You can blog every day and never get your phone to ring. Blogging by itself isn't some miracle silver bullet that will quadruple your business if you post 5, 50, 500 or 5000 times. When it comes to getting the phone to ring, it's WHAT you write about and HOW you write about it that makes the difference.
So here are some suggestions to improve the odds of getting your phone to ring:
1. Write about new construction homes for sale. People love new homes. If you can be knowledgeable and get the information they need in front of them, you can get the call. And frankly, many builders aren't good at web placement, so there's opportunity to be tops on the web search results. And what do most buyers have? A home to sell too.
2. Methodically cover local subdivisions. Pick the ones you want to do business in and provide detailed blog posts with IDX search links. People see what's for sale, and that includes potential sellers checking out their neighborhood and buyers interested in that community. And those buyers? They often have homes to sell if you've picked communities that aren't prime first-time homebuyer turf.
3. Work the long tail. Going after "Cincinnati homes for sale" puts me square up against the 800 lb gorillas of the industry. But start getting more detailed? That's where you can capture the eyeballs. "Lebanon Ohio homes for sale with a barn"? That I can win. Most of your competition will NOT go beyond the main search terms. Work multiple long tails and add a new client here and a new client there.
4. Long tail to the extreme? Niches. Item 3 is more of a general little bit here, little bit there approach. What if there was a type of housing being ignored by your competitors and ripe for development? That's what we found with Cincinnati patio homes. We hit this topic frequently because word for word, our niche posts outperform our general posts for getting consumer calls. It may take some time to build a critical mass with your digital footprint, but once you establish that "we find you EVERYWHERE" presence, the calls will come.
5. Pay attention to your local consumers. Local community Facebook groups, Nextdoor, etc. provide amble fodder for what's on your local residents' minds. If it's real estate related, you can be the one that provides the info.
6. Write those market reports. You'll probably not get a "I was reading your market report and you obviously know the market" type of call. What you will get is "I found you on the Internet". And the perk, you self-educate every time you review your market. That's priceless stuff in its own right.
I'm not saying these topics are ALL you should write. Showing your human interests can get calls too. Some people love knowing they have something in common with you. It might be pets or kids or something else, but showing them you're not 100% real estate driven can make a difference.
Good luck! Grab your keyboard and see what you can do!
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help!
Bill of Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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