Thoughts on Real Estate Marketing…

This message was originally posted on Active Rain, a little over two years ago.

It was intended for real estate agents, but the principles apply no matter what business you’re in.

So here is the question: Is writing your own marketing materials the highest and best use of your time?

You as a real estate professional must wear dozens of hats. Some of them no one else can wear, but some of them could easily be placed on another head, freeing your time for those tasks you do best, and those that put the most $ in your bank account.

Talking to customers and clients face-to-face, for instance.

If you’re just starting out and not very busy you can probably wear most of those hats yourself for a while – but even then it depends upon where your talents lie. Some things you should never do for yourself, even if you have plenty of time.

One of those is writing. If you love it and you’re good at it, you should do it, at least until you have too little time to spare. If you don’t love it; if you aren’t sure about proper word usage; or if you just don’t do it very well, then you shouldn’t do it at all.

Forget about “should.”

Writing is something everyone seems to think they “should” be able to do, simply because they know more about their business than anyone else. But many cannot, and it has nothing to do with intelligence.

Even while they have no trouble communicating in person, when they sit down to write the words just aren’t there. Some people feel embarrassed over that inability to put their thoughts down on paper in a way that motivates other people, and I’ve never figured out why.

We each have different talents. I yell at my best friend with regularity because she calls herself “dumb” over not being able to write a good letter. This is crazy – the woman is a brilliant accountant!

Your copy precedes you…

The copy on your web pages, in your email campaigns, and in the letters, brochures, and postcards you send is the first impression that many have of you. As such, it should draw attention to what you can do for those potential clients and customers. Sadly, too often it draws attention to a misuse of the word “here,” or one of dozens of other common grammatical/spelling errors.

That’s why, if writing is “not your thing,” you should either enlist the aid of a friend or family member who knows how to write good marketing materials, or hire a copywriter.

Unless your marketing materials make a good first impression, you may never have the chance to make that first “in-person” impression.

I know, writers are expensive. That’s because several hours of work necessarily go into each letter, post card, or web page. Any writer who tells you they can whip out an effective sales letter in 30 minutes is someone you should shoo out your door.

But I do have good news. I can take the price sting out of one piece of the marketing mix for real estate agents.

Professionally written prospecting letters at a fraction of the price…

Now you can have the benefit of professionally written letters at about 4% of the price you’d normally pay. No, that’s not a typo – I really said 4%. You’ll find the details on my prospecting letters page.

There you can choose from 22 sets of letters, each written with a specific target audience in mind. They’ll save you time and money while they help grow your business by showing your prospects that you’re an agent they can trust.

Go see.

If you really want to do it yourself…

If you do want to write your materials yourself, plan on setting aside at least 2 or 3 hours per letter. Write it first, then edit. Then set it aside for a day and edit again. Then read it aloud to make sure it flows well. If possible, have someone else read it to make sure you’ve said what you meant to say. Misunderstandings come easy, even in writing.

To determine if letter writing is the highest and best use of your time, compare the cost of having a good letter written against the income you might realize if you were on the phone or in front of a customer instead.