Every writer has pet peeves that make him or her cringe. I actually have a few, but today is all about lazy copy.
First is a word which I believe is simply the sign of a lazy ad writer. It marks
someone who can’t be bothered to tell the whole story. It’s also generally an untruth.
What is this lazy word?
The word is “needs.”
Everywhere you look you can find ads that say “Call on us for all your (whatever) needs.”
Why can’t the writer take time to tell what the business or person actually has to offer? Especially since no one business or person can take care of all of anyone’s “needs.”
If I wrote an ad that said “I’ll take care of all your copywriting needs,” I would be offering a false statement, because I could not competently do that. I write about real estate and real estate related topics. If someone called on me to write about the stock market, I’d say no. I know nothing about that topic. Ditto for a technical manual about an electronics product – or about how to do coding on the Internet. And then there are some subjects I wouldn’t write about for any amount of money.
When a REALTOR (R) says “Call me for all your real estate needs,” that’s probably false as well. Some agents handle residential real estate, and some are experts at commercial and business transactions. Some sell farm and ranch land while others wouldn’t have a clue about how to do it.
Even if someone can handle almost anything that comes up, it’s more effective to spell it out and let those potential customers see what he or she has to offer. Why make them guess, especially since the “needs” word is so often ill-used?
Reveal those needs you really can address…
A plumber may be available to plumb an entire house from start to finish, or to make repairs – or both. He or she may or may not be available for emergency service in the middle of the night. And he or she might be clueless when it comes to plumbing something like a hospital. If the ad says this person will handle “All of your plumbing needs,” what does that mean?
A graphic designer may specialize in creating posters or book jackets – but you might need to find someone else to design your business card or the logo for your letterhead.
We’re all busy today, and often in a hurry. So when we go in search of someone to do a job for us, we’re more apt to at least begin the search with someone who says they do what we want done. Not someone who will simply take care of all of our “needs.”
If you offer many services, it can be a trick to convey all you offer in the space of a business card or a small ad. But work at it. Use your creativity to at least categorize your offerings. And if you have space in an ad, at least mention the tasks you most enjoy performing.
Laziness in property descriptions could mean the “right buyer” will fail to view your listing.
I know your MLS sites don’t give you enough space to really describe your listings, but some allow you to add a page, and if nothing else, you can invite visitors to your site to learn the rest.
So if you start to write any of the following, stop yourself. Instead of using one of these meaningless words, write a real description. Write one that paints a picture in the reader’s mind and makes that right buyer think “I have to see that house!”
- nice trees (What kind? How tall? Young or old?)
- big yard (How big? Measurements, please.)
- fenced yard (What kind of fence? How tall? Will it contain dogs or keep intruders out?)
- garage (Describe it)
- deck or patio (How big? What side of the house? Covered or not?)
- fireplace (How large? Made of what? Wood or gas?)
- spacious or large (Give the size)
- tasteful (What does that even mean?)
- pretty (What makes it pretty?)
- great (What makes it great?)
Whatever you’re writing, give it your time.
Whether you’re writing an ad for your services, your bio, a prospecting letter, a property description, or a community page – give it the time it deserves. Write words that actually convey meaning. After all, your words are your representatives out in the world. They’re introducing you to people you have yet to meet.
If you get stuck, write me. I love to write words that help ambitious real estate agents succeed.
Image courtesy of saphatthachat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
