I've written nearly 1,200 posts on this blog, starting in 2007. Over the past several years, I've had dozens of sales that have resulted from referrals from my ActiveRain friends around the state and country, and from consumers finding me directly on my profile or from specific posts (my Austin Texas Relocation Package post has over 113,000 clicks as of today). 
Recently, I had someone who was a relatively avid reader of my blog say, "I feel like I already know you."
I think's that's one of my goals, frankly. If I'm doing my "job" as a blogger correctly, any potential clients who read my posts will get a good sense of who I am, not just in business, but in my life. I have often treated my blog like a journal of sorts, including posts about my family, friends, music, faith, and more. It has worked for me. Your mileage may vary.
I've often said to agents that you really can't teach someone to be likeable. More polite? Yes. More friendly? Yes. But there is something seemingly inherent about likeability.
If you're likeable (as defined by your target clientele), that will probably translate well through your blog, assuming you write enough for people to get a real sense of who you are. In our business, this can go a long way toward landing more sales. I think it's likely true in just about any service business:
People want to like the person they're doing business with, all other things being equal.
Of course, experience counts, but it's tough to trump likeability and honesty, especially since most of us have access to the same general information about the market and specific areas and listings.
There's no doubt that we all try to put our best foot forward, and there is self-editing at times. I don't share all of my personal struggles online with the world, of course. However, I don't mind sharing some more personal details if I think it will help me to better connect with other agents and with my potential clients.
The best part about getting clients from this blog is that when they contact me, they've usually already made up their minds to work with me exclusively before they even pick up the phone or send me an email. I'm thankful that they consider me to be a friend before we even meet in person. That is a blessing.
Thanks for reading!
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/basykes/
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