Real Estate Blogging – Making Your Mark
If you do not have an online presence in today’s real estate market, you are not going to be as successful as you could be. As a real estate agent, having a blog is a big part of creating an online presence. But not all blogs are created equal. Some are much more successful than others. So, what’s the secret? How do you create a real estate blog people actually want to read?
People talk all the time about having quality content but what does that actually mean? In a recent article we talked about some tips for successful real estate blogging. Some general guidelines were discussed on how to provide information people want to read that can also drive business.
Below you’ll find some additional guidelines that will be helpful in starting your journey to creating a successful real estate article.
11 Tips to Write the Best Real Estate Blog Post
1. Provide solutions to problems your readers have.
When someone searches for something on the web, usually that person is looking for answers to questions or solutions to problems – particularly when it comes to real estate. How do I handle multiple offers on my home? Should I sell my own home? What renovations will get me the most money? What neighborhoods have the best schools? These are real life questions that people will put into their favorite search engine for answers.
The biggest goal of your blog will be to answer the questions and solve the problems of potential readers. The more useful your content, the more likely you are to have visitors and to get referrals from your site.
2. Write for the web.
A blog is substantially different from your college essays. Text is broken up into easily scanned blocks, with titles and formatting that guides the reader. Writing is more informal. You have less time to grab the reader, so titles are very important, as is formatting. Don’t save the best for last – or at least make sure you have interesting material up top to keep people reading.
People like to call an unattractive blog post a “wall of words”. This is because there is no semblance of any structure to the writing. A good real estate blog article should be broken down into ideas with a specific headings. Under each heading you should share your wisdom in a clear and concise fashion broken down in short concise paragraphs. Here are some great tips on creating a nice layout.
3. Add some pictures.
Having awesome graphics is one of the most important aspects of having a successful real estate blog. Your graphics can quickly propel you into being remembered by a significant amount of people. In fact, it is usually the graphics that will cause someone to want to share your article on their social media channels.
While you can find stock photos that you can use for free – which will work in a bind – ideally you should take some pictures on your own, or at least use unique pictures that really add to your content. A nice diagram, infographic or photo of a concept is great for your readers, summarizing information in a way words can’t. There are some great sites that you can purchase photos online.
Once you get your feet wet, you can take your graphics to the next level by using a service like Canva which allows you to make incredible designs. Social media sites, like Pinterest offer an incredible opportunity for real estate agents to expose their work. Use our tips and you’ll be a rock star in no time!
4. Focus on your areas of expertise.
While choosing broad topics is a great way to flesh out your blog and attract a wide range of readers, chances are the most valuable help you can provide centers on a more niche area. If you have spent 10 years working with home buyers in NE Spokane, WA, you have a unique perspective that not many other real estate bloggers have.
The more you can translate your knowledge into real estate blog material, the more attractive you will be to readers who need specific, accurate information on the subject you are covering.
5. Write for real estate agents and for clients.
It can be tempting to focus your content on buyers and sellers, which is certainly worth doing and is enough to fill out a blog all on its own. However, you are missing out on another audience – a surprisingly large audience – that you could tap into if you have something to say and the courage to say it.
Sure, it may be intimidating to write for your peers, but they are looking for good info too. If you believe you have some insight into issues your fellow Realtors face, take the plunge and blog about it. If other Realtors like what you have to say, they will probably feel comfortable referring clients to you.
For example, one of the most discussed topics among real estate agents is Zillow. They are in fact the bane of many real estate agents because of their “Zestimates of value.” Many home owners take these online estimates as gospel which puts agents in a position of constantly having to explain why they are not. Many buyers and sellers want to know are Zillow estimates reliable or not.
This is the kind of topic that can kill two birds with one stone. You are helping consumers, while also helping out your fellow agents on how to educate why Zillow estimates are far from accurate.
6. Blog regularly.
There is an ongoing argument about which is better – blogging frequently, like daily or almost daily, or blogging less frequently but focusing on more in-depth material. Bloggers have been successful with both strategies, so it is really up to you and how you want to do things. Frankly, I like creating in-depth content myself.
But whether you blog once a week or every day, you do need to maintain some consistency to keep readers around. The more erratic your schedule, the bigger risk readers will forget about your blog or become frustrated and go somewhere else. Keep them in the know by having a solid real estate social media strategy. While creating fantastic content is crucial, so is promoting it.
7. Go for evergreen content.
The higher quality blogs you can create, the more likely that readers will appreciate what you are doing and come to rely on you for good content. Content that will be useful both now and a year from now is referred to as “evergreen”.
Such content can take more work to create, but it is worth doing if you plan on blogging over an extended period of time. It only takes one really great evergreen blog and some luck to have it shared for years to come, which means ongoing traffic to your blog.
8. Write topical content too.
While evergreen content is the backbone of most good blogs, you also need to blog about current issues that may not be relevant a month or a year from now. The market is always changing, and your readers will probably expect you to discuss what is going on now. Who knows what the market is doing in an area better than a Realtor who works in that area?
Showing off you local expertise is always a smart move. Community pages are one of the better ways of letting people know you are the local real estate expert.
9. Encourage conversation.
When you are looking for clients, you want to have some interaction with the visitors to your blog. By allowing comments and encouraging your readers to discuss topics or give you feedback, you can develop relationships that may lead to work in the real world. There is a risk of undesirable comments, but you can always delete anything you do not want sticking around on your blog.
10. Build relationships with other Real Estate bloggers.
One of the best ways to have a successful blog post is to have a tribe of followers ready to promote it for you! Creating meaningful relationships with other real estate bloggers can be the cornerstone of having a well known blog.
Reciprocation by sharing on social media channels and linking back in relevant content can go a long way in creating a name for yourself online. Remember your peers are looking for the same thing you are – RECOGNITION. By taking the “you rub my back and I’ll rub yours” really works when it comes to blogging.
One of the best ways of saying thank you to your supporters is by running a monthly real estate round-up whereby you share content that was created by those who are often supporting your work. Round-ups are a great way to show off the talents of multiple real estate bloggers all in one post.
Here is an example of a recent real estate round up from Massachusetts Real Estate News. Notice how nine different real estate articles were featured. No doubt quite a few happy bloggers who were thrilled to see their name in the spotlight.
11. Keep working on it.
As the saying goes Rome was not created in a day. Your blog may not be that great at the beginning. But if you keep at it, eventually you will have a blog you can be proud of, one that benefits readers and leads to more business.
Real estate blogging is a long term investment in your time. If you think that you are going to write a couple of articles and you’ll have business pouring in your dead wrong! Most successful real estate bloggers don’t really start to see any meaningful business until they have been doing it for a few years.
[“source=contactually”]
