Shhh…Don’t Spill the Beans

Remember when your mom used to warn you about telling family secrets? The same logic applies to writing copy for your website. Don’t feel obligated to put every piece of information about your business, your community or your listings out in the open where it’s easily seen. The reason? If you give viewers everything they need to know, what will motivate them to contact you? The Internet is an interactive medium; you want to offer enough information for potential clients to become interested in contacting you for more data.

There are several ways to accomplish this. One is to set up interactive contacts—tools that ask for the viewer’s contact data before releasing your information. Here’s an example: “Click here to receive my exclusive report: 10 things you must know before listing your home in Anywhere, Ohio.” Your web designer inserts a hyperlink in the sentence which leads to a page where the viewer lists his name and email address and then clicks on “continue” or “send me your report.” From there, another hyperlink leads the viewer directly to the listing guide, or you can choose to have it sent directly to the email he entered. Now you have a contact for your database and the viewer has the information he wants.

One caveat about asking for information from potential clients: keep your mandatory requests minimal. Most people will share their names and emails; many will balk if you ask for more data such as phone number, address or interest in buying or selling. You may insert a box for the phone number with an explanation that if the client wants you to call he can fill it in, but it is not required in order to receive the information. Also, be sure to clearly delineate a privacy policy stating that the information will be used only by you and not shared or sold to any third party.

Another method for capturing contact data is to hold a drawing. In order to enter, site viewers need to leave their names and email addresses thus establishing another contact for your database. Select prizes that can be used anywhere in the country since your site’s readers don’t necessarily live in your community. Gift certificates for nationwide chains (e.g. Target, Home Depot) are universally appreciated and provide the opportunity for a housing tie-in.

You may also want to develop an offer specific to your real estate practice. One of my clients promised to pay a certain dollar amount in relocation expenses to anyone who closed a transaction with her. Be sure to check your state’s laws regarding drawings and sweepstakes in advance. This information is usually available on your Secretary of State’s web site.

So, when developing your website, remember that the first two syllables of the word “Internet” should have you thinking “interactive.” Make sure your copy reaches out and asks for that interaction so you can build an active contact database to use in your marketing efforts.

Lois H. Feinstein produces powerful and compelling Web copy, marketing materials, newsletters and brochures for Realtors® and other business professionals. She is Chair of the Real Estate Virtual Assistants (REVA) Copywriting Guild and a member of the International Virtual Assistants Association, and has written for a number of magazines including 5280 and Denver Woman. Her business, I Can Do That!,
www.i-cando-that.com, is based in Denver, Colorado.

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