BLOG content IDEAS that will inspire you and your readers...

When I think of a BLOG I associate it with the word IDEA.

Information - your blog content, an online journal of information, content that fulfills your subsribers and potential client's needs.

Dedication - to blogging, your real estate business, to clients, and to your subscribers.

Evolution - Real Estate and blogging are constantly evolving.

Association - being on a network like AR we are able to connect and associate with link minded professionals as well as extend our reach with social media sites with people we may have never met otherwise.

Isn't it funny how we seem to just stumble upon some of our best blogging ideas when we least expect to and from where we least expect them to come.  Perhaps you found yourself in the store and overhead a conversation, or ran into an old friend or saw something that just made you think - this would be a great blog!  Time and time again great ideas come to us as little unexpected gifts and they are created into blogs simply because we are open to them. 

Sometimes you mind find yourself sitting down to write a blog post and wondering what you should write.  Creating new content can at times be a daunting task.

 Tips to ignite your creative spark & create some great content for your readers:

Get moving - physical activity - walking, exercising, just moving around gets us thinking.  Sometimes our subconscious is just blocked.  Try it and see what it can do for you.

Input - read a book, watch a show or movie, have a conversation with a friend - before you know it you'll be back at your computer constructing that great blog.

Review your previous blogs - sometimes you will realize you can expand on a point made in a previous blog that becomes a blog all on its own.  Maybe a comment was left by a reader that is a blog just waiting to be created.  Maybe you've stumbled across some of the blogs you've subscribed to and an idea comes from reading that post - perhaps another point of view or again from the comments left on that blog.

Step away - sometimes sitting there in front of the screen hoping an idea will come to us will actually work the opposite way.  Step away, change your environment and get some new perspective (if it's late - some sleep) - repeat the above tasks and be open to your surroundings - your visit to the store, a drive in the car and even a conversation with your kids may be what sparks those creative juices and gives you your next great idea.

Google Alerts - Set up alerts for key phrases dealing with topics you want to discuss in your blog - marketing, real estate, your community.  See this post from Jeremy Blanton on how to setup this alert and the great benefits that can be yours.

RSS Reader - Organize your favorite bloggers, both in and out of real estate, for more inspiration.  That inspiration can come from the bloggers content or even comments left by other bloggers and readers.  Sometimes a simple word in the content will be your inspiration.

Tip Lists - "Way you can..." or "Secrets to..."  Think like writers of a magazine who use these types of articles to create interest in their articles.

Social Media Sites - Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn - Watch the boards - see different topics that are being discussed, links shared, questions asked, and perhaps you'll come across a story or comment that you feel needs further discussion on your blog. 

Services - What services do you offer and what's unique about how you provide those services.  Real estate is different in each market and clients need different things - find a way to share what you can do in a less salesy but more informative way.

Answer a question - Answer questions that come from clients and colleagues.

In my next blog I will show you a great way to add a tool to your blog that will allow you to engage and interact with your readers to encourage questions and address them by answering them on your blog.

For now you can take questions given to you via email or various sites you belong to such as Trulia or Linked in, or in conversations you've had with clients and address them in your blog.

Comment on statistics - Maybe you've read an article that provided some statistics and here's your opportunity to address your thoughts, break it down into an easy to understand language that has meaning for consumers.

Reading a book? - why not do a review and share what you feel your readers can gain from reading this book.

Success Stories - We all have clients that we have worked with that had something great (or even not so great) happen - why not share their story.  This kind of story can be a great example for providing advice on how to handle a similar situation for your colleagues and potential clients.

I hope this post has given you some IDEAS on how to use your blog, how you can get inspired and areas where you can focus your content to provide what your subscribers and potential clients need.

Where does your inspiration come from?

  What were you doing when your last great blog idea came to you?

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Other posts on this topic for further reading/ideas:

Finding Blog Topics

Mistakes you might be making on your blog

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