Effective real estate marketing materials are a combination of many things:
A good message to convey is, of course, primary.
After that you need to work on getting the words organized so they flow nicely and look good on the page – so they invite readers to come on in.
Of course you have to proofread for spelling errors, typos, and mis-used words, but today let’s just think about the flow.
Your objective – whether you’re writing a blog post, a prospecting letter, or a simple email – is to get from one sentence to the next and one paragraph to the next in a manner that takes your readers along.
You want them floating on the river of your copy, happy to see what’s around the next bend.
It’s not always easy, especially if writing isn’t “your thing.” But if you’re serious about the desire to write better real estate marketing copy, there IS a way to train yourself to do it.
Step 1:
First, find a few examples that you really like. These should be letters, emails, or blog posts that reach out and grab you. Your reaction to them is the reaction you want from the potential clients who will read your marketing copy.
Step 2:
Copy them. Get a notepad and a pen or pencil and write them out, by hand, word for word. Think about the words as you write them. Think about why it works – what is there about those words that draws you in?
Then do it again. Do it every time you come across something you think is really good.
I know – it sounds awful. It sounded awful when I did it back when I first started studying about copywriting. But it works.
Why does it work? According to those who teach copywriting, taking the time to copy down great writing gets your brain thinking like a great writer.
In addition, when you use a pencil and paper instead of a keyboard, the flow and format works into your muscle memory and helps you develop your skills.
Take heart – The things you need to copy aren’t that long.
When I was studying copywriting, they gave me a big book – about 2″ thick – and said “copy these.” It was filled with some of the most famous marketing pieces of all time, but it still wasn’t much fun.
Why did I do it? Because I really wanted to learn to do it well. And that’s why, if you’re struggling to write good letters, emails, and blog posts, and if you really want to do it better, you should give it a try.
(First published on Active Rain, August 2014.)
