We’ve all seen it: the real estate advertisements that make you cringe. It’s pretty easy for most of us to identify the ads that don’t work. Perhaps it’s a lackluster headline: “Gorgeous 2-story located in a nice neighborhood .” Maybe it’s got a cliché that you’ve heard a million times before like, “Location, location, location.”

Obvious Mistakes

Then, there are the real estate ads that are just plain wrong. You may have gone through your mailbox and seen a real estate ad that contained a typo. Grammatical errors are simply inexcusable. Those will be thrown in the trash immediately. If that’s what your customers see, you’re in trouble. You are risking your professional reputation and losing a potential customer. When you can’t attend to a simple detail like proofreading, how can you take care of your customers’ real estate needs?

Choose Photos Wisely

Professional headshots and pictures of homes are part of every real estate ad, postcard and business card, so choose the most flattering and professional shot of yourself and the properties you are representing.

Standing Out from the Crowd

As a businessperson, you want to stand out from your competition. There’s nothing wrong with that. Your real estate business should be all about branding—you want to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. However, some of us take it just a bit too far.

What Not To Do

You do want to capture a potential customer’s attention. And you don’t have very long to do it. A great real estate headline will do that for you. But a “funny” headline with a silly-looking picture of you? Sure, it may catch someone’s eye–all for the wrong reasons. You end up becoming the punch line of a bad joke. Don’t expect your phone to ring.

Be Clever—But Not Too Clever

So let’s give a real-life example of what we’re talking about. The real estate postcard starts with the clever headline, “Shopping for a New Realtor®?” So far, so good, right? Here’s the kicker: the picture is of a Realtor® perched in a shopping cart. That’s not the kind of professional image you want to project.

Six Tips for a Great Real Estate Ad

Now that you know what not to do in a real estate advertisement, let’s talk about how to write a good real estate ad. There are a few things to keep in mind.

1.  Headlines Count

In most cases, the headline is all that people will read. Keep it short and simple, but put a word or two in there about what makes it special

2.   Consistent Branding

Is the real estate advertisement in line with the rest of your marketing materials? Is it part of your overall branding and the message you want to send?

3.  Professional Photo

Be sure that your headshot is professional. It should be a clear, updated professional picture. If you can’t decide which image to use, go for the one that looks a bit more conservative.

4.  What’s Your Competition Doing?

Do your homework find out what your competition is doing. Figure out what works for them (and what doesn’t work). You have your own style and your own brand, but you also want a real estate advertisement that works.

5.  Second Opinion

Show your real estate marketing materials to a colleague or a friend. Get honest and objective feedback and change it as recommended.

6.  Checking it Once, Checking it Twice

Proofread all of your real estate marketing materials—again and again. Be critical. You do not want to send out any real estate materials with errors.

In the end, any written materials you send out to potential real estate customers are part of your overall image and branding. Be sure everything you send out is perfect.