If you want more real estate closings, it all begins with attracting more real estate clients. And, if you’re a listing agent, it also begins with attracting more buyer agents and their clients.
What is the key to creating this attraction?
Specificity in marketing.
Specificity in marketing will lead to more real estate closings in two ways:
- It will attract more clients directly to you for your services.
- It will attract more buyers for your listings.
Let’s begin with you…
Specificity applies to everything written by / about you and your service. It includes the words on your website, on your personal brochures, and in your blog.
Many of the agent bios I’ve seen will never lead to more real estate closings.
In fact, they won’t lead to anything at all, because they don’t say a darned thing. They’re filled with generalities such as “You need an experienced guide,” and “I offer excellent customer service.” Many say: “My goal is to serve you.”
What does any of that mean? Nothing. There isn’t anything to prove that the agent HAS that experience. There’s not a clue to tell the reader what excellent service means to that agent. There’s no hint about how he or she plans to accomplish the goal.
The worst example of this I’ve seen was on a site for a large franchise office with dozens, if not hundreds of agents. As I was scrolling through, I came across two identical bios – one right after the other. They were say-nothing bios, so perhaps it didn’t matter. But still – it wouldn’t have looked quite so awful if they’d been separated.
You are a unique individual with specific strengths, talents, and attributes…
Your agent bio should reflect that uniqueness. Instead of stating that you offer excellent service, it should highlight details about your service that lead your clients to deem it excellent. It should offer proof of your experience and outline how you serve your clients.
I believe your agent bio should also reveal some personal details, because they give insight into your personality. They also give clients a reason to like you or identify with you. What ideas do you automatically form about someone who loves to go hiking, volunteers with animal rescue, studies gourmet cooking, or is active in their church group?
When the content of your bio draws more people to you, more real estate closings will follow automatically.
Before I attempt to write an agent bio, I ask the agent to fill out a questionnaire that gives me insight into how they do business and what they believe is most important about their service. I also read their testimonials to see what their past clients thought. Those points of specificity are what make them stand out.
Specificity in your other web pages will also lead to more real estate closings.
Start with your location. When visitors to your website can clearly see what communities you serve, they’ll stay longer. It amazes me that so many real estate websites fail to reveal this on the home page.
In order to find the location, a visitor must look at the in-house listings and hope that the City name is part of the address. Please tell me why anyone should bother to do this when they can simply move on to a different website.
Get specific about your service on your buyer and seller pages.
Far too many agent websites say “You need a local expert,” “We are committed to finding you a home,” or “Our extensive marketing will put your home on X real estate portals throughout the web.” Then they might offer some canned advice that’s exactly the same as on a hundred other sites in their franchise.
You’ll attract more clients, and thus more real estate closings, when you get specific about how you serve those clients.
For instance, you might tell sellers that you’ll arrange for a free staging consultation, use a professional photographer and upload at least a dozen photos to MLS and X other real estate portals. You might offer to share your 37-point marketing plan. You might also talk about your responsiveness in answering every call and email within 2 hours – since being ignored by their agent is the #1 complaint about real estate agents.
For buyers you might emphasize how you’ll take the time to help them find a neighborhood with close access to work, school, or the recreational or health facilities that are important to them. You might talk about respecting their budgets, and never trying to push them into a house they can’t afford. And of course, you can talk about your responsiveness.
If you have a niche – which I hope you do – you can make those pages specific to the needs of buyers and sellers in that niche.
As for the advice articles – if you’re going to use the canned variety, at least edit them so they actually give some specific advice. Most that I’ve read don’t say much of anything.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“If a claim is worth making, make it in a most specific way.”
Claude C. Hopkins
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“Don’t become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.”
Zig Ziglar
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Community pages and blog posts will also lead to more real estate closings.
Once again, attracting more people to you and your website is the goal, and community pages can do that, especially when they’re backed up by blog posts.
These pages will help you climb in the search engines because they offer specific information that people want – information that Zillow, Realtor.com, and the other major portals can’t provide.
Create comprehensive community pages like this one paint pictures of life in the community or communities you serve. Once you have them in place, continue to add information via your blog. Write blog posts featuring market reports, community activities, new developments, and answers to questions about the specific kinds of real estate you handle.
Think about this – If you wanted to buy a home and you shared your life with 3 large dogs, wouldn’t you like to know if any of the subdivisions prohibited or specifically allowed large dogs? If you owned both a boat and a motor home wouldn’t you want to know if any subdivisions prohibited parking them in your driveway? If you wanted to buy and restore an historic home, wouldn’t you appreciate articles on where to find authentic materials?
If you thinking of moving to a community, wouldn’t you like to read about the shopping, the medical facilities, the recreational opportunities, and perhaps the kinds of jobs available?
Blogging about topics such as these (using good SEO practices, of course) will not only draw people to your website – it will turn you into the neighborhood expert. And everyone knows the recognized expert will attend more real estate closings.
And… Specificity in property descriptions lead to more real estate closings…
… Simply because it will result in more showings.
What is there about a description saying that a house has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a garage, and a great kitchen that’s going to attract attention? What about that will set it apart from other homes for sale?
Nothing.
Back up for a minute and think about advertising you see on TV and in magazines.
Would a company selling soda pop, beer, or wine say that it “comes in a 16 ounce container and tastes great?” Not hardly. They’d skip the container size and describe that “great” taste in specific detail. They’ll even tell you how their beverage will make you feel, or how it will make you appear in the eyes of your friends.
How about a motor vehicle? Would any car manufacturer say “It seats 5, the tank holds X gallons of gas, the top speed is X, and the interior is comfortable?” No. They’ll describe it in ways that make you want that vehicle.
Now go back to a house you need to describe.
What are the most impressive features? Describe them with specificity. Instead of high ceilings, say 10 foot 
ceilings. Instead of large deck say 16’ x 20’ deck. Instead of large windows say floor to ceiling windows – or state their size. Instead of trees, state the variety, and possibly the size. Towering pines paints a different picture than “pine trees.”
I’m going to assume that you’re using plenty of high quality photos. Look at them before you begin to write your description and avoid repeating anything visitors can clearly see. Instead, use that precious space in MLS to add details and to describe features or benefits that don’t show in the photos.
Anywhere you might be tempted to say “beautiful” or “great,” stop and write a real description. Meanwhile, skip repeating the statistics that visitors can clearly find in the details.
If you want your website and your property descriptions to lead to more real estate closings, remember your objective.
When marketing your services, you want people to think “That’s the agent for me.”
When advertising a listing, you want people to be stopped by the photos, then enticed by the descriptions. Thus, your job is to paint word pictures that leave them thinking “This house sounds perfect for me. I have to see it in person.”
Magnet Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
