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7 (not so common) Mistakes YOU may be making with your blog...

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Virtual Results

1) Writing Brilliant Posts and Average Headlines-Headlines are the Marketing Piece that creates the desire to click “more.” Advertisers spend millions of dollars each year to find the one sentence, the 15 second elevator pitch that will (not sell their product, but) get consumers to take just one look at the meat of their marketing… What will motivate your readers to click…? A few guidelines here... a. The headline MUST match the story. You can’t write a headline that says, “Naked People Inside! “Unless there are…. You get it. Make the headline strong and curious, but truthful. b. Make your Headline keyword rich… Keywords are king... Include YOUR blogs’ keywords within the title, permalink, etc… c. Use common English…Make your Headline understandable to everyone…not just informed readers… Don’t use acronyms or abbreviations that some may not understand…

2) Not getting Personal-Blogs ARE personal. They are LOGS of your thoughts, your experience, and your feelings. They are YOUR opinions… All these things are personal. Take a chance and let your expressions flow… Show your Readers, YOU.

3) Talking AT, not TO- Blogging is not BROADCASTING. It is a conversation, a discussion. You are simply speaking first. Treat your blog this way. Speak TO your Readers as if you expect them to speak back… Make sense? 

4) Trying to be Interesting. When I do the 4RealzED seminars with Dustin Luther, this is my FAVORITE part of his blogging presentation. Dustin’s lesson to our audience, AND ME, is to stop worrying about being INTERESTING, and blog about things that you are INTERESTED in. Be INTERESTED. Your passion, knowledge, and general interest are contagious.

5) Promoting YOU. Blogging is a community and to build a community you need to reach out… To reach out, you have to get OUT of YOUR community and read other peoples blogs… When you find something interesting, write a blog post and LINK to the blog that inspired you… Link Out, Link Out and then Link Out some more… This is the single most difficult concept for my clients to understand… “Why would I send my readers to someone else’s blog?” TO ENGAGE THEIR READERS….

6) Trying to always write BRILLIANT PROSE... Blogging is a discussion (see a theme developing here?) Write as if you are speaking to me, not as if you are writing a book… Heck, if I want to read great prose, I’ll keep McEwen, Marques, or Nabokov by the bedside. If I want to know about you and what is INTERESTING to you? I really prefer to hear it in your unfiltered voice…

7) Stating Opinion as Fact… The written word is instant history. Your blogs will be filtering around cyber-space long after you have “left the building.” Daunting thought, huh? Your grandchildren’s, grandchildren could be rummaging through cyber space to figure out who his or her ancestors were and find YOUR AR Blog… downright spooky. Ensure that your facts ARE facts, or state them as opinion. Make sure the statements are not only true, BUT DEFENDABLE… Your blog lives and dies, with your readers trust in you. BE BEYOND REPROACH...

Jim Marks is the founder of Virtual Results, a company dedicated to creating online strategies and websites that work, for Real Estate Professionals...

Show All Comments Sort:
Mirela Monte
Buyers' Choice Realty - North Myrtle Beach, SC
Myrtle Beach Real Estate

I just re-blogged it, but will not post it to the Optimists, so we can have your original post there instead. 

I just couldn't help myself; it's just too good and I had to have it!

Mar 09, 2009 05:38 PM
Jim Marks
Virtual Results - Laguna Beach, CA

Mirela,

 

Help your self...  Thanks for the compliment....

Mar 09, 2009 05:52 PM
Chris M.T. Bodden
Keller Williams Realty - Kapolei, HI
RA, CDPE - www.BoddenRealEstate.com

Great info...#7 is my favorite.

Mar 09, 2009 09:48 PM
Russ Ravary ~ Metro Detroit Realtor call (248) 310-6239
Real Estate One - Commerce, MI
Michigan homes for sale ~ yesmyrealtor@gmail.com

Thanks for the seven tips.  I read this last night and left it up on the computer so I could re-read it this morning

Mar 09, 2009 10:44 PM
Lee & Pamela St. Peter
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Realty: (919) 645-2522 - Raleigh, NC
Making Connections to Success in Real Estate

Thanks Jim - you sure took a lot of the pressure off!  Here I thought we had to be brilliant... ;)  My fave - #2 - get personal.  Can't tell you how many times I've gone to read through the blogs on someone to learn more about them and found nothing...  Great info - great post!

Mar 09, 2009 11:41 PM
"The Lovely Wife" The One And Only TLW.
President-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc. - Kissimmee, FL

Jim...

Stating opinions as facts is a pet peeve of mine. I see a lot of that anytime the topic of politics comes up. We can not see into the hearts of men, nor are we privy to their intent. To say to we can do either is, to me, like saying: "I'm a God" :)

Now, I think my biggest mistake as I've Blogged around here for almost three years is naming my Blog "The Crap-A-Rama". I ruined everything with that nonsense. Or not :)

P.S. Loved. Loved. Loved, This post Good Sir. The next time I see someone turning a strong opinion into a 'factual' opinion, I'm sending 'em over here :)

TLW...ROAR!

Mar 10, 2009 12:21 AM
"The Lovely Wife" The One And Only TLW.
President-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc. - Kissimmee, FL

Oh...

And it's a good thing I've already shown my Grand Children (the older ones anyway) my "Crap-A-Rama". Nice to know it won't catch them by surprise. They already know Grammy's a loon :)

TLW...ROAR!

Mar 10, 2009 12:24 AM
Anonymous
Anonymous

Thanks Jim,  It is alot of fun and addicting to blog.  At the same time it can be very intimidating.
Being a genealogy researcher #7 REALLY hit home  :)

Mar 10, 2009 12:40 AM
#50
Sonya Loose
Modern Realty - Beaverton, MI
Helping Buyers & Sellers of Waterfront Property

Good post and your tips are so much easier said then done.  It is something I strive to do every time I blog and I think I am becoming better at it all the time.

Mar 10, 2009 12:56 AM
Anonymous
Diane Schubach

One of the things I know I need to work on are the headlines. I'm not an experience writer, but looking at other people's blogs is a good idea for inspiration. Thanks.

Mar 10, 2009 01:58 AM
#52
Anonymous
Jill Nelson

Thanks for the info, I'm always looking for ways to improve my internet image so any time I see an article such as yours, I make sure I read it thoroughly.  I'm still perfecting my blogging skills and find articles such as yours very helpful.  Thanks again.

Mar 10, 2009 04:13 AM
#53
Dominick Tascher
MVP Realty - Naples, FL
Realtor, MD, ABR, GRI, SRS

Jim,

Very interesting and great advises!

It gives me good tips to be more confident when writing on my blog!

 

Mar 10, 2009 05:03 AM
Debbie Sagorin
Coldwell Banker Realty - Irvine, CA
Marketing Irvine to the Highest Level

All good points, but especially no. 7. 

Let's remember that someone reading our posts in the FUTURE will form an opinion about what we write NOW.

Thanks!

Mar 10, 2009 05:04 AM
Kathy Booth, Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage - Newmarket, ON
Home Staging and ReDesign Professional

I'm new to the blogging world!   Thanks for the tips.

Mar 10, 2009 07:04 AM
Ana Connell
G & C Properties - Burbank, CA
Burbank Real Estate Agent

Great points, I know I've been guilty of some of these in the past.  Thank you for sharing as I'm working on taking my blogging to the next level! 

Mar 10, 2009 11:22 AM
Karen Anne Stone
New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Real Estate

Jim:  You have brought up some great points... and I appreciate that.  You've emphasized a few things that I have gotten away from in my posts... thank you for that.  Take care... and thanks for sharing.

Mar 10, 2009 05:01 PM
Ann Hayden 636-399-7544
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties-St. Louis Missouri 314-775-2050 - Des Peres, MO
SelectAnn.com

Jim,

Excellent post.  I shall take these into consideration in my future blogging.

Ann Hayden in cold Wildwood, Missouri

Mar 11, 2009 03:21 PM
Andrew Haslett
Van Warren Home Inspections, NAHI CRI - Fort Knox, KY
Heartland of Kentuckynulls, Best Home Inspector

Jim,

All seven points are helpful.

The one that seems most valuable to me is, "...stop worrying about being INTERESTING, and blog about things that you are INTERESTED in. Be INTERESTED. Your passion, knowledge, and general interest are contagious."

Thanks

Mar 15, 2009 03:43 AM
Michael Barrow
Keller Williams Realty - San Diego Metro - San Diego, CA
Realtor, San Diego CA Real Estate

Thanks Jim!  I definitely just need to relax and keep writing.  I feel like everything that goes out needs to be perfect, but I need to just keep telling myself that I'm not writing for the Wall St. Journal!

Mar 18, 2009 05:25 AM
Monica Bourgeau
Portland, OR
Authentic Marketing for Heart-Led Agents

Jim - excellent information, you're so right about titles, they are critical for a good blog.

Mar 27, 2009 06:17 AM