When you hear copywriting, real estate probably doesn't come to mind. But I'm surprised at how much of my work can be reduced to writing, editing and revising copy.  Marketing flyers, monthly mailers and listing remarks are just a few that come to mind.

That's why I was pleased to read this entry from MarketingProfs courtesy of HiredPens: Good Copy, Bad Copy.

Realtors, like all of us, get into a rut. Flyers begin to lack originality and relevance and listing remarks can be downright unreadable. And why not?  You've convinced yourself that flyers and agent remarks don't sell homes, so why worry about precision and clarity?

Besides smacking of laziness, these presumptions just aren't true.  Even if a buyer has never said "The listing agent's remarks really sold me," well-written copy can encourage or discourage a prospective buyer from even taking a look.  Marketing materials saturated with industry jargon, a silly number of abbreviations (3 bed, 2bt, hardwd lvng rm flrs, 10 ft high drs), or fraught with error are turn-offs.  There is too much inventory on the market to overlook your marketing copy.

I give myself a reminder to review the marketing materials and agent remarks 30 days after listing the property.  It's not uncommon for us to make changes based on feedback from showings or input from the homeowner.

Do you have friends or family look at your listing to make sure it's appealing and readable? How about a colleague?

The author of this nifty little article has four suggestions for achieving good copy.  Here are three:

Pretend you are not you. Get into the mind of your audience by reading the draft from their perspective. Does it make sense? Does it hold your interest? Does it include the information you need to take action?

Channel your inner English teacher. You may use contractions and an informal tone if it's appropriate to your copy. But banish the dreaded passive voice, all grammatical errors and any incorrect formatting.

Revise, print it out and read aloud. Your ear will probably catch anything your eye missed.

Don't settle for the status quo. Work harder than your competition and you will start to generate leads from your flyers and hear what we've heard. "After reading the remarks, I just had to see the house."