27 comments » Real Estate blogs are stores, not newspapers - so blog like you are selling houses, not writing for your local paperThe entire point of this post is to get you to understand that if your business is about real estate and you want to attract customers that have a real estate need you MUST write about real estate not skateboards and restaurants.Would you replace the listings in your real estate office's front window with the town's event calendar, restaurant reviews and local business profile? No. So why would you do that on your blog?
I'm going to say this up front, so there is no misunderstanding. The entire point of this post is to get you to understand that if your business is about real estate and you want to attract customers that have a real estate need you MUST write about real estate not skateboards and restaurants. Why? Because a home is not a whim purchase, it is typically a well planned decision. There are very few of us that pass by the local real estate office and say, "hey honey, I know we set out to buy a skateboard for Timmy, but let's buy a house instead, this store has pretty ones." Therefore, it is inconceivable to me that by driving people into your blog with an article about local skate parks, you will snag a home buyer. Seriously, find me one person that ever set out in the morning to buy a skateboard and came back with a house. Your real estate blog is a store, not a newspaper.
Mary's Illustrated Guide to Real Estate Blog Traffic:
Chasing the long tail with off topic community pieces, doesn't get you any closer to generating qualified real estate leads
What happens when you blog about community events, businesses and basically become the town's newspaper?
If you blog about off topic community stuff, your phone will ring and you will get traffic. The problem is it won't be qualified traffic, so you will spend your time answering phone calls and emails that want to knwo when the next Red Bull Air Show is or when soes the water park open. Not exactly your best use of time. Related PostsLearn How To Blog for Real EstateDrive local traffic with reviews and interviews Guide to a successful real estate blog launch Spider Posts: How to write efficiently on your real estate blog: make one blog post last for a week Learn How to Market Your Blog http://www.rsspieces.com/00277D 
Posted on March 28, 2008 15:52:32
Comment from: Karen Rice, Lake Wallenpaupack, Pike & Wayne County PA [Visitor]  · http://www.pikewaynepablog.com  I blog about my community as well as houses because I want people to know what the community is like and a lot of people do want to know what the area is like. This is primarily a tourist spot, people generally buy vacation homes here. Yes, some move because of being transferred to the nearby Army Depot, or they become a teacher in the school system; the majority of our buyers though seem to be in the second / vacation home market. So while they're researching areas to find vacation homes, they are researching the community, too. They want to know what the businesses are like, what the local flavor is like, if it's a kid friendly neighborhood or if it caters to mainly retired folks. So...I'm sorry, I beg to differ. I've gotten numerous comments (in real life) from customers who found my blog and are actually impressed about my knowledge of the area. I don't blog about every community event, but I do blog about stuff that's interesting or unusual and will appeal to tourists. The company that owns the lake (our big attraction) hosts a series of activities, and you bet I'm gonna blog about them - because people looking for info on activities around Lake Wallenpaupack may just want to buy a house around Lake Wallenpaupack. Wow this is windy...sorry.  Permalink March 28, 2008 23:13:01Comment from: Louis Cammarosano [Visitor] · http://blog.homegain.com/failed-promise-Real-Estate-2-0Permalink March 29, 2008 01:17:58Comment from: Guest [Visitor] · http://www.rsspieces.com Karen,I hear that a lot. Diane Aurit, one of our clients also lives in a relocation spot and used to write many community and tourist/relo pieces. She also used to get a lot of compliments on what she wrote. However, doing so many community pieces never allowed her to make the front page of Google for short tail keywords when she did that. On a dare (from me) she spent 1 month only writing real estate pieces and landed on the first page for Lake Norman Real Estate - traffic and leads went up. Now, I recommend she does an 80/20 split with her posts- 80% real estate - 20% community. It gets her both the results she is after. Louis, Well said. If it ain't a sales tool at the end of the day, you don't need it on your blog. Permalink March 29, 2008 09:34:16Comment from: Tim [Visitor] But they absolutely should be blogging about many aspects of their community. They are ambassadors for the community. They stand at the gate welcoming new residents to the community. They had better know a thing or two about that community. In fact, real estate agents should know more about their community than just about any other resident--they should be community experts. And yes, they should absolutely share that knowledge with the world. Consumers seek out knowledgeable experts--yes, they do it on the web too. Personal publishing and new media tools enable Realtors to share their knowledge--there expertise--with consumers. Knowledge that is beyond transactional knowledge. Anyone reading the above post, please avert your eyes. It is bad advice. The future of this business is all about knowldge sharing and transparency. The realtors who get this will win. EVERYONE IS A MEDIA COMPANY KNOW. Prove to the world everyday that you are an expert about not only seeling houses, but selling the community as well. Permalink March 29, 2008 10:55:51Comment from: Guest [Visitor] · http://www.rsspieces.comTim, Permalink March 29, 2008 11:44:02Comment from: Linda Slocum [Visitor] · http://SantaClaritaRealEstateBlog.comSome amount of local community info is needed to help people to understand the community that they're considering moving to. And much of the local info that is not directly related to houses will definitely have an impact on the residential community. For example: Do I refrain from blogging about redevelopment, eminent domain issues, new dumps planned for the area, or proposed new power lines, since they don't directly relate to houses for sale? I think not! All of these topics are a combination of political and land use issues, so they can't be left out of a local real estate blog. I'm not shooting for the long tail - I do agree that happens quite naturally. But I have developed a loyal reader base of what I would consider future prospects. Do I get totally off topic once in a while? Yep! Not often, but I do. Most of my posts are real estate related, one way or another, even if they're not specifically about houses. I don't post recipes or restaurant reviews, and I don't get calls from people looking for the nearest skate park. The only annoying calls that I get are from non-local Realtors who think my blog is a great source of local info, and could I please help them to sell a house here, free of charge? Permalink March 29, 2008 14:31:39Comment from: Daniel Bates [Visitor] · http://www.mymcclellanville.netI tend to agree with the several dissenting commenters about the good that can come about writing about everyday events in your community. I'm a real estate agent and I can only take so much real estate talk after a while, consumers are the same way. They may glean a market report once in a while, but I think if that is all you're writing, than you're missing a big opportunity to showcase your expertise on the area while also letting people get to know you. Yes we all want to attract readers who are interested in buying or selling a home, but we also recognize that we need to portray through our writing why we're the agent to use. Writing keyword filled SEO articles about real estate over and over again won't do that. I like the 80/20 rule, but I'd reverse it. 80% local area information and 20% real estate and listings IMHO Permalink March 29, 2008 19:18:56Comment from: Guest [Visitor] · http://www.rsspieces.comDaniel, As competition in your area starts blogging, you will not hold on to your first page placement. I guarantee it. You wouldn't have that placement in a market where Trulia, Zillow or Yahoo had a bunch of listings. This isn't my humble opinion. It is fact. But keep doing what you are doing and you WILL lose your placement. Permalink March 29, 2008 19:51:19Comment from: Laurie.Manny [Member] · http://www.longbeachrealestatehome.comAs the world is an ever changing place, so is blogging and search engine placement. When I started blogging a little over a year ago, I wrote several large community pieces that included extensive area and housing information. These posts still live today and are some of my top performers. They are the cornerstone pieces of my blog. Having done that I followed up with smaller community pieces and posts about local real estate. One of the community pieces was about romantic gondola rides through our Italianesque canals. I made the mistake of not integrating real estate information into that post. The phone is still ringing with requests to book gondola rides. One of these days I'll remember to go back and re-work that post if I ever find the time. My blog has more community information searchable by the engines than I will likely every need. I am able to update these posts to keep them current and constantly be the Realtor who writes about her community. Yes community information is necessary on a blog! But not constantly. It can be handled better than it is being handled by most bloggers. Having done that it freed me up to write about real estate, which is the reason buyers and sellers come to my site. Having the community pieces in my best performing posts, displayed on the front page of the blog, lets them know not only do I know my community, but the posts are heavily trafficked - as the published numbers indicate. As Mary has told you all many times I have great Google results. Do you know that I do not take them for granted? The thing about being at the top of anything is that you always have to be looking over your shoulder to see who is coming up behind you. Not unlike the members on Active Rain who are so concerned with getting to the top of their respective areas via points. Currently Trulia, Homegain, Yahoo, Homes.com and many others are battling for both the short and longtail results on page one of Google in my area, probably in yours as well. They have already taken over the top positions in many neighborhoods with the keywords: your neighborhood real estate your neighborhood homes your neighborhood condos etc... I am holding my own - at the moment. It requires an incredible level of focus - on real estate - and on listings. You see they have something going for them that most real estate agent sites (blogs or websites) do not. I recognized that this was coming about 3 years ago and approached Advanced Access to fix it, they were most uncooperative. RSSpieces listened and understood that not only was I right, but that it was already happening and did something about it. When we purchase IDX for our sites it feeds the MLS in for consumers to view and hopefully contact us from. We also enter our featured listings onto our websites, but the featured listings pages on websites mostly have no-follow tags placed by the website providers so these never make it out onto the engines. None of us have had the ability to feed the individual listings, from our IDX or from our Featured Listings, out onto the engines from OUR sites through our IDX. The large companies have this ability and are using it - feeding yours and everybody else's listings. It is powering them up in the engines and is about to bury anyone less. Your brokers have given them permission to do this because too few agents were putting their listings up, business is very slow, profits are off and because it sends leads directly to them. They are profiting by selling the leads you could have had to other agents for referral fees. Writing about real estate, publishing your listings, feeding the local MLS through your site individually onto the engines helps fight the battle to maintain top positions. It also drives in massive amounts of leads. We no longer have time to write a lot of little posts about our community, the large posts fill the gap very nicely. I am a Realtor who wants real estate business. I blog about Real Estate! Permalink March 29, 2008 21:42:31Comment from: Guest [Visitor] · http://www.rsspieces.comThanks Laurie. You clarified it better than I ever could. Why? Because you are a REALTOR. Writing about real estate is what drives your business. Those of you that don't think so will suffer in the end game.Permalink March 29, 2008 21:53:56Comment from: shaun mclane [Visitor] · http://www.listropolis.com/Let's see...some of the ideas were: 11. Get a laugh with a humorous linkbait post. 13. Pen ultimate guides 14. Write a tutorial 15. Gossip a little. 16. Talk about local sports. 20. Tell a secret Mary, you are a blogging Ninja! Readers, start your torches. lol - Awesome post!!!! Permalink March 30, 2008 00:55:57Comment from: Cyndee Haydon [Visitor] · http://www.clearwaterrealestatetampahomes.com/I have to say that I used to write more tourist stuff- since we are a vacation area - At first it was cool to have the phone ring and know someone was reading our blogs but I gotta tell you the excitement about booking a trip on the local Pirate Ship is not a thrill anymore - lol. Like Laurie I have found that articles about local real estate gets me the calls I want - those wanting info about buying or selling real estate. :) I absolutely loved your suggestion about replacing info in your window with community events - that's prime marketing real estate and so are our blogs. I respectfuly disagree with Daniel - if you walked up to a Real Estate Office and saw 80% info displayed about community events and 20% real estate I personally would wonder how successful that office was a real estate or I'd do a double take and see if I was a travel agency. Or would you take a full page ad out in a newspaper and have only 20% of it cover real estate each week - it wouldn't happen. Now sometimes we do include a promo about a local charity or community event. Now I need to go write a local real estate post :) Permalink March 30, 2008 21:27:26Comment from: Ann Cummings [Visitor] · http://www.NewHampshireMaineRealEstate.comI do get far more real estate leads now than I had been before from my blogging efforts, and I plan to keep it up, too. There are plenty of ways to weave community info into a real estate post - I've done it and will continue to do it. I also write just plain real estate posts, and that brings in the money-making contacts that I'm in business for. I'm living proof that what Mary wrote really does work. Give it a try and see for yourself - I think you'll find she's right on the money. I, too, live in an area that brings in a lot of tourists, and I enjoy showcasing my communities that I service. That's ancillary to the real reason why I blog - it's a marketing tool and if it's not going to make you money, why bother? My online presence IS my marketing. When I did print advertising, I didn't advertise the local community events or local restaurants, etc. I advertised real estate. The same concept carries over to online presences. It just took me awhile to understand that, but get it now, I do. And I'm really liking the results, too! And I do owe Mary McKnight and Laurie Manny a big THANK YOU for helping me to see the light on that! Permalink March 31, 2008 06:33:24Comment from: Mary Pope-Handy [Visitor] · http://www.LiveInLosGatos.comHi Mary, The question is really this: what's the goal of your blog? Or what are the goals of your blog? If the goal is just for the immediate transaction, then yes, write only about real estate. That would certainly work. The real estate posts are obviously key to demonstrating that the real estate blogger has local real estate knowledge and is an expert who has valuable insights. But what about a longer-term goal than the next 3 months? Writing about local history, events, schools, politics, and colorful aspects of the region, though, DO have a place in a real estate blog because they provide the broader product that the buyer is buying into: the community. (Many of these can be "evergreen" posts that have a longer shelf life than realty posts aimed at today or tomorrow.) It is also a way to stand up and be noticed in a sea full of other agents. In my community of about 30,000 residents (and about 18,000 registered voters) there are appx 800 Realtors. Having a blog that is aimed at more than just the "transactional" reader is a way to become known, liked, and trusted. And remembered. It's marketing, like other forms of marketing. Buyers want to know that we understand our local community. Sellers want to know that we do, too. Often we are selling not just the house, but the neighborhood and its benefits. With the market as it is, I am moving more in the direction of real estate posts over community information so that I can aim for the "low hanging fruit". I have a great supply of local information posts that round out the blog and draw locals in now. Writing about the local communities makes my blog a valuable resource to a broad spectrum of folks, so I do not intend to give it up and believe it would be a mistake to do so. Permalink March 31, 2008 09:26:10Comment from: Angel [Visitor] Permalink March 31, 2008 11:40:30Comment from: buy houses [Visitor] · http://www.homesellersneeded.com/Permalink March 31, 2008 17:10:40Comment from: Guest [Visitor] · http://www.rsspieces.comApparently I am the only one of you that ACTUALLY read the leaked training manual from Google. On March 17, a training manual for a specific type of employee was leaked. Those that were fast on the draw got a copy of it that outlines how this specific type of employee is to rate and classify sites submitted fro review. Read my real comment over at Bloodhound Permalink April 01, 2008 09:31:01Comment from: Diane Aurit [Visitor] · http://www.BestRealEstateLakeNorman.comThe reality is that we can do both but now that I have been on Page 1 I watch every day because I want to stay there. My blog ranking still flucuates so now more than ever I need to craft each post with that in mind. I am still able to have lots of fun but now I have fun while keeping focused on my goals! Thanks Mary! Permalink April 01, 2008 10:04:57Comment from: Dennis Blackmore [Visitor] · http://www.realestatevirginiabeachhomes.comBelieve it or not, you can do market reports and other articles and include some local info in those to peak interest. But I believe the emphasis needs to be about real estate and your knowledge of neighborhoods and how such might impact potential clients. (Help them buy or sell wisely) My clients want an expert REALTOR(R)who is responsive about their desires and knows the school system. It seems to work for me. Permalink April 01, 2008 12:49:34Comment from: Pam Graham [Visitor] · http://www.pamgraham.comFor me, and if I'm right or wrong, I would like to get opinions, what I would include under the 80% would be: listings, information on specific neighborhoods (subdivisions), market reports, real estate how to's (staging, getting preapproved, transaction process, etc)and there's more but too much to list. For the 20% I would include events, future road development, favorite restaurants, kid friendly places, personal info, stuff to break up all the real estate talk. Gosh, some of you just need to lighten up! :) Permalink April 01, 2008 15:42:16Comment from: Broker Bryant [Visitor] · http://brokerbryant.comPermalink April 01, 2008 17:18:12Comment from: Andrew Lenza [Visitor] · http://www.andrewlenza.comBut everyone's comments and impassioned suggestions will make me more Google-smart, of which I thank you all. Permalink April 01, 2008 17:42:48Comment from: Guest [Visitor] · http://www.rsspieces.comWow, Bryant. Nice to see your mug around here. And because you write about real estate you are tops in Google for real estate in your area... go figure.Permalink April 01, 2008 17:47:14Comment from: Sparky [Visitor] · http://www.soundbiteblog.comI can agree with you to a point. Overall, our articles should revolve around real estate. That is our primary focus. But at the same time, I deliberatly try to maintain some degree of variety - both to showcase, promote my market area, network with area businesses, and to convey more of my individual personality/passion/perspective. It works good for me. Permalink April 02, 2008 13:39:59Comment from: Alice the Consumer [Visitor] Hello, From a consumer's point of view, the off-target blogging is annoying when one is searching for a realtor or information about a particular real estate market. I recently bought a house (cash) in Arizona. I found my realtor through the internet. I was impressed with this realtor's web presence which was professional yet savvy. (The site had quality graphics, too!). The fact that this realtor hadn't gotten sucked into any blog wars or silly debates was a plus for me. What I saw on the net was exactly what I have gotten, a dignified professional who takes care of business (and keeps his/her opinions to him/herself unless they impact the sale). I suggest that the real estate blog-world might want to poll clients to see what sells them on a particular realtor. Alice
Permalink April 10, 2008 11:01:53Comment from: Ryan Wagner [Visitor] · http://www.RealtoRyan.comI am thoroughly disgusted with your closed minded and irrefutably moronic inclinations about "real estate", "skateboarding", and "Blogging". Although blogging in itself is not without it's own lame qualities and would go into it further if I did not partake in the process myself, Blogging in effect is to reach possible future clientele is it not? If you have a misguided idea as to how to run a business I could possibly be of some assistance to you professionally, by telling you that, what may work for some may not work for others... To have the gall not only to tell someone without your own proper knowledge that what they are doing business wise is wrong but to berate a fellow colleague is unprofessional. Then to drag something as pure as skateboarding through the mud for your own personal vendetta against a perfectly healthy activity for your own selfish gain and notoriety is not only inconceivable but flat out obtuse. You should worry more about your failing business and less about what others are writing about on the internet.
Skateboarding brokers of the world unite!
Voice all opinions to me personally at www.RealtoRyan.com/RyansBlog.html Permalink June 03, 2008 01:40:36Comment from: Guest [Visitor] · http://www.rsspieces.comWhat are you talking about? The above comment is an example of someone who ought ot drink less when they read a post and comment - what "colleague" am I dragging through the mud? And where did I say anything bad about skateboarding? And what makes you think our business is failing? Last I checked we have the backing of a highly successful tech incubator, PPI, who backs you? Yawn, just another example of a person with low self esteem and too few brain cells that can only make themselves and their business look better by coming in and commenting on my blog. Now for the fun part, the above comment came from the following ip on a Comcast line: 76.102.229.223 UNITED STATES CALIFORNIA PLEASANT HILL 94523 Hmm... I wonder who lives around the Pleasant Hill, CA area and doesn't like me? But moreover, I wonder who is stupid enough to comment on a blog pretending to be someone else but doesn't know how to use an anonymizer. Seriously dude, I am so tired of thinking of you as the King Tard of Technology. At least make it enjoyable for me to track you down - at this point I don't even have to run a trace to figure you deception out. Yes, I am telling you exactly how to make this more fun for me and make yourself seem reasonably smarter or at least like you can follow directions. I've given you this instruction before so I can only asume you don't know how to do this or you think you did this but failed. Permalink June 03, 2008 09:45:15Comment on this article This post has no feedback awaiting moderation... |
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