5 Vital Elements Every Classified Ad Must Have!

I was scanning the real estate classified ads in the local paper yesterday and what I saw was absolutely amazing.

There were a lot of ads that looked like they were written 5 minutes before the ad deadline.

Did they put the ad in the paper just to appease the seller?

"Oh, Mr. & Mrs. Seller, I put another ad in the paper. I didn't get any calls from it, but I did it anyway. I hope you liked it."

Did they expect to get any calls from their ads?

I wouldn't think they would.

What's the purpose of an ad?

Well, I've heard a lot of different responses to that question, but the real answer is "to get someone to act".

Whether you have them call you, listen to a recorded message or go to your web site for more information, the purpose of an ad is to have people raise their hand and take the next step.

The 5 elements that need to be in a classified ad to make it effective are:

1) Location - whether you list the community or subdivision name, its critical to list where the property is located. You'd be surprised at home many ads don't list the area!

2) Price - price is important to list, but do you have to list the exact price? If you do, home buyers won't step the next step. But you want them to be qualified and looking in the right price range, so why not say, "in the $190s"? That way, even if the home is listed for $199,900, you'll probably have the buyer contacting you for the exact price.

3) Hot Buttons - this is critical...why should a buyer want to find out more about the property? People become interested in a property for one of two reasons: greed or pleasure. If they think they can get a steal or take a lot off the price, they'll be attracted to the property. If they want to buy, because it's in their dream neighborhood, then they'll also be attracted to it. Most ads are very boring...use "greed or pleasure" words to make your point in the ad.

4) Primary Features - now be careful here. I'd only list 2 or 3 features about the property, because you don't want to go overboard and list everything. You'll scare off the buyer. The more features you list, the easier it is for the buyer to find something they won't like about the property. One other point, don't use abbreviations unless absolutely necessary. People don't usually know what they mean. When I go on vacation, I look at real estate ads in that area and I have no clue on what many of the abbreviations are...buyers don't know either. Remember, ads don't sell houses...people do!

5) Call To Action - Once you have buyers wanting more information about the property, you need to decide which way is the least confrontational - 'talking to an agent' vs. listening to a recording or viewing a web site. Would a buyer, who's reading a classified ad rather put the ad down and pick up the phone to hear a recording or sit down to their computer to view the information online? The answer lies in whether they are more auditory or more visual in deciphering information. But I know the last thing they want to do is talk to an agent unless they're ready for the next step. So make it easy for people reading your ads to take a next step.

Now, here's two samples of a classified ad. Which one do you think, on average, would get a better response?

Sample Ad #1:

Cincinnati, Near $199,975
Big price reduction, great house,
2-3 br, bth, gar, acl, tbr, too much
to mention, hurry - won't last long,
agent name, company & phone #

What that ad says to me is "it's probably still over-priced,it's only a 2 bedroom, but trying to say it's 3, some abbreviations I don't know, they want me to think it's areally nice house and I better buy it fast even thoughit's been for sale for 9 months."

Sample Ad #2:

Mason - Long Cove in the $190s
Sellers Just Transferred - Crushed about
Leaving Their Dream Home, 4 bedrooms,
private, 1st flr study, great level yard for
kids to play, be the 1st person through to
fall in love with this custom-built home.
For more info, 24-hr recorded msg at
(xxx) xxx-xxxx or for photos, go to
online to: www.xxxxxxxx.com
Agent and company name

What this ad says to me is "sellers weren't expecting to have to move so soon after building their dream home. List a few great features. It's in my price range and to find out more, I don't have to call an agent...just listen to recording or visit a web site."

Which sample ad is going to draw more interest for your listing and increase your showings?

So quit throwing money down the drain.

When you list a property for sale, sit down and take some time to write 2 or 3 effective ads that will draw buyers to want more info about your listing. Then you can rotate the ads and not have to worry about writing a sloppy ad at the last minute for a newspaper deadline.

You also need to comply with Fair Housing laws and steer clear of advertising words that would be in violation of those laws.

I hope this helps you.