ADVERTISEMENT
It seems that EVERYBODY has a personal website or blog, doesn’t it? But the truth is there are many agents who haven’t come to terms that the internet is here to stay and they are missing big time on potential business because of it.
I’m not going to tell you HOW to blog, but I will tell you WHY as an agent you NEED to have a blog or personal website.
1. Establish Credibility: If you have a blog, it makes you seem like you know more about real estate than the agents who don’t. You can share your personal knowledge and experiences.
2. Name Recognition: In a sea of agents, unless you are very established in the business, most people would not recognize your name in passing. A blog will give your name a voice and a presence in your community.
3. Reach Out to Your Community: When you create a real estate blog, it’s up to you what you write. You can use it to target your farm, your neighborhood, local companies, or school information.
4. Network With Other Agents: The more agents you build relationships with, the more likely they may think of you when sending an out of town referral.
5. Attract FSBO’s, Transferee’s, Sellers, and Buyers: It’s becoming the norm for many people to use the internet before they call a real estate office. If your website provides valuable information, it can be the lead machine you’ve been waiting for – without hefty membership costs or referral fees.
Of course, not all blogs are created equal. There are good blogs and there are bad blogs. You need to be committed to posting to it regularly, interacting with your readers, and of course networking with others and promoting the blog. A blog will NOT help you attract more business if you do not put any effort into it at all. If done right, a real estate blog could even provide additional income through advertising revenue.
If you’re ready to try blogging, there are many different ways to create a blog. Here are a few of the most popular blogging choices:
1. Self-hosted WordPress: I use wordpress for all of my blogging needs. I currently maintain 3 blogs and use 1and1.com for domains and hosting. You can sign up for their linux blog package with an included domain very inexpensively. You may need to learn some more advanced techniques to customize the blog, but it is very easy to use if you were to decide to hire someone to create the blog for you as well.
2. TypePad: If the above sounds too complicated, TypePad is an excellent alternative. You don’t need any website knowledge and create your blog easily. You can also take advantage of a free domain name included with their package.
3. Google Blogger: Blogspot is a very popular blogging platform that is available for free. You can also choose to purchase a domain name to give your site it’s own piece of real estate on the web.
15 Comments
Great post. I agree, blogs are essential in our business. Its hard to see the results from blogging, but it’s kind of like “branding yourself”. It takes time. If you don’t have a blog, you need to start one ASAP.
Blogs are very powerful in the search engines because they are not static. If you can do a half decent job at writing about Real Estate there is a good chance that your site will be indexed favorably.
WoW! Awesome post! it is very helpful in the business. Thank’s a lot.
Blogs are becoming the main stream. What started out as a fringe group has now basically taken over the internet. Our office has actual blogging classes now for agents.
Jacqulyn – Las Vegas Realtor’s last blog post..How rising gas prices is effecting the real estate industry
That is great that your office is offering that…I know many agents with my broker don’t even know how to turn the computer on, lol. Very sad, but true.
It definitely seems like blogging has become key to agent success these days. It’s really amazing how advanced real estate agents have become in comparison to other fields when it comes to online/search marketing.
It is amazing how blogging can make a difference. For every agent utilizing it, sadly there are many who are not!
Indeed, the internet has changed the face of every conceivable business. A piece of advice, though. Definitely go with WordPress. Nothing compares with it in terms of customization and ease of use.
I have to say I favor wordpress also, though the others are good viable options as well.
I would say self hosted wordpress is the way to go. It gives you the most freedom and although it may take a little time to set up, I find it terrific for getting your name out on the internet.
A wordpress blog belonging to oneself is the best way to attract business and members. You can always put up things related to your business plus advertising is free.
Free Internet Marketing Methods that will Save your Internet Business
Best things in life are free, as many would say. This especially holds true with efforts in advertising one’s products or services. With free Internet marketing services, one can save a lot. Instead of shelling out for the marketing aspect of your product or services, that chunk of money could be put to other important elements of your business since many information websites now offer knowledge regarding Internet marketing services that comes with no price tag at all.
I think with any industry having an online presence and a quality blog is important. Great step by step blog post on why a real estate blog is critical for real estate agents nowadays. Thanks for sharing!
Its interesting how many realtors have blogs these days. I wonder what percent of all commercial blogs on the internet these days are from realtors.
Establish Credibility<– this is a big one that many new agents fail to recognize. They don’t understand that everyone they meet will want to go online and search about them.