by: Michael Russer (a.k.a. Mr. Internet^®)
REALTOR® Magazine - June, 2005

The copy you find on most real estate sales associates' Websites makes for excellent bed-time reading, especially if you are suffering from a bad case of insomnia! This is such a lost opportunity, because with a little thought, structure and effort your Web copy can launch a flowing stream of wonderful and profitable new relationships with your online prospects.

The biggest mistake that sales professionals tend to make with their Website content is using it to inform rather than "engage" their visitors.

Attract, Engage, Interact

Keeping in mind that we live in a "scanner" society that skims for things of interest rather than reading every word, it is important that your site immediately grab their attention on every page. The easiest and most powerful way to do this is with attention-getting headlines.  Your site can have brilliant, engaging copy but it won't be seen or appreciated if your visitors are not attracted to it in the first place.

A great headline is one that appeals to the primary emotional "centers" of your online target market. For example, first-time buyers will certainly be attracted to:

"3 Steps To Beat Other Buyers To The Home Of Your Dreams"

This headline works because it strongly addresses both fear and opportunity as the primary emotions driving the typical first-time buyer. Keep in mind that your headlines need to be consistent with the emotional profile of your target market. For example, this same headline would fall flat if you used it on luxury property buyers.

The first paragraph after your headline is known as the "lead-in" paragraph and its' main job is to continue building interest so your visitors keep reading. Each paragraph after that should address in some way the payoff implied in the headline (i.e. provide the promised value). You will find that your Web copy will even be more engaging if it is written in first person. Just make sure most references to "I" are re-written to "you," "your," "yours" etc. When done this way it is like having a one-on-one conversation directly with your online prospect - with them, not you, being the focus —very powerful!

At some point in every page of your copy you want to give the visitor a reason to interact with you. This could be done through a compelling offer as covered in the February 2005 Ask Mr. Internet® column or, with a "call to interaction." This is where you propose a scenario to the reader and have them generate questions that you can address via e-mail.

This structural approach to writing Web copy is very effective and straightforward. To see a great example of each of these elements within sample Web copy geared toward first-time buyers just point your browser at http://www.onlinecopywizard.com to download the PDF.

At this point you are probably thinking "Makes great sense, but who is going to write all this awesome, deal-generating copy?"  Well, it you want it done right it's not likely to be you...

Don't Write, Just Outline

Clearly, it will take a seasoned copywriter to capture all the elements mentioned above and weave them into prose that will captivate your specific target market. You can find copywriters on any of the various virtual service provider market places like Elance (www.elance.com) or Guru (www.guru.com).

Don't expect your copywriter to come up with the content, that is your job. The following steps represent a very structured approach to working with a copywriter for your site copy:

1. Identify Main Site Copy Sections - since each lead may be handled differently depending upon where it came from, it is important to identify these sources.
   For example you might have a section on the difference between Fixed and ARM mortgages
    
2. Give Each Section A Title - just make it something descriptive and benefit-oriented —don't worry, the copy writer will turn it into a compelling headline.
   Example: "Fixed vs Adjustable - which is best?"
    
3. Bullet Point Each Section - identify 3 - 5 points that need to be expounded upon for each section.
   Example:
   • Affordability
   • Risk
   • How long you expect to own your property
   • Overall costs
      
4. Have Copywriter Interview You - over the phone your copywriter will spend just a few minutes asking you questions to flesh-out each section's bullet points. Make sure they record the call so you don't have to pause while they take written notes. This approach frees you up to speak from a stream-of-consciousness.
    
5. Copywriter Writes The Copy - make sure your copywriter understands the emotional profile of the market your site is targeting. Also, give them a copy of the PDF mentioned above so they have a road map for properly structuring each section of copy.
    
6. Review and Edit - give the finished copy to a third party for review and edit. Make sure the copy is written in first person (using very few "I's"), and has all of the structural components mentioned earlier.

The above needs to be completed for each section and subsection of your site. When it's done just give the finished masterpiece to your Webmaster for insertion into your site.

This may seem like a lot of work, and there is no question it will take a dedicated effort. Keep in mind however that you are not doing anything outside of your expertise because a professional writer will be doing the heavy lifting of converting ideas into relationship-building, transaction-generating copy. And, once it is done, it's done. You will have something so powerful and unique that your site will stand head and shoulders above any of your competition —and that makes it worth the effort!

Mr. Internet is the alter-ego of Michael J. Russer, an internationally recognized Internet speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry. He's dedicated to helping real estate professionals leverage their people skills into profit on the Internet. You'll see his column on REALTOR® Magazine Online every month and in the magazine quarterly. Send your Internet questions to help@askmrinternet.com or you can visit his Web site at http://www.russer.com

This article is reprinted in its entirety from the May 2005 issue of REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved other than mentioned above. Mr. Internet® is a registered trademark and Ask Mr. Internet!™ is a trademark of RUSSER Communications.