When you received your real estate license, did anyone tell you that one of your most important tasks would be marketing? It is. without it, you’ll have no business! And since you have plenty of competition, it’s in your best interests to learn the secrets to irresistible real estate marketing.
In real estate, marketing is three-pronged. 
You market to:
- Attract new clients
- Get referrals from previous clients and those in your sphere
- Sell your listings
The first secret to irresistible real estate marketing applies to all three.
That secret is color.
First consider your mailings. Whether you’re mailing a postcard, letter, or flyer, a bright color will make your mailing stand out.
Think about your own habits. What do you see first when confronted with the day’s mail? Isn’t it the colored envelope, the brightly colored postcard, or even a multi-colored ad? Aren’t you going to at least look to see what it is before you toss it?
Bright, vibrant colors are step one in irresistible real estate marketing.
Wisconsin Realtors Sally K. and David L. Hanson use purple envelopes to send their monthly newsletters. Since they make sure those newsletters are always worth reading, their readers look forward to seeing that purple envelope in the mailbox.
Purple, by the way, is a color that represents royalty, prosperity, and wisdom. Do people expect wise words from Sally and David? Yes, and of course they’re not disappointed.
You could choose a “signature color” as they’ve done, or you could mix it up.
Remember that color is tied to emotions, which is probably why at certain times of the year, specific colors and graphics are irresistible for many people.
Some of those colors are:
- February: Red – especially with hearts.
- March: Green – especially with Shamrocks
- Easter: Pastels – especially with eggs, bunnies, and baby chicks
- Memorial Day and the 4th of July: Red, white, and blue – especially with American flags.
- October: Orange, black, and anything with pumpkins, black cats, witches, etc. for Halloween
- November: Browns, oranges, yellows – and graphics of turkeys, corn stalks, and pumpkins
- December: Red and green – especially with Christmas trees and Santa Claus
Color is vastly important in attracting people to consumer goods, which is why so many foods come in red packages. Other colors evoke trust, serenity, or joy. For a more complete list, and information on how major companies use color in marketing, check out this article from Channel Reply.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”
Wassily Kandinsky
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Color will attract attention to your mailing. What’s step two in irresistible real estate marketing?
The message you send, of course. Once you’ve got a reader’s attention, you have to give them a reason do whatever you ask in your call to action. Irresistible real estate marketing answers the reader’s silent question: “What’s in it for me?”
Remember that marketing is all about your prospect – not about you. Avoid beginning your message with “I” or “We.”
If you’re feeling stuck when it comes to writing your message, check out this copywriting advice. Then read some of the many real estate marketing articles here and here.
If you’re still stuck – call me. I love to write real estate marketing copy.
Step 3 in irresistible real estate marketing: Make your mailing appropriate to your audience.
This is also two pronged.
First, the words: Your message must speak to the reader, so most of the time one size does NOT fit all. If everyone on your list is a homeowner, you could send everyone an offer for a free market analysis. If everyone is in the same neighborhood you could send everyone “Just listed in your neighborhood” cards.
But if your list is made up of buyers, sellers, past clients, and people in your sphere, divide it. Unless you’re concentrating on a narrow niche, not even all of your buyers and sellers will share the same interests and concerns.
Second: the medium. When your sellers are high end, they’ll expect high-end marketing. That means high gloss, heavy card stock for postcards and quality envelopes and paper for letters and flyers.
If you’re prospecting for fixers or other lower-end homes, use less expensive card stock and stationery. If your marketing materials look expensive, those recipients will assume you charge top dollar and will probably ignore you.
How can you apply color to your email marketing messages?
Create a colorful banner or logo for the top of each message. You could also use color in a headline. Then add more color with a bright graphic.
If you’re marketing a home, be sure that the photos you use are vibrant – not dark or washed out.
Irresistible real estate marketing for your listings…
Like you, your real estate listings have plenty of competition. What can you do to make them stand out and get noticed?
When you create a flyer, use a bright color for a frame. If you mail it, put it in a colored envelope. And of course, if you’re using a postcard, use color to make it stand out in the mailbox.
Remember color. If you use a professional real estate photographer, he or she will take care to keep the colors true and vibrant. If not, you may need to learn to use Lightroom or some other photo program to make sure your photos are neither washed out nor dark and dull.
Before you snap the first picture, insist that your clients get the house ready for the photo shoot.
If they’ll go for staging, wonderful! If not, insist on de-cluttering and cleaning so every room, the yard, and the 
garage all look their very best. Remind them that their potential buyer will likely be touring their home on line long before they see it in person.
Then use plenty of carefully composed photos. Don’t skimp. Now that consumers know you have the ability to offer plenty of views, they expect it. In addition, they sometimes make assumptions about homes that lack photos. For instance: “They don’t want to show it, so there must be something wrong with it.”
If you have a flyer box in your yard… put a small photo of the front of the home in a top corner. Then use a large photo of something enticing that can only be seen with a tour of the home. It might be the kitchen, a beautiful fireplace, or even the back deck.
Whether writing your MLS description, copy for your flyer, or a longer description to use on your own website, choose your words carefully.
Irresistible real estate marketing draws the reader in, creating more interest with each sentence. Notations like 3br, 2 ba, fp just don’t do the trick. So leave the details in the fields where readers expect to find them. Then use your narrative space to paint word pictures.
Learn more about writing property descriptions in this article.
One more (VITALLY IMPORTANT) thing…
Color, copy, and appropriateness will not help you build a successful career unless you add the final ingredient: Consistency.
Sending one irresistible marketing piece will attract a prospect’s attention – for a minute. That means it could help you sell a specific home. But unless that marketing piece is followed by another, and another, and another, it will not push you toward long-term success in real estate sales.
Commit to marketing consistently. If you’re just starting out and your budget is small, start with a small list. Then lengthen the list by setting aside a percentage of every commission to go toward increased marketing.
You will see far greater success through mailing to 100 people ten times than by mailing to 1,000 people just once.
Yes, of course I can help. You’ll have to choose your own colors (or work with a graphic artist) but I’ll be happy to assist with any of the words you need to create irresistible real estate marketing.
Write me: marte@copybymarte.com
Arrows Image courtesy of bluebay at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Color wheel Image courtesy of Sailom at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Camera Image courtesy of furuoda at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
