| This alphabet lists 26 key benefits and best | | | | a large web presence if it were built on |
| practices of using a real estate blog. Not | | | | blogging technology. This is ideal for real |
| all of these entries will apply to every | | | | estate agents who operate independently, |
| individual blogging scenario, but they all | | | | without the benefit of an I.T. department. |
| apply to real estate blogs in general. So you | | | | |
| are bound to find something useful here that | | | | Non-invasive |
| you've never considered before. | | | | |
| | | | A well-written real estate blog will "pull" |
| Here you have them, real estate blog benefits | | | | readers into the message, as opposed to |
| and best practices ... from A to Z. | | | | pushing the message on the reader (like |
| | | | magazine ads). People can sign up for your |
| Authoritative | | | | blog in total privacy, either by using the |
| | | | blog's RSS feed or an email subscription |
| Everyone knows you have to understand a | | | | option (if you provide one). The readers come |
| subject well in order to write about it or | | | | to the blog -- it is not thrust upon them. As |
| explain it to others. When agents blog about | | | | long as blogs in general adhere to this |
| the real estate scene in their cities or | | | | non-invasive, respectful approach, they will |
| towns, they position themselves as | | | | be held in higher esteem than other |
| authorities on the subject. In this way, a | | | | communication channels like email. |
| real estate blog can be a useful tool for | | | | |
| positioning, branding and differentiation. | | | | Operational |
| | | | |
| Believable | | | | A real estate blog is more than a simple |
| | | | communication tool. It can serve operational |
| If used properly, a real estate blog can make | | | | roles as well. This could include internal |
| the agent (or company) behind it more | | | | collaboration (like an intranet) or outward |
| believable. And let's face it ... in the | | | | instruction (like a home buying seminar |
| post-Enron, low-trust world of corporate | | | | online). |
| skepticism, a little believability can go a | | | | |
| long way. Use your real estate blog to | | | | Purposeful |
| communicate openly and honestly with your | | | | |
| audience. Lose the fluff and the jargon. Be | | | | Before you publish your first blog post, you |
| candid and sincere. And speaking of being | | | | should determine the purpose of your real |
| candid... | | | | estate blog. Sure, you can always dive right |
| | | | in and figure out your purpose as you go. But |
| Candid | | | | your blog will be more effective (and easier |
| | | | to produce) if you have a purpose and plan |
| It's a mistake to treat your real estate blog | | | | ahead of time. Ask yourself, "What do I want |
| as "Website, Part 2." Blogs are easy to | | | | to accomplish with my blog? Who is my ideal |
| publish, so you can publish to them more | | | | audience? What information would they find |
| frequently. In this way, a real estate blog | | | | useful?" |
| can become an ongoing dialogue between you | | | | |
| and your audience (potential clients). To get | | | | Qualitative and Quantitative |
| the most out of this dialogue, and to achieve | | | | |
| the believability mentioned above, a real | | | | When real estate blogging is done well, it |
| estate blog should take on the candid, | | | | has both a quantitative and qualitative |
| heartfelt voice of the author. | | | | affect. The quantity of content will increase |
| | | | your website's usefulness and search engine |
| Direct | | | | visibility. The quality of content helps you |
| | | | position yourself as an expert and |
| Real estate blogs are direct-to-reader / | | | | differentiate yourself from other agents in |
| direct-to-consumer. You simply type your | | | | your area (see entry for "Knowledgeable" |
| message, click the "Publish" button, and your | | | | above). |
| message becomes instantly viewable online. | | | | |
| Unlike other forms of business communication, | | | | Recyclable |
| there are no journalists or editors to put | | | | |
| their own spin on things. Your message goes | | | | Blog content can be reused for many purposes. |
| from you, directly onto your blog, and | | | | For example, you could expand your blog posts |
| directly to your audience. | | | | into article-length and publish them online |
| | | | for additional exposure and web traffic. |
| Enthusiastic | | | | |
| | | | Straight-shooting |
| In a perfect world, only the truly | | | | |
| enthusiastic bloggers would publish real | | | | This point is somewhat repetitive of 'C' for |
| estate blogs. But this is not the case, and | | | | candid. Guilty as charged. But it's worth |
| as a result there's a lot of "half-hearted" | | | | repeating, so I'm repeating it. The most |
| blogs online today. Half-hearted commentary | | | | popular real estate blogs got to where they |
| stands out like a purple elephant in the | | | | are partly by being straightforward. In this |
| blogosphere. This kind of blogging actually | | | | context, straightforward refers to both the |
| does more harm than good. On the other hand, | | | | design and the content of the blog. Real |
| enthusiasm comes across in blog posts -- but | | | | estate blogs that are "overly designed" tend |
| enthusiasm is both positive and contagious. | | | | to look more like websites than blogs. I |
| | | | truly believe this reduces their candidness |
| Flexible | | | | and authenticity. The same goes for the |
| | | | blog's content. Blog postings that are |
| The number of ways you can use your real | | | | straightforward and candid will generate more |
| estate blog is limited only by your | | | | interaction and "buzz" among readers. |
| imagination and energy. Maybe your blog will | | | | |
| be a source for local real estate news. You | | | | Thoughtful |
| can do that. Or maybe your blog will cater to | | | | |
| a certain niche, such as condo buyers or home | | | | The best real estate blogs are thoughtful. I |
| sellers. You can do that too. With the | | | | don't mean thoughtful in the sense of "kind" |
| versatile publishing capabilities of most | | | | -- although kindness does go a long way on |
| blogging programs, you can set up your blog | | | | the Web -- but thoughtful as in "full of |
| to support any business, marketing or | | | | thought." Each time you publish a blog post, |
| communication objective. | | | | put some thought into the content. Make sure |
| | | | it (A) supports your overall blogging goals, |
| Google-friendly | | | | (B) gives your readers useful information, |
| | | | and (C) reflects well upon you as a real |
| A real estate blog can help you increase your | | | | estate professional. |
| online visibility in several ways. For one | | | | |
| thing, a blog can help you expand your | | | | Usable |
| website with new content, easily and | | | | |
| efficiently. Blog daily for a year, and | | | | When you first set up your blog, it will be |
| you'll have 365 new pages of content. And | | | | straightforward and easy to use. The default |
| search engines love topical content. A real | | | | settings of most blogging programs are |
| estate blog is also more "social" than a | | | | designed this way for a reason. But some |
| regular website, so with time and effort your | | | | people feel the need to clutter up their |
| blog can acquire links from other blogs. This | | | | blogs with all kind of nonsense, reducing the |
| "link popularity," as it's known, can do | | | | blog's usability and readership in one swoop. |
| wonders for search engine ranking. | | | | Avoid this. Keep you blog clean and easy to |
| | | | read. Web readers and researches are skilled |
| Happening | | | | at hopping from site to site. They don't need |
| | | | much of a reason to bail out on you, and |
| Generally speaking, real estate blogs are | | | | they'll do just that if your blog is hard to |
| much more "happening" than their website | | | | navigate. |
| counterparts. Blogs are easier to update than | | | | |
| regular websites, which is important in the | | | | Voluntary |
| ever-changing world of real estate, interest | | | | |
| rates, etc. When you update your blog often | | | | You should blog because you want to, not |
| with quality content, it becomes an active | | | | because you think you have to. If you start a |
| resource that people are more inclined to | | | | real estate blog just because everyone else |
| read, revisit and recommend. | | | | is doing it, it will lack the heartfelt |
| | | | enthusiasm that's a trademark of popular |
| Informative | | | | blogs. (See "E' for enthusiastic above.) |
| | | | |
| When you keep people in your area informed | | | | Wise |
| about the local real estate scene, you | | | | |
| increase the usefulness of your real estate | | | | Your real estate blog is the ideal place to |
| blog. You also increase the likelihood of | | | | share your wisdom about the industry. This |
| future business from those readers, not to | | | | will help you position yourself as an |
| mention the likelihood they will recommend | | | | authority in your field (letter 'A' above) |
| your blog to others. Blogging is a simple but | | | | and foster the trust mentioned under the |
| effective way to keep people informed. Before | | | | letter 'T' above. A "tip of the day" series |
| you publish a new post, get in the habit of | | | | is a prime example of this. It's a great way |
| asking yourself, "How will this blog post | | | | to share your real estate wisdom, and it's |
| help my readers?" If you can answer that, | | | | the kind of thing that will keep people |
| publish a way. If you can't answer it, | | | | coming back to your blog and recommending it |
| rethink the topic. | | | | to others. |
| | | | |
| Jargon-free | | | | Xstensible |
| | | | |
| In general, blogs are not the place for | | | | Yes, I cheated with this letter. But real |
| corporate speak or "fluff" content. This | | | | estate blogs are truly extensible (and you |
| applies to the real estate blog as well. | | | | try to produce an adjective starting with |
| Write your blog in your own voice. Don't try | | | | 'X'). Your blog can grow as your audience |
| to impress people with your vocabulary. The | | | | grows, or as your company grows. You can add |
| best blogs convey quality information in a | | | | additional authors, perhaps a colleague in |
| conversational style. This will increase your | | | | the mortgage industry. You can add sections |
| readership, the level of dialogue, and | | | | to cover additional topics. You can expand a |
| (ultimately) the blog's profitability as a | | | | blog however you need to support your |
| client-acquisition tool. | | | | objectives. And it doesn't require an I.T. |
| | | | department to get it done. Blogging programs |
| Knowledgeable | | | | are designed to be extensible. |
| | | | |
| Dr. John Tuccillo, former Chief Economist for | | | | Yours |
| the NAR, recently said: "With the expansion | | | | |
| of the number of Realtors, the level of | | | | A real estate blog can have one author or |
| competence has fallen to its lowest point | | | | several authors. I've seen popular blogs |
| ever." If this general perception spreads to | | | | published by individual agents, as well as |
| the public in general, it could cause real | | | | some published by teams of writers. But the |
| problems for real estate professionals. This | | | | blog has to belong to somebody. It should be |
| is another area where a real estate blog can | | | | yours, or his and hers, or all of yours. |
| benefit you. Use your blog to show readers | | | | Somebody needs to own the blog. Otherwise, |
| how knowledgeable you are on your subject. | | | | nobody will trust what it has to say. |
| Just remember, some of your readers will know | | | | |
| as much about the subject as you do. So check | | | | Zippy |
| your facts before posting! | | | | |
| | | | The dictionary defines zippy as "lively and |
| Lead-producing | | | | full of energy." These are great traits for a |
| | | | real estate blog. If you are passionate in |
| You stand to gain a lot from the interaction | | | | the way you publish your blog, it will |
| and trust mentioned previously in this list. | | | | eventually connect with readers who are |
| When you interact with your blog readers in a | | | | equally passionate about the subject matter. |
| positive way, you have a much greater chance | | | | These are the kind of people who will promote |
| of turning them into clients. You can also | | | | your blog without being asked to do so! It |
| configure your blog to allow reader comments, | | | | goes something like this: "Hey, Barbara, you |
| which is another way to generate leads and | | | | have to check out this real estate blog I've |
| start a dialogue. | | | | been reading lately. Let me send you the |
| | | | link..." |
| Manageable | | | | |
| | | | * You may republish this article online if |
| Blogging programs simplify the web-publishing | | | | you retain the author's byline and the ACTIVE |
| process to such a degree that anyone can do | | | | hyperlinks below. Copyright 2007, Brandon |
| it, regardless of their web experience. In | | | | Cornett. |
| fact, a single individual could easily manage | | | | |