real estate copywriting: Real Estate Copywriting FAQ's - How to choose a copywriter - 05/30/12 09:19 AM
Choosing the right real estate copywriter isn't much different from choosing the right real estate agent.
Here's what to look for:
1. Knowledge of the subject. Your real estate clients want you to know something about their neighborhood, their market, and even their particular buying or selling situation. First time buyers or sellers in distress want an agent who understands that situation - not one who deals only with high-end cash buyers or commercial property,.
Choose a copywriter who knows something about the real estate business and what will be important to your prospects.
2. Communication and timely response. … (7 comments)
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real estate copywriting: How Writing an Agent Bio is Like Working a Jigsaw Puzzle - 04/24/12 12:20 PM
Working a jigsaw puzzle and writing an agent bio each require a similar process.
Both begin with laying out the pieces.
When you start a jigsaw puzzle, you lay out all the pieces, then begin looking for the edges. Once those are found and connected, you start grouping other pieces together, ceating little sections that fit together. Or you might just try to work from the edges inward.
When writing an agent bio, you lay out all the pieces, then begin looking for the most important points. You're on a search for the introduction. What must you say first to … (4 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Life is like High School - 04/19/12 11:44 PM
A couple of weeks ago I attended our library's monthly book sale. This was a good one - all you can stuff into a grocery bag for $2. I brought home more than 40 books for a mere $4.
Usually I read mystery novels, but this time I noticed a brand-new looking book entitled "Selling the Invisible." The bookmark I found in it was at about page 20 - so I guess the person who purchased the book didn't find it as interesting as I do.
I'm glad it caught my eye, because I'm finding all sorts of thought-provoking ideas. One … (33 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Expand Your Sphere of Influence with Free Real Estate Letters - 03/04/12 04:13 PM
A few months ago, someone here in the rain inspired me to write a set of 3 real estate letters you can use to "win friends and influence people" in your business community - and thus expand your sphere of influence.
The idea behind the "Let's get acquainted" letters is to reach out to others who serve your prospective clients - and form alliances that can lead to referrals from you to them and from them to you.
These real estate marketing letters have been offered here before - but today it occurred to me that different people come … (12 comments)
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real estate copywriting: For More Effective Marketing Copy, Pay Attention to Your Compliments - 02/10/12 01:35 AM
Want to write more effective real estate marketing copy?
Pay attention to your compliments.
When you've done a fantastic job for your clients (as in all the time!) then they've probably thanked you for it. They may even have paid you some specific compliments.
These are like gold nuggets, so treasure them - then use them.
First, ask them for permission to use their comments as a testimonial. This is easier if you've sent a feedback form and you have it in writing, but even if it's verbal, go ahead and ask. Most people will be glad … (14 comments)
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real estate copywriting: The #1 Rule in Writing Marketing Copy - Don't Break It! - 02/08/12 10:33 PM
Copywriting – marketing with written words – has dozens of "rules." They range from keeping your copy "tight" to staying on one topic to avoiding jargon.
But there’s one rule that every marketing guru and copywriting instructor stresses and repeats - and yet I see it broken every day.
Maybe there's another rule that tops the list, but I really believe it to be the #1 most frequently broken rule of all. Unfortunately, it's the most important rule of all.
It's so important that I first learned it about a century ago, when I took a college course in … (39 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Why you can sell in person, but your marketing copy fails: You aren't spending enough hours writing - 02/07/12 10:33 PM
Why you can sell in person, but your marketing copy fails: You aren't devoting enough hours to writing.
Really good marketing copy looks like it took no effort at all. It appears to be stream of consciousness thinking from you to your prospect.
The truth is – to achieve that effect you have to spend some hours.
You start with what you want to say – and get it all out on paper. Then you re-arrange it so it makes some kind of logical sense as you progress from one point to the next.
Then … (8 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Why You Can Sell In Person, But Your Marketing Copy Falls Flat: Blame FEAR - 02/05/12 12:30 AM
Over the past couple of weeks I've brought you a couple of reasons why you can sell in person, but your marketing copy falls flat. First I told you to "Blame Mom" and then to "'Blame Your English Teacher."This time ... blame fear. Fear of bringing the "Advertising Police" down on your head.
True, a whole lot of agents don't pay much attention to the rules. Just today I was searching through the Omaha MLS and saw a listing that was within "walking distance" of somewhere. It made me cringe. But then there's you. You may have no desire to be … (12 comments)
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real estate copywriting: A Heck of a Way to Lose a Client - 12/20/11 02:58 AM
Last week I had a copywriting inquiry from a gentleman who said he was a good writer and enjoyed writing, but he needed a new agent bio and just wasn't getting it done.
Part of the reason was that he was busy with real estate clients and hadn't been able to carve out a good chunk of time for writing. But in addition, he couldn't seem to get focused on what to say and where to start.
We talked for quite a while and I explained that before I begin to write for a real estate client, I ask … (9 comments)
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real estate copywriting: When you need to write a real estate marketing message and can't get started - 10/07/11 04:04 PM
When you need to write a real estate marketing message and can't get started...
You have an idea for a real estate marketing letter or perhaps a new web page for your site. It rumbles around in your head; you visualize plenty of good lines and important points you want to make.
So you sit down to write and… you can't get started.
Here's what to do:
1. Just start writing Start anywhere and write down all those random thoughts in any kind of order. It doesn't matter - just get them out of your head and onto … (30 comments)
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real estate copywriting: "Hey You Guys!!" - a Marketing Mistake! - 09/26/11 07:11 PM
Your favorite blogs and newsletters probably all have something in common… they probably feel like they were written directly to you.
There's just something more appealing, more personal, to a message that says "you" instead of "you guys." And it doesn't matter that we know the message is going out to hundreds or even thousands of other people.
That's why one of the "rules" in copywriting is to remember that you're writing to an individual. There may be many individuals, but each one will read your message separately. And they will respond to feeling worth your personal … (26 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Is it Evil to Hire a Ghostwriter? - 08/04/11 03:36 AM
A few days ago someone here wrote about how awful (deceptive) it was to hire someone else to write your blog posts. Since I do write blog posts for my clients, I've been thinking about it ever since.
Obviously, I don't think hiring a ghostwriter is a bad thing. I think it's a good thing for agents who want to keep adding fresh content to their blogs, but don't have time or the writing skills to keep up with it.
Of course, I'm not writing "personal" posts. I don't pretend to be them and talk about my dog or … (12 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Do Case Studies Have a Place in Real Estate Marketing? - 07/20/11 03:48 PM
Do Case Studies Have a Place in Real Estate Marketing?
I think so. You don’t see case studies widely used in real estate marketing, but why not?
Wouldn’t they lend more credibility than short testimonials?
We know testimonials work in every service business. But we also know that they are not always believed. It’s illegal, but marketers in every profession have been known to write a testimonial and assign it a fake name – or simply something like “J.W. in Phoenix.” Who is to know, when no address is given?
A case study, on the other hand, tells … (10 comments)
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real estate copywriting: A Near Disaster - I Almost Used "That Word" in Copy - 07/18/11 03:34 AM
No – it’s not a 4-letter word. It’s not even an off-color word to most people.
But to me as a copywriter, it is a dirty word. It’s the sign of a lazy copywriter – one who can’t think of what to say or doesn't want to be bothered with saying it. Or worse, one who has nothing to say. Or perhaps one who doesn’t know what the heck she’s talking about so needs a filler.
Every time I see this word jumping out at me from a newspaper ad or an email, I SWEAR that I will never, … (15 comments)
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real estate copywriting: How Many different kinds of prospecting letters do real estate agents need? - 06/21/11 05:14 PM
How many different kinds of prospecting letters do real estate agents need?
Every time I think I'm getting close to offering real estate prospecting letter sets for every eventuality, someone writes to ask me if I have a set that they need for their particular niche or their particular use.
I'm now up to 11 different sets for prospecting for listings, 5 sets for buyers, and one each for rental managers and Mortgage lenders.
That's OK - I enjoy writing the letters, and I enjoy visiting with the agents as they explain just what they're looking for. The … (4 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Realtors® Also Need to Make Promises - 06/06/11 03:28 PM
After reading Rebekah Radice’s excellent post about re-using old blog posts, I decided to go back and take a look at the very first post I did on Active Rain – on January 7, 2008.
It got 5 comments – including my response. But what stands out about comments on that post is the one from Karen Anne Stone. She took the time to tell me about AR Groups, why I should join and use them, and how to choose groups that would get more “eyes” on my blog posts. I wrote and thanked her, because I sure did need the … (6 comments)
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real estate copywriting: 6 Steps To Choosing the Right Real Estate Copywriter For You - 05/30/11 04:28 AM
You're building a new website and you know you want something better than the cookie-cutter copy that comes with the package.
So you either need to write it yourself or find a real estate copywriter.
The do-it-yourself route is fine if you have time and write well. If not, then you need to choose a copywriter.
Here's my list of the 6 things to look for when choosing someone to write your real estate website copy:
1. Choose someone who writes in a conversational tone – one that everyone can comprehend. The first step is to visit … (8 comments)
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real estate copywriting: The 31 Days of December Challenge - Day 6 - 12/07/10 01:53 AM
Today was a little more difficult, because I had to be gone all day. My husband had an eye appointment at the VA Hospital that called for leaving the house by 7:30 a.m. For a night person like me, this is cruel and unusual punishment, but fortunately I was able to get to sleep early last night.
We got to the appointment by 9 - a long drive. He was finally finished there by a quarter after 11.
I knew it would be a long wait - it always is. So I took along a legal pad and started writing promotional … (8 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Does your "Web Guy" Dictate Your Presentation? - 10/09/10 06:31 PM
A few months ago a friend and fellow copywriter called me in a panic. She needed help with "paring down" the web copy she had written for a real estate client.
Sometimes clients don't tell us copywriters the whole story - and this time her client had failed to tell her that his web designer insisted that his "about me" page be limited to 400 words.
Had she known, she could have decided what details to use before she started to write. But it still would have been difficult.
I had read her original copy. It was fantastic, because her … (2 comments)
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real estate copywriting: Why You Can Sell in Person, But Your Marketing Copy Fails - 04/07/09 12:45 PM
When you get face to face with sellers, you can get the listing. When you have a buyer, you're able to establish an instant rapport and guide them smoothly through finding and buying the perfect home.
So why do you have such trouble finding those buyers and sellers? Why does your written marketing fail?
You may be using the same tired formula that all agents use: The "here I am" block ads, and prospecting letters that basically say "I'm a Realtor and I'd like to list your house."
This formula doesn't give your prospect even one reason to think that you … (6 comments)
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