Direct Response Advertising Techniques

Direct response advertising or otherwise referred to as direct response marketing is aimed at encouraging an immediate response or action from a person.

Direct response advertising or marketing is considered one of the best advertising methods because it can consistently deliver a high success rate. It has such a high success rate because it offers to educate potential clients about your business in a unique way and it gets prospects to buy-in or commit, even if it’s just to get more information.

If you turn on your television at almost anytime of the day, you'll see a TV commercial using direct response techniques.

Direct response real estate advertising can produce traffic to your real estate websites or your response hotlines and allow you to capture information about your prospects. As well, you will be able to develop further rapport and marketing efforts around that information.

Advertising Techniques

There are two types of advertising: direct response advertising and brand advertising. Unless you have very deep pockets, leave brand advertising to your real estate company and/or the franchise.

Many Realtors focus on advertising that is sleek, humorous, or visually creative while overlooking the most important and cost effective method of advertising. While branding and brand advertising generates a sense of trust and confidence in your company, direct response advertising produces a clear response immediately for you.

One of the reasons that real estate agents find their advertising may not work is due to their ads being a combination of half hearted direct response and highly ineffective brand advertising. Unlike brand advertising, direct response is designed to create immediate traffic.

Direct response ads provide a sense of timeliness or a deadline, and contain a call to action. There’s a sense of urgency that’s created: "If you don’t call now you’ll lose out on a great house or valuable information."

The direct response advertising techniques and mechanisms most often used include:

• classified ads
• a coupon to cut and mail
• business reply postcard
• toll-free telephone number or hotline
• or a squeeze page on your website that requires prospect to leave name, email address and telephone number.

It is vital the you have all your ducks lined up before launching a direct response marketing campaign.

1. Do you have a call capture system in place for the ad campaign?

2. What will you have in your "valuable information" package? Have that package prepared so you can respond to the request quickly.

3. How will you maintain contact with the prospect? That contact may be continued over many months. What do you have planned to provide the prospect consistently over the coming months?

Direct response advertising can yield great success for you provided it is well planned and consistently followed through. Preparing a year's worth of follow-up information would be daunting except for the Getting Listings Program. Highly recommended for any Realtor looking to increase sales and grow a database of engaged prospects.

The Success Trio

Imagine having proven systems in place and scripts to use that would help you capture, assess, qualify, and follow-up with leads to convert a significant amount of more prospects than you are currently. How to save time & money by mastering: Lead Qualification & Conversion, Listing Presentations, and Buyer Conversions