There is an abundance of good reasons to write and post a real estate blog. For a fledgling agent, it’s a great way to get your name out there.
If you gain enough followers, you can make a little side income via advertising or affiliate programs. Even if your goal isn’t to build a real estate business or make money, blogging can be an excellent way to keep your writing skills sharp and engender constructive discussions with other like-minded individuals.
To be honest, most real estate blogs fall well short of their potential. Either they are too sales-oriented, they don’t provide relevant information that readers want or need, or they are just poorly written.
The result, of course, is that all of them attract few to no regular readers. Most of their authors don’t track their stats and thus don’t realize they’re orating to an empty room.
To make the most of your real estate blog, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Focus on a specific area
A lot of attention has focused on national real estate trends over the last few years. To be sure, the spectacular housing crash and fledgling recovery have offered interesting studies.
But most people who conduct online searches relating to real estate are looking for information about their local area. If you live in Phoenix, try to become the go-to person for real estate matters in the Phoenix area, or even a specific portion of the metro, such as Glendale or Tempe.
It’s probably the case that you’ll attract fewer readers from other parts of the country, but you’ll have a better shot at becoming much more engaged with your local readership.
Offer useful advice without explicitly trying to sell anything
Pick any city in the country and look at a few of the real estate blogs. Almost all will be littered with sales-related content: articles about new listings, calls to action to buy in an “up and coming” part of town, and so on.
Instead of trying to promote your business with every post, present useful information that isn’t offered simply as a pretext for making you money. Write about general market trends in the area, tips for dealing with oppressive HOAs, or how to get the best deal on homeowner’s insurance, to give a few examples.
These are topics about which your readers probably won’t find much information on your competitors’ blogs, which should keep them coming back to yours to learn more.
Let your personality and sense of humor come through
Ask anyone if they would rather read something by Mark Twain or Bill Gates, and they’ll probably answer Mark Twain, even though Gates has a lot more useful information about a topic that’s important to everyone: making money.
The majority of people want to read content that entertains them, and that’s written in a personable, conversational tone. They don’t want to be overwhelmed by esoteric industry jargon.
If they can also pick up a few pieces of useful knowledge, that’s a bonus. Entertain your readers while also teaching them about real estate, and you are sure to build a loyal following.
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