Obviously, making an EMOTIONAL CONNECTION is key to forming relationships with prospects ... but how to do it through the WRITTEN WORD is not so obvious. Here's some help ...

GREGORY: Thanks for the phone call yesterday. I hope I was some help to you. As I said in our conversation, one of the free bonuses included with my new guide on how to write your own personal brochure is a 99-point creative brief.

Good copy doesn't just magically happen, even for professional writers. It's the result of thorough, in-depth research. And a huge part of the research professional writers and ad agencies do involves a strong creative brief. When you have the one I provide with my guide, you do the same research a pro writer writing your story would do. Then, when you put your pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, you're so filled with information that's interesting and on-target, it just comes flowing out.

To the uninitiated, it sure looks like magic.

Thanks for commenting.........Kay

Jon: Thank you! It's good to hear from you again. You may not recall, but you read my Thanksgiving post and wrote a comment that I really appreciated.

I'd like to expand on what you told Gregory above about no one thing being the answer.

The big thing about using a story to deliver your information to prospects is that it helps them remember you, which is the main purpose of marketing. And the simpler your story, the better. Think about the Jared story for Subway sandwiches.

There's a great new marketing book out about this: Made to Stick.

A good definition of marketing is "an ongoing process of getting your message to your target audience consistently over time through a variety of media." So, by definition, marketing is never a one-shot deal.

(Unfortunately, many people will do one marketing project, and when it doesn't deliver great results, they're disappointed and renounce marketing altogether. Or someone does a marketing project that just happens to get results, and she concludes that doing this one thing is *the* answer. But I digress...)

Everyone has to *begin* their marketing somewhere. And with personal marketing, you *begin* by introducing yourself. In print, this is done with a personal brochure. On the Web, it's done traditionally on the "About" page. And if you use these two places to tell your prospects a story, then the next time they hear from you they'll be more likely to remember you, and the contact with them will be warm, not cold. A series of these "warm" contacts -- in which you let the prospect get to know you -- build a relationship.

I still remember your story, Jon, of your family's move from Russia -- from just above the Artic Circle -- to sunny Florida and about not seeing the snow since. You painted that picture in my mind with your words, and it stuck!  Thanks for commenting...........Kay

DIANE: Thank you! And it's not hard stuff to write. Just give your story a setting and a character or two ... then BOOM! a string of facts is made engaging. Thanks for commenting. Please come again.........Kay

LATONIA: You're welcome! And thanks for stopping by. Loved that story you told on your blog about the attorney at closing! Hope you'll come again........Kay

HI, CHRISTINE: You're welcome. I just visited your blog and found your posts very engaging. You kept me reading. Your love for writing certainly shows ... as does your love for real estate. Coming up with a story is easy when you have a creative brief to guide you. It's what professional writers and ad agencies use to prepare for any marketing or sales project.

If you'll forgive the shameless plug, my new Copywriter's Guide for Real Estate Professionals on how to write your own personal brochure has as a free bonus a 99-point creative brief included. Among other things, it enables you to step back and take an objective view of yourself. You'd be pleasantly surprised at the personal stories that emerge ... things about yourself that you never realized were story material. And the good part is ... the simpler your story, the better. Thanks for commenting. And please come again......Kay

ELIZABETH: that's a very good question. And my answer, in a word, is yes. However, with the market downturn, my brochure fee sends agents into sticker shock. I wish I could lower it to help folks out, but copywriting is a business for me and I simply can't. So I've done the next best thing ...

I created a guide for those who want to write their own, and I priced it at about the cost of a Friday night's dinner out and a movie.

What led me to do this was the dramatic increase in the last 12 months of visitors coming to my Web site via variations of the search string "how to write a personal brochure," instead of the usual "copywriter for personal brochure."

Smart agents know that marketing must go on, despite a shrinking marketing budget. So for the do-it-yourselfers, the guide includes five free bonuses, which are the tools needed to make a personal brochure project a success:

1. A 99-point creative brief -- a tool used by professional copywriters and ad agencies ...
2. A ready-to-mail letter requesting a testimonial ...
3. A list of questions and topic suggestions to include with each testimonial request ...
4. A ready-to-mail letter requesting permission to use an existing testimonial and ...
5. A must-see list of free and cheap resources.

Although the guide does include valuable tips on the writing process, it's not a course in creative writing, by any means. But by using the free creative brief, agents WILL discover their story, develop a core marketing message and have a blueprint to keep both their writing and their project on track.

Plus, by avoiding the mistakes pointed out in the guide and using its suggestions, agents wanting to do their own writing now have a way to ensure their personal brochure is the best it can be. I've also removed all financial risk with a 3-month money-back guarantee.

I apologize for the length of this answer. But I'm convinced "A Copywriter's Guide for Real Estate Professionals - How to Write & Lay Out Your Own Personal Brochure" can help agents. Thanks for commenting, Elizabeth...........Kay

KATHY: I see why people come back again and again to your site. You do an excellent job of carrying on a conversation with your visitors, starting right there on your home page. That's how it's supposed to be done!

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised if you start letting prospects get to know you. But even without that, your personal "voice" comes through so well in your Web site copy, visitors get a sense of you. I can only imagine how wonderfully your story would come across written in your voice. Thanks for commenting........Kay