How To Write Killer Ad Copy That Attracts An Avalanche of Sellers

(I thought this was a pretty good article for everyone to read.)

How To Write Killer Ad Copy That Attracts An Avalanche of Sellers
by Lou Castillo

Here’s another short tip in my success series. I have always said that marketing is the cornerstone of your business. If there is one place that you really want to place your best efforts, it’s in your marketing. But the question I hear most often from my students is, “How do I write great ad copy?”

Writing great copy is a state of mind. It’s really just about you talking to your potential sellers about why they should contact you to buy their house. No one knows you like you know yourself. And no one can communicate who you are and what you have to offer better than you. It is best, therefore, if you write the ads yourself so the true you comes out – the one that the customers are going to meet in person when they call. Here are some tips that will help:

1. Determine what type of customer you’re trying to attract. What is their situation? What are their immediate wants (remember we always seek out what we want, not necessarily what we need? Put yourself in their shoes. What are they thinking?

2. Write down who you are. Why should someone call you? Are you a friendly person? Do you focus on service? Are you easy to talk to? Do you have a lot of experience?

3. Have a USP – Unique Selling Proposition. What makes you better than all of the rest? It can be that all your phone calls are answered by a real person. Or that you will always make an offer within 24 hours. Whatever it is that you do that makes you unique to the competition.

4. Compare the two lists and the USP. Write down some phrases that match what you have to offer with what they want. For instance, they’re intimidated to call and talk to anyone about their situation. They’re afraid of being judged. You feel that you are a nice person who is easy to talk to. A phrase you might use is: “If you’re looking for a down-to-earth person who will take the time to make you the best offer on your house, then call me now at _______.”

5. Since composing the copy is difficult for most people, consider just talking it out into a tape recorder. Just talk to your customers in everyday English. Tell them what you can do for them. Then re-play your recording and write it down.

6. After that, put it away. Come back a day or two later, and read what you wrote, and make revisions that make it a stronger message. You may want to repeat this step a few times.

7. Be confident and proud of what you have to offer, but don’t let it become cocky, and do not over promise. It is much better to under promise and over deliver.

8. Be excited when you record your message, and allow that excitement to come through in the writing. You want your target customers to feel that excitement, and know that you are the person to call.

9. Test. Test. Test. Don’t feel that you have to get your copy perfect before you can send it out. Test it. See what kind of results you get. Then make improvements, and test again. Keep which ever version pulled the best results. Then test again with a new message, always keeping the best one as your control piece.

If you feel that your advertising is not pulling the number of leads it should, you may have one of the following trouble spots with your marketing. Critique your marketing and see if any of these apply. Or ask someone you trust and respect to review your marketing and provide their feedback.

1. You are not working in a good farm area for your service.

2. Your message is not clear.

3. Your headline does not grab their attention.

4. You are not building credibility & rapport with the readers - Do you have testimonials?

5. You have not clearly communicated the WIIFM - What's In It For Me.

6. You have not made it easy for them to see your phone number to call.

7. You do not have a live person answering the phone and you are losing lead calls - most will not leave a message.

8. You have not differentiated yourself from the competition.

The key is just get started. The hardest word is the first one, after that, each one is much easier. Just follow these steps and you’ll write some killer copy.