|
I remember one of the first things I learned in the first marketing course I took in college:
“Rule #1 of marketing and advertising is to grab the customer’s attention. If you can’t do that, you can’t sell him anything.”
As mortgage professionals, we market ourselves every day (or at least we are supposed to!) We run ads, distribute flyers, and send out mailers and letters, and more. We have a message to deliver, and the key to getting that message read is to grab the customer’s attention with a compelling headline.
HEADLINES SHOULD GRAB ATTENTION
Look at your local newspaper or flip through any magazine. The headline is there to grab your attention and move you into the article (hopefully just like this one did). If the headline isn’t very good, or “catchy” as advertising folks say, you’ll stop there. How many mortgage letters, ads and flyers are never read for the same reason? Probably thousands. Even though the message may have been strong and the product or offer solid, the customer never got to it because the lender never got to the customer’s attention to begin with.
OLD AND TIRED HEADLINES
So today we are going to learn how to replace those old and tired headlines we have been using with catchy new ones that will grab the customer’s attention and improve the chances he will read our message.
The key lesson is this: stay away from “generic” headlines that just lay flat. These include:
For All Your Home Financing Needs
Mortgages for Everyone
Making Home Financing Easier
New Loan Program Available!
Stop Paying Rent!
Here When You Need Us
Service is Our Key to Success
Do you see what all of these flyer and ad headlines have in common? They are over-used and boring. They don’t really say anything; much less compel a customer to delve into your message.
REPLACE WITH ATTENTION-GRABBING HEADLINES
Let’s look at the alternatives. Try some of these on for size:
Five Great Home Financing Options That Need NO Down Payment!
Application to Closing in 21 Days
Instead of an $800 Rent Payment, You Could be Living in Your Own $120,000 Home!
Apply for Your Home Loan at Night; Get an Answer in the Morning!
Now, Mortgages Made Simple and Affordable for Self Employed Buyers
We Just Lowered Our Rates…Again!
As you can see, these headlines work to grab a customer’s attention right from the start. They urge the reader to proceed into your flyer, letter, or ad to find out more information. In some cases, they create a little mystery to your message and reveal the answer deeper in the context of your marketing piece. Once the information is presented, you offer a “call to action” for the customer to find out more by contacting you via your email, telephone or your web site.
If you want your marketing to work, then work to make your marketing more effective. Grab the customer’s attention!
| About the Author |
 |
Doug Smith is President of Douglas Smith & Associates and a 21-year mortgage industry professional. Doug is a nationally-recognized speaker, author and sales trainer. For more information, please visit www.DougSmithOnline.com. |
|
|
