Katy Barbour is guest-blogging in today's post. Ms. Barbour is the marketing director for Boise's Best Real Estate Team.

"I rue the day the dairy industry launched its "Got Milk?" campaign. It spawned a generation of unoriginal ad campaigns that nauseate and bore millions of marketing-conscious Americans.

Got Church?
Got Plaque?
Got Radiator Problems?
Got gastro-intestinal trouble?

Got an original thought?

Think how effective and refreshing a sign that read, "Do you need a new transmission? We offer transmissions at a fair price" would be. Or, "You're welcome at our church." Or, " First-Time Patients: Free Teeth Cleaning. Call 555-5555."

Cleverness only works if you're clever. Remember that your competitors are also trying to produce a clever marketing scheme that will attract consumers, and most of them don't know how to do it either. They are resorting to the trite "Got ?" campaigns. Join them and you will be fatally commonplace.

We all try too hard; we all make marketing mistakes. But failure is no excuse to keep it up. If you don't have the budget or edge to compete with the dairy farmer' million dollar advertising campaigns, don't. Offer a good product, sell it professionally and with class. Work to retain your clients and gain referrals. When drafting advertisements write simple, declarative sentence. When in doubt remember that less is more.

If you need help eliminating unnecessary text, Bullfighter is one resource. It is an inconspicuous tool that, with the push of a button, will review your text for "bull." It will even rate your document and explain the rating.

Another helpful document that I've frequently referenced is, "Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes." It's hard to overstate the usefulness of Bad Ads, which was originally published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help nonprofits build meaningful public service campaigns. Click here to download Bad Ads (free).

Extra tip: If you have long-winded friends, Fight the Bull offers a deliciously creepy tool called the Mystery Matador that sends an anonymous message measuring the amount of jargon and verbosity in your friend's document. Ouch!"

--Katy Barbour, Marketing and Administrative Director.

Click here to contact Katy, offer feedback on this post or suggestions on improving her marketing efforts.

Labels: Advertising, Real Estate Trends, Successful Marketing

Labels: Boise, Listings, Real Estate

Idaho ranked 2nd in the nation for hours volunteered. It feels good to be an Idahoan today.

This just in from the Idaho Nonprofit Development Center:

"Idaho ranks 2nd in the nation for annual median number of volunteer hours donated in a year and 14th in number of people volunteering in the state, according to "Volunteering in America: State Trends and Rankings," a study by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The report is based upon the most statistically significant study of volunteering ever conducted in America - an annual survey of 60,000 households begun in 2002 by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the first study to give a detailed breakdown of America's volunteering habits and patterns by state and region.

Some highlights: More than 65 million people volunteered in the U.S. during 2005, increasing by 5.6 million people since 2002. The figure represents almost 29% of the U.S. population and the economic equivalent is almost $150 billion dollars in services each year.

Volunteering rate: the national rate is 28.8%. Idaho's rate is 35.5% (14th), Utah came in first at 48.0%, Nevada came in last at 18.8%.

Volunteer intensity: the national median number of volunteer hours worked is 51hours per year. Idaho's is 64 hours (2nd), Utah came in first with 96 hours, North Dakota came in last with 36 hours.

Women volunteer at a higher rate than men and married persons at a higher rate than non-married persons, in every state. The 35-44 years old age group is the most likely age to volunteer (34.5% of the population)."

Click here for the full report, if you're into this kind of thing.

After the decline and fall of the Boise River Festival, some of us thought we would have to abandon hope for enjoying Boise's incredible hot air balloon community.

We were wrong to give up hope!

Every year for three spectacular days Boise celebrates the Spirit of Boise Classic Balloon Rally which launches from Ann Morrison Park.

The snapshot above was taken by one of our staffers this morning.

KTVB's meteorologist Larry Gebert has more information and more photos.

Usually we would break up these posts with information about mortgage fraud, community events or something else, but we have a lot of listings.

10292 Milclay. Maintenance-free living defined! An immaculate, newer patio home with 3 beds / 2 baths and a fenced, tastefully landscaped yard with no neighbors to the rear. HOA fees cover lawn maintenance, sprinklers and snow removal.

Click that link. It's a virtual tour! Or click here to preview all of our listings.

Maybe you'll find an excuse to buy.

More real estate listings. This week you'll find them in Middleton, Idaho.

46 Boardwalk Way. A charming 3 bedroom starter home or investment opportunity. Situated on a large lot and featuring a covered patio and raised planting beds. Brand new tile, a breakfast bar and a large eating area in the kitchen. The living room is light and bright and the bedrooms have window seats.

190 Boardwalk Way. Another cute home, priced just right for a first-time buyer or investor. A charming 3 bed / 2 bath on corner lot. A split bedroom layout with vaulted ceilings and plant shelves. A breakfast bar, dishwasher, pantry in kitchen. 1149 Square Feet

Yes, we do sell homes. (100% of those we listed last year, in fact.)

And we shamelessly post links to them on our blog. If you're not looking, maybe it's time to start.

7 N Wilson Street A 3 bedroom stunner (there's a bonus room, too) at the end of a quiet street on the Boise Bench. Not to be missed.

2245 E Horsecreek in Meridian. A sprawling, luxurious 3 bedroom/3 bath home with a beautiful view of the Boise Foothills. You won't want to leave.

680 Harmon Way. Don't drive by this home. Stop and look inside! A lovely, well-maintained home in Middleton.

More shameless client promotion to come!

When it comes to your personal property, exercise extreme caution in choosing a lender. We suggest, you (a) ask someone you trust for a referral to a lender they have successfully used in the past, preferably more than once; (b) call the local Better Business Bureau to find out if complaints have been filed about the company you are considering; (c) ask for references.

Don't make the mistake this couple made:

DEER PARK, N.Y., April 28 (UPI) -- A New York couple appears finally to have lost the house they lived in throughout their married life, victims of a fraudulent mortgage deal.

When they were in financial trouble three years ago, Carol and Anthony Calvagno turned to Southern Star Mortgage, a company they thought would refinance their house in Deer Park and buy them some time. Instead, Mitchell Sim, who told them he was a branch manager, arranged a complicated arrangement in which the company would take title to the house and the Calvagnos could buy it back, Newsday reported.

Sims kept their money for himself and never paid the mortgage. He pleaded guilty to larceny, but the bank holding the mortgage at the time put the house into foreclosure.

A local woman bought the house as an investment and eventually sent the Calvagnos an eviction notice. Now, they are waiting for someone to knock on their door and tell them they must leave.

We have lenders and mortgage officers we know and trust; you probably do too.

Hat tip: Mortgage Industry Fraud Blog.