Someone made a comment on my blog the other day that they doubt they could come up with ten posts in a week. When I first started blogging, I thought the same thing. I will share with you some of the things I have learned in my short stay on the Rain.
1. THE TITLE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR POST!. I will say that again. The title is the most important part of your post. How many of you clicked on this post just to see what it was all about. Do you know that in most cases, the people who write the headlines for Cosmo, The National Enquirer, Glamour, etc., make more than the writers of the articles? That is because the headline is what causes a potential buyer to pick up the publication in the first place. The same goes for your blog posts.
2. WRITE WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND. Sometimes what is on your mind is related to real estate and sometimes its not. Just because this is a real estate arena, doesn't mean you are limited to posting about real estate. Remember, if you are posting also to your outside blog, this is for consumers and consumers don't always want to read about real estate. So go ahead.....repeat a funny joke you heard or share your grandmothers recipe.
3. WRITE ABOUT LOCAL EVENTS. Every weekend in every city, township, county or state, things are happening. Especially during the summer. Why not write about the local events that are happening. The area i specialize in is Burlington Township, NJ. I cant tell you how many times people have clicked on my postings about weekend events in my town.
4. LISTINGS. All real estate offices have listings, but not every agent is web savvy. In some offices, the listings don't appear on line outside of the MLS. Approach your broker or the listing agents in your office about adding their listings to your blog.
5. A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS. I always try to include a relevant picture in my posts. Straight text is B-O-R-I-N-G. Do a google image search and you can find all types of images on the web that are not copyrighted.
6. SPECIALIZE. No matter what anyone tells you, you cannot be all things to all people at the same time. I have seen some people who will tell you something like this, "whether buying or selling, residential or commercial, VA, FHA, North Jersey, South Jersey, Central Jersey, foreclosures, short sales, estate property.....whatever you need I can help you". If you are new to the game. Take your time and learn. Focus on one town or community. Just because you are blogging about your town, doesn't mean that a potential client from the next town over won't seek you out. As you learn your craft, you can then expand your area of coverage
7. NEWS. If you are truly stuck, turn on the news. I am sure that there will be a story on the news that may have some advice in it for your blog readers. These days, something related to real estate is on the news daily.
8. JUST SOLD. Why not provide information about a home that just sold in your community. Does it matter if the home was listed by your office or not? If I am a consumer, I want to know what 123 Main street sold for and not necessarily who sold it. If you include this information in your blog, you may be seen as an expert in your community. Someone who knows what is going on with home sales. Potential clients may be more inclined to call you versus the listing agent who has no web presence.
9. SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE BLOGGING ABOUT. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. I am not saying to steal someones post word for word. When you read other blog posts, it may jog your memory or give you some good ideas. You may be able to copy what they do, but provide information specific to your area.
10. IF ALL ELSE FAILS, PUNT! And write about sex. Just kidding. Humor is always good. Just make sure that your post fit the guidelines of any groups you post to.
Good Luck and happy blogging,
Leander McClain, Real Estate Consultant
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