him.22

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 5Use people'snames inyour ads23

In Tip No. 4, where I talked about putting people's photos into the ads, Imentioned the ad with the headline:-Ron and Janet recall the many family barbecues andget-togethers enjoyed on this patio-- and here is the photo that was used -- remember, this was the main photo,not the usual front of the house shot -- how much more emotive is this? And,how easy for the prospective buyer to visualize themselves in that picture?That ad also brings up another powerful element you can use in your ads to"humanize" and personalize the ads and the properties for sale -- people'snames.When you use the sellers’ first or last names (with their permission, of course),it immediately creates a picture, that real people actually live in and love in, theproperty -- and isn't that what buying a home, then living in it, is all about?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24

The Smiths are moving-- was the headline from another successful ad campaign, with the main photoshowing the Smiths with their suitcases packed, then leading into the storyabout how much they have enjoyed living in the home, the neighbourhood andthe surrounding area and everything it had to offer. The inference being ofcourse that the buyer of the home can look forward to the same enjoyment.-- and here is the photo that was used -- once again, very emotive---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Another property that had been on the market for five months, was sold intwo weeks with a new advertising campaign -- the headline:-The Johnsons will miss the garden-- with the photo (yes, you guessed it) showing them sitting relaxed in theirgarden, with the wording talking about how much they have enjoyed it. Thepotential buyer can visualize themselves relaxing there in exactly the sameway, once they have purchased the property and are living there.25

Toni and Bob just love sitting in their garden.............................................Your name - when you use your name in the ad, make sure it is in full and putone powerful little word ahead of it -- that word is "me" e.g. Phone me, JohnSmith at........The minute you do that it changes the communication. "Phone John Smith at..."is a direction, not an invitation. "Phone me, John Smith at...." is an invitation thatsays "I have viewed the property, I have written the ad, I am talking directly toyou and I am inviting you to phone me.Following the HOODOO concept, you probably realise by now that powerfuladvertising is a direct personal communication and the readers feel as if you'retalking directly to them, when they read the ad.Most real estate advertising is impersonal, merely talking about the thing forsale -- in this case, the property. Powerful advertising first establishes WHO isthe best possible prospect, who will see the most value in the property for themand therefore pay the highest price. Powerful advertising then talks directly tothat audience, showing them and telling them what they will be able to DO as adirect result of their purchase -- living there!26

In my next two Tips we will talk about something that is vitally important -- puttinga media mix advertising CAMPAIGN together and understanding thesynergistic effect of getting all your media to work with and complement eachother, rather than viewing them in isolation - powerful stuff!But before that, we will look at the concept of running two campaigns for thesame property, at the same time, in the same media.(Note: Becoming the "advertising expert" in your area will guaranteewinning more listings, generating walk-in listings and continually pickingup expireds and FSBO’S -- I have mentioned John McKenna, PennsylvaniaRealtor several times -- he has not missed one listing since May 2008,when he first embraced this advertising system -- hear his story on thehomepage of my website -- www.iangrace.com)27

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 6Use differentads for differenttarget markets28

In my last couple of Tips, I promised I would talk about the power of creating anadvertising CAMPAIGN, rather than just individual ads in individual media. However,before I do that, there is another powerful tool I want to cover first -- using differentad campaigns for different target markets.Don't forget, the whole HOODOO concept is about carefully targeting your market --those prospects who will see the most value in the property for them, based on theirparticular value structure at that time in their life -- and who will therefore be preparedto pay the highest price.TARGET YOUR MARKETTalk to them only!This is vitally important -- this is what professional advertising agencies do, with everyproduct or service they sell on behalf of their clients. Think about it, every product wesee advertised is aimed at a specific market. It may be aimed at men; women;seniors; children; affluent people; mass market; brand label conscious people -- thelist goes on.I talked before about your ads becoming a personal communication, which can beread by your prospective buyers, as if you are talking directly to them -- that is targetmarketing.However, ads I see all the time saying things like "ideal for first home buyer orinvestor" are not target marketing and once you mix two very different markets intothe same ad, you cannot communicate directly with either one of them. It's like trying29

to have a conversation with an 80-year-old and a five-year-old in the same sentence -- can't be done.Now, before we look at communicating with each of those markets separately, let'shave a look at the "checklist" that will help you to choose the best possible targetmarket for each property you list -- in some cases, as above, two totally differentrelevant markets.Selecting your target marketThe advertising experts will normally split this into three distinct areas, using one, twoor sometimes all three, to ensure they are right on target -- see how easy it makes itfor you:-GEOGRAPHICWhere is the purchaser of this property likely to come from? ie. local area;particular suburbs; beyond greater city area; another city, state or country.DEMOGRAPHICAge, sex, income, singles, couples, families; occupation / profession /investors, etc.PSYCHOGRAPHICExpectations and aspirations:- hobbies, habits, preferences, likes and dislikes.eg. People who love entertaining, gardening, golfing, relaxing, peace, activity,etc.By focusing on each of these 3 areas, it becomes so much easier to determine whoyour ad campaign should be directed at, to generate the greatest (qualified)response.(Important note: always be aware of any antidiscrimination laws in yourparticular state and make sure you don't transgress them -- target marketing isabout offering the property to the best possible prospects, who will have theirneeds satisfied the best, not about discriminating, but please apply commonsense and be aware of your local laws).Different ads for different target markets -- now, if you look at the concept ofrunning two totally different campaigns, aimed at two totally different markets in all themedia you're using, it makes absolute sense.30

In each case the ads will evoke a better response, as they read so much morepersonally and therefore more powerfully -- added to that, is the fact that you will bereaching two different markets at the same time, giving more chance of competitionbetween prospective buyers from both markets.You remember the headline I used in the successful campaign that sold ourinvestment property:-Watch the waves ...... and the $$$’s roll in!If we had been aiming to sell the property to someone who would live in it, theheadline could have been something like:-Watch the waves .....every day.OrThe waves - your view, every morning!OrYour view, your lifestyle ... every day!As you can see, there is no discrimination here and the laws of common sensedictate that someone reading the first headline, who was looking for a place to live in,can say to themselves, when they see that headline and the photo -- "I'd love to livethere and watch the waves every day -- let's go and have a look".Also, an investor reading either of the two headlines above, could assume thatproperty would be a good investment with a high rental return (possibly with anulterior motive of living in the property in years to come).Another example of a property where first home buyers or investors are equallyfeasible markets -- some headlines could be as simple as:-Could this be your first home?OrSecure your future with this great investment.The reality is that most Realtors never think about the idea of running two differentcampaigns for the same property, so the minute you do it for any of your properties,31

your ad campaigns will be different, they will stand out and they will achieve waymore results.Campaigns -- all too often, I see Realtors with totally different ads for the sameproperty, in different media -- they don't even look like each other. In this case, itmeans that each ad is having to start from scratch with the readers rather than havingan accumulative effect to get the best results.More about this in my next Tip, when I will share with you, the advertising expertssecrets about "reach and frequency" aimed at as many "OTS" as possible, for thebest possible outcome. Then after that, explaining the synergistic effect of getting allyour media to work with and complement each other, rather than viewing them inisolation.Once you understand how CAMPAIGN advertising taps into your prospects’conscious and subconscious minds, to give your properties "top of mindawareness", you will see how obvious and simple it is -- and how amazinglypowerful!So, on to Tip number 732

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 7Media match- use the powerof all your mediaworking together33

In my last couple of Tips, I promised I would talk about the power of creating anadvertising CAMPAIGN, rather than just individual ads in individual media.Campaigns -- all too often, I see Realtors with totally different ads for the sameproperty, in different media -- they don't even look like each other. Either that, or theyare so ordinary, showing yet another front of a house, with nothing memorable aboutit for prospects to remember.In this case, it means that each ad is having to start from scratch with the prospectiveaudience/buyers, rather than having an accumulative effect to get the best results.Once you understand how CAMPAIGN advertising taps into your prospects’conscious and subconscious minds, to give your properties "top of mindawareness", you will see how obvious and simple it is -- and how amazinglypowerful! (Remember John McKenna, the Pennsylvania Realtor who hasn'tmissed one listing since 2008 because of utilising this process -- NOW THAT'SPOWERFUL!!)Reach, frequency and OTS?Advertising experts talk about "reach and frequency" aimed at as many "OTS" aspossible, for the best possible outcome. Realtors mostly just talk about "writing theirad", mostly in a rush if an advertising deadline is due, or alternatively in some kind ofmad rush, just to get the property on the Internet, for example.In other words, they would rather have a rushed, bad ad there quickly, than devotingthe time necessary to put together a powerful advertising campaign. If that was done,then they would harvest the synergistic effect of getting all the media employed, towork with and complement each other, rather than having them working in isolation.Reach?Very simply, with any advertising campaign, the Media Planner (in an advertisingagency) - in this case, the Realtor, selects their media by establishing how manypotential prospects the particular media they are using will reach.The more specific the media the better e.g. an advertising agency looking to reachand influence doctors, might advertise in the Medical Journal, knowing that thismedium will reach the specific audience they are after.34

For Real Estate, while the Internet is available to all, in some circumstances there areluxury property Internet sites, designed to attract those who have the buying powerfor those types of property.Certain magazines are designed to reach only affluent readers or areas, therefore agood media choice for a high priced property. Realtors are actually very fortunate,because there have always been specific real estate categories e.g. real estateInternet sites, real estate magazines, newspapers or other standalone media, unlikethose available to most other products or services.Frequency and OTS?A media planner will now gauge how many times (i.e. the frequency), the prospectivebuyer can see the same ad, the same message. A good campaign will reach asmany of the right kind of prospects as many times as possible to give them the mostOTS, which in advertising parlance, simply means "Opportunities To See".Why is this important?Research over the years, shows us that people need to see the same ad, thesame message at least three times or more on average, before they will react toit. That's why a carefully planned campaign, will give prospects the opportunity to seethe same ad (and react to the same message) as many times as possible, even 10times or more -- to catch those at the top end of the average.To use an example from one of Australia's best Realtors, who has been using thisadvertising SYSTEM for over 10 years now:-The purchaser of one of his listings told him they had seen the ads for the properlyabout 8 times (across different media), before it finally clicked with them -- JOBDONE!!Media mix advertising campaignThat just means a mix of different media, working with each other to give them asmany opportunities as possible to see a memorable positive message that willremain in their minds.When that message is identical across different media, each time the buyer sees it,the brain remembers and immediately ties them together, giving a powerfulaccumulative effect to the advertising.Example -- you are sitting at home watching television and on comes a TV ad abouta 4 wheel drive vehicle/SUV. As I mentioned before, if you can see the driver, you35

can pretty well guarantee it won't be an 80 year old -- pretty straightforward, if the carmanufacturer and their advertising agency had determined that their prime market isin the 38 year age group for example (that's the who part of HOODOO), then they willgo to the model agency and book a 38-year-old model, put them behind the wheel ofa vehicle and away they go, driving on the beach, or rough terrain, enjoyingthemselves (that's the do part of HOODOO).Then, the ad will be repeated time and time again -- there's your frequency.Now, the next day when you are out driving your car, on comes a radio commercial,which is the audio part of the TV commercial you've seen the night before. What willyour brain do immediately? It will do an instant match and will immediately recall theTV ad from the night before, showing the 38 year old model driving and enjoying thevehicle.Then once again, the ad will be repeated time and time again -- more frequency.Next, you pick up a newspaper, magazine or perhaps flyer or direct mail -- guesswhat the main photograph will be? Yes, the main visual from the TV commercialwhich is already filed in the prospect’s brain. The minute you see the ad, your brainwill bring up the TV commercial you have already seen - familiar? - see how themedia work together?Can you identify with this example I’ve just related? I'm sure you can, as we seethese media mix campaigns every day of our lives, selling us every imaginableproduct and service, whether it be cars, carpets or cornflakes.Now think about this -- if the ad in the newspaper/magazine etc, instead of showingthe visual from the TV commercial the night before, showed the same vehicle with afront on shot, displaying the engine, would that have worked? I'm sure your answerwill be no -- it just doesn't make sense because there is no match for the brain torecognise.Some might argue that the ad and photograph is still aimed at selling the samevehicle -- however, it may now be talking to a different audience that is moretechnically minded and interested in specifications -- but sadly, this means that all themoney invested in the TV commercial and radio commercial has now gone straightdown the drain because there is no match, no recall -- does that make sense?Realtors have the greatest opportunity -- the biggest media mix campaigns ofall36

Most professional campaigns selling us products or services on a day-to-day basis,will normally have a mix of around 3 to 4 media maximum. But, how many media doRealtors have at their disposal -- depending on which state or country you are in, let'shave a look at a potential list:- As many as 4 (or more) different Internet sites social media 1 X database e-mail 1 X Flyer 1 X real estate magazine 1 X newspaper ad 1 X window display 1 X photo signboard plus, maybe TV and/or radio the list goes on - how many is that? 10, 12, 15 or more!!Imagine the power, if you can harness all those media to work with andcomplement each other, giving a huge amount of OTS with your campaign --with a memorable message that shows a clear picture of what living there, inthat property, will do for them. Every time the prospective buyer sees the messageagain, it will be matched with what is already in their brain, they will become morefamiliar with it and it immediately gives them top of mind awareness of the propertyyou are advertising.So, now you can harness the power of a media mix advertising campaign, with everyproperty you list from now on -- AND, WIN EVERY LISTING, when sellers see you asthe advertising expert in their area.In Tip number 8 we will talk about how often the same ad should run.37

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 8Keep thesame adrunning38

- once you've created a great ad, run it at least four times (in any static orhard copy media) if not more, as research shows people need to seethe same ad or message three times or more, on average, beforethey will respond. Now this will particularly apply to real estatepublications and printed matter, whether magazines, journals,newsletters, flyers or newspapers, as your Internet ads obviously justkeep running.In some countries, particularly the USA, real estate advertising innewspapers has diminished dramatically -- in countries such asAustralia and New Zealand, there is a huge amount of real estateadvertising in newspapers e.g. the Gold Coast Bulletin in Queensland,which covers the area where I live, will carry 100 -- 200 pages or moreof full-colour real estate advertising every Saturday.Now, this is mostly because of a local phenomenon where sellers,working with their Realtors, actually pay for the advertising for theirproperty -- I'll touch on that later.This is where the four times or more rule really applies and thenewspapers have incentives for the Realtors to run the ads 4 times ormore e.g. run the same ad 4 times and get the 5 th and sometimes alsothe 6 th ad, totally free. Newspapers around the world have done that fordecades with their classified advertising, because of that researchshowing people need to see the same ad three or more times onaverage before they will respond.Even if newspaper advertising is not a big part, or any part, of yourcampaign, the same rule will apply to any magazines and journalsyou're using, as well as your flyers -- put the message in front of youraudience 4 times or more to get the best results.Realtors often change ads quite quickly, only running them once or twice,because they feel they're not getting the result they want -- if the adwas a good one, it's like going fishing, throwing out a line and bait,getting a nibble then cutting the line and throwing out a fresh bait andstarting from scratch.Others may change an ad because they think it has grown stale andperhaps people out there will be saying "there's the same ad again,39

obviously they can't sell that property" -- we must forget about them,even if they were thinking that, it doesn't matter as they are not theright audience and their opinion doesn't matter.What we must keep in our minds is that the market is changing every dayand new buyers are constantly coming into the market -- a goodcampaign will work with them.I've already emphasised the importance of understanding you are puttinga media mix advertising campaign together, where the ads need tocarry the same message, same main photo and headline in all themedia. All too often, when the Realtor changes an ad, they only do it inone medium, which means the new ad is not matching the ads in theother media -- therefore it is not a campaign, which has decreasedthe chance of an effective result.Different ad campaigns for different markets -- we discussed thispreviously and if your campaigns have been put together properly,these targeted ads will achieve the results you need.All too often, Realtors are adopting the shotgun approach, trying to aim ateveryone -- the reality is, we only need one person to sign the contractand having another two or three interested in the property at the sametime, helps to push the price as high as possible.We don't need to reach millions of people, only a few of the right ones,effectively.Repetition across different media -- as we have covered previously,effective advertising works accumulatively, with buyers seeing thesame ad time and time again, with the same message, across differentmedia.Delivering my programs across the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and NewZealand over the past 17 years I have seen countless examples wherebuyers have seen ads for properties 8 times or more, even as high asone example I'm thinking of right now -- 20 times.That was a Realtor himself, who had driven past a photo signboard for aproperty (prevalent in Australia in New Zealand -- 6' x 4' signs with fullcolourphotographs, headline and some wording) -- at least 20 times40

and it finally "grew on him" enough that he ended up buying theproperty.So it goes to show - if you've put together a great campaign, keep itrunning, consistent across all your media and you will obtain the resultsyour buyers deserve -- however, that doesn't mean to say you are notconstantly reviewing the performance of your campaign, the propertiescompeting in the same price range, the weather and any other eventsthat can affect response to your advertising.In Tip number 9 I will be talking about pricing -- absolutely vital to get itright -- as well as some points that must be included in every ad, thenwe will touch on the concept that is so prevalent in Australia, ofinfluencing sellers to contribute towards their advertisingcampaigns.I realise in many countries it would mean a paradigm shift in thinking, butonce it is done, the results are quite amazing for all concerned.Now, let's look at pricing properties ......41

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 9Pricing --take yoursellers fora ride!42

No, it probably doesn't mean what you think -- we're not going to takethem on a one-way trip to a deserted place and we are not going tocon them. What we are going to conquer once and for all are twothings I get really tired of hearing from Realtors. Firstly, a Realtor whocan't sell a property complaining bitterly "Aaah, the property wasalways overpriced…." -- that's their excuse for not being able to sell theproperty, as, according to them, it was always the seller's fault whowanted too much money.Secondly, Realtors complaining they have lost a listing to another Realtorwho indulged in the practice of "buying the listing" i.e. telling the sellerthey would achieve a higher price, often unrealistic, to win the listing,then afterwards gradually "conditioning" or "educating" the seller tokeep lowering their price, to way below what was originally promised.Research -- let's have a look first at what research tells us and the threemost important pieces of information that potential buyers look for inany real estate advertising -PRICE, LOCATION, NUMBER OF BEDROOMS - if all the researchdone shows conclusively that these are the top three pieces ofinformation potential buyers require, then common sense says - give itto them! I make mention of that fact because, depending on whichcountry I am working in, I see some or even all of those pieces ofinformation left out of the advertising -- how illogical is that, flying in theface of what research tells us.Price therefore (number one on the list) is obviously vitally important --however, in countries such as Australia and New Zealand whereauction is a very popular and often very effective way of selling homes,many agents using this practice, leave price out completely -- not evenan indication of price to be seen.This leads to many disgruntled potential buyers, who probably shouldnever have attended a particular auction in the first place, becausethey have dramatically misjudged the price of the home. I also haveresearch from one of the Australian Real Estate Institutes showing ashigh as 58% of potential buyers would not ask the Realtor for anyfurther information, if the price or at least a price indication, wasn'tincluded in the ads.43

Consultative selling means teamwork -- consultative selling is the mostpowerful form of "selling", when, instead of selling at the sellers, theRealtor works as a team with them. So, pricing is obviously vitalbecause if the Realtor and the seller can't agree on pricing before therelationship starts, then they are never working properly as a team --this is when the Realtor needs to have the courage and integrity, towalk away from a listing if necessary, while offering any assistance theseller should need in the future.Time after time, I have seen this happen, where the Realtor has walkedaway from the listing, but still ended up with it, as the seller, given timeto think about it, was impressed with the honesty and integrity of theRealtor and decided to go with them.So, how do we get closer to real agreement on a realistic price? Bytaking the sellers for a ride - Realtors should automatically beshowing sellers a CMA or Competitive Market Analysis (differentterminology in different countries), showing them exactly what has soldin their area and surrounds, right up until yesterday.That is the kind of information a seller should be able to expect from theirreal estate "expert". Obviously, comparisons should be shown withproperties that are as close to identical to the property for sale aspossible. However, it is still just words on paper, plus maybe a photo ortwo -- never the same as the real thing.Firstly, impress upon the seller how important it is to be working togetheron the same goal/price in mind. Tell them you need to spend a littletime with them and take them for a drive. Armed with the CMA andyour digital camera, you then visit several homes that are similar totheirs, that have sold in recent times.Photograph the homes and compare what they have to offer, not just thehome itself, but what the surrounding area offers. For example, twohomes that would appear to be identical can be priced quite differently,if one is adjacent to a park, where children could play, pets could roamor be taken for a walk and adults could just relax, stroll or perhapspicnic.That home could quite possibly attract a substantially higher price. Withhomes near the beach, the difference is quite dramatic -- beachfronthomes, then one street back from the beach, then two, then four, then44

six -- prices will differ quite dramatically even when the physicalcharacteristics of the homes/units/townhouses/condominiums mightappear to be the same.Again, properties that are within walking distance of just about everyfacility required, will attract higher prices every time, than propertieswhere the buyers would have to drive everywhere to get to what theyneed.Once you return to the seller's home, armed with the photographs, yourCMA and the actual comparisons of real homes and actual pricesachieved, it is normally a much easier exercise to reach agreement onwhat a realistic price goal should be.In my experience, sellers are also highly impressed by the integrity of theRealtor and the fact that they took the time and trouble to drive thesellers around, to make those comparisons. It sets that Realtor apart,because you can guarantee that 90+ percent of Realtors would neverconsider doing it -- therefore, a unique selling point.Also, if another Realtor tries to "buy the listing" by inflating the expectedselling price, the seller has now been armed with the correctinformation in the most honest possible way and as much as theywould like to believe an inflated price they are presented with, theyrealise it's not right and now question the integrity and advice of thatRealtor.So, taking your sellers for a ride has some great advantages and willwin you many more listings, as countless Realtors have told me overthe years.Location -- research item number two, also very important. The suburbdefinitely, then it is up to yourself whether you give them the exactstreet address. This can now depend on how you have advertised theproperty -- if it's the same old front of the house main photo, then often,if they visit the property and are not really impressed with the front ofthe house when they see it in real life, they can drive away and youhave lost them.As an example, a Realtor in one of my classes was buying a househimself -- he had been to see this particular home and thought it wasokay, then arranged for his wife to view the property with him and theRealtor who was selling it. They were in two cars and when they45

arrived at the property, the wife had one look at the front of the houseand said she hated the property and there was no chance she wouldagree to buy it. She was absolutely adamant initially that she was noteven going to get out of the car.Eventually, the husband managed to get her (very reluctantly) to walkinto the house, convincing her to be polite out of respect to the Realtorwho had met them there, have a look and then they could tell him itwasn't for them.However, once the wife walked into the house and particularly, walkedonto the expansive back deck/veranda, with a beautiful view overnatureland, the wife fell in love with the property and they bought it.This is a perfect example of when an ad showing the front of the housewould never have worked with this lady and how giving them theaddress in advance, also would never have worked with her -- shewould have hated it and the Realtor would never have seen her.Number of bedrooms -- this is pretty obvious, but in some areas I seeRealtors who leave out the number of bedrooms, most particularlywhen it only happens to be one or two bedrooms, as they somehowfeel that might put them off, but they will "sell" them on the propertywhen they phone to see how many bedrooms it has.Sadly, it's not when they phone, it's if they phone and one thing is forcertain, if there are two properties advertised side-by-side that appearto satisfy the buyers needs, one property telling the number ofbedrooms and the other not, guess which one they will phone first --obviously, the one telling them how many bedrooms, rather thanplaying guessing games with the other one.In my next Tip, I will give you an insight into the unique process in practicein Australia and New Zealand, where the Realtors obtain advertisingdollars from the sellers -- that's right, they get the sellers to pay forthe advertising campaigns, often many thousands of dollars. But,many of these sellers come back for more and repeat the processwith their next home for sale, time and time again -- I'll show youwhy – and also, how it is appearing in other markets and countries –very successfully.46

The top 10 tips for writing great real estate adsTip No. 10Get yoursellers topay for theadvertising!47

In Australia and New Zealand, Realtors do something rather interesting -- they askthe sellers to pay the total costs for a professional media mix advertising campaign,often amounting to many thousands of dollars.Now, before you read further, I would point out that not all realtors in Australia do that-- only the best agents have the skills and are able to obtain substantialadvertising dollars from the sellers and achieve great results for them. Otheragents, many of whom cut their commissions to win listings when times are tough,also pay all the advertising (albeit very small campaigns, as it is coming out of theirpocket), which reduces their commission further.Whereas, the better agents are not only retaining full commission, but also thosesubstantial amounts of advertising dollars, which enable them to put together veryeffective advertising campaigns, obtain a better result for their sellers -- and, what doyou think that does for their profile? Absolutely through the roof.That is one of the main reasons why newspapers in these two countries are still suchpowerful tools for the real estate industry, carrying hundreds of millions of dollars inglorious full-color real estate advertising. As I mentioned previously, where I now liveat the Gold Coast in Queensland Australia, our daily newspaper will carry anythingfrom a 100 -- 200+ pages full colour Saturday real estate liftout..I have heard many times in the USA and Canada in particular, that “newspaperadvertising doesn't work” -- not true! As long as newspapers have readers, then theright message put in front of them will achieve results, particularly when managed aspart of a media mix campaign, complementing the other media used, as I havediscussed previously.Research "Down under" shows that the higher the seller paid advertising percentage,the better the campaign, with more sales at higher prices in a shorter time frame. Asproven across the Australian and New Zealand markets, sellers will pay, if theybelieve as a result, they will achieve a better end net result -- you're alsoguaranteed to achieve a much higher listing to selling success rate -- retain fullcommission and also, both ends of the deal or "sides".Industry support – some time ago, the real estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ)quoted in the daily newspaper "On the subject of real estate advertising, the REIQsupports the policy of seller paid advertising." This is the industry Association thepublic listens to and trusts.1% - 2% of property value – in Australia and New Zealand, the aim is for 1% - 2% ofthe selling price, for the advertising budget. This is merely in line with all otherbusinesses and industries, in terms of what advertising money they spend, as a % of48

product value or annual turnover. Which means of course, that property isdramatically under promoted compared to everything else, therefore not givingit the exposure it deserves!Warning – however, as I teach Australian and New Zealand Realtors, if youdon't believe you can achieve a better end net result (that's the money in theseller's pocket after all commission and advertising costs have been paid), byusing their money for advertising -- DON'T DO IT -- they don't deserve to paythe money and you don't deserve to get it!Can it be done in marketplaces where the practice doesn't currently exist? Yes,if a proper professional advertising campaign is presented to the seller as an option(and in a consultative selling situation, they have been part of the informationgathering process) and they can see the dramatic difference between that and theusual campaign, they can be influenced to invest in what they see will be potentially abetter result for them.Example -- Calgary, Canada -- I have been working in the Canadian marketplacesince 1998 and a little while ago there was a property priced at just under $1 millionthat had expired, with the sellers desperate to sell. What happens next?All too often, the price could be dropped many tens of thousands of dollars to sell theproperty in a desperation situation. However, a local Realtor suggested the seller givehim around $2000 to produce a better advertising campaign -- the result? A recordprice for the area, with an overjoyed seller. Was that a good investment for them --you bet!Price reductions -- all too common when the market is tough!I mentioned John McKenna from Pennsylvania previously winning a listing that hadbeen on the market for three years and the previous Realtor couldn’t sell the propertyfor $259,000. In desperation, who knows how many thousands of dollars they couldhave dropped, to sell their property.However, not only did they not have to drop in price, John achieved an amazing extra$30,000 for them, selling the property quickly at $289,000. Good advertising did thatfor them and as you could appreciate, they would have been more than happy toinvest in advertising that would produce those results.Price reduction wasn't necessary, as it was never the problem -- badadvertising attracting the wrong buyers, was!!49

If you are asking for sellers to contribute advertising $$$’s, how can youcompete with Realtors offering to do the advertising for free?We have an interesting situation in Australia, where in the Western Australianmarketplace, the practice of sellers contributing towards advertising is very rare.A long-term Realtor/Broker friend of mine, Mark Passmore from Passmore RealEstate works in that marketplace, in the Capital, Perth. He's very good at what hedoes and was previously in the top 2% of Century 21 Realtors worldwide.He has been using my advertising system for around 10 years now and as he saidrecently "my last 10 listings, I averaged over $6000 in vendor advertising contributionfor each one "-- in every instance, he was competing against other agents saying theywould do the ads for free, but Mark’s professional advertising approach convinced thesellers they would achieve a better end net result with him -- and he can hardly keepup with his repeat and referral business.With success after success, his job is easy, with hundreds of testimonials to drawupon, that potential listings are invited to contact, to get first hand feedback and proof.Of course, to make this a reality, you have to become an advertising "expert" andreally know what you're doing, demonstrating a systematic professional approach tosellers -- that gives them the confidence to entrust their hard earned dollars to youtheir Realtor, with a belief that you will achieve the best possible end net result forthem.Don't get left behind! - Be careful of saying things like "we don't do that here -- thesellers would never pay -- it wouldn't work in our marketplace -- it wouldn't work withour commission structure" -- very simply, if an investment of say $3000 gave a returnof an extra $10,000 or more for example, then it would work in any marketplace withany commission structure.As I mentioned before, while it should never be a focus, the top agents achievingseller advertising contribution gain huge exposure and their profile in their local areagoes through the roof. One selling Principal/Broker in Australia has won awards forachieving around $1 million per year in seller advertising contribution -- imagine whatthat has done for his and his office’s profile!For those of you in marketplaces where the practice doesn't currently exist, I ask youto open your minds and consider the possible benefits. Don't get left behind and findthat others are doing it -- it is already happening in the USA and Canadianmarketplaces -- we are becoming global and ideas and business practices tend to50

spread around the world -- look to being a leader not someone left behind, saying "Inever thought it would work here" - and if you need some input, just contact me, IanGrace, at:- amazing@iangrace.com.auUse it as an optionPresent a comprehensive advertising campaign requiring seller contribution(with the seller having been an integral part of the information gatheringprocess), as an option.If they say no and go for the usual staid (no cost to them) way, you've lostnothing. If however, they say yes -- you're on your way!Then once you achieve a successful sale, it is easy to get the next one and soon -- just as Mark Passmore (mentioned before) did when he first started thisprocess.In my Bonus Tip Number 11, I will share with you how to test your ads foreffectiveness and also give you some great dialogue for when you are welcomingpotential buyers at open houses, to make you "the one" -- the Realtor who willstand out in their minds, amongst all those Realtors they may have seen atopen houses that day or weekend.51

This is broken into two stages:-1. Test your ads before they appear in any media2. Research the potential buyers who respond to your advertising, to confirm youare exactly on track1. Testing your ads before they appear in any mediaProfessional advertising agencies will pretest their advertising campaignsbefore they hit the media, to see if their message is right, for the target marketthey are aiming at.As a professional Realtor who should know how to advertise someone'sproperty effectively, you can (and should) do the same.*In my "Winning Listings" pad I have an AdvertisingChecklist which helps ensure you will almost always be100% on target with your advertising.You can make up your own checklist if you like, by following these points:-An ad is broken into seven basic elements and they all need to flow togetherproperly:-1. Photo -- matching the headline -- remember, not the other wayaround2. Headline -- offering a benefit or implied benefit; new/news ortopical; curiosity that is relevant, not just a gimmick for gimmick’ssake3. Qualifying copy -- quickly confirming the promise in the headline4. Body copy -- where you walk the reader through all aspects of"living there" in that property and area5. Reinforcing copy -- if an effective headline has attracted thereader, it makes sense to remind them at the end, what attractedthem initially6. Action copy -- pretty straightforward but not always doneproperly -- your full name (with the word "me" in front of it), plusall contact details and open house directions if necessary7. White space -- an ad needs to "breathe" and should be easy toread, not crammed to capacity as I often see, sometimes withflashes and strips and starbursts, where the eye doesn't knowwhere to look first and read in a logical sequence53

Once you have put your advertising campaign together, give it to one or more ofyour colleagues, with a checklist, so they can objectively tell you if they havetotally understood what it is you believe you are trying to impart. If not, don't tryto convince them, as you don't have that luxury with somebody out there in themarketplace reading your advertising. This will stop mistakes and wronglytargeted ads before they happen -- powerful stuff, now you should be ontrack.2. Researching potential buyers who respondThis stage can accomplish a lot more for you, than just seeing if youradvertising is effective. If a potential buyer is viewing a number of homes thatare open for inspection on any given weekend, their purpose is not to make anew Realtor "best friend" but only to find a property that suits them.They are often defensive and now is a perfect time for you to become theRealtor they remember after they have viewed the properties on show. See ifthe following suggested dialogue works for you:-Greeting upon arrival at open house and exchange of names, establishingthey have come as a result of your ad, perhaps asking where they saw it:-"Mr and Mrs Smith/Bob and Sue, I wonder if I could ask for yourhelp/advice/opinion". (People actually love helping, giving advice and sharingopinions -- now you have aroused their curiosity)."You see, with my advertising, my aim is to give the most honest andtruthful depiction of what the property has to offer and what living here in thishouse and this area will be like.To confirm I am on the right track with my advertising, after you have had agood look through the property and asked me any questions you may have, itwould really help me to know if this property has matched your expectationsfrom the advertising you saw".This will give you fabulous feedback, to see if your advertising message is ontrack, or has gone astray (you will soon know this, particularly if they mentionthe words "we were disappointed in......... ")."Mr and Mrs Smith, thank you for pointing that out as I can now understand howit can be read that way. I appreciate your feedback and will make immediatesteps to change that in my future advertising".What is important now, is to ensure you make the change/s you have promised.If by any chance one of the media you are using already has a closed deadline,54

then tell them you will be too late for the next ad, but after that it will bechanged.This is really important because, if they see your ad again and it hasn't beenchanged, you're just another Realtor who is not credible. However, if they dosee the ad again and it has changed according to their feedback, they will feelgood having contributed and will have formed an opinion that they have met aRealtor they can trust.Be the Realtor who is remembered - think about it, if a prospective buyer hasvisited four or five open homes and spoken to 4 or five different Realtors, who isthe one they are going to remember?Think of those words above -- the most honest and truthful depiction - if youwere to say "I am honest and truthful, trust me", just like a used car salesman,they wouldn't necessarily believe you.However, in this instance, you have explained to them what your aim is andinvited them to be a part of the process. Out of the four or five Realtors theymay have seen, they will always remember the one who involved them inputting honest and truthful to the test.So, not only will this process continually help you to ensure your advertising isalways on track and highly effective, giving you and your sellers the bestresults, it will build trust with prospective buyers on an ongoing basis.Well, that's the end of my top 10 tips, including bonus Tip No. 11 -- I hope ithelps you become more successful in your endeavours.Remember John McKenna from Pennsylvania who I have mentioned a numberof times - from the moment he purchased my HOODOO advertising package,his life changed.Since 2008, he has not missed one listing presentation and he is sellingproperties for higher prices than his competitors in a much shorter time.I hope you enjoy the same success and if I can help you further, please contactme at amazing@iangrace.com.au or through my website www.iangrace.com55

3600 RealEstate IDEASTake out your highlighter pen and get ready towatch your profits grow. Derived from 11 years ofbrainstorming Customer Service sessions in the USA,Canada, Australia and New Zealand this book hasaround 3600 moneymaking ideas. It’s the onlybook of its kind in the world - so make sure ofyour copy today - then watch your profits grow.Something for the kids!Teaching good old-fashioned values.In an age where cynicism sometimes prevails Ian Grace feels strongly that youngchildren love to hear about good things and happily grasp the concept of adoptingstrong character values. In “The Never Ending Strawberry Patch” kindness to othersand animals brings its rewards and in “Finders Not Keepers” honesty prevails.Find out more when you visit our websiteBUSINESS TRAININGwww.iangrace.com

International “Mr Real Estate Advertising”Ian GraceBrisbane born Ian Grace, is acknowledged as the world’sforemost expert on Real Estate Advertising. For 16 years,he worked and researched in England, South Africa, andthe USA.Since 1994, he has conducted his Advertising andCustomer Service training worldwide.International Speaker at Real Estate Conventions NAR (National Association of Realtors), USA – invitedto speak 6 times – 2006, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999 CREA (Canadian Real Estate Association)– Toronto, October 2000 CAR (Colorado Association of Realtors)– October 2000; October 2006 Coldwell Banker National Convention – Canada 1999 – keynote speaker Property Business Show – London, UK – February 2001 Wisconsin Realtors Convention – Milwaukee, September 2001 NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) Congress – London UK, May 2006 Home Sale Conference (Europe/s largest), UK November 2007 – double keynote speaker at both events*The only person outside North America ever, to be invited more than 4 timesArticles Published WorldwideIan’s series of press and Internet Ad Writing articles appear in the Real Estate IndustryJournals in every state of Australia and New Zealand. Also, in REM The National RealEstate Magazine in Canada, nationally throughout the UK and Ian is currently a columnistfor newsgeni.us in the USA.His unique Ad Writing System can help real estate salespeople to:- Win more listings and generate walk in listings Learn how to obtain marketing dollars from sellers Combat commission cutters and those doing the ads for free Write Ads that really SELL - more properties at higher prices, quicker NEVER BE SHORT OF IDEAS to write great advertising, ever againIan Grace – Australia – www.iangrace.comEmail: amazing@iangrace.com.au