Writing Real Estate Letters - Know Your Audience

Whether you're sending individual real estate letters in the mail, or sending them through an autoresponder, know your audience before you start to write. If you send them to the wrong people, those letters can do more harm than good.

People - all of us - want to be seen as individuals. And your prospects are people. When they receive a letter from you, they want to see something written to them - not to anyone else. That's one reason why real estate letters - or any other marketing letters - should never contain phrases like "all of you," or "you guys."

So how do you know who you're writing to?

If they've taken the time to sign in at an open house or ask for a special report on your website, they've given you some insight into who they are. You should at least know if they're interested in buying or selling.

If your web home search form asked questions about the home they're searching for, of if your special report covered a specific topic, you know even more. So if you send them a message that shows you didn't pay attention, they're more apt to be insulted than intrigued.

A few months ago I signed up for messages on a website - as part of some research I was doing for a client. I immediately got ten (yep, ten) messages from this agent. (That's another subject entirely) But because I was doing research, I took the time to skim through all of those messages.

I found real estate letters written to first time buyers, distressed sellers, expired listings, move-up buyers, seniors who were moving to a care facility, and more. This guy had taken out his shotgun and blasted everyone with the same hodge-podge of messages. I suppose he hoped that one of those ten letters might catch someone's interest.

They sure caught my attention - and made me think he was desperately trying to capture someone - anyone!

The next day I got 4 or 5 more of these goofy messages - and that continued on every couple of days for about a month. They annoyed me and I'm quite sure they annoyed any would-be buyers or sellers who received them.

What if you can't tell anything about them?

If you web capture form tells you nothing more than "buyer" or "seller," or if your special report offers only general information about the local real estate market, then write your real estate letters to a general audience. Talk about subjects that would be of interest to any buyer or any seller.

But don't risk insulting someone who has told you that he or she is looking for a waterfront mansion by talking about their need for a low-priced home. And don't start telling a seasoned investor things only a first time buyer needs to know.

Know your audience first - write your real estate letters second.

Marte Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter who specializes in writing for real estate and related industries.

For busy agents on a budget, Marte offers pre-written letter sets for use in postal mail or in e-mail continuity campaigns. Learn about Marte's copywriting services and her letter sets by visiting http://www.copybymarte.com