Starting a blog can be daunting. That’s just it…starting is the tough part. But just do it! All the benefits associated with having a blog should definitely motivate you to begin. Once you commence, it can be a matter of just paying attention to what buyers and sellers are asking about. Answering questions in paragraph form with a generic touch.
Lets look at some of the benefits of the real estate blog:
Shelf life – Post cards get a short message across from the mailbox to the trash can, about a 4 second shelf life. If you spent the same amount of time and effort writing a good blog article it could be read over and over for years to come. Trends come and go, and then they come back again. Who knows when a timely topic of today could end up being another timely topic of tomorrow? You could pick up another generous helping of hits sometime months, weeks, or even years later.
Addressing common buyer and seller questions once – How many times have you explained the benefits of staging or pricing correctly to a seller? The blog article is a perfect venue to write out the answers to common questions and considerations, ONCE. Your blog is a rich resource for Buyers and Sellers to get their questions answered. A place where you really clarify your own thoughts and answers that support your verbal presentations.
Search engine juice – If your sellers and buyers pose the questions enough times to prompt a blog entry from you, don’t you think others in cyberspace are going to have the same question. When the inquisitive buyers and sellers out in cyber space Google those questions, Google needs a place to send those folks. Your current and relevant information is going to attract that search engine result. Toss in Google’s recent geographically sensitive search engine results and you have just juiced your blog right along with your website.
Another side benefit will be the flushing out of your topics by your readers as they comment. Paying attention to the readers’ comments and fostering even deeper participation by affirming their feedback can really help you understand what they are and are not understanding. Tweak, edit, refine, change and do better next time.
Professionalism – Blogging is a current phenomenon that is happening today. Your competition may already be there or maybe not. One thing however, no one is questioning that the public is out there reading blogs and search engines are giving a hefty helping of placement to those blogs. Today blogs are another weapon in the professional agents arsenal. Be there or not!
Mark Porter is a REALTOR in the Dallas area and national instructor. Look for him at your next convention or designation course, or book him for your organization at www.MarkPorterLive.com