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Where's the Money in Blogging? Active Rain Brings Home the Bacon!

My phone rang Friday. The phone doesn't ring very much in this market.

On the other end, a man identified himself by his last name.

"I found you on the internet," he said. "I have three mobile homes, all of them free and clear. I want to refinance one of them to help my daughter out.

Turns out he lives near me. We set an appointment, and Saturday afternoon I visited him.

I wanted to hear how he found this particular lender (me!) on the internet.

What I found will change the way I title and tag my blog posts.

The gentleman, 81 years young, didn't find me because of my Lender credentials. He googled "financing manufactured homes in Tucson."

He found my Active Rain post "I'm Financing a Lot of Manufactured Homes. Amazing!" He didn't have to look far. There it was, #3 on page 1. Who says the Greatest Generation hasn't adapted to the internet?!

I'm relatively new to the Google thing. I know I'm going to dig deeper into it real quick! And I'm going to use titles and tags for my posts which will be seen both by Google and by my intended audience!

RECAP: Lessons Learned

1. Blogging can answwer the demand "Show me the money!"

2. Consistent blogging pays off. I've been doing this only since July of 2007.

3. "Find a need and fill it" applies to a wider spectrum of age groups than I'd been targeting.

4. It pays to pay attention to articles on "Tags" and "Search Engine Optimization" on Active Rain.

Please comment on other lessons that you see here. I've learned that I don't know what I don't know. That's where interactive readership has been a real blessing to me.

And that's the real estate opinion of this Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender!

Mike in Tucson

edit: My lead turned into a new relationship, resulting in a loan application this morning, and a new referral for an Active Rain loan officer in Clackamas County, Oregon. My clients and I looked her up together on AR, and emailed the referral--their daughter in OR!

Posted by Mike Jones on 10/16/2007 12:47 PM

Comments (77)

Blogging for Dollars in the ActiveRain Channel

real estate opinion, real estate, mortgage lender, lender, manufactured home, mike in tucson

Originally posted at: Tucson By Choice!: Where's the Money in Blogging? Active Rain Brings Home the Bacon!

Post is included in group: AZ Real Estate Blogging Network
Post is included in group: Early Risers.
Post is included in group: LA Connection
Post is included in group: LATE NIGHT - EARLY MORNING AT ACTIVERAIN
Post is included in group: Tucson Real Estate

77 Comments on Where's the Money in Blogging? Active Rain Brings Home the Bacon!

OCT

2007

Mike, sounds like you have that "tag line" thing down! Good for you!

Excellent, this is a good thing and I am very happy for you! keep up the good work!

Mike this is wonderful news and inspiring for others, keep up the good work! I've learned to use the spell check button, have you? :)

Peace!

Mike thanks for helping me understand they I should blog other than the fact that I'm really starting to have fun doing it. Congratulations of getting a solid lead off AR!

Congratulations on your lead, Mike! With everything I've read here on AR about tags, I've been going back and cleaning up mine...thank goodness I haven't been here that long. I hope it leads to the same success you are having!

Patricia, thanks for stopping by to comment!

Charles, ditto to you!

Gary, I cuoldn't fnd anie mispsllings. My grammar wouldn't pass muster, but that's intentional. Makes for better reading, and it captures the Broca region of the brain for better retention. Far and away my favorite writer, Roy Williams (The Wizard of Ads) has a great post on this. :)

Kotambu, I'm glad that you're starting to have fun. I'll subscribe to your blog and reciprocate! Thanks for visiting and commenting.

Lisa, thank you! I'm off to read your blog.

Mike in Tucson

Mike, I'm still struggling with tag lines, but the more I read posts such as yours I know there is hope for me, too. Actually, I've been on AR about 5 weeks and was on a listing appointment yesterday - they found me on AR, Karen

Congratulations Mike, this is wonderful news and so true.

Great post Mike can you suggest some tag lines to use for us newbies?

Karen, I'll email you separately; congratulations on your AR listing app't!

Missy, it's always a joy to visit with you. Thanks for commenting.

Donna, thanks for commenting. I'm talking about tags, not tag lines. More on that later.

Mike in Tucson

Mike, Great job on being found! Hope you get many more.

Fantastic! Congratulations! That says so much for ActiveRain!!!!!!

Mike - Great story and excellent analysis of your tags. You've certainly come far and fast since July, my friend! Congrats!

Roberta, Bill & Barbara Jo, and Marlene,

I just stuck my head in the door here to see what's going on. Thank you each one for your encouragement and readership. You're blessings in my life!

Mike in Tucson

That is great. I have found similar results as well. I posted a Blog about Directions to Homearama in Chesapeake virginia and there I pop up . I even had 2 different people call me for directions on their cell phone while they were on the way. Now I didnt neccesarily get a deal from it but when they are ready I would hope the guy who walked them step by step off the highway gets a little recognition lol. Anyways thats great.

Mike, you've demonstrated that Blogging works! That's the lesson about being here and participating that many are looking for.

Mike, I have found that "tags" display quite high on Google searches. For that reason, I often, use my name as a tag.

It's exciting when what you are doing, works! Even just the content gets picked up well. I just got off the phone with an agent in New Mexico. He asked me about one of my properties that he had picked up off of localism. Well that one is sold, but I have others similar to it!

Mike, Congratulations on a great success story!

Greg, that's the way it works! Thanks for commenting.

Eric, we can't win if we don't play. Baseball is like sales in that you cannot score on defense.

Dan, that's one I hadn't thought of--using my name as a tag. Gotta start.

Judi, Thanks for reading and commenting. Localism gets the goggle juice too!

Brian, I appreciate your visits!

Mike in Tucson

OCT

2007

Mike,

Glad you are getting a payoff. Blogging does work. Keep on going!

Mike.. Thanks, every article I read about blogging as a prospecting tool, reaffirms my conviction to keep on keep-in on. There is so much I don't know about it, that sometimes I am overwhelmed by the effort.

Then along comes a success story like yours, and I have new energy.

Mike - CONGRATULATIONS on your Star!! Much deserved, I might add!

It's so true...find a need and fill it! That's really all we have to do.

Mike - Great blog. This is the kind of information I am trying to share with my fellow agents at our office; to help bring them into the technological nexus that will transform our business. Those that embace it will not only survive but will flourish!

www.gmacpn.com/shagee

WOW - Mike, didn't take long to get this featured on the front page! Way to go! Makes all the time invested in blogging absolutely worthwhile, doesn't it? Woo Hoo to you! - Calie in Chandler :)

Alllright Mike....that is fantastic and encouraging to the rest of us!

Mike - Congrats on a new lead and a great post! You are so right about knowing your audience!

That would be the magic of the long tail search. People are starting to put in more detailed search terms. Blogging is a GREAT way to capture those search results.

Mike - Wow, this is awesome. I need to work harder on my tags and titles. I pulled your original post to look at your tags for that....it was only 2 tags that did not say the same as your title. So, in your opinion is it the #of tags and/or the precise title that Google will pick up on?

Mike...Great information! I've only been blogging a few weeks, but your post was an inspiration!

Could not agree more, it is well worth your time here, and really blogging in general!

Yay! Another great success story from AR! And a reminder that we never know what a potential client will type in when they're googling...

As a lender like yourself, I am thrilled to learn of your success. Thank you for sharing how your client found you. I have yet to have that great success story, but I hope I am able to write a post like this soon. Congratulations

Folks keep asking, "Lenn, where are these buyers coming from?"

I keep telling them, I blog for them.

Yet, no one I know has even started.

Go figure.

Congrats! I watch what the keyword searches are for both my AR blog and my outside blog. Then if I don't have a post that addresses the keywords as clearly as it might, then I write an article that does. That way, the public decides what I write about.

I liked Dan F's use of his name. Sneaky! I get lots of candy/cookie recipes for using my "name".

Holy Cow! I've never been this behind on comments! Thanks for the star! Okay, here goes...

Maureen & Dmitri, thanks for stopping by to comment! See you soon on your blog.

Corie, it does get the blood pumping! We need encouragement every single day.

Linda, thanks for commenting. See? More encouragement!

Steven, it was good talking on the phone with you about your team. Much success!

Calie in Chandler, the feature came as a surprise! The post was up for a couple of days, and then Bang! Thanks for visiting and commenting.

Joan, I'm happy to spread the love! You're another encourager, you know.

David, it's exciting to have someone read a post and pick up the phone to call.

Lane, REALTOR for Car People, if I were a car today, I'd be a Maserati. Okay, I'd have to lose some weight... LOL

Christine, the tags were "mike in tucson," "mortgage lender" and "tucson mortgage." Google picked up two word sets from the title, "financing" and "manufactured homes" (I'm Financing a Lot of Manufactured Homes. Amazing!), and the word "Tucson" from the meta-tag. They're all important to Google.

Sandy, keep it up! I've only been blogging for three months, and I'm having a blast!

David & Lisa, not a thing in the world--Nothing!--is a waste of time if you have an idea and a plan. Hang out with people who have ideas and plans, not just ideas. Who knows what you will accomplish?

Ronald, ditto! Keep on blogging!

Kelly, this really is an awesome tool. Much success!

Mike in Tucson

Hey Mike I too was found on AR by a seller whose home I now have listed and it made me so much more aware of what I write and include in the tag lines. Congrats to you, way to go!!

And while I was reading and commenting, more comments!

Janet, where is your business coming from in this market? Feel free to link back to your website from your comment; it's terrific!

Lenn, there are those who do things, and those who talk about doing things. I just visited your profile, and you're obviously a doer!

Elaine, thanks for visiting and commenting! Your last name is my brother Dan's middle name. He got the same grief. LOL

Sandy, back atcha! Thanks, kiddo.

Mike in Tucson

Your welcome! Hey did mom mention it was her birthday yesterday??

Mike - I am not sure at all how Google assembles their headline. I found on page 1 the title of my blog, with someone else name and company. When I clicked on it, it took me to my blog, but still... How does that work? I am glad yours had your name only.

I am, alas, a newbie...what is the tags thing?

Congratulations Mike, job well done. And thanks for the tutorial.

Sandy, I haven't seen her yet this week. I'll sing happy birthday to her, though.

Faina, type the name of your post exactly as you wrote it, into the Google search field. See what comes up.

Gail, I'll go to your latest blog post and leave a message on tags.

Edit: Oops! Lynda, you got in there while I was commenting! It's good to see you again. Thanks for the encouragement.

Mike in Tucson

OCT

2007

Sounds as though this is going to result is some bucks for you. Good job. Keep it up.

I haven't been as active lately as I should be, but I got an email about 10 days ago from someone who did an Internet search and my name came up 2nd due to the blogging here on AR. The prospect had actually called the #1 person and talked to them, but didn't hear back. So next this person emailed me. I immediately followed up with a phone call and got voice mail, so I replied to the email. The prospect returned my call. I mailed some requested materials and have exchanged a few emails. We have plans to meet in person when the prospect comes to town later this month.

Mike,

Great post and congratulations on the lead!

Dave

Hi Mike, just visiting some of my favorites in the rain. This is a good lesson about tag lines and the use of titles in our blogs. My head is already buzzing with changes that I will make. Thanks.

Congratulations. This is a great post and also shows the importance of good titles and tag lines.

Hi Mike,
I've been working on my tags...I had a ton of them but according to one of the AR pros (I can't remember who right now) you should have only a few that you use.

#3 "Find a need and fill it"- As I always say "Find a niche and work it", especially when it comes to SEO. I'm targeting seniors in my area and I have the top 5 spots in the search "Active 55+ in the Triangle". How did I get there? Understanding my niche and marketing to it. Nice job.

Mike, Great Story and wonderful news...good for you!

Bob & Carolin, I hope so! Thanks for commenting.

Renee, the interesting thing about blogging is that our stuff doesn't have a time stamp limit. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I find a comment on something I had written weeks ago. This lead is a case in point. The client found me three or four weeks after I wrote the piece. Thanks for stopping by.

Dave, it's good to see you again.

Donna, ditto! Thanks for vititing and commenting!

Gita, you are one of my favorite writers. Thanks for stopping by.

Cynthia, I'm in the same boat. I need to re-do most of my tags for greater focus.

Tracy, my coach used the acronym FFA. Find a need. Fill it. Ask for the order. I like your "niche" version. Thanks for commenting.

Therese, it's always good to see you. Come back often.

Elizabeth, thank you for the encouragement!

Mike in Tucson

What an inspiring and informative post. Congrats on the client, the referral and the star!

Someone commented that they've been "cleaning up" their tags...what exactly does that mean? I probably need to do it! Thanks!

That's great! And a newbie like me is very grateful to see this testimonial to the power of Active Rain. I've invited all my realtor collegues and my lender, settlement attorney and home inspector... My lender hasn't joined yet - I'm sending her this web page!

Ginger

OCT

2007

Awesome and inspiring blog! Thanks for sharing Mike!

Great work Mike. One thing I might add is that you would in theory only want tag names that are applicable to the post so as not to 'tick off' the Google bots surfing your blog. It seems like from the tage you put on this post that "deer", "golf", and "rainforest" aren't quite similar to your post.

Looks great though!

Hi Mike,

I am new to AR and this is very encouraging, from now I will be sure to type things in my tag line!

Thanks for sharing what you have learned. Kuddos to you for learning something new and then paying attention and making needed changes. Regards! Mary Richards

Mike - Congrats on such a great job making #3 on Google! This shows all of us that blogging really does pay off. The "tags" you put on blogs make such a big difference on how search engines recognize you.

Great job! It's nice to hear how and why the titles and tags help you get business.

Jeannie, thank you!

Pamela, tags are the words or phrases you see just below the blog post, next to the field that shows the number of comments. In this post, I used six, starting with "real estate opinion," and ending with "mike in tucson." To the right of the post you'll see the words "tag cloud." Click that to see what tags I use most often. The more times I use a particular tag, the more likely that Google will find me when someone enters that word into their search. Try going to Wikipedia and see what they have to say about it.

Ginger, let me know when your lender comments!

Daniel, thanks for stopping by to comment.

Chad, the tags to the right of the post here on Active Rain are all of the tags used in any of my 70-some blog posts. The ones pertinent to each post for Google's purposes are right underneath the post. "deer, golf and rainforest" don't have anything to do with this one, but if you click on those words, you'll be taken to the post where they appear. Thanks for commenting.

Katie, glad to help! I appreciate your comment, and look forward to seeing you again.

Mary, thanks for the encouragement.

Sal, it sure does work! I need to go read your blog.

Rob, where did you come from? I'm glad to see you. Thanks for commenting.

Mike in Tucson

OCT

2007

Hi Mike,

I'm just beginning to read the wonders of blogging. You have inspired me to learn more. Are you coming up to the Round Table Discussion in Scottsdale Monday morning? If so, I look forward to meeting you and hopefully...picking your brain a little. I just staged my daughter's home in Tucson and go there frequently.

Love your enthusiasm about blogging. Keep up the good work!!

Debbie

Rooms Rearranged

Chandler, AZ

Mike, it is the reason we are here, is it not? I need to write better titles and tags. You have given me that all needed "kick" in the rear. Thank you.

Bill Roberts

It's great to see your efforts paying off. I have had several clients and friends tell me they keep up with what's going on in our area by reading my blog. How cool is that?

OCT

2007

Debbie, I'm not familiar with the Roundtable in Scottsdale, and you aren't signed in, so I'll search for you in a moment after reciprocating on the other comments. Thanks for commenting.

Bill, I'll be over to your blog today! Thanks for stopping by.

Fran, blogging doesn't replace advertising totally, but when's the last time you pored over the classifieds in the local newspaper? Much success to you!

Mike in Tucson

Hi Mike!

Now that's the way ya' do it! Congrats to you on all counts!

Mike,

Thanks for showing how Active Rain will payoff. I have been on now about 6 weeks and enjoy every minute. I keep restructuring my blogs to make sure the content is that which will get great feedback and have what is needed for me and others to learn.

Have a great week!

Lisa and Robert, thanks for the encouraging comment!

Dan, Keep at it! This is a great tool to have in your toolbox.

Mike in Tucson

thank you so much for the advice, :-)

Mike, did you know I featured this in Week in Review ?

Edith, you're welcome!

Missy, I didn't know. Thanks for commenting; I'll go check it out!

Mike in Tucson

OCT

2007

This is great Mike. I am starting to realize the point of ActiveRain and want to start being consistant in my blogging. I can't wait to be ALL OVER the internet and start reaping the benefits like you have started doing. I wish you the best

OCT

2007

Kim,

It sounds like you're on that track already. All it takes is determination and followthrough. I'll check out your blog.

Mike in Tucson

Mike, great work on having success and writing powerful titles!

OCT

2007

Mike, this is definitely the power of Active Rain. I learned this lesson early on. It's a great tool that many people don't realize! Once you realize it you start paying more attention to what you put in your blogs.

Keep up the good work, Mike!!

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