Blog Basics

[Carol Kerr]

So I keep hearing all this talk about blogging and I've been trying to do some research, and now I'm just confused.   

I recently started a website with TopProducer -- was able to take advantage of a promotional rate of $25 a month as a current customer.  It came up just as I was changing brokers and needed a new website since I was relinqueshing my KW site.  As a part of the deal I also got a free blog site.  Not sure how it works yet.

Also joined Trulia and have been answering questions and actually getting some nice response from that.  No real clients yet, but some visiability as someone who seems to know what she's talking about.  It's also giving me some confidence in writing about real estate topics.  I know I co-authored a book as a consultant, but sort of getting up the gumption to write as an "expert" in this field...

And then there's Active Rain...

Someone -- I think it was Perky.  Sorry, like I said, I've been researching and can't really remember what I read where -- said it can be detrimental to post the same blog in multiple places so I'm trying to figure out where to start!

Can anyone provide a suggested path?  You know, start here.... Of course budget is a consideration.  At this point I really prefer to keep the money I spend focused on current clients than prospecting.

Thanks in advance,
Carol

[Jennifer Allan]

Well, the first step is to read other blogs and you'll pretty quickly figure out what people write about . And once you start blogging, EVERYTHING you do, see and hear becomes material for you! It's crazy...

Here's my consumer-focused blog: http://www.northwestdenverundressed.com. But there are a gazillion others, obviously.

I don't know anything about Top Producer's blog product, but I think I'd rather see you spend $29 at Active Rain rather than $25 at Top Producer. But I'm open to input on that.

[Carol Kerr]

$25 got me a templated agent website through TopProducer.  No charge for the blog.  Just figured out it is a blog site on Realtor.com.

I think my question is more about the technical aspect.  As in where do I post the blog?  Is Realtor.com a good place?  Are some blog locations better than others?  Do I then put links to that blog in other places or do I also post it other places?

Normally I'm fairly good technically but this just has me confused.

[Perky]

I agree that the money would probably be better spent at ActiveRain.

There is a bit of controversy over the duplicate content.  I think it would be OK as long as the 2nd blog references the first (First published by the author on date/date on www.link.com).

[Perky]

I think there is a difference.  I wouldn't post on the realtor.com blog. It would be more beneficial to you to use ActiveRain, or your own wordpress.com blog - but I'd stay away from ANYTHING put out by R.com.  They are not exactly internet geniuses.

[Chuck Capan]

Realtor dot com is an enormous pile of crap.

Oh, darn I'm trying to be more positive with my attitude.

There are, perhaps sites that would be more beneficial than R.com

ActiveRain is a great place.

Realtor dot com is an enormous pile of crap.

Darn there I go again...

[Carol Kerr]

Tell me what you really think Chuck.    I would be curious to know exactly why it's a piece of crap. 

Good news is I haven't really paid for the R.com thing.  Alright, some would say it's a matter of semantics...  I pay $25 a month for my website and they threw in R.com.  Based on the research I did, $25/month for the website is a pretty good price and so far it's pretty easy for me to manage.  Someday when I have lots of cash I'm sure I'll do something else, but for now it provides an internet presence which is a must here in Austin.  We pretty much live and die by the internet -- at least my client base does.

Okay, so general consensus is I need to check out Active Rain...

What's this thing that keeps popping up on my computer that says "Blog with Windows Live."  Just what is that?  Anyone have a clue?

I do have a question.  Is it possible that there are regional differences between sites in terms of reaching consumers?  I had never heard of Active Rain before finding you wonderful folks.  Yet I have lots of customers who regularly look for homes and real estate info on R.com...

[Perky]

AR & R.com are two totally different animals.

People don't go to ActiveRain (AR) and search for listings / realtors.  They find AR blogs that realtors have written when they search for real estate/listings/local info via google, yahoo.com, or other search engines...

When people go to R.com it is just to look for listings.  They dont' "find it" in search engines. Chances are they are already working with an agent and they will tell that agent about whatever listing they found, or they may contact an agent they find by other means...they may respond to an (expensive) enhanced or showcase listing...or they may end up just contacting the brokerage that listed the particular listing they found....

ActiveRain.com is very search engine friendly and it is possible that a blog you write, if well written and uses the right keywords, will appear in search engine results in a matter of hours; whereas a traditional website will take days, weeks, and even months to appear, and even then it will be very far back in results....

Having a website is not enough; you need a blog to write articles on and promote your website.  I don't trust R.com to have a good blogging platform simply because r.com sucks from an agent standpoint...lol.  I will maintain that blogging on your OWN blog (like wordpress.com) will be the BEST thing to do, but ActiveRain will also get you results if done correctly.

I have no faith in R.com simply because of its track record for me in the past.  All the work I have put into enhanced listings and I've hardly gotten any traffic from it...most of the traffic on my website and virtual tours comes from my wordpress and activerain.com blogs. 

[Carol Kerr]

Thanks for clarifying issues with R.com Perky.  I agree with all the sentiments about it not being at all agent friendly.  During my first couple of years I had some clients here in Austin insist on having enhanced listings on R.com.  It cost me a bunch of money (relatively speaking) and resulted in exactly 0 showings, let alone offers.  I look at it from the standpoint that those $ I spent gave me the data/experience to tell clients it won't make a difference and that there are better alternatives.

I've been digging on Active Rain and interestingly enough there are very few Austin Realtors blogging from there.  And most Austin blogs are listing advertisements. 

I'm going to check them out more and also investigate wordpress.com.  I look at it this way -- My website is where I can send clients for helpful resources.  Many of my clients would rather have one place to go than to have me send them repeated emails.  And nearly all of my clients would rather have info electronically than in paper format.  We're just that sort of town!  But my website isn't going to help  potential clients find me.

Blogging seems to be the way to gain visibilty to potential clients who don't yet know me by providing helpful, timely, interesting  information.

Am I starting to get it?

[Jennifer Allan]

Perky - GREAT explanation.

Carol - yes - you are getting it. I never got much action from my website; I just used it, as you say, to send people to if they wanted to know more about me. I also used it as a mini-listing presentation and explanation of my commission structure so that I didn't have to have that conversation during a listing appointment. I'm not saying that this is the best use of a website, but it's how I used mine.

So, yes, if you have a good blog, that isn't simply infomercial after infomercial, people will find you and then they'll want to know more about you. It's very much an "attraction-based" marketing tool instead of a pursuit-based one.

[Chuck Capan]

Just read in October issue of REALTOR® Magazine that they moved their 4 blogs to the Wordpress platform.

There goes the neighborhood, ladies.

And Jennifer..."It's very much an "attraction-based" marketing tool instead of a pursuit-based one."  I just love your way of hitting homeruns like that.

[Chuck Capan]

Carol-

Back to your question "I would be curious to know exactly why it's a piece of crap."

IMHO

I have had enhanced r.com for about 3 years...not by choice, I am required to have it by my broker.  It costs me $30 per month.  I would say that there has been ZERO return on my investment of what is now around $1,000.  For me and my market it is just another website...if it was a free site I would have no problem with it.  In my metro area we do not get a lot of people moving into the area so the far reaching effects and common knowledge of r.com have little impact. Most local people internet shop with the local sites.  My broker  commands about 45% of the market share, our biggest competitor had about 30% of the market so between the two I think it is safe to say that anyone looking at real estate online gets everything they need from one (or both) of the 2 sites.

[Maggie/Vancouver]

Okay....not sure if my question will add to this topic or will derail it.....LOL...hopefully, not the latter.....I really do want to start blogging....in my area, a lot of realtors have foregone the written blog route and are doing video blogging.  What do folks think of that??  With a flip camera it is quite simple and I could see it as a time saver over writing something each day or week....what are your thoughts on video blogging versus written blogging.....

Hope all is well and that everyone is having fun out there!!!!....m:-)

[Carol Kerr]

Okay....not sure if my question will add to this topic or will derail it.....LOL...hopefully, not the latter.....I really do want to start blogging....in my area, a lot of realtors have foregone the written blog route and are doing video blogging.  What do folks think of that??  With a flip camera it is quite simple and I could see it as a time saver over writing something each day or week....what are your thoughts on video blogging versus written blogging....

Not derailing at all...

I've been looking at some of the video blogs.  The ones that I think are good have obviously got some thought and planning put into them.  For me that would take more time and energy than writing something.

I also think that for a video blog to be successful with consumers it needs to be well put together, to the point and somewhat entertaining.  If it's not entertaining, I think most would rather just read a few hundred words.  But that could be just me... 

Interested to hear what the more experienced in the blog world think.

[Jennifer Allan]

I hate watching videos online, so I can't see me ever video-blogging although I've been advised to several times. I'd rather read, but then again, I still have the same Franklin planner I used in the early 90's. I don't change easily...