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Many Realtors try marketing homes over the web.  Take this ad found on Craigslist.org… he tries…  But like so many he has missed a bunch of very important key elements about advertising or promoting over the Internet.  (Please note that his is the first Realtor link on the page and that is why I chose his ad.)  Let’s break it down…

• In the title he gives you the price, where it’s located and the address. 
• In the ad you get his direct email address.
• You also get everything about the home like number of bedrooms, sizes and amenities.
• Then you get the MSL #
• And a few pictures.

Let’s look at the elements…

1. Title:  Though it is convenient to give the price and allow only those that are looking for a home in that price range to click on your ad it may not be the best way to get your ad seen.  The title draws them in then you hit them with the pitch before you give the price.  This way even if they are not  interested in that home they get to see it and how you advertise homes.  This can be used to gain a new seller or maybe even direct them as a buyer to a home that they can afford.  Draw them in… “Zumbro Falls Home with Beautiful Lake View – Must see this view!”
2. Contact information:  The email address is not placed in an area on the ad as a contact.  It is used by Craigslist and so it’s placement on the page is only there because they require it.  His name is in the email but, once again he missed a very important piece of advertising… Contact information.  Where is his full name, phone number, website link or email link on the page?
3. Home Specs:  He gives lots of information about the home which is nice but it’s all listed in a paragraph.  This type of information does not allow the reader to search and find what they are looking for.  To scan the page or draw your attention to something special about the home.
4. MLS:  Giving the MLS or Multiple Listing Service number is nice but what if it was linked to the actual listing page?  Don’t assume anything.  Don’t assume that people know what MLS means, don’t assume they know where to find the listing page and don’t assume they know what it means.  Link to the page.  This is not a newspaper or magazine.  Links from one page to the next happen all the time and that is what sets the Internet apart from those other mediums.
5. Pictures:  Pictures are nice but, they don’t tell or in this case show the home the way video can.  With video you can see the home, hear the descriptions and meet the agent.  You can create an experience with music, moving pictures and the emotion of your voice.  Video can make you stand out above all of the noise of the other homes on the market and gives people a reason to see you as the agent to buy or sell a home with.

Advertising over the internet allows you to link back to your website, your email address and video or a virtual tour (Not the same thing but, that’s for another post.).  The interactivity of the web is what make it appealing and a great medium to advertise on.  Please use the elements that I have given here and create a great marketing campaign for your property. 

Thanks for reading.

UCit.com