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Printed media may well cost more than adwords but it does get results

 

I use postcards, leaflet and adverts in the local papers and build a targeted campaign

 

The downside of adwords is that again you can get leads from far and wide – also keep in mind many distressed sellers are not on the internet and would have no idea how to go about searching for a buyer of their property this way. The internet is great for investors to sell to other investor but not necessary first port of call for the motivated seller

 

This is not to say it does not work and having a website address on your adverts or flyers can add credibility and give someone somewhere to go to read move

 

However – that said

 

In my own experience, most motivated sellers pick up a leaflet or see an ad and call the number – this is a reactive gesture to their situation – often many have not even thought there is a solution to it till they get the flyer or see the add

 

With adword campaigns I think you are seriously limiting yourself and you have the large player to contend with

 

Stick to your own local area of 50k + size town – focus on repetition and consistency of your marketing in that area and the phone will ring

Mark thanks for your comprehensive reply, understand what you are saying and agree with you. Have felt that to move my business "up a notch" I need to do more on advertising.  Currently I leaflet in an area of about 12000 properties but want to expand into picking up more leads.  Tend to agree that motivated sellers would not necessarily look on the internet, in fact none of the motivated sellers I have purchased from would have done but thought I could use the web address as a way of looking more credible and perhaps give more detail than that held on a leaflet.  When you say postcard do you mean in shop windows or something that is printed and popped through letterboxes?

hi

I put postcards in every supermaket, notice board, chip shop, takeaway, barbers, newsagent, hospital, council office, school notice board etc etc etc that i can -  well having said that - credit where credit due - my wife put the last lot out but i feel justified in claiming credit for it - i did provide the map and fill up the car with petrol

 Just couldn't get her to do the undertakers - some people

 

You can set up adwords to only target people in certain locations. That said I don't know how accurate this is.

I think people are getting more and more internet savvy all the time.So internet in my opinion must be part of your strategy at some stage. 

I started with leaflets and Newspaper adverts. They work. And it is a good way of honing your skills. 

Progress to adwords and SEO at a later stage IMHO. 

Jon 

SimonSays:

I am still a bit of a newbie to all this but desperate to find some good discounted properties.  I have tried so many property sourcers and so many have the same deals, promise the world but can't deliver!  The ones that can deliver command huge fees.  So I have been chatting with a couple of fellow investors and we are thinking about placing our own advertisements in the Sun and The Daily Mirror to attract distressed sellers.  It is quite expensive but there are few of us willing to work together and split the costs. 

I was just wondering if anyone had tried advertising in the nationals and if so what was the response like?

I have bought a couple of packaged deals from two companies who regularly advertise in the Sun but they now want fees in excess of £6K up front for a deal without having the time to do proper due diligence let alone a viewing so I am thinking the advertising costs would be covered if we pulled in a few good deals.

I would really welcome any advice from anyone with experience in this area,

Thanks

Simon

I agree with all the great advice that many have given here Simon and there's not much point in re-iterating.  I've quoted your original post, as what I would like to emphasize is that you 'listen to yourself' and observe how your initial thoughts about national advertising contrast with the consensus of experienced investors here. 

It is great that you finish by saying "I would really welcome advice from anyone with experience..." and hopefully you will take the advice on board, because as you said earlier in your post "I am still a bit of a newbie to all this..." and "desperate to find some good deals..." (which is not the most constructive state to be in).  "I have tried  property sourcers" and "packaged deals from companies who regularly advertise in the Sun.."  It's because they are your only source of knowledge/experience at this point, that you assume it's a good idea to copy them without obviously having their scale, so it's not going to work.

My concern for you overall, is that you really should start with a clear idea of what properties you want to buy - where and why, which should stem from a sound understanding of what being a property investor (a landlord in fact, most likely) will entail.  Knowing how best to market for deals should inevitably form part of a solid grounding from any decent educator, or even from reading a good book such as mine, which is only £10 from www.propertyinvestingsuccess.co.uk.

Put your best foot forward first and you've an excellent chance of not putting a foot wrong later!

All the best,

 

The trouble with adwords even if you target it fro a particular area is that you will come up against lots of competition. No matter how good you are at your skills - having lots of competition will immediately blow a massive hole in your chances of getting the deal that is up for grabs.

Leafleting works

. Not only that - it allows you to 'fly beneath the radar'..in other words you get your message into someones head without competitors being there. If all goes well you can meet the people and get the deal nailed off before they even thought of speaking of anyone else. The leafelt, especially if posted by a local person in a local area builds more reassurance and empathy and trust than a one dimensional 'me too' ad in cyberspace too.

I have to laugh when so many people make the assumption that because we are living in very fast moving times from an IT perspective, then IT solutions have got to be the best way to solve any business conundrum. The majority of the people that I have done deals with would have been like fish out of water if they had had to find a buyer for their house online. The irony of a lot of situations is that it is apathy (regarding financial management) that gets people into situations where they have to sell their house quickly. so...for these types to then display superb organisational and planning skills in 'taking control' and going online to find a buyer - well its probably not going to happen.

However, should someone take the trouble to shove a leaflet through their door whilst they are watching Jeremy kyle or coronation street...then it could be much easier for them to ring someone. In other words, invade their territory with an 'in your face' blunt message of how you can help them quickly - and see what happens!

Newspaper ads in a way have the same advantage as a leaflet apart from....you will probably be advertising next to a competitor and you are hoping they will actually see/find your ad in the paper they have bought. The biggest numpty in the world is going to at least read a piece of paper that lands on their door mat! Also you cannot target specific areas or streets with newspapers so you get less value for your money spent as you will get enquiries from houses you simpl;y arent interested in because they don't stack.

Its all so simple as to be untrue.

Finally, I must say to anyone....if you are new to this done ignore what Angela said. Once you ave your property then (if you are totally disorganised or conveniently oblivious to the downsides of this business) - your real problems will begin soon.

Before you buy houses to rent out - plan on becoming a landlord. Its a very boring unsexy thought to many who simply want to be property billionaires - but its a bout the best advice you'll get from me.You're a property investor only at the time you buy the house...for the rest of the time you own it..you're a landlord!

Angela's book for a tenner is a must it covers allt he mechanical aspects of property management and much more stuff too - just buy it.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned so far skimming through this topic is 'Return on Investment'. Whichever format(s) you use, if you can work out which one gives you the best ROI (leads for lowest £) then that should definitely be your focus. I'm not sure what the ROI on national advertising in newspapers is, but hopefully you should get some good interest? Even if there isn't much equity it could work out as an 'options' purchase.

If you're keen on national advertising, I wouldn't worry about getting leads in areas you're not investing in yourself as investors are crying out for leads at the moment, supply is not keeping up with demand so get yourself a good network of investors (property networking events are great!) that will take the leads off your hands in areas you don't touch and you *could* be onto a winner.

Keep us posted!

 

 

Thanks for your kind comment about my book Gregg. 

I would also say that I've been to Gregg / Rialto's workshop and it's very good.  He does speak from his own extensive time-tested experience with no other agenda, motives or schemes and with modesty too.