Over the years I've seen many a person in the Rain claim "blogging doesn't work".
And they're right, every time.
For them, blogging DOES NOT WORK, but upon closer examination of their blogs there's usually clearly evident reasons as to WHY blogging isn't working for them and in my opinion every one of those reasons can be corrected IF one wants to do the work.
Here's what I often see from the "blogging doesn't work" crowd:
1. Not enough content to get the consumer or Google's attention. Throwing out a handful of posts with "I sell houses" or "I'm help with loans" is going to get it done. Numbers of posts alone won't make blogging work, but you need enough out there to actually have a chance of being found.
2. "Wrong" content. If you're writing about stuff the consumer doesn't seek to find, they're NOT going to find you. That rant about another agent having done you wrong? How many consumers are searching for "real estate agents near me mad at another agent"??
3. Not enough time given for blogging to work. Both a factor of how many posts written and over what time period. Blogging success is more a marathon than a sprint. While I wrote plenty of posts early, the vast majority didn't have a prayer of getting us clients, so we were a year in before I got that first phone call that led to a client.
4. Not being specific with your posts. Niches are great for being found, but if you're going to be general, at least narrow down your service area. Ohio loses to southwest Ohio which loses to Warren County which loses to Mason which loses to Beacon Hill townhomes. The further up that hierarchy, the more people you're competing with.
5. Tone. A subset of reason 2, content and how it's presented. If you come off as having a craptastic attitude and you haven't demonstrated a very specific set of skills that demand a consumer call you, why should they choose you? Unless they also have a craptastic attitude and bond with you! :)
6. Cosmetics. Nope, not whether you wear too much eyeshadow, but how your posts actually look. Readability matters. The "wall of words" look will have some people Nope right out of your post. The greatest content in the world is meaningless if you can't get people to read it.
7. Not identifying and target a specific audience. Consumers or agent referrals? The more often your posts have a specific target, the better your odds of reaching your target audience.
Again, everything on this list can be addressed by any blogger. Understand your market, understand your target audience, write to them consistently, be patient, and good things can happen.
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help,
Bill & Liz aka BLiz
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