The Second Commandment of Blogging (Learned the Hard Way)
As many of you know, I am on an Active Rain mission for 2011. I am on a quest to Rebuild My Online Tools. In my search I have been led to various useful "Commandments". I found this one Posted by Margaret Woda back in 2008.
The Second Commandment of Blogging (Learned the Hard Way)
I'm adding this lesson to my Blogging SEO Tool Box and re-blogging it for your use too.
We all know the First Commandment of Blogging: CONTENT IS KING.
'Not sure if I learned this the hard way (through the School of Hard Knocks) or the easy way (someone shared their wisdom with me), but I've known for a long time that good content attracts both google and readers. It has been the "secret" to selling Crofton Maryland real estate in this market.
When I headed to Texas in June, my broker-owner Ed White was covering for me here in Maryland - After about a week, he said "This is crazy... Are you always this busy?" I was sending him about one or two leads a day - all generated by my blogs. This continued for another week, 'til I lost regular Internet connection when my daughter moved into her new house. She had procrastinated on ordering Internet service for home, since she enjoyed access all day at work. That's when I learned...
The Second Commandment of Blogging: CONSISTENCY IS CRUCIAL.
After two weeks without Internet access for blogging consistently about Crofton and real estate, those leads from blogging nearly dried up. Checking email on a cell phone is one thing; blogging is another! I realized, for the first time, the huge impact of CONSISTENT blogging.
At that point, my daughter shared her air card with me (a device she uses for Internet access when traveling on business). That helped, and I posted a few times, but my place in google search results for "Crofton Maryland Real Estate" dropped from one and two for my Focus On Crofton and ActiveRain blogs to five and six during the six weeks I was away. Even more important - new leads weren't coming in from ActiveRain, Localism or FocusOnCrofton.com at quite the same pace!
Next week, look for me to get back on schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for FocusOnCrofton.com.. weekly (or more) for Localism... and, of course, ActiveRain. If I wasn't convinced before, I know now that CONSISTENCY is just as important as CONTENT in blogging, even though I have a pretty substantial inventory of past blogs posted.
Yes, blogging is a big investment in time - but it pays a huge return! People who live in the Crofton area seem to be riding out this market in place, so I can't count on local repeat and referral business. Relocation buyers are searching online for a community, a home, and an agent... and they find both Crofton real estate and me through my blogs.
'Guess I'd better get started. 'LOTS of catching up to do, and many new posts have been inspired by my trip, starting with my visit to another Crofton - Crofton, Kentucky!
PHOTOS: Istockphoto
Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved. Margaret Woda. The Second Commandment of Blogging
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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MARGARET WODA
REALTOR® and Associate Broker
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.Office: (410) 721-1500 x 6245
Direct: (301) 346-2923
Email Margaret Woda'Still passionate about helping home buyers and sellers in Bowie, Crofton, Davidsonville, Gambrills, Fort Meade and Odenton, Maryland, after 30 years as a REALTOR®.
Disclaimer: Information contained in this post is deemed reliable on the date of publication, but it is not guaranteed and it is subject to change without notice.
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