If you've been in real estate for any length of time you know things change. Markets go up and down. Housing segments fall in and out of demand. We have to pay attention to what happened and what we think will happen. Some crystal balls work better than others, and the better we adapt, the more potential we have for success.
So as we're close to wrapping up 2017, it's a great time to assess your blog's effectiveness with some key questions.
Let's start with the person in the mirror:
- Are you blogging regularly? It doesn't have to be every day, but understand the more your feed the bots with quality content, the better the odds of the consumers finding you.
- Did you blog about the RIGHT things to give the consumers a reason to contact you? E.g. my Ask An Ambassador series will NEVER cause a consumer to call me, so I best make up for that the other 6 days of the week. Too much real estate navel gazing might be great for comments, but home buyers and sellers couldn't give a lesser flip about most of what concerns us in the business.
- Did you execute the basics? A blog that's easy to read? Correct spelling and reasonable grammar? Yes, typos can lead to the Rong umprussion abowt yur attenshun to deetail.
Now as far as your blog itself:
- Does it provide a coherent message? We have two blogs, one for general stuff and another with a specific focus on our patio home niche. Our patio home blog is ONLY patio home stuff. Period. Our general blog is where we'll drop in the personal stuff regarding our pets, our flower garden and all the home buyer and seller tips along with all the pure real estate topics.
- Are you providing what the consumers want? What is making them call you? Once you have that answer, give them MORE of it. Buyers LOVE information about new construction, where to find specialty housing, etc. IDX pages full of houses for sale are pure buyer bait.
- Are your old posts still accurate? Some posts are like newspaper articles with a short lifespan. Having the majority of your posts be evergreen is crucial to getting calls year after year. For instance, if new construction finished up in Community X, make sure to update your post.
Now that you've completed an honest review, what did you find out? Is there anything you need to change to make your blog work better for you? Chances are there is always room for improvement. I know there are things I can do better, and I don't need to wait for a calendar change to do them!
Bonus tip: Year end is a great time to take a hard look at your expenses. Do you have an "vampire" expenses? The monthly fees you've been paying forever, but no longer provide value? That CRM you quit on, the newsletter service, the out of date technology? Time to stop the bleeding and use those dollars in a way that provides a better ROI.
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help!
Bill of Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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