Generating Leads with your Own Real Estate Blog
When people have questions, they go to the internet. Most real estate customers are not savvy about the industry, so they’re looking for reliable answers on a range of topics. People hire real estate agents for sound advice because they have the knowledge and experience. So, who do you think a buyer or seller will call when they’re looking for an agent to help them through one of the biggest transactions of their lives?
A blog is an opportunity to show off all that hard-earned knowledge and get your name in front of local real estate consumers. Regular readers of your blog will feel more comfortable with you and confident that they’ll be in competent hands should they hire you.
Starting a Blog
You probably love real estate, so you don’t need a lot of extra motivation to share what you love. And after a few years of experience, you also have lots of examples to use and stories to tell. There’s so much fun stuff you can do with a real estate blog. Here are some tips for getting started:- Idea List. Keep a list of possible blog topics on a little notepad or on your phone and jot down ideas whenever they arise. You never know when your next great idea will come to you.
- Be unique. Google real estate topics to see what is already out there. Look for a new angle or interesting spin when writing about common real estate topics.
- Stick to a schedule. Make time to write regularly and plan to publish new blogs consistently. If you’re not posting fresh content, people will stop coming back.
- Know your audience. You’ve probably already researched your target market and customers. Imagine this customer profile as you write and keep in mind their needs, interests, lifestyles, and knowledge level. What do they want to know?
- Include local subjects. Do a recurring neighborhood spotlight feature, an analysis of the local market, or reviews of hot spots and events. Show off the best features of the neighborhoods where you commonly list property.
- Stay current. Let the season, current trends, or market activity inform which topic from your Idea List you’ll write about this week.
- Choose buzz-worth topics and headlines. Don’t do what every other agent is doing. Select specific topics that haven’t been done to death. Craft headlines that will get people clicking when they see them on Twitter and Facebook.
- Just write. And then start writing. First, quickly outline the subtopics you want to hit. For the first run through, write everything you want to say about the topic without worrying about spelling or grammar; editing comes later.