How many of you really know what a “blog” is? At Duffy Realty we are all learning how to use our personal blogs to increase our real estate business. It’s the newest trend so here’s a great article that explains it to those of you who are still a little “behind the times” where the internet is concerned.
Is There a Blog in Your Future?
By Saul Klein
Ask any 10 Realtors® you know: “What’s a Blog?” You’ll likely get a variety of responses including a few “What’s a what??”
Selling real estate requires constant contact with people. “Contacts create contracts.” Since the average term of homeownership is something like 5 to 8 years, what method or methods do you use to keep yourself and your name in front of people? Prospecting consumes a good amount of time for most successful real estate professionals.
While the traditional methods of participating in community and church activities works well for many, the Internet — and a fairly “new” concept known as Blogging — can increase your Internet presence and fit nicely into your web site and Internet marketing strategy. It can be very cost effective and, for many, actually a very enjoyable way to prospect and keep your name in front of people. After all, the secret to success in marketing is no secret at all…whether you are Coca Cola or a one-person real estate business…you work (and often pay) to keep your name (and brand) in front of people.
According to Technorati, a web site that tracks Web log activity, the “Blogosphere” continues to grow at a breakneck pace. Technorati currently tracks 35.3 Million Weblogs (Blogs), and reports that the “Blogosphere” has doubled about every six months for the past 42 months. The “Blogosphere” is over 60 times bigger than it was only three years ago.
What’s a Blog?
The term Blog is “short” for Web Log, a type of website content that is updated on a regular basis. It is different from the “usual” website in that it may contain information written and submitted (posted) by various contributors in addition to the owner of the Blog. A Blog can be a one-sided or a multi-sided Internet “conversation.” When you comment on a Blog, the comment remains attached to the Blog, usually for public viewing. An e-mail alert is usually sent to the Blog owner to notify him/her that there is a comment from a reader. This is a feature that makes a Blog interactive. Authors can respond via additional notes or comments on the Blog and/or via e-mail.
The blog should have a “mailing list” feature in which your regular readers can subscribe to receive e-mail alerts when you post something new to your blog. The alert can contain a custom message from you along with a hot link to the specific posting. This is a good way to maintain contact with your “friends.”
“A Blog is the website you always wanted.” Today, a Blog, a domain, and an IDX solution can provide the marketing side of a Web presence for many REALTORS® and the cost in dollars is nominal…there is, however, the cost of time. Blogs often mix candor, informality, opinion and links to related information. A Blog is much easier to work with than the usual Web site or Web site template. No programming skills are needed to create and maintain a Blog, just content. Actually, if you are able to send informative e-mail messages, then you’ll have no trouble “Blogging.” Do you have a subject or a passion you want to share with the world? Start your own Blog. Does it have to be real estate-related? Not necessarily.
A Blog is the ideal vehicle to showcase your expertise, interests and personality. Today, it seems like everyone is jumping on the Blogging bandwagon. Blogs written by politicians, musicians, novelists, sports figures, newscasters and other notable figures can be found in the “Blogosphere.” Millions of Americans are now “Blogging.” If you can think of an idea or subject, you can probably find a Blog about it. These personal journals have taken the Internet by storm. Thanks to easy-to-use programs and Web sites, the most technically challenged person can create a Blog and populate it in real-time. A blog can be created the instant a need arises.
Blogging has now reached the real estate industry. Blogs can be used in a number of ways, which will be explored later in this article. A Blog is the perfect Internet publishing tool for some people, but not for everyone. It is very easy to start one up, although it takes a certain discipline to seed it and keep it growing. For further examples of Blogs, see http://Blogs.InternetCrusade.com.
WCR member and trainer Joeann Fossland uses the Blog in her real estate coaching business. Take a look at http://Blog.Joeann.com. Joeann also has a Web site — http://Blog.Joeann.com — that is designed and maintained by a professional. Joeann doesn’t need a Webmaster for her blog, she is able to make entries herself “on the fly” and they are instantly viewable on the Web. Also take a look at my Blog, http://Blog.SaulKlein.com, and note the flexibility that the use of categories offers.
