Okay, I've just cut short my time away from Active Rain by 1/2 day when I received news from the daily Inman News, Active Rain Adopts Subscription Model. I've been gone for a long weekend (late Thursday through Monday) and look what happens? You bet when I read the news about Active Rain on a different website, it gets my attention. Though after reading it calmly that it only affects New Members, I "came back" online only to find Brad Andersohn's post about Active Rain's New Membership Plan.
I was on my way out for a 5pm appointment so at 4pm, I printed out his post along with 244 comments (a whopping 52 pages) to read. Some comments ranged from:
- Tim Bradley's - Ability of getting an outside blog $10/month elsewhere,
- Missy Caulk's - Giving a 30-day free trial to new members,
- Jason Crouch's - Anticipation of paid subscription over a year ago,
- Tom Braatz's - Past focus on other sources of advertising and marketing before he found Blogging on Active Rain,
- Krista Fuchs's - New members only wanting to see the ROI (return on investments),
- Jorgen Hahn's - Explanation on why a free trial 30-day window would not work in the best favor of a new member,
- Linda Moran's - Comment about asking the Founding Members not to be smugged about sitting free,
- Brad's - Purging inactive accounts may be a topic of discussion in upcoming meetings.
Since then, we have many posts written about the initial thoughts about the plan. Below are my thoughts and it is one small voice in an ocean of real estate professionals:
There seems to be huge and astounding concerns about the $29/month charge. Some are concerned about agents' inability to spend another $29/month on their already tight-budgets. Again, there were countless comments about the worthiness of paying $29/month for new members.
While I understand their hesitation, this may be only comment that I could positively say, "Now that I know" as in the opposite of my other mistakes I made in the past to, "If I knew then what I know now".
I joined Active Rain back in November 2006. I didn't understand the power of Blogging for Business until it happened to me. I was merely looking for a networking place to interact with other real estate agents who would freely give of their time and knowledge. Fast forward 3 months later, my first Active Rain referral called me. She was a $700,000 buyer in the Frisco Texas real estate area. Though I was not ready to take on the challenge at that time, I understood the real impact of blogging very quickly after that. Had she used me as her Buyer's Agent, did you know I would have made well over $20,000 in one single paycheck? This paycheck is more than what an average American earns in 6 months. So, needless to say, Active Rain really had me at "Hello". If you like to read more about what I learnt from this experience, find out more on Looking like a Million Dollars.
I understand the power of Active Rain. I understand what it can and cannot do in the Blogging World. For those who thinks they are a day too late, and thinks that this Active Rain is just as good as any other free blog sites out there, I know I can't convince you otherwise. Many of us, Active Rain bloggers have invested countless hours in putting up good quality content to build a site on what it is today. Even we know that Rome was not built in a day. Hence, new skeptics that want to understand the immediate ROI on Active Rain, you probably need to find it somewhere else. Read my post on the Unveiling Love Affair between Active Rain and Google - no other blog sites have this ability. Read also, Tell It Where To Go Bubba! You Can Direct Your Posts Now if you want to understand the power of an Outside Blog aka Active Blog.
Blogging for Business works - if you put your time into it. If you are like some deep-pocket agents that have more money than time, paying freelance copy-writers to build your online presence will work too. Otherwise, just be like Lenn Harley - Ask everyone else to market and spend their hard-earn dollars elsewhere. Buy billboards and buy shopping cart covers. She's going to do it through Blogging.
Since then, I dedicate some time each week to pay it forward with my Blogging Active Rain series. My blogging efforts generated over 45% of my revenues for 2008. It is projected to be over 75% in 2009. I cant convince you to pay for something you dont think it's worth it. Because ultimately, it cost you more than $29/month with the rest of your effort placed on your time investment.
For those of you who follows my blogs know that I am a very financially conservative business owner. There is not any avenues which I would say I would make continuous time and money investment in. But I can tell you if I was one of the members who needed to make a decision with a $29/month investment, I would be one of the first to call Bob Stewart, Where could I give you my debit card number? Without a hesitation. No questions asked!
I am not your trusted friend. I'm just another Internet person in your mind. But I can only give my advice where it is seeked - If I had nothing to eat that month, and I had only $30 to spare and decide where is the last place to fund my marketing dollars, I would place my bet here to fund my last month's of Active Rain subscription. Why the desperation?
Because I understand the Power of Active Rain. I know what it can do for me. I've experienced the 'Rain. You just have to decide for yourself if you are in or you are out.
Read also, my Active Rain Success Story.
I don't get anything by writing this post other than to help a few of you on the fence to make a decision. I'm also hoping like Amanda Hall of Fort Worth real estate, that blogging here in the DFW area will not catch on. Then, just more for me, Amanda and Gary to work with.
Update:
I totally understand for those who never experienced the Power of the Rain who are the ones finding it the hardest to pay. For those who knows that this is not a business option will ask, Where Can I Make Payment?
Perhaps AR should have charged the firm believers??? I know you guys would try to choke me through your computer screens.
But like Jason Crouch, Jim & Maria Hart and many more, we had predicted for a day like this. But what caught me by surprised and a standing ovation suprise is that AR decided not to include the "Founding Members". Now, that's something to respect Active Rain about.
For those of you who are still skeptical about Blogging and what it can do for you, can I say you just have to trust those who have been here a long time. See if they had at least 25% of their revenue from blogging last year? Check out the Top 50 Active Rain members. One thing is for sure, their success didn't happened overnight. So you shouldn't either.
Stay tune for my next post on What You Need To Understand about Blogging in order to benefit from it. Please remember to subscribe to my blog.
Note: All contents are original. Consider subscribing to my blog for more business building ideas. It is my intentions to bring you tips and ideas to help you grow successfully. I want to ensure the worthiness of your time subscribing to my blog. Click on the icon if you are an Active Rain member.
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I proudly serve and sell real estate in the northern suburb cities of the Dallas metroplex. If you are thinking about purchasing or selling your home in neighborhoods of Frisco, Plano, Dallas, McKinney, Allen, Little Elm, Prosper, Celina, Richardson, Dallas M-Streets, Dallas White Rock Lake area and other surrounding areas and more importantly, want to work with a local area expert, contact me at your earliest convenience.
I employ a systematic market approach in selling your home - an intentionally unique proposal that most real estate agents do not use. Find out how past clients are on their way to the closing table with this different proposition to home selling.
Contact:
Loreena Yeo
Realtor®/ Broker of 3:16 team REALTY
(214) 783-2210
loreena@loreenayeo.com
Copyright © 2009 by Loreena Yeo (3:16 team REALTY). If I Knew Then What I Know Now, Active Rain had me at "Hello".
Do Not Copy. Serious actions will be taken. Re-blog is allowed for Active Rain members on the Active Rain platform when the content is taken in its entirety and credit be given to Loreena Yeo and 3:16 team REALTY.
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