The Inside Zappos blog stay on topic. It's tag line is "Fun and a Little Weird" and it delivers it's focus with posts titled,
Each of these posts were fun and/or a little weird. When I read these posts I really felt like I was inside Zappos. The posts being published on this blog do not stray from their theme.
Zappos also has multiple blogs-12 to be precise - ranging in topic from fashion trendy to running but then they do something a little zany...they throw in a separate blog for parents. Then again, the
Zappos brand extends beyond shoes. Zappos's blog strategy of maintaining multiple blogs helps to bring awareness to the multiple offerings of the
Zappos brand and brand identity. The multiple blogs/team blogging concept is useful for real estate franchises and small brokerages alike. If you are a smaller brokerage you may want to consider bringing in your ancillary vendor partners to form a team blog and/or engage your internal customers. If you are a real estate franchise you could have a blog for each region, or each niche market your company serves. Real estate franchises and small brokerages alike should definitely consider
a separate executive blog to open the curtain from behind the brand and lets people know who the PERSON is behind the company.
Corporate Blogs
A single corporate blog is a good choice for a small mom and pop real estate brokerage or a small real estate company focused on
a niche market. A corporate blog,when well planned and executed, enhances the company's brand. It's content offers a strong value proposition to its customers. A single corporate blog is not hidden, but is built right into the company's website in a prominent location on the homepage.
A good example is the Whole Foods blog,
Whole Story. Whole Foods, a company that services a niche consumer market (organic shoppers) wants to talk with its customers on LinkedIn, Flick, Twitter, and its corporate blog. They don't keep this call for two way conversations a dirty little secret. Their call for action is located in the top upper right hand corner of their website(i.e.above the fold).
The Whole Story blog has a consistent brand message. The look and feel of the blog is the same as the Whole Foods Corporate website on which it take up residence and enhances the Whole Food's Internet Real Estate (i.e. http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/). It contains an incredible amount of content on topics ranging from recipes to free trade. The blog invites you to connect with Whole Foods on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter, and contains a video and library podcast. The Whole Story blog has multiple authors that
includes the vendor partners of Whole Foods. The Whole Story blog email subscription page also offers subscription to their Recipes bi-monthly newsletter and their bi-monthly store specials and events newsletter.
In one easy to use subscription form Whole Foods seamlessly integrates their other online marketing efforts and their branding opportunities.
Action Item for Real Estate Companies
Study the
Zappos network of blogs and the Whole Foods Corporate Blog,
Whole Story. Think about these companies brands and unique selling proposition. Discover how they incorporate their culture into their blogs and how they deliver consistent content to their readers that is interesting, unique, and valuable. Subscribe to a few blogs from the Zappos blog network and Whole Story, the corporate blog of Whole Foods.
I will continue this series with an analysis of Social Responsibility blogs and Participation from Target Market blogs in Part II of this four part series. Stay tuned.
Do you need a blog marketing strategy? Whether you are just getting started blogging or have been blogging for awhile consider a blogging tune-up.
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Beautifully laid out post, Rebecca. And you certainly know your stuff. This is valuable information and I am sure can be applied to the individual also. I am going to bookmark it for when I am further down the line.