I LOVE the marketing of my listed properties and have spent a great deal of time studying just what it is that makes for successful ads. I've taken classes, studied successful ads, and learned by trial and error.
I thought I would share some pearls of marketing wisdom that have proved successful in my business over the years. As I observe what others are doing, I find that very few Realtors are savvy marketers. I don't have a marketing degree or background, in hindsight that might have been a good field for me to have focused on. But the good news is that I get ample opportunity to market my heart out with my listings. Let me add a disclaimer that in spite of the MLS copyright these are actually photographs that I personally took with my own camera.
The first pearl, and the first key thing I remember learning, is that your ad copy should LEAD OFF with the 
biggest and best feature or selling point about your property. Sometimes it's a no-brainer, and sometimes it takes some brainstorming to uncover. Either way, it should be your headline. Remember, you are competing with dozens, hundreds even, of other property ads for the attention of your buyer. You have a fraction of a second to catch his attention, you can't count on him noticing that shop behind the house, or reading down to the bottom of the ad copy. Lead off with the best selling point! HUGE 46x24 HEATED SHOP WITH 10x10 AND 14X14 DOORS AND RV PORT! It did come with a cute little 3 bedroom rancher that was very ho-hum. Cute little ranchers like that were a dime a dozen. I knew the buyer for that property would be someone who needed the RV set-up. My PRIMARY MLS and marketing photo was of the shop, not the house. Everything I did lead off with the shop. I also had a sign rider made that simply said HUGE SHOP! and attached it to a directional sign at the main road. I figured out the profile of my most likely buyer and went after HIM!
My targeted advertising worked and we got nearly a full price offer from a retired couple who fit the profile that I was marketing to. And we all lived happily ever after!
ALWAYS LEAD OFF YOUR MARKETING WITH THE BIGGEST SELLING POINT OF YOUR PROPERTY!
Janna Rankin Scharf, AB, GRI, CSP, CLHMS, provides a superior level of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit www.JannaScharf.com to search for homes in the Coeur d'Alene MLS for anywhere in North Idaho.
Janna Rankin Scharf provides a superior level of real estate services to home buyers and sellers in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County, Idaho. Visit www.JannaScharf.com to search for homes in the Coeur d'Alene MLS for anywhere in spectacular North Idaho.
No matter how grand or modest your real estate dreams may be, you can turn to me in confidence. Give me a call today and let me know what I can do to be of service to you!
Janna Rankin Scharf AB, GRI, CSP, CNS, CLHMS 208.651.9700
Great points! Thanks for the wisdom of your post.
good info .. I have also tried to "copy" the best ideas .. guess I will be coping a few things
Did you take the photo of the background of this blog? It is beautiful, how the colors are reflecting off the water. I just took photos this week, and got alot of great colors, but not as much of the pink as you have here.
by the way, you're right, I like to see the photos, and have a well written description of the home.
Definitely agree with your comment of "I find that very few Realtors are savvy marketers." Whether its property or themselves. I think a large part of that is due to the fact that not many make it to maturity, i.e. stay in the business for more than a couple of years.
Good points on your properties.
I agree that there are not a lot of good marketing techniques used by Realtors. Any time you search through MLS you will find yourself wondering what some of those listing agents are thinking! No photo, one photo, a few dark or blurry photos or photos of blank walls or windows, messy bathrooms complete with wet towels and dirty laundry, and what are they using for a headline (if they bother to have one)? Something like "3 bedroom house for sale." Boring! There is simply too much competition for anything like that to bring a buyer.
VERY nice suggestion. I am going to take a second look at my listings and think about the best potential buyer. Thanks
Janna, thanks for reminding us that we could all stand to step back from the day to day grind occasionally and take a more strategic look at what we are doing to help our clients and whether we are going about it in the most efficient way. Great suggestion on the listing.
Janna, great points! I think that all Realtors need a working knowledge of marketing to be successful in the business.
Targete marketing - it is what will differentiate a home in this sea of homes for sale. Thanks for the reminder, Janna. Love the background also!
I had a similar listing, it was my brother's house in Windsor, Colorado. Nice, new three bedroom ranch house with a six car detached shop with a paint booth. I figured it was going to someone who was a car freak, so I had a friend park a restored 57 Chevy with a metallic orange paint job in front of the house. In a tough Weld county market, we got the house sold to a couple who drag races on the weekend. It was the only listing in IRES with a bright orange car.....
Lisa - What a small world! This house was also in Windsor. Are you new there? I don't remember The Yellow Mailbox Real Estate Services, and I'm pretty sure I'd remember THAT name!
Janna.\, Well done, I saw this featured in the weekly AR newsletter!
Love it!
Great post. I also do this with the ads that I prepare for the agents for print advertising. Sometimes they don't agree with me. I also feel that it is better to have less words but some agents want to cram every feature into the ads which leaves nothing for the buyer to ask about!
Hey Janna,
Thanks for writing something useful... Some of the post are... stating the obvious... This is useful, be proud.
For Joanne: If you are not getting the colors you would like out of your pictures... Try messing with your camera settings. I can't turn you into Ansel Adam overnight, but you can do a lot to capture more in your image. If you want to really jump it up, get a polarizer filter for your camera, that will make some things change a bit.
Good Points
100% agree with you! Wow, those agents that write nothing about the listing could learn a few things from you!
Congrats on your feature Janna...seee...the Rain Gods heard you !
Great post! Does anyone know of a good book for giving super listing description ideas or lists of catching words or ideas! The hardest part for me with a listing is writing the description. It seems that I draw a blank. Any ideas? Thanks
That's the ticket! I also believe the same thing. The REALTORS know what the selling point is and sometimes the sellers forget why they bought in the first place!
Great post -- thanks for reminding all of us that the obvious is missed all too often!
sellers why they bought the home, and use those as advertising ideas.
Marlene S. Giles, RE/MAX 1st Olympic, Lynchburg, VA www.marlenesheltongiles.com
It's great to get tips and treasures from others. I try to write my descriptions from the vantage point of a buyer but sometimes we get stuck in a rut and write the same old stuff. In today's market, you have to figure out a way to make your listing stand out among the crowd!
Well said!!! Sometimes the LEAD-OFF needs to be scenery in view of the property, like a golf course green behind the property, that would not be seen from the front. Your Shop example said it all though!
You make some good points but I have always felt in the back of my mind if the first picture is not the front of the house they are hiding something. I might feel different in the case of the huge shop/garage.
Hi Janna, I stopped using the typical shots for my Gulf front listings and went with a gorgeous sunset view. I noticed an uptick on the number of MLS hits immediately.
Janna - good advice to profile your most likely suspect buyer and go after 'em - I guess I have been watching too many cop shows. :)
Great post! Back to basics - you are absolutely right. It's the sizzle and the dream that gets the attention.
Creativity! That is the key in catching a prospective buyer's eye. Your post reminded me to not just do the usual, but do the unusual. Thanks for your ideas.
Great post, anxious to hear more!
Good post! You have to do whatever you can to catch the buyer's eye to look further at the property. Some pictures that are put on MLS just amaze me as to what the agent was thinking. We all have to become marketing specialist in our business.
Wow Lisa,
A post you wrote over a year ago gets featured in the newsletter and revives a thread. Good for you.
Great advice, Lisa. Also when choosing which photograph is the lead photo, I always choose the one that presents the listing in the best light. If it is not the front view, then it is the view that would cause a perspective buyer to want to look at the rest of the photos.
Great advice and so true. Why mention that it's got a storm door when everyone else has one? I have to admit I couldn't believe that pic when I saw that RV in there! I've never seen an RV garage before but I guess it's better then keeping that $200K plus bus out in the rain. You sold the unique feature and thru in the house too boot.
Hey Janna - These are great points. I wonder how many real estate agents know about online property syndication. There's freebies out there, so it's a really cost-effective way of marketing properties, too.
It's not uncommon for me to show the lake view or split the main photo to show both the house and the lake with my lakefront or lake access homes. I also might show the beautifully remodeled kitchen instead of the outdated front of the home just to get people to look at it.
Good post!
Janna - excellent point, if you don't lead with the properties' best feature, you might not interest the buyer to read further into your ad.
You make two really good marketing points - the first being that of first determining who you are writing to.
Knowing who is the most likely person to buy a particular property makes it much easier to decide which feature or benefit will catch his or her attention.
Too many marketers try to appeal to everyone and thus appeal to no one!
Great post! Knowing the target market for a home is key! The guy who rides his bike to work every day could CARE LESS there is an RV garage!
Thanks for sharing!
Great tip Janna. We always should put our (properties) best foot forward.
I will start usinf this tip right away and on every ad that I write from here on out. I love the shop as the emain photo, too.
Loads of great advice in here, Janna, both from you and from the comments that followed. Thanks for starting the conversation...
Tanya in Montreal
Hi Janna,
Thanks for the tip, sometimes we forget to focus on the Buyer when we market properties. But I'm going to go through all my aged listings and rethink my marketing comments. Thanks again.
Steve Shewmake
Marysville Ca