There are many different varieties of blogging, some are more successful at generating business than other methods...BUT just because a particular approach works for me doesn't guarantee it will work for you. And on the other hand what works for you may just not fit me at all.
Anyone that reads us knows that I'm a big fan of niche blogging. We cover Cincinnati patio homes and condos and subdivisions and new construction. Those posts are by far our most productive when it comes to generating consumer contacts.
When you get really focused, you'll find that you have less competition for eyeballs.
If I write a post about Cincinnati condos for sale, I'm most likely going to get trounced for page 1 results by Zillow, Realtor.com, big brokerages and others with WAY more advertising dollars than I have.
But if I narrow that focus down to Mason's Harbourwatch community condos for sale, now we're talking something that gets placement and causes my phone to ring, all because I have something SPECIFIC that consumer's search for AND is more detailed than the big sites get:
(incognito Chrome search results, the top two results are our Wordpress IDX search pages)
Now not every subdivision or long tail home search post ranks #1, but if I can fairly consistently rank in the top few spots, the odds of a consumer with a specific place they want to be finding me is pretty good.
And while ActiveRain may not have all the SEO clout it used to (more competition, fewer resources on tuning the site for the latest algorithm, etc.), the site STILL works.
If I search "Shaker Run patio homes for sale", I get our IDX page spot 1, another local agent #2 (and their match is NOT specific to patio homes), two Zillow returns that again are NOT patio home specific, and then in spot 5 our 2011 ActiveRain blog post about the community. So in the first 5 spots, we've got the two matches that will actually provide a patio home buyer what they're looking for AND create the impression "you guys are EVERYWHERE when I search for patio homes!".
Now the same strategy might now work for you. Perhaps there aren't subdivisions, or the natural niches are already flooded with agents working the same niche (golf course homes, waterfront homes, etc.), so a different strategy might be called for.
Maybe you become the local eyes about town for small businesses and events and that gets you known. That works for some.
Or maybe you push something specific to you. Volunteer work, a hobby, etc. that can have likeminded people find you and have an instant bond because you have something in common.
Personally, I do like to throw in some personal stuff on occasion. I do not expect those posts to rank page 1, and even if they did, who would be Googling "real estate agents who are beekeepers" or "real estate agents who do cat rescue"? But as a human interest aspect as part of our website or blog, those human interest topics have a place for someone who most likely ALREADY found us via a subdivision post or some other query and just needs a little push to have reason to like us and hire us.
So my blog mix strategy may be totally different than yours, but it's up to us to find the mix that works for our personality, our market AND gives us clients we actually want to work with.
Find your target audience, identify what they need, then tailor your work to reach them.
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help,
Bill & Liz aka BLiz
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