Writing a real estate blog is a great way to establish yourself as the local real estate expert and keep yourself top-of-mind with your sphere of influence.
I have been writing a real estate blog and posting it on my website, InsideParkCityRealEstate.com, for over five years. Some days I wonder if anyone is reading my blog. Then, I’m rewarded with something cool, and I know that the universe is paying me back for all the information I am putting out there.
Why blog? I’m going to share my personal experiences and how I’ve built my real estate business through blogging below in hopes that it will help you build yours.
The reasons I blog
- About a month ago I was at a fundraiser for our local high school’s booster club. I won a couple of silent auction items. The announcer said “And the winner is: Nancy Tallman, Park City’s real estate social media maven. Her blog is all over Facebook.” Wow. I had never met this guy. In an instant, he gave me great publicity and established my credibility in a room full of potential clients.
- The real estate inquiries that come through my website are almost always serious leads. This is in contrast to going through a haystack of 100 online leads to find the one real client.
- I have done several transactions over the past few years with people I am acquainted with at my gym. These are not people I socialize with, and they are not part of my sphere of influence. They are, however, Facebook friends, and Facebook is part of my blogging strategy, as I’ll discuss below.
- I have received referrals from other agents both inside and outside of my service area. I receive these referrals as part of the email distribution strategy, discussed below, and my social media strategy.
My blogging strategy and how-tos
My goal is to write my blog over the weekend and distribute it every Wednesday. This gives me an extra day or two to write the blog if things don’t work out for weekend writing. I post once a week.
What makes good blog topics?
My blog falls into three main categories: real estate strategies (that are timeless), market updates and lifestyle. I try to alternate between the topics.
I keep notes of potential blog topics knowing that my real estate experiences and client questions provide great material. Of course, I respect the privacy of my clients and would never write about something that would identify or embarrass them.
I am always surprised which topics resonate with people. I wrote a blog about an affordable housing project in Park City a few years ago. When people search the name of that project, my blog comes up, and I receive inquiries.
My personal real estate experiences usually elicit more comments than market updates. And people always like to see photos of beautiful homes.
Should you post the blog or outsource?
I post my blog on my WordPress website, InsideParkCityRealEstate.com. I used to post it myself.
About three years ago, I hired a specialist who posts my blogs for me. I send her the copy and a photo (I like to include photos of my listings), and she edits, tags and creates internal and external links. This saves me a lot of time, and she does a much better job than I did.
Where should the blog live?
The blog lives on my website. Once the blog is posted there, I post a link to the blog on Facebook. I post and boost it on my Facebook business page and share it on my Facebook personal page.
This strategy has helped me grow my professional page to over 1,000 followers, and it helps with organic search engine optimization on my website.
I also post links to the blog on LinkedIn and Twitter. Although I tend to be on Facebook more than the other social media sites, I know that my blog is seen by thousands of people on social media.
I used to post the blog myself. Now I have a marketing consultant who distributes my blog on social media as part of my social media strategy.
How does the blog get to potential clients?
My assistant emails the blog to my sphere of influence, including past and present clients, real estate leads and out-of-area real estate agents using a branded email program.
Over 10,000 people receive the blog this way. Because I email the blog, my strategy is to post only once a week.
I am committed to the integrity of my email list, which means I need to remember to keep adding new real estate leads and clients to the list.
The email program I use has an easy method for allowing people to unsubscribe. This is essential, not only to comply with the CAN-SPAM Act but also as a courtesy to those who wish to opt out.
What makes blogging work?
Blogging has been an important part of my business strategy and is directly linked to many of my real estate transactions each year.
For blogging to work, you must create a plan and commit to its implementation. This can be tricky when I’m overwhelmed with work or traveling, but it’s not impossible.
There have been weeks here and there when the blog is posted late or an entire week is missed. The key is not to let perfect be the enemy of good enough. As my business has grown, I have hired specialists to help post and distribute the blog.
Good luck! I would love to hear what others are doing to leverage their blogs.
Nancy Tallman is a real estate strategist at Summit Sotheby’s International Realty in Park City, Utah. You can follow her on Facebook or LinkedIn.