One of the best ways to generate leads while keeping potential buyers and sellers informed about the real estate market in your local area is by blogging about it. You don’t necessarily need an English degree to run a real estate blog, but as a real estate professional, you most likely possess some knowledge about your local market and the real estate industry that is worth sharing.
However, some realtors are not too sure what they should blog about or are afraid of running out of ideas. They may even feel like their posts aren’t visually appealing to buyers. With that said, here are a few ideas on what topics you can explore and what you can do to ensure the longevity of your blog.
Topics of Interest
Start with what you know, which could be anything from the highlights of your community, new housing developments, or annual events, to your areas of expertise such as flipping and rehabbing properties, the benefits of investing in income producing properties, or explaining in layman’s terms how the home buying process works. The possibilities are endless!
If you are concerned about running out of topics, it doesn’t hurt to revisit previous topics and give them a refresher. This is especially beneficial if you previously wrote about mortgage rates, market trends, and any grand openings of any new businesses or storefronts. Keep in mind that your blog is an extension of your business and real estate brand, so try to avoid writing about topics that do not pertain to real estate.
Style and Context
Blogging allows you to let your creative side come out, which means it’s okay if your language is a little less than formal. Of course, it’s best to use common sense and avoid using foul language. The goal of all your blog posts is to be informative and serve as an expert in your field.
Categorize
Many of us have a lot of ideas when it comes to blogging and while it is encouraged for you to blog about a variety of topics, it’s a good idea to categorize your posts so that your readers can find a topic of interest quickly and easily. Consider sorting your posts into categories like “Buyers”, “Sellers”, “Investors”, “Flip and Sale,” “Our Community”, and so on.
Subscribe and Share
Creating a blog post is one thing, but it would be all for naught if your readers are not aware of it. Promote your blog and any new posts across your social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+) and encourage your readers to subscribe to your blog via an RSS feed. Put the power of sharing your posts in the hands of your readers by including social sharing icons in a visible area of your blog, either at the top or bottom of the post.
Your blog posts do not have to be 1,000-word essays and while there is no set length for a post, you’ll want to keep your readers’ interests by making sure your posts are always informative and interesting. Don’t forget to make your posts visually appealing by adding some nice photos or royalty-free images.
It’s also a good idea to keep a running content calendar so that you know what to write about and post ahead of time. Scheduling posts isn’t a bad idea, especially if you know you’ll be particularly busy and won’t be able to dedicate as much time to write and post to your blog. A lot of bloggers tend to take advantage of this feature during the holidays.
Don’t get discouraged if you feel as if your blog is getting a lot of traction in the beginning. Instead, focus on the bigger picture: you are providing informative and original content while promoting your business. It’s never too late to start blogging and you have a lot of knowledge to offer—so start today!
