Posted by Stacy (AZ) on February 05, 2001 at 10:02:49:
I agree, you put it well. It was stated in something I read that the average person must see an advertisement about ten times for it to finally register. Repeated and consistent advertising is necessary, if this is the method chosen to generate leads. And, later, when the calls are coming in, don’t pull the ad, even if the volume of calls is too large. It takes time to regain the momentum.
One last suggestion. If the ad seems to run out of steam in the future, change the wording a little.
I put my ad in this week and it did not work, I had it in the penny saver & a small newspaper and 1 major newspaper.
I did not get 1 call. I hear people in here say keep running it and they will get use to seeing your ad and call you.
This is the ad I ran.
I’ll Buy or Lease your house in 7 days or less! No/Equity/No problem. Stop double payments. No commission/fees call xxx-xxxx
Not sure if it might help you … we never run ads saying, “We buy houses.”
Our ads always say, “WANTED. Nice 2-3 bedroom home. Good area. Minor repairs OK. To $75,000. Cash or terms. Close quickly. 999-9999.”
The difference could be that your ad makes you sound like an investor and people are concerned that you won’t pay a good price. We’ve had callers remark that they thought we were an individual looking to buy a house.
Let the ad run for several weeks. Like any advertising, the response should get better with each exposure.
Joe Kaiser posted a response that said “The calls come in on Mondays”
I thought that he was trying to be sarcastic… Guess what?
2 calls on Monday & 2 more calls during the week!! He was right!
Now not every call you get will be a deal. I went to one of the houses today that had called and it’s an “Almost” deal… I posted what had happened earlier, but regardless of that … Don’t fret! (YOUR PHONE WILL RING!) Stay close .
Posted by David Krulac on February 05, 2001 at 11:00:01:
I always advertise in the Sunday real estate edition of
the large metro daily newspaper paper. I get many calls on Monday, and other calls TWTh. Usually not many on Fri or Sat. But I have gotten calls weeks after the ad stopped running. Repetion is important as well as freshing the ad periodicly.
Joe’s remark was tongue in check. As commented above you need to run the ad for longer periods. Treat it as a business. The board of directors has authorized a certain amount for advertizing. You as an executive are to get ads composed and implemented. One weekend is for amateurs and not as a business.
If a budget doesn’t allow for longer times then direct mail what the budget does allow or find less expensive forms of advertizing. If there is no budget then get on the phone to the fsbo’s or track down all those vacants you drive by.
Posted by JoeKaiser on February 05, 2001 at 20:28:57:
My comment was a bit tongue in cheek. Frankly, there really is no way of knowing what your ad will produce on any given weekend. That’s why we run ads for the long term.
I’ve been running an ad, off and on (mostly on) for some 18 years now, and there are some days where little or nothing happens, and others when the phone rings off the wall. Like chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.
Joe
P.S. The calls really do come in on Mondays, by the way.