Resolution - Own your Own Blog
For 2007, I offer the most basic bit of advice to the real estate community - - - own your own blog. If you're really serious about building an online property and presence that will serve you the rest of your career, own your own blog. Your own blog will 1) accrue the search engine optimization for direct lead generation, 2) provide you with a dynamic real estate marketing venue that will replace your static website, and 3) make it easier for your potential clients to subscribe to your work.
Here's what you do: Get a domain name that describes who you are or what you do - i.e., CondoContessa (memorable), PAXBayArea (company name) , San Diego Home Blog (city name) and Future of Real Estate Marketing (long, but descriptive). Get a platform - many bloggers including Bloodhound and 3Oceans swear by Wordpress.org, Tomato and StPaul by Typepad... RSSPieces and Ubertor publish well received website/blog platforms.
The reasons for owning your own blog are all over the blogsphere, here are few primers:
For those considering Blogging
Why you must have a blog by January 7
Bernice Ross Inman News has a four-part article on real estate blogging's benefits (subscription)
Realty Blogging by Richard Nacht
Any questions? I'll help you... just contact me.
Technorati Tags: blogging, real estate blogs, realty blogging
I have a question. Why is it the the real estate carnivals and various awards for blogs favor the blogs that speak to people with blogs? Maybe it is because there are already numerous rewards for small business blog writers who write to cosumers. What do you think?
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My entry into blogging was more than a little naive. I knew it could be a good marketing piece, but had no clue as to how powerful a system it could be. As a novice to marketing as well, I stumbled to find a name and have made many mistakes as a result. I still look at Teresa Boardman's StPaulRealEstateBlog as an example of excellent marketing. It targets an area, sets her up as an expert in that area, the name fits the target, etc. Mine is more general so will come up under real estate, but not necessarily St. Paul real estate. Hindsight is always 20/20 and "do overs" are costly!
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Actually, I don't swear by TypePad... I am stuck with them. I would have preferred to have used a modified WP platform if I could do it all over again, but I am in a little too deep at this point to make the switch.
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Thanks for the feedback Jim, I spoke too quickly for you... apologies.
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Pat, I think that blogging is cool and great for some people, but I also tend to think it's a fad. Some people will really hit it with blogs, but most are going to find themselves talking to thin air. There is only so much room at the top of Google and only so many words that real estate consumers can read and really, only so many agents who are great writers. In fact, many great agents are not great writers.
(I could be entirely wrong...)
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Galen, I think you are right.. Blogging is a meritocracy... those who can excel at it (and it's a small %) will reap the benefits that are expounded on many of our posts. I'm evangelizing to those who believe they can do it. Real estate blogs are still relatively few. It is a fad but I see real estate blogs evolving into pragmatic marketing vehicles,which will have much more commercial potential for its author than blogs in, say, tech or politics.
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It may be a fad, but blogging has been an important way to generate credibility with my clients. It lends a personality to an otherwise commodity profession and allows me to establish expertise in clients' minds without any pretense.
I admit it does feel like you're typing into air, but it's the lagniappe that helps you differentiate yourself from the crowd!
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Thank you for your comments, in particular the word lagniappe, which I never heard before but it's quite apropo...
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Blogging is probably not for everyone, but I remember when those guys at the Motley Fool started out as content providers at a little company called aol. Theresa has it right that you should make the investment with a goal in mind for how it will build your business.
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No offense Melanie, but there are only one or two sites like the Motley Fool out there. That's different than the "one blog in every agent's hand" stuff I've been hearing recently.
And Steve, I think you're right. When done correctly, blogging really does generate credibility with clients and it is a great, informal way of communicating that just didn't exist a couple of years ago. I just worry that a lot of agents will do it because they should, which will cause them to fail.
I'll also note that both of you work in the highest of the high tech areas. My rule of thumb is that about half the time, nerds are the early adopters and the rest of society picks up what they're doing a couple of years later. The other half the time, nerds get bored and move on to the next shiny thing.
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Galen, you know the drill... Seattle is not much different tech-culture wise as the Bay Area. Blogging is a meritocracy... at most, 10% have the writing talent, commitment and tech-sense to succeed. Most agents I speak with still don't know what a blog is... but I think they should try it and see if they like it, at least they'll smarter for the effort.
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Galen's right, I love shiny things!
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You do tend to get stuck with the blog platform you first choose. Switching is like tearing a limb off.
There will be top blogs etc for sure, and most RE people just can't do a good blog.
I don't think we have seen half of what any individual blog can achieve as yet though.
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