Some people do.
In fact, my best friend is one of them. Every time she calls me for help with copywriting, she apologizes for needing help. She, like many others, seems to think that since she's an intelligent person, she should be able to write great copy.
Why? She happens to be brilliant at accounting, and I'm not. I'm not embarrassed to admit I need her help figuring out debits and credits. I'm also not embarrassed to hire a mechanic for my car or a professional to repair my refrigerator. I didn't study those things and have no talent for them. If I tried to do them, I'd make a huge mess.
So what? Who said we all should be able to do every job in the Universe?
Unfortunately, too many people think that because they know their own business, they "should" be able to write their own marketing copy. The results often do more harm than good.
All businesses can suffer from DIY copy, but real estate agents more than most. That's because agents suffer more from unscheduled interruptions and an overall lack of time.
That leaves them trying to write a good letter or turn out a winning ad in 15 minutes. And trying to do so in between other tasks that have their minds spinning seven different directions. Unfortunately, it just can't be done that way.
The truth is good copywriting takes time, study, and plenty of thought. And after that it takes proofreading.
One letter could take several hours. A postcard could take even longer, because each word is so important. Copywriters spend a lot of time considering words and their impact and trying to choose exactly the right ones to evoke the desired emotions in their readers. Like many other copywriters, I keep a thesaurus handy to help me fine-tune messages.
Quite some time ago I wrote a statement such as the one above and someone commented that I was badly mistaken. This person said she was a journalist and had written for newspapers – and no way did it take several hours to write one letter. She definitely could write her letters in 15 minutes.
I really wanted to write back to her and explain the difference between news copy and marketing copy. And I wanted to point out that some news stories required 3 or 4 readings to figure out what the heck they were talking about – and that just won't do with marketing copy. But I didn't. There's no point in arguing with someone whose mind is made up.
The bottom line is this: If you enjoy writing your own marketing copy and have both the necessary skills and the time to do it well, by all means do it yourself. If you don't, hire a good copywriter. Then go do the job you do best -- such as listing and showing homes, negotiating, and tending to all the details involved in a closing.
Quit feeling guilty because you're not a professional copywriter, web designer, auto mechanic, hairdresser, or accountant. Instead, keep on being the best expert you can be in your own field and be thankful that you don't have to do everyone else's job in addition to your own.
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