“Hmm, what to write…?”

I know a lot of us can get stuck on this aspect of the real estate agent job. Mostly, because you are writing me to tell me so. (Thank you for all the letters you have sent me in the mail. It means a lot to me that you feel you’re getting support as a new real estate agent. I read and try to respond to every one of them.) 

I was a copywriter for a good chunk of my life, so I picked up some fail-proof (well, mostly) tricks along the way to help you get over the hurdle of this pesky thing called copywriting.

Starting from the basics, the main components of writing for sales is:

• Who are you selling to? (target market)

• Why would they want it and not the one down the street? (unique selling point)

• What feeling do they care about? (emotional anchor)

• Where can they get it? (directions)

All of which seem simple, I would imagine. The trick to turning bland copy into copy that delivers engagement is imagery. For instance, let’s say you are writing remarks for your listing. Which sounds better? 

“Enjoy a large wrap-around deck that sits on a sloped treed lot on 1/3 of acre” (17 words) 

Or…

“A bird watcher’s paradise, sipping coffee on your wrapping deck overlooking 1/3 of an acre.” (15 words)

They both say the same thing, give the same unique selling point, target the same audience with the same direction. The difference is the emotional anchor. The second set of copy comes with a picture and a feeling that I’ve given you of what it could be like on that deck. I put you on the deck in your mind. Not every person is a bird watcher, but I was able to tell you it’s treed in a more emotionally driven way. It gives the sense it’s peaceful without saying it directly.

Speaking in generalities, people are innately selfish. They need to know why they should care. When you’re copywriting and you want someone to act on your message, you must engage the “I want that” part of a person. Also known as the heart.

Exercise:

1. Practice. Go back to a listing or marketing piece you’ve already written. Is there a part in the copy where you could have added imagery? If so, try adding it. You might have to tinker with it for a while to get the hang of it.

Learning to write well doesn’t come overnight. It’s a craft. Being curious about why a person would want the house you’re selling will help you a lot in conjuring the imagery it takes to get a person to act. Without those special wants that a person has, we could just show buyers ANY one 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house and write an offer right? But that’s not how it works. It’s a feeling they buy, so add it to your writing.

I’d love to hear what you think. Is writing a part of the job that is really tough or easy for you and why?  Leave me a comment below.  

Until then, chin up, keep your feet moving … and burn the white flag.

sz

Copyright 2019 - Shelley Zavitz Realty