As a real estate agent, writing is probably not one of your natural strengths – and there’s no shame in that. However, communicating with your clients and potential clients is a fundamental part of growing your agency, so it’s important to pay a lot of attention to it.
At Commission Flow, we’re big advocates of outsourcing to skilled professionals who can do a better job than you – and in less time. Good copy across your website, sales material, flyers and online adverts is essential.
But, if you’d rather have a go yourself at producing your own copy – take on board some of these tips:
Be clear with your message
Good copy means getting to the point, quickly and concisely. Your core messages will be hidden if you write paragraphs of copy that simply don’t add any value. In the instance of website copy, your readers will skim read your website, rather than read it like a newspaper. So being clear and concise is absolutely critical to getting your message across and connecting with your reader.
Get well-structured
Structuring your content into bite-sized paragraphs with headings, ensures your copy is easy on the eye. There’s nothing worse than staring at a page or brochure with reams of long paragraphs. Break up the copy with well thought out paragraphs that run in an order that makes sense. Ideally your headings should also make it clear on first glance, what that particular page is about.
Cut out unnecessary fluff words
When you’ve finished your copy, it’s good practice to chop it down, chop it down again and again. In most cases, short and sweet is much more effective than long winded. Take out unnecessary words that oversell your real estate agency or the property you’re marketing. Going over the top will come across as a stretch of the truth and could ultimately put off potential buyers. We touch on this subject in our recent post on authenticity.
Connect with your reader
A good trick to writing great copy is to engage your reader early on. Rather talking in the third person, talk directly to your audience. Referring to ‘you’ is much more powerful than referring to ‘buyers’.
Another great way to make a connection is to address the pain points of your reader. Showing that you understand their problem – and you have the solution – will draw them in.
Talk about the benefits
It’s very easy to talk about the features of your real estate agency, or the property you’re selling – but think also about the ultimate end benefit of dealing with your agency, or buying that particular property. Here’s an example on a property brochure:
The features might be: spacious kitchen, open plan living and a modern kitchen.
The benefits might be: quality family time and a great entertaining space.
Include a clear call-to-action
The whole point of good copy, is to inspire your reader into taking action. Whatever you’re writing – be it a property brochure, your agency’s website, online property listing or email alert – be 100% clear on what you’d like your reader to do.
In some cases, this might be picking up the phone, or it could be arranging an obligation free market appraisal. Decide on the most logical step for them – then make sure they take it.
If you’d like some more hints and tips on marketing your real estate agency, you might want to read these blog posts: Identify your agency’s niche – then leverage it, Online consumer conversation means good news for the little guys, and Email marketing tips for real estate agents. Or, if you’d like some advice on outsourcing your cash flow woes, then contact us on 1800 003 569.
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