1) Speak to your target audience
Write with intent and construct a message that will resonate with the audience you’re trying to reach.
First, picture your ideal buyer. This mental image will guide both the tone of your advert and the benefits you choose to emphasise.
Whether it’s a first home buyer, investor, or retiree, put yourself in their shoes and speak directly to their needs. If it’s a family home, then school zones are highly relevant. If it’s an over 60’s unit, then mentioning local amenities and public transport options is more appropriate.
2) Resist the urge to oversell
Naturally, you want to paint each listing in the best possible light, but it’s important not to overreach. If you talk a big game and you can’t back it up, you’ll put your reputation at risk and give potential buyers unrealistic expectations of what they’re coming to see.
Honesty is the best policy. A quick way to check that your language is accurately describing the property is to read through your advert and ask yourself “Is this true?”
With this little exercise, you might catch yourself referring to a 3 bedroom home as "a luxurious palace" or describing a bog-standard kitchen as "opulent and expansive". You can get more advice on this topic from Tim’s article on adjusting your language to attract qualified buyers.
3) Check your spelling and grammar
While everyone has a different threshold for grammatical errors, a quick spell check and proofread goes a long way. A well-written, professional piece of communication, in any context, shows that you’ve made an effort and provides an indirect signal that you care about the person you’re talking to.
4) Present your case
Just like an essay, your real estate advert should tell a complete story. Form the argument in your opening sentence, expand and prove your points in the following paragraphs, then summarise at the end.
The conclusion is the final piece of the puzzle. It’s your last chance to tell your audience why they should buy this property.
5) Include a call to action
Now that I’ve seen your ad, what’s next?
The call to action is your opportunity to get those potential buyers to book a viewing straight away.
Make it as easy as possible for a potential buyer to make contact. Try to create a sense of urgency and drive action from the reader. You can mention if the property is in high-demand, or allude to your vendor’s motivation.
Try these tips on your next listing to save time and create more space for doing what you love. Or, if that all sounds too much like hard work, you can always use Blerb.
Until next time, Happy listing!
