Oh the Places You'll Go (when you blog)

Yesterday I got a call and an email from a producer at the Meredith Vieira show.  This is something that doesn't happen everyday in my world.  

Okay, okay, it actually never happens in my world.  

At least not until yesterday.

See, I live in Oklahoma.  And the Meredith Vieira show is taped and produced in New York city.  And New York city producers typically don't calling REALTORS® in Oklahoma.  I'm not saying that this doesn't happen.  Just that it typically doesn't happen...at least to me.

So why would I get a call from a daytime TV show producer in New York City?

→ Did he want to buy a big, awesome expensive house here in Oklahoma?  Nope.

→ Did he want to sell his mom's house here in our area?  Nope.  Not that either.

→ Maybe he wanted to buy a big commercial project in town?  Nah, couldn't get that lucky.

So what did he want?  Why the call and email?

It seems he had come across my blog, Those Crazy Kids as he was on the Internet doing research for an upcoming segment they're going to do about kids who act crazy.  

So he called me.  And he emailed me too.

Now sit up and pay attention here folks.  

This should get you all excited and weak in the knees.

Because some producer guy from a TV showed contact me?

Yep, precisely because a producer guy from a TV showed contacted me

That ought to be a blog wake up call for us gang.  And here's why...

Your blog(s), once written and published, go out into the whole wide world.

That's the entire world.
The whole thing.

You know what that means right?

Anywhere there's Internet, you're there.

Think about what that means.

Right now, there could be a person sitting in an Internet coffee shop somewhere in Germany reading your blog about something happening in your town or an awesome house you have for sale.

Don't think that happens?  Think again.

I actually sold a house a few years ago to a family who was moving to Oklahoma once the dad retired from active military service.  They were stationed in Germany when I got the first contact email.  And why was that?  Because they found me through my blogging about Real Estate in my area.

Yeah, it does happen.

Your blog(s) travel far in this big world.

They carry your words, your thoughts, your personality to potential buyers and sellers everywhere.

And it can pay off big when you get the call or the email from someone who finds you and wants to work with you instead of your competition.

But let me warn you, this doesn't happen just because you blog.  You've got to blog smart to make the contact back to you happen.  

And here's how you do that.

1. Don't' write crap poor content.  Yep I said it.  Jokes, poorly marketed properties with just a link and few or no pictures, all text blogs and re-blogged blogs do not bring out your unique personality.  They don't make people want to contact you.  A good blog draws people to you.  It resonates with emotion and passion.  It shows the world that you are a professional who knows their stuff, has a heart and will take great care of them.  Post your jokes if you want.  Re-blog great posts.  But don't let that be the mainstay of what you blog.

2.  Learn the art of good blogging on a granular level.  Don't know what that means?  If you don't, you need to go watch the latest ActiveRain webinar that Bob Stewart did recently.  If people are searching for something specific in your town, this will teach you how to be the blog and person they find in their search results online.  Knowing how to do that is huge!

3.  Know your audience.  I say this because when you write a blog, you're typically alone with your thoughts inside your head.  It's easy to forget that you're talking to people who will be reading those words, possibly in Australia or in some state in the US or maybe even in Cuba pretty soon.  You have to remember that you're speaking to them and not to just those thoughts in your own head.  It's like a newscast person.  They see only a camera, but they know there is a huge audience behind that camera listening and watching them.  Blogging is the very same way.  As you write, talk to whom you're writing too...as if they're right there with you.

There's lots of other tips and tricks to great blogging, but I think those three are enough to remind us that good blogging is an art form.  Used wisely and crafted, your blog(s) are a powerful tool that can be used to advance your Real Estate career so that you dominate your competition and put paychecks into your pocket.

If my blog about how kids sometimes behave in the world of real estate can draw the attention of a guy in New York City, imagine who might be drawn to your blog.  

 Clipart used courtesy of clipartpanda.com and freeimages.com