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How to Blog for Leads on ActiveRain

By Margaret Woda

Real Estate Agent with Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

August 12, 2008 03:51 PM

How do you get leads from your blogs? I am missing it for sure.

This is the comment Matt Stahl made on one of my recent blog posts. He is not the first to ask me this question, but his comment actually triggered this post today.

There are many successful lead-generating members (check out ActiveRain Block Party to read some of their success stories), and I'm hoping some of them will add their own tips in the comments. In the meantime, I put together this checklist for you:

7 TIPS FOR GENERATING REAL ESTATE LEADS THROUGH BLOGGING:

1. Write good content that provides information consumers want to know. (William Johnson's Content is King)

2. Blog consistently. (My The Second Commandment of Blogging (Learned the Hard Way) )

3. Identify targeted keywords and use them in your title, content and tags. (Katerina Gasset's Long Tail Keywords...)

4. Make your post attractive by including white space, font variation, and images. (Sarah Cooper's Stage Your Post)

5. Create an appealing and information-packed profile or "about me" page to work in tandem with your blog. (My What Makes These ActiveRain Profiles Winners?)

6. Write summary posts that provide links to several posts on related topics. (Jo Soss's Relocation Package)

7. Promote your blog (and let your blog demonstrate your brilliance).

If you do these things and let your charming personality show through, your blog will generate leads. Converting those leads and closing them is another matter, and that's a topic for a different day.

By the way, I've included a screen shot of today's Google search for Crofton Maryland Real Estate. You might find it interesting to see that my Focus On Crofton blog appears above my ActiveRain blog, yet it is simply a snippet with a link to my ActiveRain post. These are the only listings for an individual agent on page 1 of results; the others are corporate websites or blogs.

'Hope this helps answer your question about blogging for leads on ActiveRain.

IMAGE: Screenshot from Google

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Brian Schulman

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Lancaster PA - Lancaster, PA

Lancaster County PA RealEstate Expert 717-951-5552

Useful advice, Margaret. I know I need to get more scientific about using keywords, especially in my titles.

Aug 19, 2008 01:43 AM

Sheila Santini

Waterfront and Boaters paradise Realtor! - Tarpon Springs, FL

GRI

Thank you for adding the link to the previous post on D..RE Finally gets it, I was wondering how to do that also, as I'm only a few days into this addicting madness of blogging.

Aug 19, 2008 05:09 AM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

Brian - I'm one of your subscribers, and I enjoy reading your blog. As to keywords, I sometimes have to go back in after a post is finished, and see if there's a way to be more effective with keywords and sentence structure (to create keyword phrases).

Sheila - Welcome to ActiveRain! 'Hope you find that post helpful - I have to look back at it myself when I make a change.

Aug 19, 2008 10:39 AM

Carla Carberry

Herman Group REal Estate - Colorado Springs, CO

GRI

This was a great follow-up. Thank you! When I start to read about the different things we can do to our activerain sites, our blogs (i.e., links, colors, keywords, tags, etc) I get overwhelmed. There is so much to learn. Not only that, it is extremely time consuming and I don't want to be a slave to my computer. I'm better at hands-on learning so this might take me a while but your blogs and everyone else's blogs will be a great help.

Aug 19, 2008 02:25 PM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

Carla - Try not to let yourself get overwhelmed. The simple steps in this blog post are the essentials. Everything else is extra. You don't need to use the blog customizer to get read or to have your posts show up in Google.

Aug 20, 2008 12:09 AM

Meli Gerogianis

JKA Properties (Meli G Realty & Investment Group) - Clarksville, TN

Broker, CRS, ABR, SFR, CDPE, Licensed in TN & KY

Awesome! I love how you put together the links for the other blogs. Together they make a great class on blogging. I'll be reading each and everyone of them and like you said, keep on blogging. Thanks Margaret!

Aug 22, 2008 09:31 AM

Retired Notworking

Tallahassee, FL

Margaret, Thanks for the helpful tips and related articles. Someone else told me to blog consistently lately and that point jumped out of your list at me. I really enjoy reading AR and "meeting" such nice people.

Aug 22, 2008 12:30 PM

Sonja Adams

Keller Williams Realty - Purcellville, VA

Great post...consistency is something I'm struggling with now...thanks for the reminder to blog often! I keep seeing that it works so have gotta keep chugging along and hopefully people will find me.

Sep 03, 2008 06:41 AM

Dee Nofziger

|Key Realty | Maumee Toledo Real Estate Blog - Toledo, OH

Maumee Real Estate, Toledo Homes, Key Realty

Great Blog! Like anything else, blogging is something that takes hard work and forethought. Thanks for the reminder that what I am trying to accomplish here is a journey that never ends and that how I do it is just as important as other lead generation.

Sep 03, 2008 06:54 AM

Margaret Mitchell

Coldwell Banker Yorke Realty - York, ME

Seacoast Maine & NH Real Estate

Hi Margaret - I came here via a link from one of your recent posts and so glad that you included the link. This is very helpful, thank you.

Sep 23, 2008 08:35 PM

Greg Gorman

John R Wood Properties - Naples, FL

Naples Florida Real Estate

Margaret-

Thanks for reposting the blog as I missed the 1st. Great advice. Greetings from Paradise.

Sep 23, 2008 11:11 PM

Greg Gorman

John R Wood Properties - Naples, FL

Naples Florida Real Estate

Margaret-

Thanks for reposting the blog as I missed the 1st. Great advice. Greetings from Paradise.

Sep 23, 2008 11:11 PM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

Greg - Glad you enjoyed it!

Margaret - Good name! Seriously, 'hope it helps.

Dee - Good point, it really is a journey!

Sonia - Check your stats to find out which posts people are reading, and do more posts like those. That should help increase readershp. Local content seems to get the most readers, if not comments.

Colleen - I really didn't appreciate how important the consistency is until I was away for a while and consistency was "off"

Meli - Yes, I love to link to other people's posts - that's a great way for readers to discover new "friends" on ActiveRain.

Sep 23, 2008 11:21 PM

Russ Ravary ~ Metro Detroit Realtor call (248) 310-6239

Real Estate One - Commerce, MI

Michigan homes for sale ~ yesmyrealtor@gmail.com

I have to work on changing fonts and adding more pictures. Thanks for all ro

Mar 02, 2009 10:15 PM

Russell Lewis

Realty Austin, Austin Texas Real Estate - Austin, TX

Broker,CLHMS,GRI

Hi Margaret, I found thelink to this post embedded in Rich's most recent blog. Excellent advice. I have been at AR since July 2008 and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I don't post as often as I should and have now realized that I need to start specifically targeting my content to my market, neighborhoods and areas of expertise (and more frequently!) I can tell that I need to look at more of your posts on the subject! Thanks!

Mar 02, 2009 10:28 PM

Diane Parker

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty - Wilmington, NC

Margaret, Thanks for sharing all the great advice. I find content on my local area to be most effective.

Mar 03, 2009 07:14 AM

Ann Hayden 636-399-7544

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties-St. Louis Missouri - Des Peres, MO

SelectAnn.com

Margaret,

Great info! Thank you. I have so much to learn...

Ann Hayden in chilly Wildwood, Missouri

Mar 03, 2009 12:37 PM

Sonya Loose

Modern Realty - Beaverton, MI

Helping Buyers & Sellers of Waterfront Property

Everything you said is very true...and I am finally learning about the importance of keywords and tags and the long tail theory now....sometimes it is overwhelming what we Realtors must know!!!

Mar 04, 2009 06:38 AM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

It looks like this post has taken on a new life, and I'm glad it's providing some inspiration for a new generation of readers. Thank you for commenting!

Mar 04, 2009 07:58 AM

Les & Sarah Oswald

Realty One Group - Eastvale, CA

Broker, Realtor and Investor

Hello Margaret - thank you for your timeless helpful blog. There is still so much to learn on how to write blogs that can generate leads. I intend to read up on all the links that you have suggested.

Nov 27, 2012 09:58 PM