Okay, so you've heard all the hype about the ActiveRain Network and blogging. Someone you know and trust is an ActiveRain member and has challenged you to become involved in using Social Media/Networking on the Internet to promote/grow your business.

And so here you are, skeptically navigating through the maze of features, lurking around various conversations, and wondering:

What is the Value/Benefit of My Time spent here?

The overwhelming majority of people in our business are still relatively clueless as to the value proposition offered by implementing an effective Internet Social Media strategy as part of their overall marketing plan. The viable 'bottom-line' benefits of Blogging in particular remain shrouded in mystery to the masses who have never posted. And so you ask yourself"

Why Should I begin Blogging?

Time is Money, they say, and perhaps you're one of those types that needs to see a demonstrable return on your investment. Just remember that using Social Media/Networking to grow your business is simply one more weapon that can be added to your marketing arsenal. It should not replace, but augment those methods that have been successful for thus far. With that said, allow me to share one of the primary advantages/benefits of conversational blogging that I have found exceptionally helpful to building my real estate business:

Great Blogging Attracts Great Clients

As I have shared in previous articles, posting articles to your blog allows you to convey to your readers one or more of the 3 P's of Conversational Blogging - Your Passions, Your Personality, and Your Experienced/Knowledgeable Perspective.

As potential clients access the Internet, and read through various blogs and articles, they are often quite naturally attracted to, and connect with, writers who reflect/resonate their own similar passions, personalities, and perspectives. As a result of digesting what you've written, a certain level of comfort and trust is cultivated with the reader. Your Blog serves to establish a virtual rapport with them. Then, at the point when they finally make contact with you, or meet face-to-face, it's as though they've known you for a long time. In addition, they're more likely to have a sense of commitment to you as well.

In my experience, blogging generates more highly qualified client leads. I don't have to 'chase' them down, they come to me! And they're typically some of the most fun and enjoyable people that I have had the privilege of working with.

How to Create an 'Attractive' Blog

Okay, so now the obvious question is "How do I publish content to my Blog that will effectively 'attract' potential clients?" I could spend a dozen or so articles on just that topic alone, but permit me to offer just a few basic and simple guidelines:

1.   Be Yourself:   Don't try to the be the next Chris Brogan or Guy Kawasaki. Just be yourself. Write the way you normally converse. Imagine yourself at your favorite coffee shop, enjoying a relaxing Cup '0' Joe, and having an informal conversation with one of your favorite clients. What you write and who your clients end up meeting needs to be the same thing.

2.   Be Informative and Engaging:   Don't use your blog to plaster blatant self-serving, self-promoting noise. The majority of your content should be helpful, practical information about your local market and professional, experienced insights on real estate related issues. Always write with the consumer in mind. What information would they find most interesting and meaningful? Don't simply publish market statistics and listings. While that kind of information is important, it does very little to reveal who you are and how you run your business.

3.   Be Consistent:   Today's Net-Savvy consumers are fickle and demanding. They want to be served up 'fresh' content regularly. If they access your blog and don't find something relatively current, they'll click right on thru until they find someone else who more actively maintains their blog. Consistency in your publishing will also help improve your ranking/find-ability with the search engines, thereby increasing your chances of being found by potential clients.

To discover more helpful information, go to "Blog Tips for Rain Drips"

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG, and Crabbing in the Hood.