To blog or not to blog – that is the question. My answer is to blog. There is business to be gained by blogging. What is important to keep in mind when posting is what is the purpose of your blog? Are you looking to pick up buyers or sellers, be a neighborhood expert or do have another goal in mind? Whatever it is, keep this as your focus in every blog you post.
My belief is it is our job to let the consumer read what they need to read, hear what they need to hear and learn about what is really happening in the market from the experts and so they don’t get wrapped up in what the media wants them to read, hear and see. The media’s job is to sell negative information and not plant the right seed.
What can you blog about? Neighborhoods, client interactions, success stories, your listings, homes you have previewed – deal of the day or week, life experiences, your interactions with others or anything else you find interesting or think someone else may find interesting.
Why is it important? It is important because the consumer goes to the internet to get information on everything – not just houses. This being said, when they are looking to make one of the biggest decisions of their life, don’t you think they will do more research on this topic than not? This is why blogging is important. Get your word out to others on where the market is – don’t be afraid to make your opinion known.
Who is reading blogs? As previously mentioned, the consumer but also other are people you will invite to read it – past clients, other Realtors and real estate professionals, your sphere of influence and people interested in the neighborhood or area you are blogging about. If you make it interesting, keep it up to date, and do it consistently, you will gain readership. Why are Realtors and other industry professionals reading blogs? To find good referral sources for their relocating clients. If you have a relocating client, do you help them find a Realtor where they are moving? How do you narrow down the selection? Typically I look at production, what their hobbies and interests are and if they match my client’s hobbies and interests, if they have a website and if they blog. If they blog, I read their blog to determine if they are positive or negative, on target with the market and generally what their knowledge is in real estate. The more they know in what they say and how they say it, the more likely I am to refer them.
Pitfalls – time, writing ability, how to come up with new ideas, where to get started, to pay or not to pay for your blog site, and does your company have a policy on blogging?
Good examples
Bad examples
What to avoid – negativism, writing about a specific case as it is in process, defamation of character issues
What to include – add pictures, hyperlinks and video. Have a good title, insert good metatags and keywords. Solve a problem or provide valuable information (housing stats, trends, pricing, DOM, companies moving/relocating into the area), say it simply and in layman’s terms not in our language, again, have a call to action (subscribe here, click here for free home search, follow us here, email me for more details here, click here for a free home buying/home selling consultation, etc. and as always, make it about them – not you!
It’s all about results and ROI on your time. Be sure to work with a site that will allow you to track numbers such as total page views, average page views per day, unique visitors, bounce rates, referral websites and most popular pages. Also, ask for people to share and comment on your blog and you in turn should return the favor. Give in slices, get returned in loaves!
Things to consider now that we have reviewed blogging…How do you benefit? What can happen? How do you do it? It can only produce results. Get it? Got it? Good!
Now, go sell something!
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