Real estate blog entries tagged with real estate marketing by Marte Cliff, Your real estate writer (Marte Cliff Copywriting)

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real estate marketing: Can You Market Effectively Without Money? - 03/17/15 05:01 AM

So many of the agents I speak with are new - and overwhelmed at the cost of getting started in real estate. They thought the cost of the course would be it; then they learn about dues, E&O Insurance, equipment they need, and on and on.
I don't know why no one warns them, unless it's because the truth would lower enrollment at real estate schools.
They also come into the business without a clue about how to market themselves - something that should be a whole other class in real estate school.
Soon they're bombarded with ads telling them they … (69 comments)

real estate marketing: I couldn't make myself read that agent bio - 03/05/15 08:30 AM

Sometimes when I'm getting ready to write an agent bio for someone who will be uploading it to a brokerage website, I ask for links to the other bios. I want to see if there's some kind of format or pattern that the broker prefers.
Today I visited a site where more than 100 agents were listed. Some didn't have bios at all. Some had really terrible bios, such as "Hi, my name is ..... and I'm a real estate agent at ...." (Yep, that's all folks.)
Some were pretty good.
But one thing they all had in common was: NO paragrapah … (34 comments)

real estate marketing: Hype in real estate marketing can brand you as a liar - 03/05/15 03:00 AM

Agents in the know are using social media to build a following. You're writing and promoting your own posts, and you're inviting people to visit and interact with you when you promote other people's posts and articles.
That's all good - but using hype to trick people into stopping by can backfire.
After you've done it once or twice, people will look at your headline and think "Probably not worth reading" or "Proabably not true" before they move on.
What caused today's rant? My in-box, of course.
Email promoting a LinkedIn post declares: "Excellent news for all those working in … (13 comments)

real estate marketing: Put the horse before the cart when writing real estate marketing - 03/02/15 05:16 AM

A post on LinkedIn this week challenged real estate professionals (and others) to state their USP – their Unique Selling Proposition. Some cited added expertise in some area, such as home construction, staging, etc. Others only mentioned honesty and integrity. One coach chimed in to say “Don’t talk about the things that are expected of every agent, talk about what makes you different and special.”
Naturally, that USP should be front and center in an agent bio, which is why I ask agents who hire me to write their bios to send me links to their testimonials. Although they fill out a questionnaire and tell … (15 comments)

real estate marketing: How and where a business can grow... - 02/27/15 08:02 AM

The first few years of copywriting, I didn't keep very good track of where my clients came from or how many of them there were. I can't go figure it out now because the computer I was using in those years completely died. That information is long gone.
In the early days I was writing for a variety of businesses and learned about careers I'd never thought about in the days when I was a real estate agent.
That was fun, but it didn't take too long for me to migrate back to real estate.
Since 2012 I've kept track, and I think what I've … (15 comments)

real estate marketing: Real Estate Prospecting - Only Persistence Leads to Success - 02/21/15 02:45 AM

After she read my Thursday newsletter about the necessity for persistence in prospecting, Barbara Todaro wrote me a note. She mentioned that the reason why 5% of the agents get 95% of the business is that most won't spend the money to promote themselves.
So true. Prospecting by postal mail is expensive, so many don't do it at all and others hope that sending just one letter will bring the business they seek. Unfortunately, that one letter probably won't even pay for itself. Prospecting requires persistence and repetition. People need to see your message over and over before they start to pay … (31 comments)

real estate marketing: Choose your real estate marketing words to attract, not annoy - 02/02/15 04:12 AM

In real estate marketing copy, as in conversation, some words attract and some repel or annoy.
You've probably noticed that different groups of people are prone to use words that annoy YOU - even though the speaker or writer had no intention to do so.
I was reminded of this yesterday when my son was here and had the TV tuned to the ghost hunter show. I mentioned that the show was entertaining, but I could not really appreciate the main character because of his constant use of the word "dude" when talking to his crew. To me it makes him sound juvenile and … (24 comments)

real estate marketing: Need to write marketing materials and can't get started? Try this. - 01/12/15 03:14 AM

This week, because so many are trying to re-vamp their marketing efforts for the new year, I decided to send my Thursday newsletter subscribers an extra message on Monday.
If you're having trouble getting started, this system might help!

… (42 comments)

real estate marketing: Beware of voice recognition software! - 01/10/15 04:22 AM

Do you ever watch TV with the sound off - and read what their software thinks people said? Most of it is correct, but every now and then there's a word that turns an otherwise serious statement into something hilarious.
Other times it comes out so garbled that you don't know WHAT they were trying to say.
The same thing can happen to you if you use voice recognition software and don't edit before you send.
It can also confuse your reader and/or make you look just a bit illiterate - like when it says:
there for their or they're except … (33 comments)

real estate marketing: Want prospects to read what you wrote? Edit that copy! - 01/09/15 12:16 PM

Now go back to proofread one more time…
When you edit and move parts of sentences around it's easy to leave in an extra word or remove a word you need. And – it's easy to miss errors when you already "know" what it says.
So leave your copy alone for at least a few hours, then come back and read with fresh eyes.
When it's really important – as in a printed brochure or a mailing going out to a large number of prospects – ask someone else to read it as well.

… (61 comments)

real estate marketing: Why Would a Person Hide When they Want Business? - 01/02/15 10:29 AM

Have you noticed this?
There's a man who wanted to hire me to write about reverse mortgages, but the way he wanted to go about it was distaseful to me, so I declined the job. (He wanted to write those messages that look like official government announcements - misleading to say the least.)
When I came across him on LinkedIn all I saw was his first name and last initial.
Why? Is he ashamed of what he's doing?
Today I accepted an invitation from someone to connect there and as always, a page popped up asking me if I knew any … (79 comments)

real estate marketing: First Impressions – They Count in Prospecting, Too - 12/16/14 08:35 AM

You already know the importance of first impressions.
They're the reason you ask your listing clients to give their homes curb appeal.
They're the reason why you encourage clients to clean their homes from top to bottom, get rid of ugly aromas, and even stage for best effect.
They're the reason you use the very best pictures possible in your Internet marketing.
They're the reason you choose your clothes carefully, show up on time, and get organized before you meet with a client. They should also be the reason why you choose your prospecting words carefully.
An … (37 comments)

real estate marketing: Why Include Personal Information in a Real Estate Agent Bio? - 11/24/14 04:15 AM

If you've read samples of my agent bios, you know that they all include some kind of personal information.
It may be where the agent was raised, where they went to school, their hobbies, their charitable work, or something about their pets.
Why? What does that have to do with their expertise as a real estate professional?
Except in special cases, such as a life-long hobby of visiting open houses, it has little to do with it. What it does instead is turn that agent from a "business robot" into a real person who may have something in common with his … (39 comments)

real estate marketing: Yes you DO have time – One dozen 5-minute marketing tasks - 11/22/14 04:27 AM

When you're building a real estate career the need to market your services never ends. You need to keep doing something every day to meet a new prospect, to nurture a current prospect, to connect with a past client, or to put your name in front of searchers.
Yes, you're busy. Some days you think it will be impossible to do even what you must do to keep track of current transactions. But if you don't keep marketing, one of these days you'll find yourself with far too much time on your hands, because you have no clients.
You DO have time … (26 comments)

real estate marketing: What to do if your real estate career is faltering... - 11/21/14 01:40 AM

Sometimes even experienced real estate agents go through periods of decline in their business. For years things went well and they had all the home buyers and sellers they needed without making an effort to market their services.
And now...they're wondering why other agents seem to have plenty of clients and they don't.
What’s the cure?
If this is happening to you, the first step is to rejuvenate your enthusiasm. It's not always easy, but you can do it.
Stop and think about why you love selling real estate. Think about how good it feels when you help make someone's dreams … (16 comments)

real estate marketing: Use a little psychology in your real estate marketing word choices... - 11/02/14 03:33 AM

There are a few real estate gurus out there coaching people to use the "assumptive" approach, and as its taught, I personally don't like it. I think it's just a bit too pushy to write someone and say "I know you're thinking of selling your house" if you don't, in fact, know that.
The argument is that if they ARE thinking of it they'll respond, and if they're not, then you haven't lost anything.
I still think it's rude, so wouldn't respond in any case, but that's just me.
But there IS a softer approach to the assumptive approach - and it is … (65 comments)

real estate marketing: Increase $$$: Real Estate Press Releases For Your Business - 10/29/14 09:44 AM

Courtney brings us wise advice - along with the "How to."
A news story carries so much more weight than an ad - it's as if the newspaper itself is endorsing you and your business.
When I had an agency we did things on purpose to get our names and faces in the news. Of course, in a small town that wasn't at all difficult. If you live in a large city where your news might get "swallowed up" by bigger events, consider sending your releases to the small neighborhood publications and organizational newsletters.
Real Estate Press Releases To Increase Your … (10 comments)

real estate marketing: Ever Hear of the Website PHD Disease? - 10/16/14 05:27 AM

You may never have heard of PHD, but your website may be suffering from it just the same...
Here's how you can effect a cure.

… (16 comments)

real estate marketing: How often should you contact prospects? - 09/25/14 02:14 PM

This question comes to me with regularity from agents who purchase my prospecting letter sets. And while I'd love to give them a hard and fast rule, there isn't one. We all know that some marketers write so often that they become annoying, so... How often is "just right" depends upon your target audience.
If you're writing to your geographic area or a niche market such as absentee owners, every 3 or 4 weeks is probably fine – although you should send a "just listed," "under contract," and "just sold" card every time you have such news. If you're … (97 comments)

real estate marketing: When You're Going to Need a Writer - Don't Wait! - 09/24/14 08:58 AM

This has been a week for me of saying "No, I'm sorry."
Why am I sorry? Because I can't accomodate requests for a bio in 2 days - or even in a week.
Even if I had nothing else to do I wouldn't agree to furnish a bio in 2 days. It simply takes longer than that by the time I:
Send my questionnaire and get it back Read the answers Send more questions to clarify incomplete answers Make a phone call if necessary to get the rest of the answers Re-read the answers and my notes 3 or 4 times THINK … (11 comments)

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