Blog as door opener
When a real estate agent starts developing a blog, the main objective is usually simple, even one-dimensional - to enhance their online marketing profile in order to get more leads. The blogger's progress follows a certain ritual:
- First, bloggers develop the hyperlocal content that position themselves as experts in their targeted area / city of influence. Example: Sunday's LA Times highlights real estate blogging as marketing tool (h/t to friend Elaine Carlson)
- As a blogger, the sudden realization they have gained entry into a larger social network of bloggers. Example: Active Rain.
- They find, and interact with a smaller corps of bloggers for friendship and to trade business ideas, just like physical life. Example: What my Group Blog means to me and you
- The
network becomes a referral source. They understand that bloggers do
business with other bloggers for the same surprising reason as any social network
they belong to - trust. Example: As referral sources, commission splitting lead gen company and relo companies provide less value than a genuine network lead.
- Blogger becomes media quotable. Example: Esteemed Matrix author Jonathan Miller in the news
- Blogs and blog networks become online assets with potential future value based on readership traffic. Example: Curbed receives VC investment
- A blog network of blogging real estate agents could replace real estate franchises as marketing vehicles. Example: Homescopes and Blog Networks.
One more prediction: blogging real estate agents, by virtue of their visible online marketing positions, will be able to add "product lines" to their practice - i.e., investment properties, both domestic and overseas, REO properties, affiliate services, etc. How? Brokerage takes on a more universal online definition when bloggers leverage their blogs as the hubs to connect buyer and seller. Note that buyer and seller don't have to live close to each other... and blogs access both sides effectively. Stay tuned...
Pat,
Blogs are indeed door openers in just the manner that you describe. They are a key to an enhanced online presence, inviting in a whole new world of client interaction, client procurement, and growing your referral network. They enhance the agent's image and will bring more benefits down the line.
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Very interesting blog post. Keep up the good work!
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I still have a hard time understanding the benefit of a blog versus a traditional website. Blogs are difficult for consumers to navigate, with previous postings often lumped together by month as opposed to by topic in traditional websites. The user face just isn't as navigatable on a blog. There are far better ways to get interviewed by the press. I have an ad coming out in the Radio and TV Interview report, for example. Also, blogging is not the best way to establish referral relationships. Those are better facilitated by face to face time. I will give it to you, however, that the blog is the new water cooler. I see a lot of water cooler talk going on at the blogs I visit.
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Pat: It is amazing isn't it? Blogging as network, blogging as a form of communication has exceeded all my expectations. For me, it's replaced trade associations. Consumers in my market haven't connected to blog talk yet, but I have hope. We're at least getting them used to on-line ordering and THAT'S a huge step.
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To the skeptics: keep watching.
To the confused: keep asking questions.
For the rest of us, I have enjoyed making tons of new contacts and new business leads that already know where I'm coming from from the get-go. While I have a business background, I've only been blogging less than 6 months. I'm full steam ahead with my site (a work in progress) and my readers and clients tell me that they like that. That being said, it's not for everyone as Pat has advised. Find the tools that fit with your style and will make for happy clients.
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CMB (Wade),
Blogs offer significant advantages to websites in terms of getting spidered for search results. Compare your search results for "denver mortgage broker" vs. mine for "salt lake mortgage broker."
As far as your concerns about navigation, there are a number of ways around that including tags and user built menus. Wordpress offers feature rich navigation.
Blogs have become a recognized source for media information. Blogs like Calculated Risk and Iamfacingforeclosure.com are getting big national exposure. I was interviewed in USA Today last year due to a search result that pulled up my blog. I was called last week by the local media. There was no cost, except for my time in creating the blog and updating it regularly.
As far as developing relationships, again, I look to my blog. I get business from it and local realtors contact me because they find my blog.
Writing a good blog takes time and effort, but the results are well worth it.
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Pat,
Active Rain is a smart place for agents to begin social networking. 3 Questions:
1. When does an agent's reliance on Active Rain become a liability in their establishment of a blog presence on the internet?
2. Do agents understand the limited consumer presence on an Active Rain site where the site contains competing industry professionals and few if any possible consumer leads?
3. What is your position on agents with their own blogs utilizing web directories, blogrolls, and social networking for gaining consumer traffic vs agents who rely solely on Active Rain's blog capabilities to garner traffic?
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1. When does an agent's reliance on Active Rain become a liability in their establishment of a blog presence on the internet?
Active Rain is never a liability... it's best for agents to set up a blog presence under their own domain name so they will have that property for the rest of their careers.
2. Do agents understand the limited consumer presence on an Active Rain site where the site contains competing industry professionals and few if any possible consumer leads?
AR has been working on attracting more consumers... and Jon Washburn says they are there.
3. What is your position on agents with their own blogs utilizing web directories, blogrolls, and social networking for gaining consumer traffic vs agents who rely solely on Active Rain's blog capabilities to garner traffic?
If an agent has their own blog AR is a powerful supplement, another venue to draw traffic from...
Thanks for asking Dean!
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Pat - as you probably know, we've started a blog to support our new service. We're huge believers in blogs as a business builder, as well as a way to help those in our audience by providing valuable information that doesn't have our sales message behind it.
When I did residential real estate, I had a blog that was actually fairly popular. The only reason why I discontinued it was because I moved to commercial. I never got around to doing a commercial blog, though, which is a shame.
I believe that blogging is a great way for real-estate types to build their businesses. What a great way to build credibility; plus, you can get media exposure as a result of a blog, too.
I must say, though, that when it comes to ActiveRain and commercial real-estate brokerage blogging, there's something lacking there. AR is great for the residential side, but I just don't see a lot of activity there. I've actually posted items there several times that were more pleas for information. I got next to no love (read: replies) for them.
I guess that as is the case with most things technological, the residential side adopts it first and the commercial side follows. Hopefully more commercial agent/broker types will follow suit.
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