WORD MAGIC:
(full story)
To Blog or Not to Blog — the Real Estate Agent’s
Question (PART I) ...
Businesses on the web are blogging their way to
marketing success. Blogging has become increasingly
popular from corporate CEO to sole proprietors. How does
this form of online writing help a company’s bottom line
and who should consider writing a blog? More
importantly, who shouldn’t?
A blog (short for web log) is a dynamic, regularly
updated journal entry created in “real time” and
uploaded to your website or blog server. For real estate
professionals, it can be a fantastic marketing tool.
It’s now hit the mainstream and if you have ever
considered a blog for your Real Estate website, it’s
time to move forward with your plans!
Consider A Real Estate Business Blog
- For better search engine results – Writing a
regular blog will help improve your search engine
rankings, especially if your topics are selected
based on your target market. You access directories,
indexes and engines reserved for blogs. You can pull
an RSS feed of your blog onto your index page of
your website to help keep the content fresh and
constantly updated.
- To bridge the gap between your online presence
and your personality – Blogs are wonderful tools for
making your business “web image” more personal. Blog
readers get to know more about who you are, what you
do, what motivates you and how your products and
services benefit them.
- As a forum to display your expertise or your
niche services – Blogs are a conversational platform
you can use to provide information and real service
to your target audience without sounding like a
salesperson. By discussing common situations, and
offering resolutions, options and solutions – you
position yourself as an approachable expert. You
become a person your reader really WANTS to call.
Do NOT Blog If:
- You cannot commit to regular entries – A blog
that lies dormant with only sporadic entries makes
you look less than dedicated. The subconscious
message to a potential client is “this person can’t
even commit to their own blog, how can I trust that
they will commit to selling my house?” If you are
dedicated, regular and DEPENDABLE in your blogging
schedule, you will appear both dependable and
detail-oriented. If you cannot commit to making an
entry at least once a week, a blog isn’t your best
bet. If you are willing to write only once a month,
a regular article or formal column on your site is a
better option.
- You want to keep a journal and think this may be
your opportunity – In some businesses, this can
work. As a writer, my blog has included some
personal entries from time to time, but as a real
estate agent you should be a bit more cautious. If
you have attended a community event and you have
something positive to say about it – your blog is
the perfect place. If you want to flame the way a
public official handled himself (or herself) at that
public event, you should probably reconsider. Blogs
are more personal, more conversational. That’s part
of the charm. But, a real estate business blog is
not the time for your own “True Confessions” story,
nor is it the proper forum for a personal-political
agenda. If your blog topic is one of some local
controversy – state your opinion, but be sure to do
so tactfully. You will have as many readers that
like what you say as readers who live on the other
side of the fence on that issue. Be yourself, but
use common sense. And, if you must do a personal
“let it all hang out” blog – do it as a personal
(and preferably anonymous) blog – not as a part of
your business.
- You are only doing it for the search engine
boost – A business blog is an excellent tool to help
your business in the engines, but it should be more
service-centric than just a “what’s in it for me”
approach. You create a more popular blog and will
enjoy a direct correlation on increased calls from
potential clients when you offer your expertise
without demanding anything in return.
Talk to Them
People enjoy reading “conversational” communication.
They want to read content that sounds like you are
talking to them. They want that initial “connection”
without commitment. A real estate blog will help you
provide that to the clients you most want to reach, but
it requires a time and energy commitment from you. Some
companies are actually paying others to write in their
blogs.
If you are uncomfortable with your own writing, you
could hire someone to flesh out your ideas or even to
polish them up a bit – but the ideas, the tone, the
language and the message should still be yours. If not,
the reader will know your blog isn’t really you the
first time they speak with you on the phone. You will be
judged a “phony” and they will know it immediately. If
you really want to blog and you aren’t comfortable,
attend a blogging seminar, a beginning blogging class,
or hire a successful blogger to give you a few pointers.
Be sure the option you select covers the differences
between a business blog and a personal blog and how to
help you reach your ideal clients.
Keep it First Person
A blog is your chance to personally connect with
potential clients – to “chat” with them about: • Real
estate • Your geographic area • Life in the region • The
benefits of living there.
These are some of the things that make you a great
agent. You should use your own voice online to express
these thoughts. If you write a blog evaluating when it’s
time to move to a bigger house--and base it on your own
personal experience or your guidance as another client
made that decision-- it will be more valuable and more
readily accepted than a third person article on how to
do the same thing.
How Blogs Help Your Internet Marketing
From a marketing standpoint, blogging keeps your
content fresh and Google loves new content. Based on my
own blog stats, MSN seems to be even more enamored of
blogs than Google at the moment. And, Yahoo! Search
continues to show a steady stream of search engine
results that include blog entries. Putting an RSS feed
on your business website’s index page will mean that
your blog does double-duty in keeping fresh content to
please the search engines while keeping your thoughts
easily accessible to your clients.
Handling the Controversy
You may notice an increase in press – both positive
and negative – about blogging lately. The power of
blogging to build (or destroy) a brand is usually at the
center of the issue. Is this an effective marketing
tool? Yes. And, like any powerful tool, it can benefit
or it can damage depending on how it’s used and by whom.
Follow the same ethical business guidelines in your blog
that you would follow in your face-to-face meetings with
clients.
Be optimistic, be warm, be human… be yourself. Now to
help you blog to your hearts content, next month's PART
II article will cover all the practical issues (blog
tools, Websites, etc.) that need to be considered before
bringing your blog to the masses.
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