Get to the Point Already! 3 Rules for Real Estate Marketing

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You only have a few seconds to catch people’s attention. Maybe even less if they’re scrolling away on social media. Once you have their attention, don’t waste it! It can sometimes be difficult to accept, but here’s some hard truth. The person who is most interested in our marketing...is ourselves. 

We can’t assume that other people have the time or interest that we do. That’s why it is so important to capture people’s interests right away. So, on today’s quick tip I’m covering “Get to the Point Already. 3 Rules for Real Estate Marketing.” 

I saw a Facebook ad the other day with a video of a listing. The people in the video stood outside of the house for a good minute just talking. Now, if the purpose of this video was to promote the listing, how well do you think this worked? Interested home buyers would have clicked off of the ad by then or, if they were lucky, fast-forwarded to the part about the home. Interested home buyers are there to see the listing. I’m not sure how much that video truly helped their seller or promoted their listing.

We need to get to the point. What is the purpose of our real estate marketing and how can we guide people to it? We’re in a very busy world. It can be difficult to compete online for attention. The last thing you want to do is lose interest before you ever even start. 

Here are three easy steps to ensuring that you’re getting to the point with your real estate marketing. 

1 ) Communicate Clearly 

We don’t want to make it difficult to understand what you’re trying to say. Use clear language as often as possible. 

When you’re writing a post for social media, I want you to read it aloud. This might sound funny but notice how it flowed. Did you stumble over any words? Was it a bit of a mouthful to say? If it’s not easy to say, it’s not easy to read. 

Next, you want to make sure you are clearly communicating the purpose of your marketing. 

Think about the original goal behind whatever you are doing. Is it clear to the other person what you are trying to accomplish? Is it clear what this piece of marketing is all about? 

You need to be able to glance at whatever you’re doing and get the gist of it. This concept applies to all your marketing whether it’s a flyer for a listing or a video about a service you offer. Somebody casually interested should be able to take it in for a few seconds, and know what you’re trying to do. Honestly, you might only have a few seconds to get their attention to begin with! 

The Value to the Other Person

We also want to communicate clearly why this matters to the other person. What value does it bring to them and how does it benefit them. That’s how your real estate marketing will be successful. It needs to be tailored towards your ideal customer, and you need to clearly communicate why it matters to them. 

What does that future home buyer or seller care about and how is that represented in your marketing? If you can’t answer that then neither can the person who is looking at your marketing. 

2) Cut Out the Fluff

Now, this one might be obvious as it’s in the title of the episode...get to the point. 

If you don’t need it, consider cutting it. Now, I’m all for a great hook. A hook captures your attention and draws you in. You might have a hook that is 15 seconds at the beginning of a video, or a hook could be a headline on a flyer. Hooks are a good thing. Wasted time and extra fluff are not.

We want to give people what they’re looking for. Dive right into the good stuff and don’t hold back. We want our marketing to be filled with value. 

Get to that value as soon as possible.  

3) Give People The Next Step 

Now, this one sounds like it comes at the end of your marketing piece. In reality, it can come right at the beginning. 

What do we want people to do after engaging with your marketing? Often times, this is a call-to-action at the end of whatever you’re doing. However, the next step sometimes needs to come first. 

Real-Life Example

Think about advertising your next open house. I’ve seen social ads that have beautiful photos of homes with eloquent descriptions about every little detail in the home. At the bottom of the ad it has the open house information. 

Think back to the first tip “communicate clearly.” 

If you saw this on social, would you immediately know it was an ad for an open house? No. If your intention is to market an open house, make sure that’s obvious right from the beginning! So, if want them to come to the open house, we need to have that information front and center. Our call-to-action might be stopping by, but it’s right at the beginning. 

We also don’t want to make people think too much about what the next step should be. Get to the point. If we want them to visit your site, schedule a showing, fill out a form, or even answer a question on social, make your desired action clear as the next step. 

Don’t make people figure it out! 

Because they likely won’t. They’ll be on to the next thing and have forgotten their interest in whatever it was you’re offering them. Guide them where you want them to go next and make it easy to get there. 

Keep in mind, things don’t have to be brief to get to the point. Your marketing has to be targeted to get to the point. Keep these three tips in mind the next time you create an ad or have a specific goal for your real estate marketing. These principles will help to ensure that your maximizing what you’re doing and will help you attract more potential home buyers and sellers. 

It’s also going to keep your marketing relevant and useful, which you know, I am all about providing value through real estate marketing. 

Up Next:

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I’m Heather Colby, host of the “Ideas for Real Estate Podcast.”

If you like what you read here today, I’d encourage you to take a listen to the episodes.

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New episodes air on Mondays and if you have a topic request, connect with me here!

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