How do you write an ad that’s sure to attract the right property scouts right away?
Hey Moguls, Dolmar Cross here to remind you not only want people to see your ad, you want them to respond. This starts with where you post your ad.
As I discussed in Part I, the best way to recruit property scouts is to post on sites like Craigslist. Want more info about why this method is the most likely to draw a massive response in just hours? Well, check out Part I here.
So how do you write the right ad?
Let’s start by considering our audience…
The Right Audience
The ideal scout is someone who has an interest in learning real estate investing. Next to ideal are those who are looking for part-time work or extra income opportunities.
So let’s work backward…
If these are the people you want, where would you place ads to find them?
These sections on Craigslist tend to get the best response:
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job offered » real estate
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job offered » et cetera
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gig offered (for odd jobs)
Other sites may use “Miscellaneous,” “Other” or something similar in place of “et cetera.”
Also, keep in mind that ads in the “job offered » real estate” section receive more targeted responses but are also more likely to be flagged by the user community. Ads in “et cetera” or “gig offered” get lower-quality responses, but they aren’t as likely to be flagged.
Why You Should be Average
Next, think about the tone and presentation of your ad. Craigslist browsers tend to be deal hunters, looking through ads hoping to find buried treasures. These are the people you would run into at a garage sale or on eBay…
And they can make great property scouts.
Deal hunters are more likely to respond to an ad written by someone they can relate to—an average Joe. If your ad sounds too corporate or reads like it was written by a sales pro, these deal hunters will probably pass you by.
Avoid adding:
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HTML
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colorful formatting
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images
Simply get the reader’s attention, give the relevant details and clearly state the next step.
The Real Function of Your Ad
Your classified ad is meant to do 1 thing only—get prospective property scouts to visit your website for more info.
You may be tempted to try to cram as much information as you can into your little ad. After all, more is better than less, right?
WRONG.
Don’t do it—don’t try to “close the deal” here. Your classified ad should be just enough to entice people to visit your website. That’s it.
You Want to Use My Ad, Don’t You?
I’m happy to share one of my Craigslist ads:
This is one of several ads that has gotten great results.
BUT… here’s a strong word of caution: Craigslist expects uniqueness.
Actually, Craigslist’s spam filters demand uniqueness. If your ad is not unique in several specific ways, there’s a strong chance it will be ghosted.
When an ad is ghosted, it never appears in the list of ads on the site, even though you correctly filled out the information to publish it. This happens to ads flagged by Craigslist’s spam filters.
As Craigslist has become more popular, its spam filters have gotten stricter. This helps cut down on ads from spammers, scammers and hackers, but it also means the filters ghost some legitimate ads too.
Many marketers have left Craigslist in frustration. But it’s worth putting up with the sensitive filters as long as Craigslist remains the most frequently visited site of its kind.
Don’t be too intimidated or frustrated if Craigslist ghosts a few of your ads. In fact, plan on it. Just do your best to write ads that will pass through the spam filter.
How to Write an Ad that Won’t Get Flagged
Here are the 5 specific features of an ad that will pass the spam filter:
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Avoid HTML – Craigslist says you should use HTML code “sparingly.” There’s really no need for HTML in property scout recruiting ads anyway.
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Limit posts from the same computer – This is the most important factor. Don’t post similar ads in multiple sections or multiple cities in a short period of time. Especially not from the same computer.
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Limit posts from the same email address – You must include an email address with your posts. The filter will flag your ads if you post similar ads using the same email address, even if you post from a different computer.
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Write a unique ad – Craigslist’s spam filter will compare your ad to the title and content of other ads. If it finds ads very similar to yours, your ad will be ghosted or you will receive a duplicate post error.
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Use common sense – Craigslist’s spam filter also considers location, keywords and compensation to make sure your ads are unique and apply to the section you’re posting in. Use common sense and write a post the way a local business owner would. For example, don’t forget to include a location in your ad.
The main thing is to be creative. No one responds to a bland ad anyway.
What’s Your Take?
How have you avoided ghosting when you post ads online? Let me know below!
1. Find the most relevant sections on the site to post your ad (job offered » real estate or job offered » et cetera).
2. Keep it simple to attract deal hunters. Limit your graphics and make your point clearly and persuasively.
3. Be unique to avoid ghosting and don’t post too many similar ads at once.
Dolmar Cross
Dolmar is a guy who struggled, at first, to get his investing business off the ground. But, thanks to some fierce determination, raw persistence, and a savvy mentor’s friendly guidance and help, he eventually starting making it happen.
But the money went right to his head; he started splurging… snazzy luxury cars, taking friends on lavish trips. He thought he was on top of the world and could do no wrong. Unfortunately that’s when it usually all hits the fan—which is exactly what happened to Dolmar.
When the market crashed in ’08 Dolmar lost everything (literally – everything; he had to file for bankruptcy). Discouraged, he met with an investor who gave him some powerful insight, basically kicked his butt back into dusting himself off and getting right back to it – for the sake of his kids – to teach them that when things get hard, we don’t just quit. We fight on.
So with this powerful, new mindset and very little money left, Dolmar found himself with a sincere need to get good property leads without spending any money. Thus sparked the inspiration for the Property Scout Pipeline.