Advertising Insights for Real Estate

In today's real estate world, advertising can take a number of different forms. And if you're in the business of buying houses, you'll have to explore a number of different advertising routes in order to obtain the results you want.

Signs are certainly one way to attract business. You can post signs on doorknobs, use magnetic signs on cars, or post signs on the back of buses. The signs should have a simple slogan, such as 'We buy houses,' along with your phone number and website address. I love signs.

In this computer-dominated age, it's absolutely essential that you have an Internet presence and that you advertise the fact. In some cases, the only way that people will find you is through the World Wide Web.

Business cards are another effective advertising approach. You can post them on bulletin boards or leave them on the table at restaurants. You never know who might see your card and give you a call. You can also place a weather-proof plastic card holder outside your office and put cards inside. This is particularly handy if your office is in a high-traffic area, such as a strip mall. You may even find people outside your county who are interested in becoming tenant buyers.

You may also want to invest in targeted marketing, which is an excellent way to attract potential buyers and sellers within a certain community. You can use a search network or a database or a list broker such as Dunhill International to obtain addresses. You then mail postcards to home owners in the specific sub-division that you're targeting.

When it comes to advertising, it's important to be creative. You can extend your reach through word-of-mouth in the realtor community. You might even sponsor a Little League team and buy shirts for the players that display 'We buy houses' with your phone number and website address. Keep in mind that you may have to use a variety of advertising methods to accomplish your goal of finding high-quality buyers and sellers. Each dollar you invest wisely in advertising is likely to pay handsome dividends in the end.

Here are three quick tips:

1. Only advertise in the newspaper from the 15th though the 31st of the month. You will get a ton more calls. Don't believe me? Test it. You will find the ads from the 1st through the 14th are a waste of your advertising dollars.

2. I saw a report once where there isn't any one home run on advertising but you're better off using a variety of ways to attract motivated sellers.

3. You only have so many advertising $$$. I like to think of the dollars as bullets. It is important to make sure every bullet hits a bull's-eye so it is critical that you test, test and then test again.