Are you a real estate agent wondering if you should hire a real estate content writer? Or why you might need to hire a freelance writer for your real estate business?
I totally get where you’re coming from.
Going through real estate school, I believed I would be equipped with all the tools I needed to succeed in my real estate career. I truly thought that once I completed the course, passed my exams, and earned my license, I would be set.
But as you know, if you’re a practicing real estate agent, that’s not exactly the case. What you learn in real estate school is only half of the equation.
You learn about contracts, laws, and best practices in school. But no one talks much about how to do the marketing.
Marketing Your Business is Key
Marketing is an essential part of your real estate business – marketing for brand awareness, lead generation, marketing your listings, marketing yourself, and so much more. If you don’t market well, you won’t be in business long.
I find it odd that so much of the real estate business relies on good marketing practices. But you’re not taught any of those practices to get your license.
Most real estate agents rely heavily on their brokers to get them started on how marketing works. They learn how to generate leads, market their listings, and network from their brokers.
And that’s all fine and good.
But here’s the deal…if you’re relying on your broker to do the majority of your marketing, then how will you ever stand out from the crowd? How will buyers and sellers single you out and choose you?
If you’re with a big brand like Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Keller Williams, or any other national name, you can use that brand awareness to gain instant credibility. But you can’t really stand apart from the name.
And if you’re with a small, boutique brokerage, like me, you don’t have that name recognition to rely on.
So, how do you stand out in a crowded field? How do you get buyers and sellers to find you and choose you to work with?
You have to market yourself.
How to Market Yourself
When it comes to self-promotion, you need to put yourself out there as an agent. There are still a lot of agents who don’t have a Facebook page or a LinkedIn profile. But we’re living in an age when approximately 90% of home buying and selling is at least started online.
And now that we’re in the age of COVID-19, many more transactions take place 100% online. That’s a trend I don’t see ending any time in the future. So, it will only hurt your business if you ignore technology.
You can choose any number of paths to follow when using online tools for your marketing. You can master Facebook and Instagram. You can learn to be a TikTok phenom. You can become a YouTube influencer. The possibilities are endless.
Building a website and starting a blog are also great tools to build up your individual brand. They're great for letting buyers and sellers get to know you. It’s all about building a know, like, and trust factor for your potential clients.
Where Does Writing Come In?
Once you decide which tools to use for marketing yourself and your real estate business, you’re going to need some copy to get yourself up and running. You may not realize it now, but you’re going to need…
Video scripts
Social media posts
Social media ads
Blog posts
Website pages
Landing pages
Lead magnets
Emails and drip campaigns
And even property descriptions for your listings.
There are so many pieces of content you’re going to want to use to help get the word out about you, your business, and your listings.
If you’re not comfortable with writing, you might consider hiring a real estate content writer to help you with such a big task.
It can be overwhelming. But the great news is you can find a freelance real estate writer with a quick search online.
Can I DIY?
If you’re not sure about hiring a copywriter to get your business going, you can absolutely write the copy yourself. It’s not that difficult if you love to write. I’m that person who has always loved to write and enjoys it. So, I DIYed my business, and now I’m doing it for others.
There are tons of resources out there that you can lean on to get some ideas, content samples, and even places to curate content. Check out sites like Keeping Current Matters, HubSpot, Social Chimp, and Easy Agent Pro for some great ideas for blogs, videos, and templates. And don’t forget to tap into the National Association of Realtors® and Inman for the latest industry news.
You can also check out some websites of actual real estate copywriters who have tons of resources you can use.
When it comes to building a real estate website, there are several options. Many people build through WordPress, but I build all my sites through Wix. There’s also SquareSpace and a few others.
But if you’re ready to beef up your real estate website game, you might want to check out the done-for-you real estate specific websites through Easy Agent Pro, Real Geeks, and Carrot. Many of these sites come with a heftier price tag but include IDX, which is a great feature for your potential clients.
How Much Does It Cost?
So, yes! You can absolutely do all this yourself. But you should ask yourself, “how much is my time worth?” Because the truth is writing takes time. And if your time is better spent doing other tasks, then you might consider hiring a freelance real estate copywriter for some or all the content you’re going to need.
The cost of these types of services will vary between the individual real estate copywriters you find. You can choose to go through Fiverr.com to find a writer, but know that many are not native English speakers, and it will show in their writing.
There are some higher-end real estate writers on Fiverr.com and even on Upwork.com, but you can easily find real estate writers through a quick Google search. There are many of them out there who specialize in real estate writing. Many, like me, have experience in real estate or are working real estate agents.
You can reach out to them, ask questions about what they can do for you, interview them, and inquire about their rates to see if it matches your budget. You may not be able to afford a complete overhaul of your marketing, but you can start with a small project and see how it goes.
For example, in the copywriting world, you can expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $500 for a single blog post, depending on the individual’s rates and the post's length. And you can expect to pay from $200 to $500 per page for websites.
You might even consider hiring a writer on retainer for a set amount each month, which will save you money. They can provide a set amount of content every month, like two blog posts and two social media posts each week.
If that’s more than you want or can afford to pay, start with a single blog post or a single web page. Do a smaller project to get things started and see where that takes you. I recommend starting with your home page.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate if you can’t afford what the writer is quoting. Most copywriters will work with you to scale back your project to make it more accessible, especially if you’re just starting out.
Where Do I Start?
Now that you know how important it is to create content for your real estate business, getting started is easy. Go ahead and type in “real estate copywriter” in the Google search and see who all comes up.
You can also search LinkedIn profiles for real estate writers. Many, if not most, writers have a LinkedIn profile that they use as a website to promote their services.
Check out the sites, explore their resources if they have them. See if you like what they write. If you do, reach out to them. They should have a phone number or contact information available on their home page.
Interview a few different copywriters. Their rates will vary, and you’ll want to find the one that provides the most value within your budget. You might even start with having one of them write a property description for you. That’s typically an inexpensive way to see what you can expect from the writer.
Most writers have reviews from past clients. Just like Amazon, you can check out the online reviews to see what others have said about their writing. So, check out their website, Google reviews, and LinkedIn profile.
Get Started
Now it’s up to you. If you want to see your real estate business flourish, you might consider using a real estate copywriter to build your website, landing pages, lead magnets, social media posts, property descriptions, and so much more.
You’ll find that you will constantly need content, and keeping up can be difficult. Hiring a content creator might be the fuel you need to take your business to the next level.
If you’re interested in learning more about how I can help your real estate business through powerful, well-crafted content, check out more about me on my website.