I have found three real estate professionals who joined Active Rain just a couple of months ago in September, have each written a few posts, set up their profile pages, and have what it takes to be blog leaders here, once they get into the habit of posting regularly. They are all pros at what they do, and please join with me to wish them every success in their businesses and in their blogging experience.
La’Juana Ransome is a Keller Williams agent working in the Inland Empire area of Southern California, in the communities of 
Rialto, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, and surrounding areas. Although she is new to Active Rain, she has years of experience in her local market, and she has done a great job of setting up her profile page, with a good home search link, testimonials, and a nice personal introduction.
She seems like a very caring gal, and eager to learn whatever she can about blogging. Since she is not yet a Rainmaker, I hope she will do that as soon as she makes a commitment to regular blogging, so that her potential clients can see what a great choice she would be for their agent. I enjoyed reading her post about the 90 year old couple (check it out). Stop by and say hello!
Kim Gaston, owner of Front Porch Home Interiors, is a home staging consultant in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her impressive credentials include Certified Color Consultant, alumnae of The 
Decorating and Staging Academy as well as Interior Redesign Industry Specialist, and member of the National and Colorado chapter of Real Estate Staging Association (@RESA).
Kim hasn’t written many blog posts yet, but she is a Rainmaker, so once she starts blogging in earnest, I’m sure that Active Rain will be a great business builder for her.
She has some great before and after photos on her most recent post, showing how her staging minimized the negative issue of strange wall colors. In fact, her after shots turn those colors into a plus. You have to see to believe. Check her out!
Michael Morgan is a Remax agent working in Seminole County Florida after serving a year in Afghanistan. He has been in the Army reserves for 12 years, and understands the hardships a 
family goes through in dealing with the moves and adjustments to new places. I think he would be a great resource for anyone who is relocating for their job, whether or not they are in the military, as he prides himself on giving the extra attention and empathy that such a stressful event naturally brings.
Michael has also been one to ask for help and advice in making his blog special, but I think he is off to a good start, sharing personal thoughts and providing great community information such as fun places for family events for Halloween. He clearly has a lot to offer Active Rain members and potential clients, and I look forward to his becoming a Rainmaker so he will have a wider readership for his posts. Take a look at what he has posted so far and you’ll see what I mean.
If I could give these three and any other “newbies” some great advice, it would be to read the blogs of others and comment on them. But that’s not all. Use those bloggers to find groups. Each of these three "newbies" I profiled have joined a few groups, but the ones they have joined seem to be primarily just for their own interests – what they like to read.
My number one tip is to use the groups to distribute your posts to your target audiences. For example, if you are writing a post about what sellers should do to prepare their homes to sell quickly and for the highest price, you may want to post that as usual, but before you make it public, remember that you can make sure that post also appears in up to 5 groups. You would want that post to Advice for Sellers, and maybe Luxury Home Marketing, among others.
For posts, such as Michael’s about the Halloween events, there are some great groups in which to share the information. Check out 365 Things to Do in Your Town, Area Events, Hyperlocal Neighborhood and Community Posts, Local Expert, Things to Do/Places to Visit, and if there are groups specific to your area, you might want to post it there too. If you do home staging, find those blogging on that subject and see what groups they post to. Join those groups. The same advice is true for lenders, inspectors, or whatever field is yours.
Make sure you never distribute any post to less than 5 groups, and you will always get a wider readership. Where do you find those groups? Once again, from the blogs of others. When you read a post on a subject similar to something you want to cover on your own blog, see what groups they posted it to. And if that blogger has been here awhile, go to their profile page and see what other groups they have joined. Click on any that you find of interest and join them.
I find new groups to join all the time. Want to see my groups? Check out my profile page and click on "Groups". Welcome to Active Rain! I have learned that if you contribute regularly to this community, it will give you more than you expect - clients, great ideas, education, and friendship.
As for the benefits of being a Rainmaker, I will save that for another post, but you can check it out in the Guidelines in the meantime. The great thing is that the more you blog, the less your Rainmaker status costs you - but by then you are considering it an investment rather than a cost, because you will get loyal readers that turn into clients and referrals. What a deal!
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Susan Neal
Broker / Realtor
Century 21 Noel David Realty
Fair Oaks, California
Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 30+ years experience.
I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction.
"Happy clients make me happy."
For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916)705-8951or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.
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