Use the Power of All Your Media Working Together

Media match: Use the Power of All Your Media Working Together - Tip #7

In my last couple of posts, I promised I would talk about the power of creating an advertising CAMPAIGN, rather than just individual ads in individual media.

Campaigns

All too often, I see Realtors with totally different ads for the same property, in different media. They don't even look like each other. Either that, or they are so ordinary, showing yet another front of a house, with nothing memorable about it for prospects to remember.

In this case, it means that each ad is having to start from scratch with the prospective audience/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 mind awareness", you will see how obvious and simple it is -- and how amazingly powerful!

(Remember John McKenna, the Pennsylvania Realtor who hasn't missed one listing in over two years now because of utilising this process -- NOW THAT'S POWERFUL!!)

Reach, frequency and OTS?

Advertising experts talk about "reach and frequency" aimed at as many "OTS" as possible, for the best possible outcome. Realtors mostly just talk about "writing their ad", mostly in a rush if an advertising deadline is due, or alternatively in some kind of mad rush, just to get the property on the Internet.

In other words, they would rather have a rushed, bad ad there quickly, than devote the 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, to work with and complement each other, rather than having them working in isolation.

Reach?

With any advertising campaign, the Media Planner in an advertising agency, in this case, the Realtor, selects their media by establishing how many potential prospects the particular media they are using will reach.

The more specific the media, the better. For example, an advertising agency looking to reach and influence doctors, might advertise in the Medical Journal, knowing that this medium will reach the specific audience they are after.

For real estate, while the internet is available to all, in some circumstances there are luxury property internet sites, designed to attract those who have the buying power for those types of property.

Certain magazines are designed to reach only affluent readers or areas, therefore, they are a good media choice for a high priced property. Realtors are actually very fortunate because there have always been specific real estate categories in newspapers or magazines, or standalone media, unlike those available to most other products or services.

Frequency and OTS?

A media planner will now gauge how many times (i.e. the frequency), the prospective buyer can see the same ad, the same message. A good campaign will reach as many of the right kind of prospects as many times as possible to give them the most OTS, 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, the same message, at least three times or more on average before they will react to it. That's why a carefully planned campaign will give prospects the opportunity to see the same ad, and react to the same message as many times as possible, even 10 times or more, to catch those at the top end of the average.

Media Mix Advertising Campaign

That just means a mix of different media working with each other to give them as many opportunities as possible to see a memorable positive message that will remain 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 powerful accumulative effect to the advertising.

For instance, imagine you are sitting at home watching television and on comes a TV ad about an SUV. Now, if you can see the driver, you can pretty well guarantee it won't be an 80 year old. It's pretty straightforward; if the car manufacturer and their advertising agency had determined that their prime market is in the 38 year age group (that's the who part of HOODOO), then they will go to the model agency and book a 38-year-old model and put them behind the wheel of the vehicle to drive on the beach, or rough terrain, enjoying themselves (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 will your brain do immediately? It will do an instant match and will immediately recall the TV ad from the night before, showing the 38 year old model driving and enjoying the vehicle.

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 -- guess what the main photograph will be? Yes, the main visual from the TV commercial which is already filed in the prospect’s brain. The minute you see the ad, your brain will bring up the TV commercial you have already seen. See how the media work together?

Can you identify with this example I’ve just related? I'm sure you can, as we see these media mix campaigns every day of our lives, selling us every imaginable product and service, whether it be cars, carpets or cornflakes.

Now think about this. If the ad in the newspaper or magazine, instead of showing the visual from the TV special night before, showed the same vehicle with a front on shot, displaying the engine. Would that have worked? I'm sure your answer will be no. It just doesn't make sense because there is no match for the brain to recognize.

Some might argue that the ad and photograph is still aimed at selling the same vehicle; however, it may now be talking to a different audience that is more technically minded and interested in specifications. Sadly, this means that all the money invested in the TV commercial and radio commercial has now gone straight down the drain because there is no match, no recall. Does that make sense?

Realtors have the greatest opportunity to create the biggest media mix campaigns of all.

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 options do Realtors have at their disposal? Depending on which state or country you are in, let's have a look at a potential list:

• As many as 4 different Internet sites
• 1 X database e-mail
• 1 X Flyer
• 1 X newspaper ad
• 1 X real estate magazine
• 1 X window display
• 1 X photo signboard
• plus, maybe TV and/or radio
• social media
• the list goes on - how many is that? 10, 12, 15 or more!!

Imagine the power if you can harness all of those media to work with and complement each other, giving a huge amount of OTS with your campaign -- with a memorable message that shows a clear picture of what living there, in that property, will do for them. Every time the prospective buyer sees the message again, it will be matched with what is already in their brain, they will become more familiar with it and it immediately gives them "top of mind awareness" of the property you are advertising.

So, now you can harness the power of a media mix advertising campaign, with every property you list from now on (AND WIN EVERY LISTING) when sellers see you as the advertising expert in their area.

In my next post, we will cover tips 8 and 9 and talk about how often the same ad should run and also looking again at specific content. See you then!

Use different ads for different target markets

Use Different Ads for Different Target Markets - Tip # 6

In my last couple of posts, I promised I would talk about the power of creating an advertising 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 different ad 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 their particular value structure at that time in their life -- and who will therefore be prepared to pay the highest price.

TARGET YOUR MARKET

Talk to them only!

This is vitally important. This is what professional advertising agencies do with every product or service they sell on behalf of their clients. Every product we see advertised is aimed at a specific market. It may be aimed at men, women, seniors, children, affluent people, mass market, brand label conscious people, and the list goes on.

I talked before about your ads becoming a personal communication, which can be read by your prospective buyers, as if you are talking directly to them -- that is targetted marketing.

However, ads I see all the time saying things like "ideal for first home buyer or investor" are not targetted marketing and once you mix two very different markets into the same ad, you cannot communicate directly with either one of them. It's like trying to have a conversation with an 80-year-old and a five-year-old in the same sentence -- it can't be done.

Now, before we look at communicating with each of those markets separately, let's have a look at the "checklist" that will help you to choose the best possible target market for each property you list -- in some cases, as above, two totally different relevant markets.

Selecting your target market

The advertising experts will normally split this into three distinct areas, using one, two or sometimes all three, to ensure they are right on target. See how easy it makes it for you:

GEOGRAPHIC
Where is the purchaser of this property likely to come from? ie. local area; particular suburbs; beyond greater city area; another city, state or country.

DEMOGRAPHIC
Age, sex, income, singles, couples, families; occupation / profession / investors, etc.

PSYCHOGRAPHIC
Expectations 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 who your ad campaign should be directed at to generate the greatest (qualified) response.

(Important note: always be aware of any anti-discrimination laws in your particular state and make sure you don't transgress them. Targetted marketing is about offering the property to the best possible prospects, who will have their needs satisfied the best, not about discriminating, but please apply common sense and be aware of your local laws).

Different ads for different target markets

Now, if you look at the concept of running two totally different campaigns, aimed at two totally different markets in all the media you're using, it makes absolute sense.

In each case, the ads will evoke a better response, as they read so much more personally and therefore more powerfully. Added to that is the fact that you will be reaching two different markets at the same time, giving more chance of competition between prospective buyers from both markets.

You remember the headline I used in the successful campaign that sold our investment 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, the headline could have been something like:

Watch the waves .....every day.
Or
Your view ...... every morning!
Or
Your view, your lifestyle ... every day!

As you can see, there is no discrimination here and the laws of common sense dictate 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 live there 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 that property would be a good investment with a high rental return (possibly with an ulterior motive of living in the property in years to come).

Another example of a property where first home buyers or investors are equally feasible markets -- some headlines could be as simple as:-

Could this be your first home?
Or
Secure your future with this great investment.

The reality is that most Realtors never think about the idea of running two different campaigns for the same property, so the minute you do it for any of your properties, your ad campaigns will be different. They will stand out and they will achieve way more results.

Campaigns

All too often, I see Realtors with totally different ads in different media. They don't even look like each other. In this case, it means that each ad is having to start from scratch with the readers rather than having an accumulative effect to get the best results.

More about this in my next post, when I will finally share with you, the advertising experts secrets about "reach and frequency" aimed at as many "OTS" as possible, for the best possible outcome. After that, explaining the synergistic effect of getting all your media to work with and complement each other, rather than viewing them in isolation.

Once you understand how CAMPAIGN advertising taps into your prospects’ conscious and subconscious minds, to give your properties "top of mind awareness", you will see how obvious and simple it is, and how amazingly powerful!

Put people in your photos

Put people in your photos - Tip #4

As we established in my last post, photos and headlines should work together, always keeping HOODOO in mind. Choosing a photo that is not the front of the house, 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 will complement 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 great ads that instantly produce fabulous results for your sellers.

Living there -- as we said previously, that is what property ads should be selling and what better way to show potential buyers what it would be like to live there 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 live there.

Remember our personal home we sold?

See how easy it is for the prospective buyer to project themselves into that picture, visualising themselves relaxing after a hard day, once they are living there?

When the buyer (who lived a 2 hour plane flight away) phoned me on the 4th day of our advertising campaign, he only had two questions for me -- "do you get any noise from the highway" (which he saw from Google Earth, was about 1 km away) and "is that you and your wife in the spa?" It was!

As you can see, I practice what I preach.

Another example of the main photo not being the front of the property and showing people, is when we worked with a local Realtor to sell an investment property of ours.

Watch the waves... and the $$$’s roll in!

Once again, see how the photo complements the headline and specifically targets the investor market? We wanted an investor to buy it as a going concern, including all furniture and that was exactly who we attracted, achieving $6000 more than the price in the ad after the campaign had only been running for six days.

Remember John McKenna, the Pennsylvania Realtor who hasn't missed a listing for over 22 months since he began putting this advertising system into place?

Well, to demonstrate how a great ad campaign can make an immediate dramatic difference in results -- John picked up the listing for a property that had been on the market almost 3 years. The previous Realtor couldn't sell the home for $259,000. With a very different ad campaign, John had the property sold in just a few weeks, for a staggering $289,000 -- yes, that's right, $30,000 more than the previous Realtor couldn't sell it for -- how is that for results?!

The headline:

Ron and Janet recall the many family barbecues and
get-togethers enjoyed on this patio

The photo:

I'm sure you've 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 usual boring real estate ads showing nothing but fronts of houses -- and the same with the other two ads shown above. They give life to the properties for sale and the prospective buyers can match it to the picture they already have in their own minds, of what it will be like to live in their new home.

Testimonial

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

Use people's names in your ads - Tip # 5

The ad above brings up another powerful element you can use in your ads to "humanize" and personalize the ads and the properties for sale -- people's names. 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 the property -- and isn't that what buying a home, then living in it, is all about?

The O'Neales are moving

-- was the headline from another successful ad campaign, with the main photo showing the O'Neales with their suitcases packed, then leading into the story about how much they have enjoyed living in the home, the neighbourhood and the surrounding area and everything it had to offer. The inference being of course that the buyer of the home can look forward to the same enjoyment.

Another property that had been on the market for five months, was sold in two weeks with a new advertising campaign -- the headline:-

Tony and Gai will miss the garden

-- with the photo (yes, you guessed it) showing them sitting relaxed in their garden, with the wording talking about how much they have enjoyed it. The potential buyer can visualize themselves relaxing there in exactly the same way, once they have purchased the property and are living there.

Your name - when you use your name in the ad, make sure it is in full and put one powerful little word ahead of it -- that word is "me" e.g. Phone me, John Smith 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 that says "I have viewed the property, I have written the ad, I am talking directly to you and I am inviting you to phone me.

Following the HOODOO concept, you probably realize by now that powerful advertising is a direct personal communication and the readers feel as if you're talking directly to them, when they read the ad.

Most real estate advertising is impersonal, merely talking about the thing for sale -- in this case, the property. Powerful advertising first establishes WHO is the best possible prospect, who will see the most value in the property for them and therefore pay the highest price. Powerful advertising then talks directly to that audience, showing them and telling them what they will be able to DO as a direct result of their purchase -- living there!

I don't wish to make this post too long, so don't miss my next post, where we will talk about something that is vitally important -- putting a media mix advertising CAMPAIGN together and understanding the synergistic effect of getting all your media to work with and complement each other, rather than viewing them in isolation - powerful stuff!

Powerful Photos for Great Results

The Top Ten Tips for Writing Great Real Estate Ads - Tip #3

What is the most important part of any ad? The top bit! -- the very first part of the 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 normally the 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 my last article, research shows that with all advertising, only one in five people read 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 was only the 4th day of the campaign when the buyer contacted us, by the way). I also 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 ads ignore completely.

Photos and headlines must work together to grab the prospective buyer's interest initially, enough for them to decide the ad has something to offer them and that they should read further. Remember benefit, news, curiosity?

This is where we will change what the real estate industry has been doing forever and I promise you, the results will be amazing. It's time for a paradigm shift in your thinking!

Visualize a properly that, from the back deck or veranda, has a lovely view down over the ocean. Now let's assume we have a headline something like:

Watch the yachts sail by

and the body copy might continue:

Relax with your feet up on your back deck, enjoying this glorious view of the sea, the seagulls circling and the yachts sailing by..............

Got the picture so far? Now, what would be the ideal photo to complement that headline?

You've got it haven't you? A photo taken from that back deck, with the view prospective buyers will enjoy once they are living there, in their new home -- certainly not a photo of the front of the house -- make sense?

Now, with that photo and that headline, can you see how they are absolutely working together, to give the prospective buyer a clear picture of how they will enjoy what they will be able to DO as a result of their purchase (remember HOODOO?).

Now, just to reinforce what I am saying, go and pick up some magazines, your daily newspaper and look at the professionally put together ads. Looking at what we've just done above, do you think you might find that the photos and headlines are 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 past the headline, to see what the ad has to offer them.

Photos and headlines must work together!

Now, this is where we come across a dilemma. Looking at real estate ads, whether they be on the Internet or hard copy, what do you find as the main photo in almost every case? Yep, a photo of the front of the house.

However, if the rule of photos and headlines working with and complementing each 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 the most 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!!

Research -- In Australia and New Zealand, one of the real estate franchise groups wanted to develop a new logo or identifying symbol, that would infer success, that they are the franchise group that buyers come to. Research was conducted and they found that people skimmed across the ads, mentally or physically crossing out the ones they felt weren't for them and roughly circling those they might look at in more detail.

Therefore, to tie in with this obvious practice, their design people came up with a logo/symbol that looked as if somebody had roughly circled a graphic interpretation of a house -- inferring, that buyers mentally circled their houses first before others, so for those intending to list their property, they were the obvious choice.

However, it rather powerfully illustrates that most real estate advertising is not doing what ads are supposed to do in the first place. In fact, if the ads in newspapers and magazines, selling all manner of products, department stores and services, did what real estate ads do, they may as well close their businesses tomorrow. They would be dead!

Think about it...with real estate, on the one hand the industry is very fortunate, as there are specific advertising sections in all the media, that focus purely on real estate, whether it be real estate Internet portals, real estate magazines, or newspaper real estate sections.

Therefore, you know the audience attracted are definitely interested in property. However, knowing this, the industry has been complacent over decades, placing the same old boring, mindnumbing succession of ads in front of the buying public.

Have you ever looked to buy a property yourselves? You look through pages and pages (Internet or hard copy) of ads showing fronts of houses -- boring, boring, boring -- how can people possibly make an informed decision about what it would be like to live there, in that house, with those neighbors, in that area, with everything it has to offer by looking at those ads?

Consequently, time after time, prospective buyers look at a property they have seen advertised and it is not for them, it is nothing like they expected from the ad. What a waste of everyone's time! Have you ever noticed how people will often buy a house totally different from what they had first specified? Very simply, with the property they actually bought, they had a clearer picture of living there and were prepared to change or sacrifice some of the features they thought they originally needed.

Once again, that is what good advertising does. It puts them in the picture, so they can already visualize themselves living there. That is very powerful!!

Now, most other products don't have a dedicated section. There isn't a refrigerator section, a TV section, a food section, a furniture section, etc. When people read a newspaper or magazine, they are reading the articles, they are not looking at the ads.

Therefore, what the ads have to do is grab their interest (this is where the photo and headline come in) with a product or service they weren't even necessarily thinking about at that precise moment and get them enthused enough to make a looking or buying decision.

That is what ads are supposed to do -- grab people's interest or attention immediately
-- wouldn't you prefer that your ad leapt out ahead of any other ads, the focus of attention?

Once you get your photos and headlines working together, then that is what is going to happen. As I said before, the results are absolutely amazing. What is also very important to remember, is that the other photos you take, must also match the body/copy/wording of your advertisements, in the sequence that they are addressed.

Relaxxx in privacy, after a hard day

Remember the headline of the ad that sold our own home, that I mentioned in my previous article? Now, the three “x”’s (three “a”’s could have done the same job), really emphasizes the relaxing. The photo? In my last article, I said it would blow you away and compared to the front 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 visualize yourself relaxing in exactly the same way? The buyer, who first saw the property on the Internet, asked if it was myself and my wife in the photo. It totally personalized the ad, gave it a life, depicted enjoyment and created the perfect picture of what the buyer could do once they owned the home.

Then, the copy talked about doing some laps in the pool, or just relaxing in the shallow beach entry area. So, of course, the next photo was of the pool.

Then it talked about them enjoying a game of pool and the next photo showed the games room with the pool table.

Then it talked about enjoying a game of darts -- you guessed it, the next photo showed the dart board with scoreboard and its own light -- and so on. Oh, by the way, we had over 20 photos in total, showing the home and all the area had to offer and if there was a photo of the front of the house, it was probably about the last one to be seen because it was not important. If a house has "street appeal", then that is a bonus, not the reason to purchase a house, except on very rare occasions, with a house that is absolutely unique for some reason.

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

Final thing to remember -- always make sure your photo matches the headline, not the other way around.

I hope this has all made sense to you. I've been teaching real estate advertising in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and UK for the past 17 years and for those following these basic rules of advertising, their success is legendary, including John McKenna from Pennsylvania, who I mentioned in the previous article, who hasn't missed a listing for over 22 months, because he has become "the advertising expert" in his area.

Don't miss my next article where we will talk more about photos, personalizing your ads and also understanding something that is vitally important -- putting a media mix advertising campaign together -- powerful stuff!

How to Create Powerful Headlines

The Top Ten Tips for Writing Great Real Estate Ads - Tip #2

Headlines are absolutely vital for any good ad -- in fact, it's only the ad and/or photo that will determine if the prospective buyer decides to read the ad at all. Scary statistics show that, with all advertising, only one out of 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's not when they read the ad, but if they read the ad. Your aim is to create ads where five out of five people, in the market you are targeting, will read your ad -- then, you are on the path to great success!

Remember HOODOO from the first of my top 10 tips? Now, remember the WHO when you write your headline, then qualify it quickly, so the reader knows you're both on the same wavelength. Then ideally, reinforce or remind about the headline at the end of the ad.

For example:

Your headline might be Swim in winter. Depending on which state you are in, of course, reading that headline, one would assume that to swim in winter, the pool would have to be heated, so the qualifying statement might be The solar heated pool will give you year-round family fun and entertainment.
When reading an ad, people's attention is distracted by other ads, so at the end of the ad, it can pay to reinforce the headline and bring their attention back to what attracted them to the ad in the first place --So, if you'd like to be in the swim this winter, phone Fred Smith today at....

Powerful headlines must contain one or more of the following::

• 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 gimmick's sake

For example, we've all seen headlines for ads that look like this, right?

Announcing the all-new XYZ dishwasher, that will save you time and money.

How many of the "rules" above, does it have in that headline? Yes, that's right, all three of them. Sogreat headlines will contain at least one, often 2 and occasionally three of those rules.

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 to create better and better advertising and then enjoy the success that will bring.

Most Realtors around the world believe they are selling houses and sadly, most real estate ads reflect just that. In fact, most real estate ads only seem to prove that Realtors can count ! (4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 study, 1 dining room etc.)

It is vitally important to understand that YOU ARE NOT SELLING HOUSES!!

What you are selling is...living there.

You see, that is the picture the prospective buyer has in their mind - living in their new home, that may have an extra bedroom or two, so the kids can have their own space and privacy and the resultant family harmony. Or perhaps the extra entertaining areas, where both parents and their children can entertain their friends at the same time, but separately etc.

Once an ad matches the picture the prospective buyers have in their minds about what it will be like living there, you have a match and have now attracted the right buyer.

When I was speaking at the NAR conference some years ago, Colin Powell was the keynote speaker and he told a story about a military officer who was continually transferred from base to base, city to city. Their young son was asked if it was hard for 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 different house".

Isn't that cute, but isn't it also so true? Think about it, have you ever been to a brand-new display home, when they are selling new houses. They are normally decorated exquisitely and as you walk through them, you can really imagine and feel yourself living there and enjoying what it has to offer.

However, when you buy the house and they take all the furnishings out, all you are left with are bare floors and walls. It doesn't look so good now, but then you fill it with your furnishings, your knickknacks, your photos and make it your home.

But after that, you need all the information to know what living there is all about -- what are the neighbours like, are they friendly? Which way to the schools and what are they? Where are the nearest golf courses? Where do we go shopping? What transport is available and where? What are the quickest driving routes to my work? Are there other children in the area for the kids to play with? The list goes on.

Great real estate advertising, particularly utilising the flexibility of the Internet, will answer all these questions for them.

We sold our own property in Brisbane 3 ½ years ago, before moving to the Gold Coast -- the buyers lived a two hour plane flight away and only the husband had visited our home and made the buying decision.

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.

Their two children ran around the house saying "there's my bedroom, the one with the V shaped bookshelf" etc -- they knew exactly which room they would be living in, even though they had never visited the home previously -- that's what great real estate advertising does. Oh, by the way, we had four other prospective buyers lined up, waiting in case the sale fell through.

The headline for my campaign, by the way, was Relaxxx in privacy, after a hard day

And the photo -- well, that will blow you away, but it takes us into a whole new realm of real estate advertising and will change the way you do your real estate advertising FOREVER!! And the results will blow you away as well.

But, that is the subject of Tip No.3, when I cover your photos in detail and how they work with your headline and body text in your ads -- so, get ready for a paradigm shift in your thinking!!

As a preview, John McKenna, Pennsylvania Realtor, who has been following my advertising system for two years now, recently picked up a listing that had been on the market for three years -- the previous Realtor couldn't sell the property for $259,000, so the usual would be to blame 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 talk about regarding photos, John sold the property in a few short weeks, for $289,000 -- a staggering $30,000 more than the previous Realtor couldn't sell it for.

Are you ready for that kind of success? Then, be ready for my next post.