This was a sign I read on a corner of an intersection a couple of weekends ago. Not only did it catch my attention, it's a sign I haven't forgotten. And yes, if I were in the market for a home, it's highly likely that I would have jotted down the information and paid a visit for a couple of reasons; 1) they obviously have a great sense of humor (I like that in people) and 2) I'm curious to see the lawn (smile) and the FREE home that comes with it.
Had the sign been your typical "House For Sale" you can be rest assured that I wouldn't have noticed. And sadly, the yellow signs that look like they are all individually hand written no longer capture my attention.
All that said, I was so intrigued by this sign that it got me brainstorming. Here are a few of my ideas:
As you can see in this first one, it's going to take some cooperation from my husband. He keeps harping on the "what-ifs", like nicks, bleeding. You know, all that silly stuff that men worry about.
I, of course, keep telling him that if he truly loved me, he would do this for me.
As of today; 4:51 eastern, he hasn't budged. I'll keep you posted.
Okay, I'm in Atlanta with the Atlanta Motor Speedway less than an hour away.
Surely this would be a hit at the race track. Right? If nothing else, it would tickle-me-pink that each of the drivers, as they sped around the track, would be reminded that Home Staging Atlanta.com exists to help them sell their home more quickly. So what if they're going hundreds of miles per hour.
Or wait. Maybe the real purpose behind those banners are for the fans. Duh.
All kidding aside, it takes clever and unforgettable marketing to help sell any product. The sign "FREE House with Purchase of Lawn" really did exists and again, is a sign I won't forget.
If you too have seen some clever marketing ideas, I'd love to see them.
Kathy
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Georgia Interior Solutions (GIS), LLC is Atlanta Georgia's Premier Home Staging Provider. Owner and Real Estate Staging Expert, Kathy Nielsen has appeared on the pages of Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Home Improvement; Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. You can also see one of her staged homes on HGTV's hit show Sleep On It.
With their extensive home staging portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the experience and knowledge on what it takes to make your home and/or listing appeal to the prospective buyers. Contact them today for your free no-obligation appointment: 678 522 8392.
Home Staging Atlanta - Kathy Nielsen - 678 522 8392
RESA Professional Stager of the Year - Southern Region 2011
Whether your home is vacant or occupied, this Atlanta Georgia Home Stager, Kathy Nielsen, understands what it takes to sell a home quickly. Her homes have graced the pages of several publications, appeared in TV commercials as well as on HGTV's hit program Sleep On it.
With years of experience and a massive inventory - Kathy makes the perfect choice.
Home Staging Website: Home Staging Atlanta
Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:
Email: Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com
Blog: Atlanta Home Staging
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Kathy - Too funny. I can't believe your husband won't help his wife out...what' up with that? You're right, funny marketing is memorable.
Oh how funny!!! You've always have been the most creative person I know and this proves it. You are an inspiration to all the stagers/agents/people who are fortunate to come upon your posts. Your willingness to share your thoughts are to be commended. Pick me up this weekend and we shall check out the FREE House with Purchase of Lawn (smile), we've got a lawn mower, oh and I also have hair clippers so tell your hubby I can do his hair.
Hugs,
Sissy (Kerry Sue)
Clearly you have not trained your husband well enough (to get him to shave is head). As I say to my husband on a regular basis "Why do you defy me??" Now that I think of it, it doesn't work for me. Then the next threat is: "I need a new husband!". He ignores that one, too. Good thing he's so cute, or he'd be a gonner! Guess we have to keep them. Hair and all.
Kathy ~ That is very creative! I read it off to my husband and it even got a chuckle out of him! You know who would go for that hairstyle is the teen guys. I'll bet I could get my son to do that on his hair except that my business name is so long it would come around the front of his head! ; )
Debbie - You're right; funny marketing does have a way of being memorable.
Sissy - Thank you!! You bring the clippers and I'll grab the lawn mower!
Peg - I love your "why do you defy me?" question. I'll have to start using that one.
Kathy P - Perhaps they'll consider a tattoo instead. I dunno, it's worth a shot tho.
Kathy
LOL!!! My husband shaves his head...humm...
It reminds me a bit of a dog story a friend of mine told me. He said there was an ad for a purebred AKC Shar Pei for only $250.00. He thought that was extremely low for a documented purebred. He called and asked the owner if that price for the dog was correct and the owner said, yes the dog was $250.
He went to buy the dog and sure enough the dog cost $250. He thought to himself "this is AWESOME, what an underpriced gem!" As he was ready to leave with his new pooch, he then asked the owner, "where are his AKC papers?"
"Right here the owner said."
"Well, may I have them?" my friend asked.
"Sure, that will cost you $2,750.00."
Okay, so it wasn't really related to selling a nice lawn for a "free" house, I still thought the story was funny.
That would be a catchy sign.. Wonder if a disclaimer is needed there somewhere....
Kathy, I love it when I read something catchy like that as it makes me want to know more about this person and their listing! Great post that has my treadmill working on overtime right now. Take care and happy blogging!
Kathy, Very clever sign! A so agree with you about funny media. I'm an advertisement devotee, all kinds. Hands down, if they can make me laugh, they stay in my mind. Thanks for the chuckles.
Would certainly grab some attention Kathy. I think you are on to something, don't give up too easily. :) Got your marketing message loud and clear!
Cathy - show your husband this blog and see if he'll go for it.
Andrew - I see the correlation. That's a cute story.
Roland - Good question.
Jason - Catchy advertising works
Patricia - You're welcome. Glad I made you laugh.
Michele - I think I'm onto something too. Just need to convince the husband on the first one. (smile).
Kathy
What a clever idea those sellers had! I agree with everything you said. When I was the Marketing Manager for our Coliseumand a show was approaching with low tickets sells, we had to kick into "11th hour marketing gear" and get real creative. My boss would look at me and say, "find a way to put butt's in seats" and it was not always easy. This really taught me how to think outside of the box and to look at my profession and always try to do things a little different than my competition.
I think your husband would show great support for you and your company if he would agree to the haircut.....it would grow back and you would have before and after portfolio pictures to use forever. LOL! I hope you are enjoying a successful 2009.
We used this approach once with an estate- advertising the amount of acreage + house. It got great responses. House never did sell, of course it was over priced.
I LOVE ads like this. Memorable, and a tad funny. I had a property like that, and my headline was 'Free House!' and now I wish I'd have seen this post when I had that one. Not as many great deals like that around here anymore, but I'll keep waiting.
Thanks for the great post from Australia
Glenn Twiddle
<A HREF="http://www.glenntwiddle.com.au">Real Estate Training Brisbane</A>
Kathy, Great post! I think we could all use some creative marketing ideas these days!
That's a great tag...thanks for sharing
We need lots more humor in this industry. "Free grass with purchase" is a hoot. I had fun with an old car a seller left behind. It was "buy the classic car for $400k and I'll through in the gagage and house for free. Always got a laugh.
Thinking out side of the box to advertise our services (or any services)... what a great idea!
Now, I admit I wouldn't really want my husband to put my company's name in his hair, I would think about letting my teenage son do it... lol...
Kathy,
Too funny! You know you could always catch your husband while he's sleeping! O.K. maybe NOT! I like the idea of advertising on the race car though! ;0)
Kathy, with all the (well-deserved) hand-wringing going on in the real estate market these days, it's great to see that someone still has a sense of humor. And because of all the dire news, this creative and light-hearted approach stands out even more. Thanks for the big smile and fun post!
I agree with you that I would have called them if I were in the market and saw the sign. At the very least I would have looked online to see if there were any more information available. Getting attention is so important. I love your graphics! I am a big fan of Imagechef.
Tracy - I love out-of-the-box thinking and try and deploy strategies that are unique. I've got another blog up my sleeve on that subject so stay tuned.
Janice - Goes to show just how important pricing a home can be.
Hi, Glenn. FREE house would have been clever as well!
Susan - I think you're right.
Casey - Thanks!
Richard - We need MORE humor, that's for sure.
Melissa - It would make more sense to have one of my two boys do it. However, it was truly a test to see if my husband would go for it. Shhhh.... don't tell him.
Michelle - I don't think that would work. I could always try it out and see tho. I'll keep you posted.
Leslie - You hit the nail on the head!
Kathy
Hi Kathy N.- What a clever idea....the sign that is! I am not too keen on the shaved head deal. LOL..please leave your poor hubby's hair on his head!
A sense of humor is great to have these days and I can see why the sign stuck in your mind! It is an old marketing ploy...similar to one often used to sell scalped game tickets....Buy this pen and have 2 free game tickets! : ) Thanks for the smile! Regards-Kathleen G
Kathy....great to meet you today! What an informative meeting!
Now to your blog post....great ideas....did you see the one on Inman News where a guy staged a 72 hour NON-STOP open house and had it all on video.....he sold advertising space, and all the local channels picked up on it. How's that for creativity!!!
They were giving away boats here with houses!
Kathleen - My husband is making the same plea.
Thom - It was SO nice to meet you! No, I hadn't seen that video but it sounds like an incredible idea. Got to get my thinking cap back on!
Cindy - Boats? Wow. How did that go over?
Kathy
Hi Kathy -- finally I am getting to AR and SIF after a week or two away. This is the first post I read and you have cracked me up.
Question: Should you consider allowing your hubby to understand what an idiot he is? Oh, never mind -- your hubby's not an idiot. That was someone else, with a poor marketing plan, wasn't it?
Kathy: Large corporations pay ad agencies millions of dollars to come up with "clever" marketing idea. And here you go, this one was free. Thanks for the laugh. Now I have to go think up a new marketing idea!
Hey girl! What a hoot! Regarding your topic, I'm learning to send out email blasts as promotional materials, always with a touch of humor. Several years ago I began sending out Christmas letters. With the first edition I promised 1) never to go beyond 1 page, 2) never to brag on my son or talk about exotic vacations (do I take any???), and 3) not to sell my mailing list, no matter what they offered. I then proceeded to write about goofy, tounge-in-cheek happenings of our boring, everyday lives. Guess what? People tell me, "Don't ever take me off your Christmas card list! I love your letters!"
I've tried to do the same with my marketing for staging. Agents are bombarded with info. on an hourly basis. The only way to get them to actually read what I'm sending out is to write in a personal, "chatty" style and ALWAYS include humor. Right now I'm mulling over how to incorporate the following statement in my next email, "What's the difference in a pit bull and a stager? The pit bull eventually gives up!"
Thanks for another great post. Patsy
Hi Kathy I love that they're giving away the house with the lawn - very memorable :)
Great post. I love the humor. Have a great and profitable year.
Kathy, What a funny post and I too wouldn't forget that sign! A few years back a company was paying people to walk around with a very real looking tatoo on their forehead--they made a lot of money from it. Maybe your husband will reconsider--lol