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Marketing and Farming Your Blog

By
Education & Training with Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp Non-Licensed

Isn't it great when you write a post on a topic you're passionate about, and you get a string of intelligent and informative comments?  This creates an awesome platform to educate, and share your knowledge and experience with your clients and other consumers.  Are you waiting for them to come find your great post using Google?  Do you hope they just find your post by coincidence, or from a keyword search?  If you want to be proactive, and get this information out to readers and clients everywhere, they'll need to know that it's there.  Are you "Farming Your Blog?

Many Active Rain members subscribe to each others Blogs, so we know when there's a new post.  Many of our comments are made by those members.  In fact, the majority of comments are from other members, but the public is still finding and reading them as well.  They are probably a little less likely to subscribe or even comment, as they are not AR members.  It's a fact, they are reading your Blogs. 

So how do you get the word distributed outside of the Active Rain Blogosphere?  Here's an idea: Get your individual posts or even your entire Blog out to all your clients first, before they try to find you, and maybe find someone else.  Use this tool as you would any other farming tool!  Farming with Newsletters, Recipes, Just Listed and Just Solds etc.  Let's farm your Blog!  :-)

Every post on Active Rain has a tiny icon below it (especially yours) that offers you this opportunity!  Are you using this powerful little email tool? 

                       


When you use the internal email function here at Active rain, you have to select each individual, one at a time. 
Here's what that looks like when you prepare it for your client, friend or someone from your email database.


                                            


This is a great way to send your post to individuals you feel may be interested in your topic, idea, or discussion thread.
  Now if you want to send your post to multiple individuals, that's different!  Some large networks and companies see this as spam.  If you are sending your post to email addresses you have in your Outlook, Yahoo, or Google databases, then is this really spamming?  I don't feel it is.  Government says you can't call, now they have the "Do Not Mail Me" list, and at $3.50 per gallon for gas, who's gonna drive and knock on doors? :-)   I say EMAIL!!

 


Here's a great way to send your post by email to everyone in your database.
  Just create a cover message in your email, then BCC: a copy to everyone else in your database.  You'll have to use an accurate link back to your post. IE (The Holiday Gift)  What better way to drive readers to your post, instead of waiting for them to maybe find you someday.  Not only will you be driving readers to your post, you'll be driving more visitors to Active Rain and Localism.  Either way, ultimately, everybody wins.

Take it one final step further, why not email your entire Blog to your email database.  Instead of just sending a link to a particular post, send the link that contains all your posts, or your RSS Feed, or even your profile page.  Let them choose which topics and posts they'd like to read.  The point is, you are bringing it to them, and this is how to increase your readers, your business, and Active Rains continued growth and success. 

We can always put links on our business cards, our flyer's and signs, but are we using our email to really market our Blogs?   Not just a link in the signature of a reply either, are you sending email to anybody about your posts or Blogs?  This one is easy and may payoff in "Big Dividends," I'd try it.





What does your Blog have to say to the world about Real Estate, and how are you getting that word out there?  Is there any better way to compete and get results from all your hard work here?  As the media continues to get their Real Estate News into America's homes by television, newspaper and radio, and the Internet, how are you doing it?  Or are you? :-) 
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Comments (241)

Anonymous
Anonymous

Will Check this out thanks for the tip

Oct 22, 2008 07:09 AM
#222
Tj Stroben
California Residential Consulting - Carlsbad, CA

Thanks Brad, what a great marketing tool and something I can afford! Ha!  I love your blog. Glad I subcribed.

Tj

Oct 22, 2008 11:47 AM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Another bit of great advice.  I haven't stopped by your blog recently as I have been busy, but every time I do, I get more and more educated, and it amazes me.  I love coming across these informative blogs from before I was even an AR member.  Thanks again.

Oct 24, 2008 11:13 AM
Team Honeycutt
Allen Tate - Concord, NC

This is great stuff and one that I will share with my office manager who will understand it better than me.

 

Oct 25, 2008 06:01 AM
Susan Zanzonico
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services - Morristown, NJ
Sellers/Buyers Agent, Morristown NJ Real Estate

Thanks Brad, this is something I never knew about but looks like it would definitely be a beneficial real estate marketing tool.

Oct 25, 2008 04:22 PM
Brian Lee Burke
Kenna Real Estate - Lone Tree, CO
Broker & Advising Expert-Kenna Luxury Real Estate

Brad - I can't believe I am reading this just now... where have I been??? ~Rita

Oct 28, 2008 04:31 PM
Steve Hewson
KW Commercial Real Estate, LLC - Denver - Denver, CO
Denver Metro Comnulll Real Estate

Brad,  Great ideas.  I have started selectively to add my blog link on my email signatures when write one that may be particulary interesting to my clients and future clients.  i have not used the email feature on the blog itself but this will be great to specifically target individuals.  Thanks again fo rthe ideas.

Oct 28, 2008 09:53 PM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Craig - I think this post stands true still today - farming your Blog is simply proactive.

Dan - I'm glad, I hope it will be useful to you and your business.

Virginia - it's funny what our eyes see on the screen, we all train them differently, that's funny. 

Nicki - Looking forward to your Blog posts. Welcome to the Rain.  :-)

Lee - that's just sneaky...but why not?  haha

Eva - you must be a glutten for punishment eh?  LOL~

Dee Dee - you need to get your Aunty Blogging for sure.

Colleen - excellent!  BTW - I love your little house sig with the little fireworks symbols by your name. Cute.

 

Oct 29, 2008 02:35 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Mike - I hope this will help bring some awareness to your Blog and efforts.  Seems like a no brainer to me.

Oct 29, 2008 03:35 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

TJ - this is most certainly affordable for sure. :)

Oct 29, 2008 03:36 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Troy - there are so many great Blog posts here on AR, I don't think there is anything you can't find out information about on AR.  We have over 3/4 of a million posts here from over 100,000 members, now that's a library of information and experience.

Oct 29, 2008 03:39 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Allen - thanks for sharing with your manager and team, but the concept is really easy to understand, don't wait for others to hopefully find your Blog or posts, send it out pro-actively, just as you would a farm letter, or a just listed or just sold card.  If your Blog has great content, you need to let your SOI and the rest of the world know about it.  :-)

Oct 29, 2008 03:42 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Susan - those driving traffic to their Blogs have incorporated this type of marketing and farming.  Some take a while to figure it out, but waiting for consumers and google to hopefully find you is not as powerful as sending your posts to target markets for faster and more effective results.

Oct 29, 2008 03:45 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Rita - yeah, where have you been???   :-)

Oct 29, 2008 03:45 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Steve - it's all about target marketing, and with all the tools the Internet provides these days including the ones here on AR for FREE, why wouldn't anyone everyone take advantage of them?  hmmm...   :-)

Oct 29, 2008 03:47 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

The funny thing is, I wrote this post almost exactly a year ago, it's like a dejavu post to me. haha!!  :-)

Nov 03, 2008 11:03 AM
Michel Bron
Keller Williams Realty - Los Angeles, CA

Hi,

 

I just joined ActiveRain! I was interested in integrating my new blog on my website. Is that possible? how can I do that please?

Thanks!

 

Michel Bron

Jan 26, 2009 10:18 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Michel - you'd have to create an rss feed or something like that.  I don't think just having a link is good enough.  It might be better to incorporate some of your website to your Blog?  Hmm...  :-))

Jan 27, 2009 07:19 AM
Former Agent
None - Adak, AK

Hi Brad. Thanks for the great tip.  I am new to AR and am enjoying learning about all of the great tools here.

Oct 07, 2011 05:06 AM
Brad Andersohn
Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp - Boulder Creek, CA
ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876

Aimee - thanks for the comment, welcome aboard.  I know you'll enjoy the site and the people here.  :-)

Oct 09, 2011 06:37 PM