What Does Direct Response Marketing in Real Estate  Look Like?

Now, let’s talk about what direct response marketing should look like.  By the way, I got tired of stealing Michael Russer’s terminology, so instead of irrestible offers, I’ll talk about compelling propositions – thank heaven for thesauruses.

To do direct response marketing right, you first need a compelling proposition.  You need to motivate your target audience to respond to your marketing in order to receive something that they perceive to be valuable.   The proposition doesn’t have to be a $1000 check, but something that is valuable enough to be worth taking the trouble to complete the action you’re requesting. 

In the example of the TV ad, making the requested telephone call will get you a product that will solve a big problem for you.  And, the TV ads often go even further – convincing the audience that if they call quickly, they’ll get even more of the wonderful product.  Of course, according to my research, that’s not true.  I once checked one company’s website hours after I saw their TV ad, and the 2 for 1 offer was still prominently displayed.  So, don’t go crazy with this offer!

Once you’ve identified your compelling proposition, put it on your website.  Set it up so that the visitor will have to sign up to receive it.  I think immediate gratification is best.  So, I’d set it up using an autoresponder.  The prospect provides their name and email address, and the valuable information is instantly sent to the email they provide.

Similar to the earlier examples, the key here is that you have to be able to track the response you’re getting.  If you’re sending out postcards or doing print advertising, for example, there is a fairly significant investment involved.  It’s critical that you calculate your return on investment so that you don’t end up doing a promotion over and over with no idea whether it’s worth it.

Track the Results! 

There are several advantages to using your website for the response.  First, people are much more likely to drop by your website as opposed to calling you directly.  Second, tracking results with a website is easy.

Let’s say that you normally have this compelling proposition on your website.  Your site visitors can reach the compelling proposition using a button on your home page and a tab on your menu.  That’s fine for normal traffic.  But, when you’re doing a direct response marketing piece, make one more investment - purchase a domain name that is directed right at the page where the offer is located.

Then, whenever you do marketing to drive traffic to that offer, post the special domain name you purchased in your marketing piece.  Since I’m sure you’ve arranged to have in-depth traffic statistics available to you on your website, you can easily track the response to your marketing by checking the traffic to that domain name.

DON’T FORGET TO COMPLETE THE POLL IN THE LEFT COLUMN! 
The results so far are pretty darn interesting!