Lesikar's Business Communication: Connecting in a Digital World 13th Edition by Kathryn Rentz,Paula Lentz

Exercise 45

Finding housing in your university town is complicated. There are so many landlords and rental opportunities that it's hard for students to know their best options. In addition, many students have never signed a lease or may not know their rights as tenants. You and three other students decide to start a business. You are going to create an ad-supported online service listing the rental options and providing advice on signing leases, security deposits, and other issues tenants may face. Not only will you be listing properties, you'll also let students rate properties and give feedback on landlords, rental agencies, and the rental units themselves. You'll sell ads for $25 per month and automatically bill the advertiser's account unless he or she cancels the ad.
You will target advertisers from businesses throughout your community that serve the student population, but you also think that landlords and rental agencies might benefit from buying ad space. Even though you know some landlords and properties are likely to get poor ratings (student rentals are notorious for their poor condition), you want to send a sales letter or email to area landlords and rental agencies persuading them to purchase ad space on your site. In your message, you will need to think carefully about why landlords and rental agencies would still want to advertise on your site if your readers may give them bad ratings.