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Blog like you Stole it....the Idea Anyway

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Dynamic Page Solutions

Most of you that are involved with real estate have heard about the importance of blogging and how, with relatively little effort, it can impact your business, yet so many postpone getting involved. I believe that this is because of the fear of the unknown (how to get started) or the fear of being judged by their writing skills or ideas. The first step is to just start writing. That’s right, get off the fence and start moving those little appendages attached to your hands….

One way to approach this project is to think about your perspective and hone your online personality through practice and action. Join online groups that are aligned with your interests and pay attention to writing styles that you admire or make an impression…then imitate. Your own techniques will surface and the personality will be reflected in your writing style helps to connect with people on a personal level. No one wants to communicate with a brand and it’s hard to relate to a logo or a repost of the latest market report.

Finding interesting topics to write about can be as simple as subscribing to local or national online news outlets, they don’t even have to be directly real estate related, but keeping up with trends can give you plenty of ideas from which to spin fresh content. Don’t be afraid to write about topics that top bloggers write about. There is nothing wrong about forming your own opinion and presenting that opinion regardless of the source of inspiration. Most likely that blogger was inspired by someone else as well.

One way to build credibility is to write on subjects that you’re interested in writing about. Formulating thoughts and ideas on subjects that we feel passionate about is substantially easier than trying to squeeze creativity out of a topic that we have little interest in. Comment on others blogs posts that you find intriguing, that could be the thrust that gets you motivated to write a more in depth perspective on the same subject or take it in a different direction.

For the real estate industry, writing a blog post that offers a “how to” or “guide to” can generate more interest than a general description of the local real estate market. Enticing people to click through to your website or pick up the phone is of course the ultimate goal so leave them wanting more information. The trick in doing this is to bait the content with a link that inspires a click through. For example, offering the secrets to real estate internet marketing might result in a click through because the reader understands that something of value is being offered at another web page.

Don’t forget that your objective is to market you as the expert and the “go to” person for advice or a qualified take on the latest real estate trend. Pepper keywords conservatively in the body of your post for the search engines as well because getting search engine generated traffic is critical for business. That’s where your market is, so you had better be there too. Now get busy and go forth and conquer!

Posted by

Anita Koppens

Comments (53)

Joe Kenny
Realty Executive Midwest - Darien, IL
Better Than Your Average Joe

Anita, I have been on ActiveRain for a few years and wasn't until recently I got rolling consistently.  I joined a 31 day contest and I'm half way home.  I was on an appointment last night where the seller asked me the usual question, "what are you going to do to sell my home that my previous agent didn't do.  I typed the agents name in to activerain and then I did mine.  Home run with bases loaded.  Thanks for the post.

Jan 15, 2011 03:49 AM
Curt Baumgarth
Mesa, AZ
inactive

Another great post Anita.  Thanks for your helpful information.  I know you are making me productive!  Thanks!

Jan 15, 2011 04:09 AM
Jason Crouch
Austin Texas Homes, LLC - Austin, TX
Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653)

Anita - I've taught a good number of classes on this topic, and these are some of the basic points we cover.  Good stuff!  As you mentioned, it's a good idea to just start writing!

Jan 15, 2011 04:27 AM
Charles Gardner-Realtor/Investor
ZIP Realty, Inc-Houston District - Humble, TX

Hello Anita,

Great post.  I never thought I had anything to say or write about that would interest others.  Glad I at least started reading the blogs of others.  Some ideas finally did to come to me and I'm grateful that you reminded me of my potential.

Jan 15, 2011 04:31 AM
Bryan Robertson
Los Altos, CA

The best advice for any new blogger or anyone just looking for ideas is to write about what's happening in the community.  Write about home sales, remodeling, etc in a neighborhood.  Write about an issue in a specific neighborhood.  Anything hyper-local will have the most value and it allows you to build online credibility about the area.  That's how people find you in a search.

Jan 15, 2011 04:31 AM
Teri Eckholm
Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN
REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro

Anita--They always said in writing and speech classes...write what you know. If you read something you agree, disagree or have an opinion on write about it! Of course, I choose to keep most of my topics real estate related, there are others who expand on their interests too. Great post!

Jan 15, 2011 04:47 AM
Stanley Stepak
Howard Hanna - Avon Lake, OH - Avon Lake, OH
Realtor - Avon Lake, Avon, Bay Village, Westlake,

Hey great post here. I am bookmarking this one.  Great points that will drive traffic to you.

Jan 15, 2011 05:20 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Anita, very good point you make about posturing yourself as the EXPERT. People want to know who the experts are in their field.

Jan 15, 2011 05:33 AM
Dynamic Page Solutions
Dynamic Page Solutions - Mesa, AZ

Chris - Success coming early?  That's only for athletes and rock stars, the rest of us have to pound the pavement...luckily we have the web to cover miles of ground without leaving the house.

Cheryl - It took me some time to figure out what works but I did have to start somewhere and learn the ropes.

Kate - I agree that AR is a great place to blog. For real estate, I think it's the most beneficial resource for beginners and pros alike for many reasons.

Kristi - Some of my best writing has been inspired from a single sentence written by another writer.

 

Jan 15, 2011 05:57 AM
Dynamic Page Solutions
Dynamic Page Solutions - Mesa, AZ

JM - Thanks for saying so!

Tni - Reaching out to the consumer via the web, in my opinion, is the best use of your marketing time and dollars.

Carla - I don't think cold calling is anybody's cup of tea :) You're a right, diversifying your writing subject matter is a way to cover many questions and broaden your reach.

Tammie - Ben Franklin's autobiography is one of my favorite books!

Terrylynne - That's exactly what I tell my clients...just think of all of those emails you've written to clients going over some detail about real estate....take out the personal information and you've got yourself a blog post.

 

Jan 15, 2011 06:06 AM
Dynamic Page Solutions
Dynamic Page Solutions - Mesa, AZ

Kathy - Woohoo! I've been officially forwarded. That's actually pretty flattering, thanks.

Harry - If I think of something in passing, I just dot it down on a stickie....the problem is that I have a stickie fringe all around my computer...keep adding to your list...real estate bloggers don't have to keep in safe and standard.

Julianne - Another resource to come up with subject matter is Twitter, you can search by subject and may be able to cover or blog about something that is relatively breaking news.

K.C. - Thanks.

Navona - Even if you can't formulate an entire post after reading, just writing down a sentence or two gives you something to come back to later.

Jan 15, 2011 06:18 AM
Dynamic Page Solutions
Dynamic Page Solutions - Mesa, AZ

Laura - The sweet thing is that you don't have to worry so much about being a late bloomer...you just have to be smarter than your competition and use technologies that help give you a boost.

Robert - I'm glad you think so...

Emily - Commenting on blog posts, even outside of AR, is a powerful way to build up your online persona.

Michael - Checking out some of the more subversive real estate blogs has pushed me to think that it's okay to try edgy...not that the above post is edgy...but reading different perspectives are very helpful in developing ones style.

Caroline - You are very welcome.

Jan 15, 2011 06:34 AM
Dynamic Page Solutions
Dynamic Page Solutions - Mesa, AZ

Melissa - I think many real estate agents just get stuck in a rut...if they feels its okay to broaden the horizon a bit and bridge the gap between real estate and other subjects, new ideas can come about.

Shane - You hooked up with a fantastic brokerage that offers agents a ton of education! They use some search engine optimized real estate technology that is light years ahead of the competition....hmmm...who could they be? Dynamic Page Solutions maybe? ;)

Gay - You said the magic word, "constant." It's important to understand that web visibility doesn't happen over night...okay, maybe a blog post can rank overnight, but consistency is key.

Anja - I would not recommend abandoning real estate as a topic, just that it does not always have to be strictly on topic....for example, I market a real estate technology that helps Realtors win search engine traffic...but my blog post details how and why it's important to build your online presence through blogging (as one resource) which is an important factor in overall ranking of a website...see it's relative to what I am marketing but not strictly on topic. 

Jan 15, 2011 06:46 AM
Dynamic Page Solutions
Dynamic Page Solutions - Mesa, AZ

Chuck - I like the word re-purpose, it makes me feel like a conservationist. I will squeeze every last bit out of my writing, spin, spin and spin some more.

John - See, that's just it, if it's a hot topic, or a topic that typically generates a lot of interest, that's the topic you want to write about. If not on AR, somewhere else and frankly....that person probably got their "idea" from somewhere else. The only author in the known world today that is coming up with truly original ideas is Prof. Stephen Hawking.

Karen - Writing on subjects of interest is critical to come up with something "of interest."

Laura - Smart cookie....now charge them to advertise OR, ask them to link from their event website to the blog site where your blogs are posted! You've just stuck gold. You could ask them for both, but maybe I reach too far.

Joe - That's a good strategy, now imagine if you had been able to type in their community name and had a web page that ranked on page one....www.azcommunitydirectory.com

Jan 15, 2011 07:05 AM
Dynamic Page Solutions
Dynamic Page Solutions - Mesa, AZ

Curt - Good to see you on AR, if your commenting, I know your blogging...super!

Jason - Yes, I guess it doesn't get much more basic than my post but I feel the need to drive it home nonetheless.

Charles - I bet you have some observations that people would be very interested in reading.

Bryan - Hyper local is good but don't give up on winning traffic for larger areas...it is doable if you go about it the right way.

Teri - Writing what you know about is most comfortable. I do like to branch out into areas that are uncomfortable too because it allows me to grow as a writer.

Stan - Ah ha, mission accomplished.

Gary - Even if you aren't the expert, researching what the real experts say will get you on their level and able to compete.

Erica - That's exactly right...even if they don't need you right away, when they do need someone, you will be a familiar face.

Jan 15, 2011 07:16 AM
A1 Certified Home Inspections
Lake City, FL
Inspected Once, Inspected Right!

As a Home Inspector, I didn't see much of a need to Blog, but I guess I was wrong. Almost all of the Home Inspectors across the country have blogs. When they see that I don't have a blog (yet) they almost seem to feel sorry for me. Mine is on the way!!

Jan 15, 2011 10:09 AM
Tamara Inzunza
Realty One Group Capital - Alexandria, VA
Close-In Alexandria and Arlington Living

I agree with comment #11, a blogger should mix up the content.  Market reports, tips, and don't forget listings.  It's ok to share a wealth of info, but I think consumers would like to see some listings to validate that you're actively listing and selling in the market.

Jan 15, 2011 02:01 PM
John Novak
Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate

Very good insights on building an effective blog, Anita. One more thing I would add to finding topics is to simply ask your readers, or even better for a real estate agent, get out and talk face-to-face with the homeowners in you market and find out what is important to them.

Jan 15, 2011 02:43 PM
Ryan Case
SCA Real Estate - Anaheim, CA
877-828-0710

Blogging is awesome, I have taken a hiatus these past few months, and am ready to start back up full time :)

Jan 15, 2011 04:19 PM
Christine Donovan
Donovan Blatt Realty - Costa Mesa, CA
Broker/Attorney 714-319-9751 DRE01267479 - Costa M

I get many of my blogging ideas right here on AR, and you are so right that the whole point is to make yourself the go to person.

Jan 16, 2011 01:58 PM