Web Site Promotions and Contests

This is a component of real estate web design I don't understand very well. I am open to feedback.

Promotions

I often see promotions on agent web sites and I am turned off by them. They offer $500 here or .5% there or other monetary rewards for selecting them as an agent. I have seen "use our moving truck- FREE" for choosing us. Do these offers help? or do they forfeit an opportunity to negotiate later down the road once they are sitting in the office? do they really attract potential clients?

If a promotion is necessary I think it would be best to word it something like, "Ask about our discounts" or "Call for details on our FREE move policy" or "Send a message to ask about our relocation assistance". If there was ever a time to put text into an image now would probably be it because text in images is not seen by search engines. I would think the last thing an agent would want a search engine to find them for would be "Discount realty services." Besides, an image would draw attention to the promotion if done correctly and may invite more response to the ad.

Contests

I see contests more rarely and wonder if they help to personalize a site and draw attention. I have seen puzzles and invitations to contact the agent for movie vouchers, drawings, and eastereggs (hidden features within a web site). I have found these to be a little corny for a web site, although they do work in newsletters, and I have not added them to my site. Do you have any experience with contests? do they draw contacts? are the contacts valid?

I invite comments to help readers know if promotions and contests are beneficial to an agent's site.