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Your blog's content is a commodity. Treat it like one.

Your blog's biggest asset is the content you write. Wouldn't you know, there's a whole industry out there ready to swoop in on your prized petunias, not for fame and fortune, but for profit. We are used to their appearance in newspapers, magazines, radio and t.v. They've been pushing themselves onto the internet for years, starting with banner words and graduating to ppc andtext links. Now they are making an appearance on video.

Can you guess who I'm talking about? It's the advertising industry and they would do the happy dance if they could get on your blog.

At Blogworld Expo 2008 I attended a monetization session. The panel included 5 speakers, the majority of whom were advertisers and they are all about blogs. If advertisers could sponsor a good blog, dedicated to an niche, they would in a heartbeat. Their second choice pickings would be a widget on your sidebar.

I also walked the expo floor and toured the latest and greatest free applications and utiities for blogs. They are so kind to bloggers, everything is easy and simple to install. In five minutes flat you could have a brand spanking new widget, shiny and slick on your blog that will allow your readers to grade your blog or suggest news stories relevant to your post.

The thing that makes advertisers salivate more than anything is to stake claim to your most valuable property-your content. I watched a demo of a monetization tool that imbeds relevant video which pops up full-size right in the middle of your post and expands to the four corners of your blog.

Isn't that exciting?

I am all for diversification when it comes to income. I am not a true philanthropist. If there's an honest dollar to be made in my endeavors, I'm all for it; A she-blogger and her three children have to eat, don'tcha know? The key is that I am talkin' about an honest dollar. No smoke and mirrors for my readers- a little lot of opinion and 'just the facts ma'am.

I use widgets. I love my bloglog and the faces that greet me every morning. I used to have a doormat that greeted my visitors displaying their state origin. I thought it was a nice personal touch. I have used Google AdSense and Amazon widgets.

I did say that I'm a For-Profit Enterprise.

Now I am starting to think about my most valuable internet asset. My blog is my highrise in Park Place. Should I let an advertiser take a piece of my real estate? How can I make sure that I don't risk devaluing my blog with a low appraisal. How can I make sure I protect the integrity of my internet business and retain the value of my blog to my readers and to myself?

I have a few ideas.

I will consider my widget options carefully. I will only add them if they are of value to my readers. If I read a book and recommend it to my readers and from that recommendation my readers click and purchase that book and I make a commission...acceptable. If I slap up a rotating collection of books I've never touched ...unacceptable.

I will reserve advertising space on my content for me. I will advertise myself and my services through the use of value and transparency woven opaquely through the text of my posts and the quality of my conversation. I will add a call to action when appropriate.
I will watch my conversations unfold and reciprocate in kind. I will listen and respond asap. One way conversations devalue my content.
I will link and recommend bloggers, writers, and business professionals in my posts that provide a value to my readers. I will add my blog's rss feed or url to every social network I join. I will link to other posts I have written when it makes sense. I will not swap links for the sole purpose of increasing my ratings.
I will stop comment advertising on my blog. Sometimes I will encourage it for the value of my readers. If I don't request it, though, I don't want it. It takes away from my business and devalues my blog. If your an Active Rain member, see how Brian Brady protects himself from comment spamming on a recent post he penned. For a good example of a gracious but firm blog host, visit Lenn Harley's blog and see how she deals with comment spaming.

Don't turn a blind eye. Your blog's content is a commodity. Treat it like one.

How do you protect your online real estate? Please share by commenting below.

Posted by Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant on 09/27/2008 01:06 AM

Comments (61)

Blog Content in the Online Marketing Channel

blog content, monetizing your blog, online marketing

Post is included in group: ABC's of Real Estate Marketing
Post is included in group: Art of Professional Salesmanship
Post is included in group: Dedicated Bloggers
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61 Comments on Your blog's content is a commodity. Treat it like one.

SEP

2008

Hi Rebecca,

I have enjoyed reading Active Rain member posts regarding Blog Conventions. Thank you for the tips you received at the Blogworld Expo 2008.

Don't forget me if you learn of anyone moving to "The OC!"

Michael

949.753.7900

Thank you for your comment on this post- hope you are enjoying Active Rain.

Comment spam is not good. Interesting what some see as spam and what others don't? I think new folks do it by mistake. I do think you can pick and choose some advertising, on your terms, to help keep the business engine running on your blog.

Audrey- I do think some people are well intentioned, others not so much. It is an industry habit, heck a sales habit, to paste name and number all over everything....but it's just not the blogging way.

Rebecca, For many of us Active Rain is our training ground in the blogosphere. This post opens all kinds of ideas and thoughts.

Jimmy- That's the best kind of comment I could receive on this post.:-)

great post. I had never thought of my blog in this way, but I see your point. I am making a conscious effort to make more recirprocal comments and respond to all comments as quickly as I can to keep that "dialogue" going

Rebecca, Great post. Great angle. I totally agree with you. Real estate is a people business. People want to know people. A blog is a comprehensive vehicle to know people. I will keep an eye on my blog asset as well.

Team Carroll- That dialogue can make a good post great. Sometimes, just like with email and phone, we can't get to it that minute and that's o.k. Just as long as your making a reasonable effort.

Huiting- Thank you. I like that, "A blog is a comprehensive vehicle to know people". Makes sense as we are driving on the information highway.

I think that these points make a great deal of sense.

Some blogs are so full of widgets that you hardly no where to direct your eyes and the content is lost. It can look like Coney Island - with little added value if you are not careful.

Reciprocation to comments is very important. It's strange when I see blogs with tons of comments and the blogger fails to respond to anyone. It's almost insulting to those who comment.

Advertising your house on my blog is a "no no." I had several FSBO's try to advertise themselves on my blogs about specific condo complexes. They were immediately deleted.

SEP

2008

Very interesting - and you know how naive I am ? until now i didn't know that your welcome mat was a widget that changed for every visitor.......I just figured you knew several people from British Columbia.....lol.......now don't i feel silly.........:-)

Rebecca great post, I must learn from you as much as I can, BTW I agree with Liz So how do we do this welcome mat? Greetings from Sunny California

Rebecca- sorry but I have to laugh at Liz's comment.... I didn't know that the Mat changed for each Visitor either :) Ok, now to this Post on content...You have a lot of points here, and the one that I will comment on is the one on widgets......and only using the ones that give value to your customer. On my outside blog I have 1 Widget...and that's for Link-in.....I'm not sure who that's really for?

I had no idea. I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm a blogger. This is a whole different world with so much to learn. Thanks for the heads up.

Did you know that the most valuable place to receive a backlink from is the front page of a well ranked site? Why do you think the vendors want to place their widgets on your site? Not only do they want that all powerful backlink, they want the message that it sends to Google. Placing these widgets on your front page tells Google that your site cosiders them to be an authority and will often allow that site to pass you right by in your own home town. Many of these widgets have hidden backlinks in them that you are not even aware of, check the html on them, some of them are quite an education.

So if you have or are thinking of placing a Trulia widget on your home page (for example) don't be shocked when they pass you by on the engines.

Interesting... who knew! The convention must have been eye opening. thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the mention Rebecca.

I went on the Internet in 1995. I didn't link out then and I don't link out now. A widget takes viewers away from my web site. Why, why, after spending the time, money, effort, thought, etc. into getting my web site(s) to rank well and generate business traffic would I send folks away with widgets and links.

Sometimes I think I'm alone in the wilderness on this matter.

So be it.

Thanks for bringing this up for consideration. I love to blog and this gives me some more information to consider.

Rebecca- Your title says it all - Content is our commodity. Providing well written, interesting and informative content will bring readers (potential clients) to our sites. After all, isn't that our ultimate goal? I doubt that our efforts are simply altruistic. Using our blogs as advertising vehicles for the rest of the world just doen't make sense.

Blog widgets! Now I've learned something new today! Thanks!

Thanks for the emphasis on the content ! We really enjoy adding quality content to our blog. What we are learning is all the tech end of it - the widgets and all that... we strugge with the technology. For example, our banner is not working now on our Active Rain blog, and I added a widget I am not sure how to take off now without messing up everything. But if we conentrate on the content, all will be fine - that is what we believe. I would like to consult with someone regarding the tech aspect and the design aspect of it though... Will subscribe to your blog in a moment too ! Is great to have a featured post - we just had one as well : ) Congrats !

Rebecca - I recently removed the customizer and most of the widget stuff because it was slowing down my load time considerably. I learned that when I was forced to use a dial-up connection at my in-laws' house in Houston. I know that most users probably weren't patient enough to sit and wait to read my content, unless they were regular readers/subscribers of mine. This is an excellent post, my friend. Congrats on the feature!

Rebecca, I'm always torn between adding new widgets and simplicity. Some of the best blogsites I visit are widget free, simply designed, but have great content. I appreciate the caution about giving free advertising to others.

Hi Rebecca-

Well thought out and informative. Blogging is fun and can be very lucrative (or costly if you're "out there" with your remarks). One new widgets I placed on my blog is www.AgentShield.com. The company goes after new developments and rebrands all the contact information so that at any point a buyer clicks for more information, the agents name, address and contact info come up instead of the developers. Thanks for sharing and greetings from Paradise.

Very insightful and saved us a trip to the actual convention. Thanks for sharing and providing some crucial points that we should be applying in our blogs

I have been reading a lot about content and it's importance when blogging. You summed it up...very nicely

Thanks for telling us your story of how you reached the decision about advertisers on your blog.

As for the book endorsements of unknown books, I thoroughly agree. Your value as a blogger is in the personal validation of content and choice.

Rebecca, thanks for bringing us this wealth of good advice and your reflections on Blogworld Expo 2008. I thought your insights into monetizing were spot on and I like how you netted out your intentions going forward. Very valuable for us all.

Rebecca, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post and have bookmarked it to review more in the future. i am fairly new here but have tried to make areal effort at writing something I like and that also will be of use to the readers. I do not post as often or as prolifically because I actually work selling real estate too! I am going to subscribe to your blog for more suggestions. Thanks again, Russell

Yes I need to strat using more widgets.

Rebecca,
I have to agree with Lenn H. (again!) I don't link out, either. I work hard to get folks to my site. I want them to STAY there. Give them what they want and they will come back...over and over and over. If they end up on another site, they will forget that they started with me!
Your post was definitely food for thought.

Gayle

Thanks, Rebecca. This was very helpful for me as a pretty new blogger. I've bookmarked your post as a sort of reference manual to look back on as needed. I may get to where I know what I'm doing in this arena, yet!

A very interesting post---you gave me some new ways to consider blogging in general.

Ruthmarie- Isn't that interesting. Even the consumer wants in:-) I like your simile about Coney Island.

Liz- Don't feel silly. I actually first saw this widget on Marchel Peterson's blog and after a few times I thought, Hey that's kinda cool and I asked her how to get one. I don't know if I realized the first few times that it would change for each person.

Kathy- I think that's more than o.k., the linked in link, because you are just providing a way for your readers to connect with you. It helps them and you.

Trunda- Different, but surprisingly, and you will find this to be true as you delve further into blogging, it's really the same. It's about the quality of the relationships when it comes right down to it. Isn't that really an old school premise anyway? I want to deal with people I like, know and trust. Blogging and social networking are just mediums to do that. They are tools to show what you are about and to connect with the people you want to.

Laurie- I appreciate you sharing this information. "Free" costs sometimes. I like to know the real price upfront.

Georgina- Absolutely it was...I have been simmering on a few things for awhile and the convention just confirmed my thoughts- very empowering and I will be sharing more.

Lenn- You're welcome, you are a perfect example. As far as widgets, you're not alone. I have been given clarity and I agree with you. Sometimes I am tempted by the pretty and shiny, so I just know I have to be careful of temptation...it can be like Hansel and Gretel. I don't want to be pushed into the oven.

Laura- Thank you, I am glad to hear it.

Marilyn- Exactly. On this topic of content as our commodity, I do submit some of my posts to Ezine articles but I wonder why people use these syndicated posts and why people hire ghost bloggers. What if someone asked you about what you wrote? I digress.....sometimes the mind wanders:-) Thanks for coming by.

Sassy- You are welcome....I just love your name.

Christopher and Stephanie- You know what I say, spend the majority of your time concentrating on the content- improving writing and if you have a little leftover, than save that for social networking. As far as the truly tech- like design and such- Real Estate Tomato, Dakno, or Mary McKnight would all be good choices.

Jason- I think I am going to remove mine as well and maybe just have a header. I am not patient either when it comes to load time.

Richard- If you just remember that your advice, perspective and commentary is worth something you'll be fine. A blog is a piece of real estate, online...it shouldn't be "sold" lightly.

Greg- Thanks, that's the first I've heard of Agent Shield. I will have to take a look.

James- I have some more thoughts brewing...the convention helped me open the floodgates.

Jane- Thank you- It is all about content- you just can't have a good conversation without it.

Vickie- Your welcome it was really a refreshing moment. Very freeing.

Russell- You might be surprised at what captures a reader's attention. It doesn't have to be prolific, someone just needs to be able to connect. If you work in real estate- every day you are engaging in conversation, blogging really is no different. That is key- it's a lesson that took me way to long to realize.

Tatyna- Unless the widgets provide a true value by enhancing your content or your reader's experience, they won't add value to your blog.

Gayle- Exactly right.

Dave- Read, comment, write....read, comment, write. It sometimes seems to basic to be good and true....I have a secret to share- it's not.

I agree with you about the monetization aspect of blogging. There are a couple of blogs I used to really enjoy until they turned into billboards. I don't find anything of value to me as a reader. I don't have time or the desire to sort through the clutter.

I have a couple of widgets on my sidebar, but they link to either my LinkedIn resume or a cause I value (registering to vote) I don't mind if they leave me for that!

This post really made be think. I just don't care for a lot of advertising so this really hit home. We work hard on our content and that is what makes professionals shine. I believe it is critical to protect out "real estate."

Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts. It seems like the expo was well worth going to and generated some ideas. It was great of you to share them and makes me think about my own widgets and content. Do you have info on the next expo?

Rebecca, I have been contacted by advertisers to advertise on my outside blog, not interested.

Hi Rebecca, Thanks for sharing all of your valuable information. Loved the post!

Thanks for the info for a new blogger.

Hi Rebecca, alot of great information here, thanks for sharing.

Great, now I have to worry that my widgets have "worms" or worse cyber crabs in the form of content spamming. As my own personal enterprise I too get cheesed when someone tries to redirect my potential market. GRRR.

Rebecca, thank you for the most helpful information. I am in the process of starting my blog and I can use all the help available.

Rebecca - The new picture looks great! I was actually thinking of mentioning it the other day, since the old one was so little. Whenever I include you in the Family Ties recap posts, it made it harder to lay it out. Nicely done!

Hey Rebecca! Beautiful! You nailed it. Thanks for reminding us all that we are a commodity.

Rebecca, I wanted to know what blogs specifically of Brian's and Lenn's addressed comment spam; your links only took me to their main blog pages. I did not see anything re: comment spam on their first page.

The only widget I have on my AR blog is one that shows my 5 latest posts, since AR doesn't have a link like that on the individual blog page. I took off ALL my other widgets, when I realized that #1, most of my customers wouldn't care what other AR member or realtors were reading my blog, and #2, it looked really pathetic to have only four or five bloglog members reading me when there are other blogs with 20 of them. LOL I know i have more readers than 5, they're just not in MyBlogLog...I decided it would be better without the widget than with the widget.

Widgets slow everything down, and make the page way too busy anyway.

Is it just me or did anyone else notice that the first commenter blatantly advertised his service proposition on this post? It was subtle but it was advertising.

People get away with a lot of garish behavior on Active Rain. If you invited me to a dinner party, at your home, and I started passing out business cards, like I was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, would you invite me back?

The answer is, of course, no.

So, why do bloggers on Active Rain allow other people to blatantly advertise on their property? Control the conversation people- it's good manners to the commenters who want to seriously discuss your thoughts.

I hadn't really thought of the widgets and such as advertising. I need to consider this carefully. Thanks for the ah ah moment.

Brian... Good pick up on the self promotion in comment one.

I have a few advertisers that I are trying to get themselves on my blog. I also don't think it owuld be advantageous for me to monetize it that way... And I'm cutting back on the widgets to make sure that my content loads quickly.

Hello Dear Bloggers,

Ok I know exactly where you are comming from.

So how about us video producers who post exclusive content on YouTube?

We know that that there is a trade off: they (advertisers) pay for for the bandwidth/server disk space and we give them FREE content. Plus the exposure on YouTube is massive.

So check out our FREE HowTo videos for making real estate videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/RealEstateVideoDIY

You can maintain your own website & blog, but there comes the cost of hosting and maintaining it.

Robert

Robert, you cheeky devil...you got your advertising in!! And everyone sees it for the tacky, tasteless, and "bad form" stunt that it is.

For shame!

your hot can i get your digits?

SEP

2008

Elaine-So your widgets serve a purpose to your readers....that's the idea.

Joan- It is critical and this advertising movement is going to get stronger so best to be aware of it now.

Missy- Thank you for sharing that publicly with readers here on this post. You are well respected and your words will make many think:-)

Sandy, Robert, and Kerina- Thank you I am glad you found it valuable.

Cat- I think that you'll find a way for yourself to manage opportunists that makes sense. Your gut is a good indicator- if it doesn't feel right don't go with it.

Ann- Glad you enjoyed that. So now instead of concentrating on widgets, you can concentrate on your content.

Jason- Thank you- yep that new pic was long overdue.:-)

Terri- You are all a commodity. Think of the work and emotion you put into your posts. I hope every blogger starts to think of their content as a commodity.

Karen- As to Myblog log I have taken it off my A/R blog, it's still on my corporate one for now. Last week I noticed that my pages were loading slow and I would go to other member's sites and see that the faces weren't all loading...now sometimes this will happen with any widget, I just thought that really for now, except for seeing the faces it doesn't serve a huge purpose for me and I would rather have the faster load time.

As to the posts, Lenn has it sprinkled in the comments section of her posts, I'll look. Also Brian's post was member only, so to respect community guidelines, as my post was public, not member's only I'll email you a link to it.

Brian- I did notice that and had written my first comment to please remove the number, BUT then I read the comment from Audrey and it made me think. I certainly don't want to discourage new members for trying to be active in this community. Hopefully thru the conversation that ensues in this post he will have a good understanding. Aside from the fact that he doesn't pose threat to my business whatsoever. :-)

Christine- You're welcome. Glad to be the instigator here:-)

Lane- You've carved yourself a really nice niche, I wouldn't be surprised if the amount of propositions from advertisers you receive increases. Some or one might actually work for you and your readers at some point....it's like using a sifter to find the best seashells.

Like one of the few panel members (maybe the only) who was a blogger in the monetization session said, "And if your unsure if you should do that type of advertising, take that sponsorship, accept that widget, there's a little thing called Ask...Ask your readers for their thoughts.

Robert- Why oh why did you chose the self-blatant ad on this post? Clearly you're a salesman...you have to be somewhat good with words....couldn't you have chosen to add to the conversation instead of adding to confirmation of warning from folks like you....oh Robert, I feel for you man.

Karen- You know the deal.

Ralph- Thank you for providing an example of another type of content roach. Seriously, I am just leaving your comment up as an example. You do realize this is a real estate industry social network, not a dating network.....so not cool Ralph.

Hopefully thru the conversation that ensues in this post he will have a good understanding

I hear ya; I'm happy to play bad cop on this one. Keep doing a great job, Rebecca- you're advancing the medium

Great Post Rebecca :)

There is some really useful blogging info and guidlines you have provided here.

It's nice to see that so many people are finally seeing the incredibly knowledgeable,

and insightful resources that you have in the Real Estate, Blogging, and Sales coaching

fields.

You are a huge asset for the AR community, and for anyone who reads your blogs as well.

Keep up the consistently great work :)

Have a Great Day.

Thank you my semi-biast boyfriend:-) There are many assets here on the rain and if I can be one that's great. Anyway, I know you wouldn't comment if you didn't like this one, so thank you.

Rebecca, this helped me very much. I have only been at this for a couple of months. Thank you for breaking the important parts down so well. Very easy to read. Some of the informational blogs that are so long I cannnot read them all but your bulled points and Bold text is a great advantage.

Jane,

Thank you. I am very pleased that you found this helpful. I remember what it was like to begin blogging and feeling like there were a million different directions.....it all seemed a bit confusing and overwhelming and there was something new popping up every day. I also had the opinions of many thrown in the mix,which didn't help. I believe the same thing....Read, comment write. The K.I.S.S formula for blogging. Everything else should be secondary until you can really get your voice and comfort level and topics etc. down.

MAR

More great info, Rebecca - thanks! Monetizing our blogs or websites to boost our income always feels like a good thing, at the time. However, some content can be very annoying so we have to be very careful about what we use.

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