How can your Real Estate business profit by having a blog?
Let’s look into how blogging can be beneficial to your real estate business. It can and should be one of the tools in your marketing toolbox. By creating a real estate blog about your area, happenings and commentary, you can begin to position yourself as an “expert” in the area and real estate trends there. Readers of your blog can then “subscribe”, as in a magazine subscription, and have your real estate blog comments and articles delivered to them daily in their “news reader”. How blogging benefits you business we’ll talk about shortly. For now, just know that you can create a blog about “Your Real Estate Business” and post articles and comments regularly that will be of interest to residents and potential buyers/sellers for the area.
According to Technorati, the most influential blog directory online report: the top Real Estate Movers are:
Okay, we’ve identified the top Real Estate Blogs. Now, we replicate them. Ready to get started?
I’ve seen Redfin, Re/Max, Weichert, Long & Foster and many more with blogging in their toolbox. It’s a must and your business with work and effort on the bloggers end can create an on-line presence like no other platform.
However,
it’s a commitment, as blog content needs to be updated frequently to keep readers’ interest, repeat visits and subscriptions. Perhaps ask your Broker to submit an article to your blog or blog about a contractor that recently gave your new home buyer excellent, efficient service. The topics for your blog are endless. You can have a theme blog because each blog post is around a particular topics such as: maintaining the homeowners lawn and landscaping, monthly, quarterly, yearly upkeep of the home, planning a community welcome to the neighborhood party, refinancing a home, how to remodel on a budget..the topic of your blog can be varied and unlimited. Importantly, blogging is a platform to showcase your new listings (pictures and relevant information about the property). You can get a jump on the “new world” of publishing with a blog and have your subscribers get your posts immediately by email.
Takeaway #1:
Yes, you may already be on social media but a blog pulls everything together. Your potential buyers and/or sellers may see your 140 character tweets, your posts that simply say “Hello, I’ve just listed a home on 123 Blogging For Business Boulevard and our open house is this Sunday, stop by.” The picture of a home for sale is on Pinterest (and it does look pretty and big) but ask yourself “what else does it really tell about the home and YOU as the Realtor.
Takeaway #2:
People like to buy from people! People like to know and trust who they choose to sell their beautiful home. People don’t know YOU by the above examples. They know you by reading what you know, reading how you feel about your profession, reading about YOU! YOU sells! Blogging your thoughts brings prospective into your world.
Takeaway #3:
People begin their search by Google-ing and searching a state, community, or neighborhood. Don’t you believe Google likes to capture information? Substantial information. Google your name – surely your Facebook post doesn’t show at the top of google. It’s a post..It’s a few words with a photo. Google likes to capture information in quantity. Blogging provides the quantity that Google searches for.
Takeaway #4:
Do you know a Realtor who uses blogging in their marketing tool box? Google that person’s name and see what happens. Do you see their blog come up? Click on it and look at all that information that shows they are an expert ‘in their field.’
Now, I’m not saying Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms are not important and instrumental to your real estate business. Absolutely, they are. What I’m saying is people like to know who the Realtor is from the inside. Understanding, it takes time to compose this content for placement onto a blog. Why not hire a Virtual Assistant to do it for you?
A Virtual Assistant can research, write, tag, categorize, optimize your blog post for you.
BIG TAKEAWAY:
Writing and posting is like getting showered and dressed in the morning and then not going to work. Nothing get’s accomplished. A Virtual Assistant will promote that post too across your social platforms as well as bookmarking sites. Moving it quickly across the internet so it is in the eye’s of your target audience. Using the same analogy as a moment earlier, the post is cleaned up and dressed and now ready to meet the world and everyone in it.
So, you may wonder how does one get started as a Realtor who realizes now a blog is a necessity. Many blog platforms are free (WordPress, Blogger just to name a couple). So, that’s a great start. Now, the next step is to make your blog nice and professional and make sure content can be shared and content can be found. Don’t forget making sure all your connections on your platforms know you have a blog is paramount. It does take some work to get started. After that hurdle, keeping fresh content on your blog, promoting and interacting with subscribers and commenters is a task that is manageable. Again, don’t have the time for the daily/weekly management a Virtual Assistant is worth it for your short and long term ROI.
I hope you have found the information within this post helpful and beneficial to your Real Estate Business.
Almost Last Takeaway:
If you currently have a blog please do not neglect it. When potential customers come upon your blog and it’s not updated they may go away. I don’t want to see that happen to you. If you currently do not have a blog I hope you will take the step to use it as a platform for your prospective clients to get to know you better.
The Last Takeaway:
Do you have recommendation letters and/or testimonials you’ve been saving? A great place is on your blog. It’s your virtual portfolio. Trust me, just posting on another platform that a client was pleased with you, your service and your completion of selling their home get’s lost after it moves through the feed (this is for Twitter too). Yes, I’m sure you’ve had success on those platforms but are you ready (as it’s said by our friend Emeril) TO KICK IT UP A NOTCH with a Virtual Assistant.
Final Thought:
“Don’t fear what you don’t know – start small and go from there”
Carla is an experienced Administrative Assistant with a background in Communications.
Hello, I am Carla and I have a firm belief that it is not knowing everything it is “knowing where to find the answers.” I thoroughly enjoy research, taking on challenges that require me to work tirelessly to find those answers. No hand holding needed- I have great initiative.
Media relationship building to bring customers to your business, product or service takes a great deal of time and detailed strategic work. Do you really have that kind of time? I understand you need to be meeting with clients, managing your staff and/or managing your own work. Tending to the administrative tasks that is involved with managing your online social networks can be daunting – but an important one for your business exposure. ***We can start big or small, by the month or by the project. There are millions of people out there to be found that will purchase your product or service. Let’s reach them together through SOCIAL.