Thoughts on Real Estate Marketing…

The first thing to remember when you set out to write an ad or a marketing letter is that most people want a good reason NOT to read it. They don’t want to miss anything that might benefit them, but they’re really hoping yours is a message they can simply toss or delete. Everyone gets [...]

This week’s mail brought a promotion for would-be copywriters. It’s all about teaching you to write copy that sells, and how to run a successful copywriting business. The whole thing was “formulatic.” It had the scarcity – only 20 spots, so act now. It attempted to make you want the program by saying “this isn’t [...]

Do you dream about your work? I do. And this morning I woke up dreaming that I was writing a blog post about potatoes. To back up a minute, last night I had a conversation with my husband and neighbor about planting potatoes. I said it was worth it to avoid the chemicals in commercial [...]

If so, you aren’t alone. My own best friend is. Every time she calls me for help with copywriting, she apologizes for needing help. She, like many others, seems to think that since she’s an intelligent person, she should be able to write great copy. Why? She’s brilliant at accounting, and I’m not at all [...]

It’s easy to get stuck. You know the message you want to convey, but how to give it a lead-in that will keep readers interested long enough to see it? You probably know that the purpose of the headline or subject line is to get readers to read the first sentence. The purpose of the [...]

In this week’s real estate ezine I urged my readers to get out there and make themselves more visible online. It might be by: finally creating their own website joining Active Rain and blogging or commenting commenting on blogs that allow them to leave their URL answering real estate questions on real estate portals setting [...]

Plenty of business people do. I see it online. I see in in print ads. And it’s not just real estate people telling it – it’s everyone from our local accountant to garage mechanics to insurance salesmen to building contractors. It annoys me first because it’s a lie. It annoys me second because it’s a [...]

You want people to read your marketing messages, right? Then let your copy be a conversation… Not a lecture, not a demand, not even a blatant advertisement. Before you sit down to write, think about the people you want to reach. Then narrow that down to just one of them. Picture that person in your [...]

Copywriting has plenty of rules for you to follow, and maybe even more than one that’s labeled “Rule #1,” but this one is too important to ignore. The rule is: Remember that it isn’t about you. Your marketing, if it’s to be effective, HAS to be about your prospective customers/clients and what they want or [...]

Of course if you want your clients and colleagues to recommend you, you need to ask for testimonials. Even people who love your work will forget that their comments are valuable to you. But here’s another way to get more recommendations: Make the first move – recommend them first. If you’ve done business with someone [...]