We help real estate agents set up blogs and coach them how to use them for marketing purposes to increase the quality and quantity of their business. While the heart and soul of blogging CANNOT be taught– no more than you can teach passion for your profession– the basic mechanics and methods of blogging can be passed on to create an online marketing advantage.
“Show Me The Money”
Pragmatic real estate brokers and agents often say “show me the money” when it comes to blogging. My short answer is simple: Google. Real estate blogs have a higher likelihood of getting search engine traffic by virtue of the unique nature of Google, and other search engine, algorithms. With billions of web pages on the Internet, the search spiders have to prioritize and return the most useful pages. This usually means crawling sites which have regularly updated content, as well as keyword relevant content. In addition, over time, blogs put more relevant content on the web, leading to more signposts to the blogger. More visitors to your site means more opportunities to connect with potential clients.
Fresher is Better
Like produce, fresher content is better. Here is where blogs have the advantage over broker websites. Since blogs are frequently updated and traditional broker websites are not, Google is more likely to crawl and return results from blogs with fresh informational content.
Furthermore, people search the internet for information and expertise, not advertising. In fact, advertising is often discounted, if not totally ignored. Commercial websites are seen as advertising and can be mistrusted. A blog provides information without the direct sales pitch. If the information is valuable, a client is more comfortable contacting the author they perceive as having the expertise to help them. This is especially true in niche markets. For example, not every real estate agent knows about HUD homes or lofts.
You Were Quoted in the News, You Must Know Your Stuff
In addition, blogs provide a visibility which can lead to indirect marketing benefits. An example we like to use is mainstream media. Local newspapers, for example, have to deliver a constant stream of local content. They often rely on “talking heads” (experts/professionals) to provide useful quotes. It’s part of journalism. The blogging professional stands a very good chance of being the local expert quoted in their market. This is good press and good publicity. It is a way to stand out from your peers.
I was recently contacted by a journalist from the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, California, who was doing a story on real estate blogging. Mentioned and quoted in the story (and included on the Home Page news video) was our good friend and blogging-for-business success story, Laurie Manny, one of our Top 12 Women Real Estate Bloggers for 2007. Laurie’s website blog, LongBeachRealEstate (notice the keywords in the domain name) is bringing her real business. And as a result of stories and news coverage in her local market, she is climbing to the top of the expert ladder. This is where blogging can take you. And from up there you can see the money.
Google Loves Blogs
OK, let’s see if there’s any proof in the blog pudding. Do a search on Google for “Long Beach real estate” and see where Laurie shows up. She’s #2 — ahead of giant Homegain ! Now, that’s love, baby.
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Technorati Tags: real estate blogging, real estate marketing, real estate technology, Laurie Manny, blogs
New to blogging but wow Thats What I’m talking about! Way to go!
Hi Joe and Rudy,
Thanks for the mention. Keeping the site hyper-local has been a challenge and a reward at the same time. My little blog will be one year old tomorrow, the results from it have surprised even me. This could never have been accomplished without the expert advice of rsspieces.com and Mary and John McKnight.
The Google love is incredible. I read somewhere recently the projections of traffic to the #1, 2 & 3 spots and can tell you that it is true. After having spent some time lurking at the bottom and then middle of page 1, being in the #2 position changes everything.
While working on the blog I always thought that the goal was just page 1, now I know better. The air is better at the top of the page.
Now for that #1 spot, lookout I am cruising for it…………
Nice post!
My www.BoiseBlog.com is read by various local newspaper writers and I am often called on to provide comments for various real estate articles like http://www.idahostatesman.com/idahoeconomy/story/275032.html
The Idaho Business Review has even linked to my blog a couple of times, resulting in substantial traffic.
Here are links from two Idaho Business Review articles to my www.BoiseBlog.com posts:
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2007/12/05/Do-high-home-vacancies-suggest-loan-fraud
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2007/12/14/Mark-your-calendars
Both generated large amounts of traffic to my blog, plus phone calls from clients who saw the articles.
Yep, I now be an “expert”
You boys just wrote a book on why real estate agents should blog. Quit giving away all the secrets for free! That’s what they make books for.
Hi Derek ~
I learned long ago that you can tell ‘em how to do it and they STILL won’t do it! (cuz it’s WORK!)
Blogs are great. Lots of info and exposure.
Phil
35 years in the trenches makes you the expert. Congrats on your news coverage, you talking head, you
Congrats Laurie.
I wish you all great success in your markets. Let me hear your blog stories.
–jf
email: jf.sellsius (at) gmail.com
Exciting for you all and Laurie. I always thought page one google was good too, now I have to set my goals higher. My 3 month old baby blog is growing, slowly.
THX for the link, gents. I started by blog almost 2 years ago as a way to get started on the web cheaply and easily while My Wonderful Website was in development. The blog was front page for both “Manhattan Loft” and “Manhattan Lofts” on Google this morning (all organic + primitive, no conscious SEO) — not Top Three like Laurie, but not so bad for an individual in a rather large market.
The ‘real’ website is still in development, of course.
I can confirm first hand that you can tell people exactly how to do something and give away all the secrets and they still won’t do it. About a year ago, I told the mega-agent that owned the team I was on to start blogging as a way to get to the top of search engines instead of paying $2500 a month for Adwords. I told her all the secrets but she ignored me. In the meantime Danilo and I started writing a blog for our local market. Not only are we now on Page 1 of Google (#8 and climbing) but we have 5 separate posts ranked higher than her 10 year old website that is mired at #65. And another note, she paid Network Solutions several thousands of dollars to search engine optimize her site. They said it would be 6 months before she saw any results. It is 7 months later and the site hasn’t moved. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.
Tony ~
My www.BoiseBlog.com is #4 on Google for “Boise Real Estate”, and I had yet another mention in the Idaho Statesman this morning (second mention in the past week).
They called yesterday afternoon and asked if they could interview me after Bush’s State of the Union speech last night.
I was one of a handful of people they interviewed, in addition to four Idaho members of Congress.
Here’s the article that is in today’s Statesman:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/278469.html
They misquoted me, but I guess all publicity is good publicity?
Now if I could just get them to mention my blog!
Great to hear the positive results from blogging. Keep ‘em coming.
Sandy, my pleasure.
Missy, only 3 months? Best of luck and success. I can’t wait to see the video of you behind the microphone– you are a natural.
Tony, Great story. You and Danilo have a great blog. (I hope that ill wind has blown out.)
Phil– your book was great. I hear you have another in the works?
–jf
Aren’t your Google results dependent on what sites your computer has visited the most? My blog can come up as first in Google in my computer but it does not come up first in my friend’s computer.
Joe ~
Working on four more books, as time permits.
Three of them are about real estate; the other is a compilation of my 35-year collection of inspirational verses.
Planning to publish the real estate books as e-books and may combine them with dedicated blogs.
Doesn’t make much sense to print books, inventory them, ship them, and have them outdated before the ink is dry vs. publishing/selling bits.
Think anyone will buy this stuff?
Her site has a good title page, keywords and most of all — she has THOUSANDS of backlinks. I would contend that the backlinks have more to do with her site getting ranked than the fact that it’s a blog. If she had thousands of GOOD links pointing at a static website that had some domain age under its belt, I think that would rank just as well. Yes, Google indexes blogs more often, but in the end, backlinks are what is most important to Google rankings.
Yes, you make an excellent point, RD– but consider which has a better chance of getting good backlinks— blogs or static real estate websites?
My little blog of SpringTexasBlog.com continues to grow in readership and I truly owe it all to people like Laurie Manny and Mary McKnight. A little over 6 months ago I did not know what a blog was or what SEO stood for. I learned so much in a relatively short time span, but I have so much more knowledge to gain.
Wow, thanks so much for the post. I think I’m going to have to set myself up a blog!
Getting ranked on google will open up a lot of business for you. You will be surprised how many phone calls and leads you can pull in by being ranked on the first page on google for your search terms. It pretty amazing.
Do you feel that comment links have been deprecated by Google? This is a rumor that I have heard. How could one find out?