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Here's Why You Should Make Blogging Part of Your 2009 Business Plan...

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Real Estate Agent with Strategic Marketing Expert & Relocation Specialist Serving New Jersey and nationwide!

Checkout this sound business planning advice for 2009...

Original content by Stephen Kappre 1756879

For me, it is the time of year for hot cocoa, raking leaves, shoveling snow, and hopefully spending lots of time with family. It is also the time of year were you prepare and fine tune your 2009 business plan.  If you plan to hit the ground running in 2009, you certainly can't come up with a make-shift business plan in January.

Our friends Chris and Stephanie Somers reminded us of the many agents that "take the rest of the year off".  Seriously, if you can afford that, you deserve it.  If you really CAN'T afford it, and you truly are having a hard time getting business, than you can start off right by creating a business plan that you will diligently follow come NEW YEAR'S DAY.  To reitterate, this isn't a New Years Resolution, it is a BUSINESS PLAN.  Not a hope. But a PLAN.

Here are some things I plan to do to make 2009 a monumental blogging year. 

Blog 6 days a week/2 hours a day. Balance is a key for me.  I think we could all spend 6-8 hours a day chatting on Twitter, blogging on AR, and watching YouTube videos. I am scheduling in my calendar 2 hours a day to write, post, and do the other things below. Making this part of my physical business plan will help me better organize and have a true goal with blogging. I plan to have a daily/weekly agenda for;

  1. Trulia IconBlogging/Commenting. Active Rain will get the bulk of my blogging, including member's only posting.  But my other blogs will start getting the relevant posts that I aim to reach my community with. The more links pointing to me the "merrier".  I'm also blogging on Trulia and Blogger, as well as focusing more on what goes into my three seperate Localism blogs.  I may consider posting on my Yahoo! 360 blog as well as my Digg profile - this is yet to be determined, but will be before BloggerJanuary '09.
  2. Updating my Social Network Profiles.  FaceBook, MySpaceLinkedInPlaxoTwitter, Zillow, Yahoo360, Digg and Stumbleupon. I have these now but aside from my Twitter account posting my Active Rain blogging automatically to FaceBook and Plaxo, they don't see much use.  My goal is to focus on better utilizing the full potential of each site, without wasting hours on them.  I'm not against narrowing down the list either, depending on which sites seem to effect my bottom line the most.  
  3. Add video to my blogs. In the past 2 weeks I have jumped into recording videos with my digital camera. I've done Yahoo! 360this for years regarding my kids, but never for business. I have a voice and I want it to be heard!! So before 2009 hits, I'm creating the skills I need to post solid video in the new year.  Right now I am working in Windows Movie Maker, and milling over YouTube, Utterli, 12 Seconds Twitterand other video sites to see what I like the most and will result in the most professional, seemless look for my sites.
  4. Research.   I love technology, and I love websites that have cool tech "stuff". Researching new technology is made far easier simply by being an Active Rain member. We have the likes of Brad Andersohn, as well as many others here on AR who often share on internet/technology related items on a consistent basis.  We've all seen the countless Twitter posts! Technology research is also a part of my 2-hour daily routine. 

I have created a folder and a schedule to make sense of the countless thoughts in my head.  After all, blogging 6 days a week, with the objective to reach both professionals and more importantly the public, takes alot of brainwork. I have created two lists, professional and public, respectively. I've posted them below so maybe you can get some ideas yourself. (If you have to brainstorm a bit, use the first letter of the week like I did for some.)

  • Monday - Mortgages / "  "
  • Tuesday - Reverse Mortgages / "  "
  • Wednesday - Websites to check out / "  "
  • Thursday - Video Thursdays / "  "
  • Friday - First-Time Buyers / "  "
  • Saturday - WHY use Steve Kappre? / "  "

I expect that initially getting this system running for the beginning of 2009 will take more than 2 hours a day.  BUT, it seems like many of us really do have the time right now to improve and impliment.  2009 is not up to Wall Street or Washington, it is up to you.  MAKE IT successful, and start now. 

Feel free to add ideas to help myself and others maximize on the topics discussed above.

Comments (3)

Robert Havana
Park and Protect- Alberta Real Estate License Parking - Calgary, AB
Alberta Real Estate License Parking

wow thats quite the schedule.  I plan on setting up a marketing plan using some completely different strategies then i have ever used before for 2009.  Not sure if it will work but I am going to commit to 6 months of it with a fixed monthly budget and then review its performance mid year.

Nov 30, 2008 08:32 AM
Rob & Jeannie Steward - Realtors®
RE/MAX Advantage - Nashville, TN
We Work TWICE As Hard For You! - Ashton Group

Too many sites to keep track of!

I think we'll have to hire a professional blogger.    ;)

Nov 30, 2008 08:46 AM
Elaine Grandolfi
Weichert Realtors Dunhill Group - South Yarmouth, MA

Elaine GrandolfiInteresting Blog Site.  I will definitely read all of this, because I know hardly anything about Blogs and I need to be educated.  Your site appears to be very informative.

Feb 14, 2009 07:49 AM