Invisible.
No, I don’t mean it isn’t there at all. I mean that the words disappear behind the message. No one "sees" the individual words or sentences. Instead, readers absorb the message the words were written to convey.
When you can make the words disappear, it's as if your thoughts were being transferred from your brain straight through to your reader's brains.
That’s why it’s so important to proofread for typos, misused words, and misspellings.
As soon as a reader gets stopped by a word that’s somehow “wrong,” they see the words instead of the message. You might as well put in a sign saying “Stop reading here.”
It's not much different from transferring data from one computer to another - if something happens to interrupt the transmission, it's gone.
Industry jargon and “$40 dollar words” are also like stop signs for many readers. That’s why copywriters try to keep the language at about a 7th grade reading level. We don’t want even one reader to have to stop and think “What does THAT word mean?”
Once the reader has to stop and consider the actual words, the magic of the message is lost.
This is also why it's also important to make the copy physically easy to read. Short paragraphs, sub-headings, and bullet points all serve to break up the copy and allow readers to absorb the message in small bites.
The wall of words formed by an over-long paragraph simply looks difficult to read. And on line – it is. Human eyes have trouble following along with long paragraphs on the screen. The "rule" is no more than 7 lines per paragraph – I personally prefer to keep them even shorter.
Reasonable font sizes are also important, as they let even "senior eyes" read without having to enlarge. Do remember not to go overboard - too large is annoying because it looks like you're shouting.
Think of your real estate marketing copy like the picture window through which you can
gaze on a breathtaking view… you don’t “see” the window unless it’s cracked or dirty. If it’s clean and doing its job, all you’re aware of is that view.
Make your marketing copy look the same – clean and easy to "see through" so that all your readers are aware of is the message behind the words.
What ELSE does good real estate marketing copy look like? Find out here.
Data transfer Image courtesy of rajcreationzs@freedigitalphotos.net
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