August 13th, 2007 10:17 AM by Ron Mastrodonato
Make an Offer They Can’t RefuseGet prospects to interact with your Web site by crafting appealing incentives that will set you apart from the competition. BY MICHAEL RUSSERImagine having something to offer on your Web site that prospects will perceive as being so valuable that they’ll practically slap their forehead and say “I gotta be stupid to say no to this!” Not only that, they’ll be so anxious to receive this thing of value that they’ll happily share information about who they are and what they want from you. Sound impossible? It’s not. All it takes is a little creativity and niche marketing. Here’s how to create irresistible offers that will open the door to communication between you and those elusive online prospects. What It Takes to Be IrresistableMany real estate practitioners offer their Web visitors some type of fairly generic “special report” on the local real estate market. But that doesn’t cut it anymore, as these reports have become way too common. Many real estate template Web site vendors even build these now-ubiquitous reports into their sites. To get consumers’ attention nowadays you need to step it up with an “irresistible offer” — the term I use for a special package, piece of information, document, or item that will be viewed as extremely valuable by your customers. Here are the qualities of irresistible offers:
They’ll Return the FavorThe idea of irresistible offers is based on the law of reciprocity, which states that anytime you give something to someone, that person will be inclined to return the favor. In this case, consumers will give you their contact information in return for your special little gift. To grab the consumers’ valuable contact information, you’ll need to connect your irresistible offer to an online form that the visitors must complete in order to receive the thing of value. That said, don’t force Web visitors to fill out anything more than they need to receive the item, otherwise you’ll risk eroding their trust. But by all means, give them the opportunity to reveal more about themselves and what their interests and concerns are — just don’t make it a requirement. And don’t forget to include a highly visible link to your privacy policy that assures them their information will not be shared with anyone.Geared to Your Niche Niche marketing is a key component of any irresistible offer. Remember, creativity counts. Let’s say your target market is first-time home buyers. Here are some examples of what you might offer:
Now, let’s say your market is buyers of golf-course properties. Here are some ideas for them:
Make Yourself IrresistibleNot many real estate Web sites have truly irresistible offers, which means you have plenty of room to differentiate yourself from competitors in this way. The type of irresistible offers you create are limited only by your imagination, so now’s the time to start brainstorming about what you have to offer. When they’re done right, these kinds of offers will give you a unique way to begin a conversation with online prospects.Note: Mr. Internet, Russer Communications, and its staff and officers receive no compensation from any third-party vendors and make no recommendations as to the suitability of the products or services mentioned in this article. Always thoroughly investigate any product or service before purchase.