24 Your Guide to an Effective Real Estate Marketing: Inspiration Not Plagiarism
Aug 6, 2009 Real Estate Investments
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I confess. My parents taught me well. They taught me not to steal. And all my journalism professors taught me well. They taught me not to plagiarize.
However, it has been a common practice for most direct marketers to use copies of previous mails they have received. Some may consider it plagiarism, but the truth is this is not entirely the case. Let me explain why.
What you do is to keep all direct mails you receive whether it’s from your competitor or from a marketer in a different industry. You are doing this because you are on the lookout for words, expressions, formatting style and action calls which are prominent and exciting. These words may be describing a product totally different from yours but they have great marketing impact.
You then use your new knowledge on the marketing impact of these words in your own real estate direct marketing copy. You don’t use the same sentences or even impart the same idea in your real estate direct mail. You are just using the ‘words’ to market ‘your own ideas.’
What word or phrase can you use to your advantage in your own mailing. I’m not telling you to copy the paragraph word for word. Not only is this illegal, it’ll be highly ineffective as well. But choose a word or two you like and work it into your next headline.
You are merely studying other people’s direct marketing materials and this is totally different from copying their mails. In fact, this method has been used by some of the most successful real estate marketers for years.
If you still don’t have enough collection of real estate direct mails, why not call them up and tell them you want to receive from them. This way you’ll be able to study the make up of their sales letters.
Then when these mailings come in, read them from front to back. Read the headlines, the sub heads, the text and any photo captions that may be included as well. If you must, read them out loud. Listen to what sounds good. Listen with particular interest to any ideas, words or phrases you can use and adapt for your next mailing.
Then place it in your swipe file. Add it to your storehouse of copywriting words. Not only do you know have a jump start on ideas for your next mailing, but you have a little stash of ideas - all safely tucked away - that you can pull out the next time you’re stuck for a word or a new reason to create a sense of urgency on the part of your reader.
Lastly, don’t feel guilty that you are committing a direct mail heist or that only uncreative and mediocre copywriters keep files of other people’s work. In fact, you are dead wrong. The most successful copywriters such as David Ogilvy do not hide the fact that they get inspired by other people’s ideas to help them create their own unique and successful copies. So, instead of getting frustrated about not being able to start writing your real estate direct mail copy; go read and be inspired by how other people use words for direct marketing!
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