I recently had the great pleasure to work with a real estate team. They had originally hired me to produce the copywriting for a website they were building with a large site design company.
I immediately clicked with this real estate team and offered exciting new ideas they could incorporate into their new online presence – not because it was my place as copywriter to pitch these ideas, but simply because once Always Brave Creative is hired, we are team YOU! I want the best for all my clients because the work I do is entirely merit-based. My success depends upon yours.
Upon realizing I had some experience in website design, the CEO of the real estate team privately emailed to ask if I’d look over the contract she was about to sign with the site design company. This was the first site their team had invested in, and she’d never owned a website before. She wasn’t sure what was considered standard terms of service.
I was happy to read the contract for her, and soon discovered that despite the LARGE investment she was about to make in her new site, she would not be site owner. The contract outlined that she would pay a large sum for the site’s creation, and then an ongoing monthly subscription fee.
“Red flag!” I wrote back. “Do you realize that the copyright to your site will remain with the developer? You’ll pay a monthly fee for site upkeep, but the fee is also a subscription to use the site. If you decide you don’t want to work with the company in the future, or if the company goes under, or if they raise this subscription fee to a price you can’t afford, your site simply disappears from the internet… along with your initial investment.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was worried about,” the realtor wrote back. “But, I mean, is this kind of contract what’s expected?”
To be honest, I don’t know what’s to be expected.
Maybe this is how most site designers work. But at Always Brave Creative, it’s important to us that our clients OWN the material they pay for. That means whether we’re building a site for you, creating gorgeous corporate branding, or preparing your resume, the client has FULL access to own, edit, and use the materials they have invested in without additional charge. Always Brave Creative clients, while able to access ongoing support, are empowered.
The realtor asked me to pitch my prices and services. Could I develop this site and take care of the copywriting?
“I’ll do you one better,” I replied. “We’ll even develop your branding, and I’ll provide training on maintaining this baby yourself.”
Because here’s what the other developer didn’t want her to know:
You are more than capable.
Out of this experience, I am thrilled to unveil the new online home for Rost Real Estate, a site fully designed, copy written, and branded by Always Brave Creative. Please take a look around their beautiful new space. Although they’re usually the ones handing over keys, in this case, we’re the ones who get to say welcome home.
