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Blogging and Leads: The Materialization of Expectations In The Rain

Blogging and Leads: The Materialization of Expectations In The Rain

"So here's my next question..How do I get leads from blogging?"

This was an excellent question posed by new AR blogger Karen Kopittke in her comment on Russ Ravery's blog post New Active Rain Blogger.

blogging

The answer to her question is one that, I suspect, many a new ActiveRain blogger has asked. I know I have, and I've been active here for the past six months.

To answer her question, the following must be brought into consideration:

Have you been blogging consistently? At least one post each day
What type of content are you blogging about? Your blog should be a source of information on local topics and real estate questions that consumers may ask, or provide information that consumers want to know.

One must keep in mind that the axiom "All real estate is local" is very true when it comes to blogging and expecting leads from it. In some areas, and depending on what you are blogging about, leads will come only after a few days; in others, leads will come only after months and months of steadily producing quality posts that feed consumers the information they are looking for.

If you want to guarantee yourself leads from blogging, here are a few topics to post about:

Market Reports. Local statistics on the real estate market in your areas of service are always of interest to consumers.
Communtiy Information. Blog posts about local attractions, restaurants, events and activities, etc. are a good way to bring consumers to your blog.
Listing Information/Open House posts. Giving consumers detailed information on listings and where there are open houses in your area can be a huge draw for you.

The key to getting those leads from blogging is to ensure that you get found first by the consumer when they type in keywords in the search engines. Getting to the first page of Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. can definitely help. In order for you to maximize your potential for top placement, you definitely should read Brad Andersohn's post How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines.

Here are a few examples from current ActiveRainers who have gotten leads from their blogging here (Author's Note: I will be adding more examples as I come across them in the Rain).

Andrea Swiedler - As far as I am concerned ACTIVERAIN ROCKS THE HOUSE!

Missy Caulk - Activerain brings Business Success

Virginia Hepp - The Little Blog That Could - Rainmaker!

Margaret Woda - Bob Stewart's Challenge Pays off for Maryland Agent

Kathleen "Kate" Elim - And Then What to My Wondering Eyes Should Appear...

Donna Harris - 500,000 Points and $122,000 Later!

Judy Greenberg - Do you want to list 69 condos?

Joan Whitebook - Don't Know Much About SEO, But I Know The Long Reach of ActiveRain

Jeff Dowler - One ActiveRain Success Leads to Another, and Another, and...

Geri Sonkin - Hi, I found You On Active Rain

Steve Kappre - Is Blogging on ActiveRain Really Worth the Hassle?

Irene Kennedy - The Down Side of Hyper-Local Content Posts: Let's place blame where it is due!

Here's to every blogger seeing the materialization of their expectations of receiving leads from blogging in the Rain!

Looking for information about homes in the Greater Waterbury area?

Buyers, need to find financing and advice on the home-buying process?

Sellers, looking for tips on how to make sure your home sells?

Stop by www.williamsplaces.com !

Courtesy of William James Walton, Sr. , Realtor, Century21 Access America

Serving northern New Haven and southeastern Litchfield Counties (Waterbury, Wolcott, Prospect, Naugatuck, Middlebury, Southbury, Watertown and Plymouth)

Posted by William James Walton, Sr. Greater Waterbury Real Estate on 07/26/2009 09:34 AM

Comments (54)

Blogging and Lead Generation in the ActiveRain Channel

blogging, leads, lead generation, expectations, success

Originally posted at: William's Places: Blogging and Leads: The Materialization of Expectations In The Rain

Post is included in group: Rookies Turning Pro
Post is included in group: Real Estate Rookie
Post is included in group: Internet Lead Generation-How Best To Capture Your Audience
Post is included in group: Dedicated Bloggers
Post is included in group: Active Rain Newbies

54 Comments on Blogging and Leads: The Materialization of Expectations In The Rain

JUL

Excellent points. My main focus for awhile now has been those 3 areas and it is working awesome. I will post about our success soon as my 1-yr anniversary of full blown blogging - LOL. The 10-15% of referring traffic we get from AR and Localism all come from those three areas and #1 of those is market reports by far. ~Rita

I'm not in much agreement with blogging producing that much business. That said, it doen't hurt one's business at all. Further, it will help if one has an overall Internet strategy.

We get a good response when blogging about the foreclosures market. Localisms that provide desired information give the best results.

I think market reports are boring as heck but know they help with SEO..the spiders eat them up. But the local community videos you produce about your local music festival, the canoe race, the flavor of your special area of the globe are what provide a free service, a portal to your hometown. These get watched, and then it just so happens you list, market, sell and trade real estate. Huh...you are the first and only person the out of town viewer among the 85% of people that go on line to shop an area suddenly know. They turn to you because you gave them something besides local real estate statistics, and just property property property propaganda with same old copy, a few not so stellar images. Shake them up, do things different and blog daily as if your life / career depends on it. It does. Be the Lance Armstrong of your local area, peddling the property, the place, the people with creative spash, excitement. passion. Put these videos in your blogs...and sit back. Watch the emails roll in, the phone ring, the customers enter your office.

I like to get the freaky juice from my combined hyper local posts - market reports - broad market reports. All of the stuff contains links back to my site for the "most current information". That keeps them coming back for more and makes it "sticky". Lenn is right about the overall internet strategy combined with the blogging. The leads and the referrals I do get (as a direct result from blogging) are awesome, however!

I am starting to get it, so I can start to be the go to person in teh community, thus remembering me when it is time to buy or sell real estate.

Thanks!

Sir William, My experiences are that blogging keeps your name out there, and hopefully someone will come your way looking for help. But then in any business, it's the perception of what's working or not working that is important. The key is to get positive results.

JUL

William,

Just yesterday, this newbie got her 1st documented lead from her blog. (And started speaking in the 3rd person...)

Bob's hyper-local challenge resulted in a NY investor's call. He is considering purchasing several ski condos and called me because I now dominate the Google results for local ski condos...

AUG

I'm still trying to figure out if I should be blogging somewhere else in addition to AR. Do you post your AR blogs to your website as well or have an outside blog?

Jenny, I do have an outside blog, and was posting my blogs to Trulia and Wordpress accounts as well - however, I am rethinking that strategy. I have not yet figured out how to embed a widget which feeds my blog posts into my website.

AUG

I don't normally feature old posts, but this one is outstanding for new members getting started and wondering how to really reach consumers. Great post!!

(Further evidence that we miss lots of great posts on a daily basis that are SUPER worth of being featured!)

I was getting several listings and buyers from my blogging on AR for the last year or so, but with posts like yours and Bob's recent challenges, I have really stepped it up a big notch! I envy the new people because of the recent posts by Bob Stewart and Brad Andersohn on blogging for impact in the search engines really works and we were all plugging away before. Some with better results than others.

Now it is just studying the posts above and obtaining almost immediate results. With my recent knowledge, I have also gone back and spruced up some of my older posts with very good results in the search engines. Thank you for a very good post! Glad Bob featured it, shows the staff at AR is always working.

William ~ Thanks for reminding us that you can only expect results if you work the system correctly. I'm working on it and will be sure to post it when I get my first lead that produces a sale....Just for the record, I think a positive attitude is an important part of the equation.

William, what if you have enough leads from elsewhere? Can you blog without leads in mind? For networking, for learning, for sharing? What if your eyes glaze over from Localism and market reports? Just some different thoughts for you...

I'm glad Bob found your post and featured it. All very good points. I haven't made any $$ from AR yet but I know it's just a matter of time at this point! I have made several good friends and have developed many relationships with AR members. That all will also lead to business in the future.

Irene - it sounds like you found your niche and are working it, girl!

Bob - this was really unexpected, to say the least...thanks...

David - I can't wait to see what happens for my posts as far as them generating business.

Denise - Definitely havinga positive mindset is key to making this work for you!

Gary - Sure, you can blog for other reasons, but that wasn't the question that was asked.

Connie - You and I are in the same boat on that score!

Blogging is very strategic in nature. You need good content, but that isn't enough; you must be able to build your posts around SEO; otherwise, your good content will never be read.

Great blog about blogging, it is a great tool if you are stratigic with your internet use. I am still feeling my way around the world of blogging and the internet.

And that is only a few of the success stories here on Active Rain! You just have to "do it" :)

Hey! Thanks for the shout out! Maybe it'll help get people blogging for the right reasons.

One of the many many reasons that I love Active Rain!

Thanks for the post and congrats on the feature!

Congratulations on your featured blog William. I haven't gotten any business yet but I have gained great knowledge,met great friends,some referrals that didn't pan out and some google juice on some of my blogs. I am definitely going to check out Brad's blog. Great post.

William,

You raise a good point in terms of real estate being local.

The majority of my leads are Province wide sice I write generally on a Province wide basis.

Brian

William this is great information for those who need blogging encouragement . As you stated, providing useful information consistently such as market reports and community information is key. Congrats on the feature.

Thanks for the post and congrats on the feature!

Patricia Aulson/portsmouth nh real estate

So William how many leads have you received since being on AR consistently for 6 months?

William, congrats on the feature. So far I have only gotten comments from consumers, but no leads from my blog. I do have faith in ActiveRain, and the better I blog the better it will be.

William congrats on the feature. I really like Andrew's reply (#4). Sometimes it's not just the blog that gives some great advise, the replies do too. Wonderful post!

Erin - Definitely true. We learn so much just by being here.

Deborah - I think I got one comment, but no leads...yest. i have faith in this place too, which is why I'm in it for the long haul...

Bev and Bob - not one, yet. I live in an old mill town in CT, and some areas are more advanced when it comes to the use of the internet for driving business than others...hence, the "all real estate is local" maxim...but things will change in my neck of the woods sooner than anyone can imagine, and I'll be the one in the position to capitalize on it because I've been here.

Patricia - Thanks! Believe me, this was an unexpected surprise!

Jen - Indeed. I get more clicks and views on my market reports from consumers than I do from AR members. which is a good thing, and they are my most popular blog entries (with the exception of the featured blogs).

Brian -I hope that those leads are coming because of your blogging, and I'd love to see your blog post celebrating the lead or business that you've been getting as a result of your blogging activities.

Lanre - Same here, same here. Brad's post, btw, has helped to keep my market reports and other localism posts on the first page of google for quite a while. I'm looking forward to when my website will show up as well.

Great summary for the newbies William !

And very true guides for us all :o)

This is a great post, and you are so right about consistency. That is important with out online relationships as well.

William, thanks for the reassurance. When we don't see instant results sometimes we tend to get discouraged.

William, Thank you so much for the great info. I will just have to keep on keeping on.

My last 2 closings were because people found my blog and called me. My local market reports get a lot of clicks, so does anything on downpayment assistance.

WOW! This is a good post. I'm glad I came across your post. I especially liked the links at the bottom. I think this is so good because I have had good success with Active Rain and I support anything that promotes it.

William .. what a great post full of great information. Thanks for sharing the links.

AUG

William:

Check out posterous.com You can send your posts to them via email and they will post to your other blogs. I haven't figured out how to get it to my wordpress blog.

Thanks for sharing the links. I now have new reading material.

between my Wordpress web site blog and here, I am getting business. I did an older series on short sales in Edmond, Oklahoma and I got two phone calls to list the properties based on a Google search. I have done 4 parts to the AR series challenge on short sales in Oklahoma City, and two of them are No 2 and 3 on page one of shport sales in Oklahoma City already. As my dear Baptist mother used to say, "Don't hide your light under a bushel basket".

Great post. I have learned that providing information is critical because it builds creditability with fellow AR participants. Our biggest objective is to find out what others are looking for to expand and maintain their existing businesses. We link our services through AR, Linked In, WordPress, and Twitter. We also inform AR readers of post we make to external articles.

It is also important to develop a group of those that follow you. Other groups may become annoyed with posts if they do not relate to the format of the group. We are reaching out to our followers to form specific groups that will permit more contact reach articles and posts.

Since we conduct market analysis and project future trends, we have learned that providing prospect lists for potential sellers in the future is critical to agents. When we provide the lists, we also provide reports on what the market is doing.

We recently assisted a client in establishing list prices for his project and at the same time were able to point him to AR to find a new agent. The client is very please and has discovered a new tool in AR.

In the end, it is give and take. If you give good information and help others, they will purchase services from you.

Great information, but it has to be apart of your overall marketing strategy and you have to be consistent.

I have a current client who came to me after reading a post about trains in Arvada Colorado.

Good stuff - I appreciate the specific info on where to post to generate leads with my AR blog.... I have asked the question many times of those who say they get leads, to-date not one person has responded :(

I have a lot of success with my wordpress blog outside of AR. Social Media & Blogging are the "new prospecting" and Realtors must use these sites to stay relevant.

I believe the keys to attracting new business with your blog is to:

-Engage Your Consumer

-Provide Relevant Content

-Be "the expert" NOT just another Realtor

Happy Blogging... Feel free to check my blog out here: http://www.WebRealEstateTools.com

Drew

love the Active Rain network, and all the bloggers!!! yes I know it will help. it seems to already have help my site's ratings a bit. thanks for sharing!

www.charlottelakewyliehomes.com

Well,

It was interesting reading this. I guess it looks like one has to be really serious about this blogging thing. A new blog every day? What the heck can I write about so much and at tyhe end of the day, is it worth all the work? What if I blog and do not do it just right and get no results? It seems like a case of do it perfect or never mind. Any comments?

Jirius - Local events. Local businesses. The market stats for communities/towns/areas that you serve. Parks. Recreational facilities. Churches. Your experiences as a realtor. Getting the results that you want will take time and effort - you will need to be very consistent at it. This is not a "do it perfect" thing, but a "do it" thing, and keep doing it. One has to have a lot of patience with it. Follow Brad's instructions on how to optimize your blog ofr SEO, and just keep at it.

Very good. One of my top read post is a series I do on local parks. It is very local, long tail, but it is not directly real estate related.

I need these success stories to keep me going. Thanks for all the helpful posts about bloggers who are getting results.

William - I don't blog everyday. Should I? Of course, but I don't - and I have closed quite a few transactions directly from my blog. I have the AR blog and and outside blog.

Plus - You should have some landing pages on your website so that people can go there via a link in your blog and sign up for something. With me, they sign up for MLS searches.

You must use keywords properly to get the best Search Engine Results, page 2 is not good enough.

Thanks for the link to my Rainmaker post.

I need to come up with a simple format for market updates so I can do one monthly. That would certainly help get more attention, I would think.

WIlliam great post and great tips. Market reports and local information should go along way in attracting consumer attention.

AUG

Hardly an old post - and well worth the read, especially for the new bloggers.

AUG

Georgina - This post was almost three weeks old when it was finally noticed. No, not really old, but usually the AR gods feature "fresh" content. Do you realize how many posts get bypassed each day that are worthy of this honor??? I've flagged a few myself and have yet to see them featured - that's not to say that it woun't ever be, but...

Renee is the queen of good market reports, Rita's market reports are fab too. If you would like to excel with your market reports - check them out. Aww, mine are good too, so stop by & see them. I've helped Irene above setup those 'headache giving graphs' that you see! They are actually easier than you think!

If you want to be the local expert, local content & market reports is the way to go.

AUG

Thanks for sharing your idea William. Great comments can also lead to results too.

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