ANSWER:  It depends on when the product was created…

Have you ever been faced with these questions in your own business?

• “How do I increase my sales?”
• “What do I say in my ad that will make people call right away?”

If so, you could gain a lot of insight by understanding the lesson that is clearly demonstrated in the series of ads shown above.

The ads are for two well-respected corporations: Dell and Mercedes-Benz.

What do cars and computers
have in common?

Not much if you approach things in an ordinary fashion.  An obvious difference would be price: computers cost hundreds of dollars, while a car costs tens of thousands.  One product sits on your desk…the other on your driveway.

The first two ads on the left were used by each company in its early years, and the second set are current examples.  Even though the two “products” appear to have nothing in common, note how similar the first two ads are.  The layouts are similar and each is copy-dominant.

But look what happens in the second set of ads—they both rely on photos and graphics and there is almost no written information.  At first blush, this seems a little confusing because one set of ads uses words to do the selling, but then it gets reversed and the entire pitch is communicated with pictures.

However, it all makes sense if you consider the ads in terms of life-cycle of a brand.  Long ads—ones with lots of copy—are needed when a company or product is unknown.  Long ads are helpful because information can be used to educate the consumers about what sets the product APART from the competition.

This is branding’s sole purpose—it tells consumers what makes you different.  Dell was the first company to sell computers direct, and Mercedes was first to introduce a super luxury brand to the American market (when launched in this country, a Benz was twice the price of a Cadillac).

The question is not as simple as, “Does a long ad work better than a short ad?”  The better question is whether you’re selling a new product or a well-known one.

What do these examples have to do with selling homes?  A lot.  As you’ll soon see.

Remember: Branding is nothing you do to the product…it is a perception that exists in the mind of the consumer.  For example, if you stopped the average person on the street, he knows that “Blockbuster” means video rentals…that “Dominoes” delivers pizza…and that “eBay” stands for online auctions.

Long ads are well suited when you are building a brand.  Short ads are fine for maintaining an established brand.  At this point, Dell and Mercedes-Benz are household names so long ads are not needed.

What’s best for selling a house…
LONG or SHORT ads?

Because homesellers are too close to their situation, they often make a misstep when they put their homes on the market.

They know all about their home and what makes it special, and they assume prospective buyers will easily recognize its positive attributes.  But the consumer has never seen any of the homes that are on the market.  Buyers start with a blank slate.  They will form an opinion about a home based on the marketing material they see.

Unfortunately, most houses end up being promoted with “me-too” real estate flyers that simply list boring statistical data such as:

• Bedrooms: 4,  Baths: 3,  Year Built: 1994,  etc.

If you allow a house to be marketed with details that are COMMON to many other houses, it may never escape from obscurity.  For example, houses in Westlake (an area outside Austin, Texas, where I sell homes) are often marketed with a theme that stresses the highly acclaimed Eanes School District.  But why rely on a feature that is guaranteed to be available at every other Westlake house?

A seller may in fact have the best home in the neighborhood, but it may not make a difference if the consumer never gets the message.

When you set out to market a house, it tracks the same path as bringing a new product to market.

This means that houses are tailor-made for using long ads.  Since no two houses are alike, there is always plenty of information you can communicate to the consumer.  And you cannot bore consumers with straight facts.

It is better to use a “story ad”—ads that sell by telling an interesting story.  In theory, holding an open house is a sound marketing idea because the consumer gets to use all of his senses to see the house and get a “feel” for the floorplan, the yard and the neighborhood.

But an open house may only produce a handful of people who walk through.

However, a well-written ad, that is widely circulated, has the effect of one voice speaking to thousands of potential buyers.  The law-of-averages kicks in at this point, and your odds of finding the right buyer increase exponentially.

Here’s an example of a “story ad”…

(click the image to open the ad in a PDF)

This ad is an example of the type of message needed to bring a beautiful home to the forefront in a glut of inventory…

When the seller called me, this house in the Lakeway area of Austin had already been on the market for a year, and there were about 90 other “for sale” houses in the immediate area.

This home really was the best house in the neighborhood, and there was not a thing wrong with the seller’s price.

How do you get a prospective buyer interested
enough to come see your listing?

I wrote this long ad above that told about the home’s unique design, materials and lot.  The seller got THREE offers, and the home sold in less than 30 days!

Here’s how I did it (and the same steps you can follow to sell your listings quicker):

STEP 1: Interview the seller on what made THEM interested in the house

STEP 2: Find your story-line by pulling out some of the unique benefits of the home from your research

STEP 3: Write a “story ad” that communicates the home’s difference

STEP 4: Place your ad in local publications where it will find the right buyer

Believe it or not, it really is that simple.

All kinds of excellent products fail in the marketplace because of weak, tame, and ineffective advertising.  This includes homes when all that’s used is a traditional flyer to communicate a list of features.

Learn how to investigate what makes a home truly different than the others on the market.  And then communicate that difference in a way that targets and benefits the potential buyer.

More examples to come in my next article…stay tuned!

[Ed note: Copyright Stan Barron.  Reprinted with permission.  If you, or someone you know wants to sell a house, please give Stan a call at 512-345-8585.]

“Self promotion can sometimes be difficult, particularly on a budget. I have been in business for a while, and have become known for excellent customer service, especially after the sale. Fortunate for me, a little tool I had originally designed for that purpose has actually become quite a good self-promotion tool as well.

The back of my business card is titled “Helpful Numbers”. The list runs long ways on the card, and includes the utility companies in the area, cable, tax office, voters registration, parks & rec., IRS, and Chamber of Commerce. A total of twelve helpful numbers, all of which folks may need when moving locally.

The cards have been a big hit, and as I try to hand out at least a dozen NEW cards a day, I get a lot of calls I would not have gotten otherwise. They even work as great conversation starters or ice-breakers, as they actually give you a good reason to give someone your card.

I have even developed a spiel that allows me to give out extra cards and encourage the receiver to pass them along. When standing in line at a store, or finishing up a meal, or even at the end of an oil change, I simply hand my server a card and say ‘thanks for your service, here’s a pretty handy card that can be of service to you any time you move – or anytime really. If I can provide you or your friends and family with the great service you provided me with, please give me a call. By the way, most folks are carrying my card in their wallet upside down so they can use it better, so please take an extra for your fridge, and take one for a friend too, they will thank you!’

Works like a charm, and has brought many a client my way! Simple to do too – but don’t forget to re-check your numbers each time you re-order your cards!”

You’re about to see an extraordinary example of home marketing. If you believe you could write a homes ad like this (or brochure, flyer, web page, etc.), you’re well on your way to distinguishing yourself as one of the preeminent home marketers in the country.

You’ll also sell your homes faster and for more money than most other agents, and have a distinct advantage capturing listings. You will be in the “elite of the elite” when it comes to home marketing.

But it’s likely you won’t answer “yes,” because statistics say that less than 1 out of 200 agents truly understand how to market and sell homes like a world-class pro.

The good news is that’s all about to change, because today I’m going to show you an amazing example of home marketing, plus give you a simple 5-Step process for writing ads, brochures, web pages and more – the easy way.

A few weeks ago a good “direct marketing” friend of mine in Austin, TX called me because he needed to sell one of his homes and met an agent who gave him a series of ads as part of his pre-listing package.

You can see one of his ads as a .pdf by clicking here.

What was so amazing to my friend (and, of course me) is that this agent combined long-style, emotional direct response copy with absolutely stunning layout, making his home truly unique and irresistible to potential buyers.

My friend questioned the agent, Stan Barron, about his remarkable ads, who said that for years he had studied direct response advertising and honed his skills to the point where all his marketing is heads and tails more successful than any other agent in the area.

To the untrained eye, you might think that his ads are simply beautiful photos with verbose descriptions. After all, who would read all that print??

But the pro realizes that to capture interest and stimulate desire in a potential home prospect, you need to tell your complete story and use certain “strategies” to convert the prospect to a paycheck-cashing client.

A buyer not interested in the home won’t read 5 words about it, but an interested prospect wants as much information as you can provide. So give it to them.

Would you like to learn these strategies, so you can differentiate yourself and your homes from other agents, and (quite literally) multiply your income?

I thought you might, so here are 5 simple steps for creating blockbuster homes ads (and all your marketing) in your business.

Open and/or print the ad in the link above, as I’m going to use it as an example of brilliant marketing…

Quite frankly, the reason why some agents are great marketers is because they simply do their homework. The secret is to be efficient at the process by knowing what questions to ask and having a keen sense of observation.

And, by the way, if you think this exercise only applies to multi-million-dollar luxury homes, think again. You should do the very same exercise with a production tract home.

So the first step is to identify unique features and benefits about the home you’re looking at. Now, when I say unique, I’m talking about very specific and captivating features and benefits that clearly stand-out and appeal to a potential buyer.

Not every home appeals to everyone, so you also need to identify who would be the perfect buyer for the home, given the features and benefits you discover. The process involves asking questions in 4 areas…

**The owners: Who are they? Why did they buy/build this particular home? Do they have any quirks that are reflected in this home? What do they do for a living? What are their hobbies or passions? Do they have special needs that are reflected in the home? What was the owners dream for the property and how did they accomplish it?

You’ll notice in the ad that the agent identified certain things about the owners, like he’s a Ferrari driver, must love cars because of his 5-car garages, and he’s a bit of a high-tech recluse who really wanted privacy.

**The history of the property and details about the area, land or subdivision: How did the owners find the land/home? Who owned the land/home before the current buyers? Are there interesting historical landmarks nearby or on the land?

You’ll notice in this ad the agent discovered that the home is set on a double lot at the end of a dead-end street, and appears to have grown out of its natural surroundings. He then adds that the property sits on the edge of a vast wilderness and protected wildlife habitat.

Do you think this is going to appeal to someone interested in very private, open and protected spaces? You better believe it!

**Architecture, design and construction details: What is so unique about the design of the home? What unique materials were used in construction? Are there special features and benefits about the design that might appeal to a certain buyer?

**Lifestyle benefits of the home: What is the best use for this home? How did the current owners use it? Is it a party home or is it a great refuge from modern busy life?

People buy a house, but it’s their emotions that turn it into a “home.” Try to identify the emotional attachment the current owners have to the home.

The purpose of your headline is to 1) Attract attention from the right kind of buyer, 2) Communicate the most unique features and/or benefits of the home, and 3) Most importantly, cause the reader to want to read the ad.

So in reality, the headline is the “ad” for the ad.

Here’s how you craft your headline: Take all the interesting details you discovered from Step #1 above and select 2 or 3 of the most unique and valuable details to craft your headline around.

Remember, you need to first get a bead on the type of buyer who would be interested in the home – then select the 2 or 3 details that would most appeal to that specific buyer. Remember, we’re talking target marketing, not mass marketing.

Next, write 15 or 20 (or more) captivating headlines. Since the headline accounts for at least 85% of the success of your ad, spend at least 85% of your time on the headline.

In our example, Stan used something about his seller, then talked about the privacy and space of the home. He identified these as the most important facts and features about the home.

Now, you’ll notice there’s a sub-headline, or what I call “Deck Copy.” Your deck copy can be used to add-on to your headline in order to stimulate even more desire to read your ad, brochure, home flyer, etc.

In this case, Stan further focused on the private setting, exotic pool and guest house – and really hit home with the 3-sides of greenbelt. He also decided to include the price in the deck copy as it helps to qualify the buyer.

Your lead, or opening sentence/paragraph, is almost important as your headline. The purpose of your first sentence is to simply motivate the reader to read your second sentence, and so forth.

It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But if your reader stops reading at any time, you’ve lost a potential prospect for the home (or to help find a home).

So the goal of your lead is to say something that will motivate your reader to read on. In this case, Stan opens his ad with an excitement sentence (surge into the “red zone”).

He then focuses on the 3 most important features/benefits of the home: 1) close to town, 2) dazzling architecture, and 3) privacy.

Is this starting to make sense to you?

You’ve captured the reader’s interest with your headline and deck copy. You’ve further heightened it with your lead. Now it’s time to really dig into their emotions with the body copy.

Read how Stan brilliantly describes the features and lifestyle benefits of this home. He even talks about what the home would look like if viewed from a helicopter, and he talks about how the owner spent heavily to “orchestrate” the residence.

Why is he doing this?

Because he wants to reveal the UNIQUENESS and VALUE of the home. People naturally gravitate to things that are unique, one-of-a-kind or dwindling in supply. It’s how you tap-into and agitate human desire.

You can see that he writes his body copy as if you were taking a walking tour through the property, and he uses very emotional descriptions and details of the home – these are all the items he discovered during his detective work in Step #1 above.

Over my 34-year career I’ve seen thousands of examples of agent marketing. And in practically every case the single most important (yet MISSING) ingredient is a solid call to action.

Remember this: NO ONE will ever respond to your marketing without a specific, meaningful, self-serving and irresistible REASON for doing so.

No call to action, no response – you’ve wasted your money and time.

Aside from advertising in the wrong mediums, this is the single biggest reason why 95% of most agent marketing turns out to be money flushed down the drain.

If you look at this ad, on page 2, you’ll notice Stan has a sub-headline that says, “How to See This Home.”

Then he does something I think is brilliant: He qualifies potential buyers. Why is he doing this?

Actually for 2 reasons, I believe: 1) Because there really are conditions to seeing this home, probably rightly placed by his sellers, and 2) Because creating a qualifier, or “take-away” actually makes a potential buyer more desirous to take the next step – as you just learned, people want things that are dwindling in supply or hard to get.

So Stan tells the reader, “no casual lookers” and asks the potential buyer to contact their own agent to set an appointment (he also knows that, if they don’t have an agent, they will call him directly).

He then gives his phone number and web site address where people can view more about the home.

The only thing I would add to the close would be a few more reasons to visit his web site: Perhaps Free consumer reports, an exclusive home buying program, etc.

Other than that, you’re looking at one of the very best ads I’ve ever seen for marketing a home, and you can create ads just like this if you simply follow the 5-Steps above and look at this example.

One additional thing worth mentioning: Did you notice that every photo of Stan’s ads uses a caption?

Why does he do this? Because photos naturally draw the eye, and having a caption helps relate a benefit or highlight a feature and DRIVE the reader into the copy.

Oh…I almost forgot: Want to see another one of Stan’s ads?

OK, then Click Here and you’ll see another ad example – this one uses a great qualifier right in the headline. Study it right now, and start creating great advertising for your listings.

Now, I want to give special THANKS to Stan Barron for allowing me to use his incredible ads as a marketing lesson.

By the way: If you have any referrals for the Austin area, feel free to give Stan a call – your clients will thank you for introducing him.

AND…if you’d like to learn more about the elements and strategies for direct response success (these will change our life and income almost on the spot!), here are a few books you should buy and DEVOUR (don’t worry, they’re inexpensive and can be found on Amazon.com):

** Advertising Secrets of the Written Word – by Joe Sugarman

** Scientific Advertising – by Claude Hopkins

** Breakthrough Advertising – by Eugene Schwartz

** Anything by John Caples

** The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier (use Google to find a copy from Carl Galletti)

I have hundreds of books in my library, but these 5 will give you enough information to turn you into a marketing and copywriting expert in no-time flat – and that means lots more money in your pocket. Happy marketing!

Are you interested in generating buyers for your listings, or are you a buyer-agent looking for a unique prospecting system? Here’s a very interesting prospecting system used by Brian Short to sell nearly $5 Million – all to buyers – his first year (nice job, Brian!). Here’s how he does it…

“Although I’ve moved on to representing more sellers than buyers I am proud of my first year accomplishment of selling $5 million with only $280,000 of that in listings. Here is one of the things I used to do to churn up buyers, and the great thing is you don’t even need a listing.

Take the volume of money you can afford to spend each week and divide it by 20. This number will tell you how many listings you can work from. When a solid new listing comes out (typically works well in mid to high end neighborhoods) send out a letter to the neighbors of the listing that goes something like this: