Let’s get right to the point here!

Classified ads work IF YOU DO THEM CORRECTLY!

There are hundreds of classified ads in any of your publications on a daily basis. Most of them look identical to one another and don’t do anythingto grab the attention of your prospects.

Your only goal in marketing is to get apotentially motivated seller (or buyer) to contact you. Nothing else! (Despite what some say).

Just as in any training that I do on marketing, I will tell you that the key to successful advertising is testing and tweaking. You will test and tweak your copy, your placement, your call to action, etc.

The single most important key to being successful in your classified advertising isCONSISTENCY. You can’t run it one day and hope to have your phone ringing off the hook and pull in 50 deals right off the bat. This goes for traditional newspaper classified ads as well as online classifieds — perhaps even more so with online advertising.

I’m sure you’ve heard investors tell you, “if there are 10 other investors in the same section of the paper with the same ads, week after week, then it must be working. It doesn’t matter what your ad says or where in the list it is.”

Well, on one hand, if they are continuing to advertise, you can assume that either they are getting a good return on their investment or that they are not on top of where they’re spending their marketing dollars!

So, the question is: how do you get a good return on your marketing dollars while using classified ads?

Let’s first talk about newspaper classified advertising since it’s one of the most popular and cost effective places to run consistent classified ads.

First off… newspapers will negotiate! If you’rerunning an ad every day for one month, it may cost you a few hundred dollars to over a thousand. In our local papers, you can fun for 28 days for between $350-$600 depending on which major newspaper you are advertising in.

However, if you commit, let’s say, to 52 weeks advertising only on Sundays or to a full weekend package, you should be able to get a better rate. Ask for the Realtor rate if you commit to a long term ad. Try asking for a discount even if you’re only willing to commit to 3 months at first. If you don’t have the budget to commit to 3 months at this time, consider holding off until you can budget for an initial test run of 3 months. Also, make sure you can change your copy week to week if you need to.

Having said that, you’ll want to try to get into the #1 position. Depending on the publication, it may be called different things. But, often your ads will run in the “Miscellaneous Real Estate” section of the paper with a handful of other investors. The closer you are to the top, the higher your chances of getting more calls are.

People will certainly call more than one ad, they get a similar story from 3 or 4 people, thecalls start to taper of. We tested ads in the 5th position against the first position and got 321% more calls in the first position!

So, how do you get to the first position?

If your publication will allow something like AAA HomeBuyers Can Save You From Foreclosure, that’s great. Some publications won’t allow it, however and will require a name, like ours! We started with“Avoid Foreclosure”. The following week, another investor changed his to “Abe Buys Houses”. So we changed our ad to read “Aaron Buys Houses” and our response shot back up!

If you CAN’T secure one of the top positions,all is not lost! You just have to be more creative than the competition and speak to the seller’s needs.

Now that you’ve secured your position, use a 2-step marketing process and keep in mind that if you need to buy a couple of extra lines to get your message out, then do it. Don’t try to squeeze it all in if it simply doesn’t fit. Additional lines are pretty inexpensive. Not to mention, a bigger ad will capture attention better too!

A 2-step marketing approach means that you are going to give them some“teaser” copy and then direct them to a website and/or a voicemail system toget the rest of the information. (I like to give them the option to bypass themessage when they call in in the event they want to talk to someone rightaway). By using this approach, you’ve already pre-qualified the seller andgiven them your initial spiel before spending your valuable time.

Dare to be different and address what the seller is thinking. No more “WeBuy Ugly Houses” ads! So does everybody else. How are you different? Youare different in that you know what they need and can help them find a solution.

Consider some headlines like the following:

• “AAA-1 rated company wants to buy your house. No equity/no problem”
• “American Dream Turned Into Financial Nightmare? We can help”
• “Call Me Last! I buy houses others won’t touch!”
• “Get Rid of Your Nightmare Today”
• “Don’t Call Me Until Your Ready to Sell Your House F-A-S-T!”

You’ll notice that these headlines stand out. They not only catch people’s attention, but it also say, “Hey… I’m different!” People are tired of the same old song and dance, so you can be the new face in the real estate market.

These same principles hold true in other publications as well. You’ll want to test the “Penny Savers”, “Thrifty Nickels”, and “Flyer” type papers to see what kind of deals and what response rates you can get. These may wind up being quite a bit more cost effective for you in the long run and work especially well if you’re working in specific farm areas as they tend to be targeted more so than the major newspapers. Plus, you can negotiate bulk rates pretty easily with these types of publications.

Also, pay attention to online classified sites and other free publications. Craigslist.org is one of the most popular out there today. Your title is critical here as there are often hundreds of postings/day in each of the real estate sections. A bad headline — or a even a bland headline — will get you virtually no traffic and you might as wells save your time!

Ultimately, you’ll want a catchy headline, well-written ad, and a two-step approach so prospects can get the rest of the story! Otherwise, you’ll spend several hours each week pre-screening un-motivated seller.

Your first goal is to grab the reader’s attention. Second, to prescreencallers via a voicemail system or a website.

Then, use a prescreening sheet to quickly sift through sellers and spend time with only truly motivated sellers that are ready, willing and able to sell their homes to you.

Remember to use online and offline classified ads to maximize your exposure!To learn how to market like an expert, pick up yourcopy of Motivated Seller Marketing at MotivatedSellerMarketing.com.