The most impactful results come when we focus on understanding the message we’re sending into the world. In this post, I’ll share my fail-proof content creation formula that gives real estate investors a way to address motivated seller pain points that not only creates a desire for the solution but also builds trust and overcomes objections.
Once real estate investors understand this powerful messaging formula, they will be empowered to use it in all their marketing communication; even while sitting at the negotiation table!
Based on a Century of Proof
My formula is based on a marketing principle founded in 1898. To say that it’s been tried and tested is an understatement. AIDA is the foundation that the best copywriters at the most elite marketing agencies have relied on to create content that converts. It’s been used to sell everything from soap to motorcycles. AIDA stands for: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
The trick to turning AIDA into a powerful marketing formula for real estate investors is to turn this all-purpose principle into something that speaks to the unique sellers we work with.
My formula has been tested with more than 400 investors, with outstanding results. It has helped them generate powerful content that they’ve been able to use in their emails, videos, ads, and social media. The formula can be re-used to create content that attracts agents, contractors, and lenders to your business and convert them into powerful advocates of your business.
Using the Formula in Your Marketing
Here is the step-by-step blueprint for transforming AIDA into a simple formula specifically for real estate investors.
1. Attention
The first thing your copy needs to do is capture the attention of the seller. We do this by stating the pain that our sellers are experiencing in a way that is interesting and engaging.
Getting their attention is critical to stopping the scroll if they’re on social media.
If you’re using this in an email, we want them to open that email, so it applies to subject lines.
If we want them to read our blog post, it applies to titles.
Research has shown that you have about 8 seconds to capture someone’s attention. Use interesting images or videos but avoid long blocks of copy. Nothing puts people to sleep faster than seeing a giant chunk of content they have to read. The most important part of getting attention is that your audience must find the information relatable
2. Interest/Hook
Once we have their attention, we need to make sure that they keep reading. We do that by putting our solution in front of them. How we solve their problem is going to work as a “hook.”
The hook makes them want to know more, and keeps them reading. It’s really important that you match the hook with the pain that they’re going through. Every distressed situation is going to have different pain points and therefore different solutions.
The best hooks are going to be benefits-focused. The main difference between benefits and features is that benefits stimulate emotion. Feature don’t.
- Feature Example: “We buy fast with cash.”
- Benefit Example: “Imagine the relief you feel when you work with a proven buyer with the cash to close today”
It’s a fact that people take action based on their emotions. They use logic afterward to justify their actions. To build a powerful hook that captures their desire, we need to communicate the emotional benefit of working with us.
3. Desire
Making them want your solution means overcoming objections that they’ll have. In this step, it’s important to establish your credibility and create trust.
Motivated sellers need to see that other people you’ve worked with have come through on the other side in a much better place. Testimonials and stories do an incredible job of providing social proof. They help us communicate, “Look at these people that I helped. I can do that same exact thing for you.”
The desire for the solution happens when the seller has hope that they too can heal their distress and when they believe that you’re the answer to their problem.
4. Action
The last step is action. We want them to take an action toward working with us. Believe it or not, we need to tell them what they have to do next because it’s not always clear to your sellers how to proceed.
There are several ways you can add a call-to-action (CTA) inside your content, here are a few common CTAs:
- Call Now
- Email Me
- Read More
Each type of CTA corresponds to a different friction level with your sellers, which means it’s important to choose the right one for the marketing channel you’re using. I covered calls to action in-depth in a recent Livestream called, “From Audience to Offer.” I recommend that you check that out if you want to know more about how to choose the right CTA for your marketing.
Reuse This Formula in All Your Communication
Attracting Contractors, Agents, and Lenders
AIDA can be used to attract contractors, agents, and lenders to your business.
Each of these groups of people have their own specific pain points they are trying to solve for. Agents want to close more houses. Contractors want steady work. Lenders are looking for ways to make their money work for them. Use the AIDA framework to address these pain points and use your unique business solutions to create the desire to work with you to solve their problems.
At the Negotiation Table
If you go through the exercise of using AIDA to create content, you’re going to end up with a list of pain points that match your solutions and ways tie it with your credibility. Once you have that list in your back pocket you can pull them out anytime you’re face to face with the seller at the negotiating table. Just knowing their pain means being able to address it with solutions, and that is half the battle already.
Listen to the Livestream
REI Social: Leveraged Lead Acquisition for Real Estate Investors
This post was adapted from the Livestream I produce weekly. If you’re interested in listening to the recording, join the Facebook Group! The group is only for real estate investors interested in leveraging social media to grow their business. Inside you’ll get access to resources and education that will help you get in front of more motivated sellers!