Blogging
Blogging is past being a buzzword and has moved mainstream, being a part of many agents marketing plan. I have to admit, at first, I had no idea what I was doing. Still, I managed to rack up some points over on AR; even had a few clients and closed transactions. All in all, the blogging life was good.
A few months into my blogging infancy, I hooked up with the Real Estate Tomato and set myself up with a custom Word Press blog. I had so much to learn. Through the process, I have mastered some of the difficult aspects of a Word Press blog while leaning on the pros to help with the rest. I have changed things I shouldn’t have and celebrated some successes. The stories they could tell about me and my lack of knowledge, but I know they won’t. They’re a really great bunch of Tomatos 🙂
A Time Drain
I decided early on my blog would represent not just Indianapolis, but the surrounding suburbs I wanted to work in. My experience at Active Rain left me feeling like there was only so much you could say about one small town, so I wanted to go bigger. In retrospect, that may not have been a well thought out plan. This blogging stuff takes time and when you’re doing market reports for many different areas, it becomes lots of hours. We all know you have to have a bit more than market reports to really make a blog interesting. But what to do, there are only so many hours in a day.
Several months ago, I heard people talk about having ghost writers (Yikes). Just the mention of the word or the implication someone may have another writing their posts brought the purists out in droves. I read others remarks about the concept and was sure anyone caught doing such a thing would be ostracized by the blogging community. I began a little research into the “blogger for hire” idea. I didn’t like having someone write about my area, my neighborhoods or communities. I felt I knew the information much better.
Get Some Help
Then, I was introduced to Bring The Blog, right here on Agent Genius. You only need to go back and read that post to realize I was not keen on the idea or the expense. Sorry Dan! After a few conversations with Dan, I decided I would give it a try. I like the way Dan writes and he writes about a subject I don’t want to write about, mortgages, money and finance. I pick and choose which posts I want to include in my blog. I make sure I have a good understanding of what the post is about. Sometimes I add my keywords in the post or change it to fit what is happening in my city; other times I don’t. Then I copy, paste and publish. It couldn’t be easier. Oh….and the expense, well…… let’s just say, the time I have freed up is well worth it.
If you find yourself challenged for time or content, I recommend Dan Green and Bring the Blog. His style is easy to read and the content timely and relevant.
One more thing – it has not affected my ranking at all.
Missy Caulk
November 13, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Wow, thanks Paula, I had not heard of Bring the Blog but it sounds like it might be something to look at and consider for some of my local communities.
Ruthmarie Hicks
November 13, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I’m just getting started with the Tomato people – and they are great! I just went public in the past couple of days – but there have been a couple of bugs, so I am only posting now.
Paula Henry
November 13, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Missy – I like using the posts, which was a huge step for me. I thought I could do it all myself but the added value of posts about mortgages, intrest rates and how what is happening in our everyday lives affect both. Dan writes about it so much better than I could.
Ruthmarie – The Tomato team are good at taking care of bugs – they wouldn’t be so ripe and red if they weren’t. Good luck with your new blog 🙂
Jim Gatos
November 14, 2008 at 6:05 am
I suspect if you want to develop your own personality and style, you’d stay away from stuff like this and simply write your own.
Paula Henry
November 14, 2008 at 6:49 am
Jim- My original thoughts were along the same line as your’s. I do write the majority of my own content, in my own style. I use the mortgage content from Bring the Blog to enhance my own. It’s a perfect match for me.
Carol Fox
November 14, 2008 at 7:44 am
What about the issue of duplicate content? Does Bring the Blog write original content for each client?
Paula Henry
November 14, 2008 at 10:00 am
Carol – I thought about that, also. They do not write original content for each person. Since I don’t use every article and often change it up a bit, I don’t end up with the same content as everyone else.
I have enough original material, it hasn’t affected my blogs ranking. Dan does write about real estate also. I choose to use the articles or posts about lending, new guidelines and economy issues to bring a new topic and regular updates most people are interested in.
Dan Green
November 14, 2008 at 10:31 am
Thanks for the positive press, Paula. We’re thrilled that Bring the Blog is giving you your “time” back — we hear that refrain a LOT!
And, to follow-up on HOW you use our content, what you’re doing is really smart.
By choosing which of the posts to show on your blog, and then customizing them to include your market’s keywords, I’d venture that you’re making our posts even MORE relevant to your readers and I am sure that they appreciate that, too.
I am going to share this post with our other members, if you don’t mind, because it sounds like you’re getting a lot of utility for just a little bit of effort.
Thanks!
Paula Henry
November 14, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Dan – Just as important as having my time back is the relevant material provided by Bring the Blog.
With the changes in the mortgage industry, people everywhere want to know how it will affect their ability to buy and sell their home or what a fed rate change means to the mortgage rate. You make the information easy to understand.
I can’t tell you the number of hits I’ve had directly related to an article I posted from Bring the Blog. Of course, that equals people who have found my blog, who may not have otherwise.
I don’t mind if you share at all – that’s exactly what I’m doing here 🙂
Eric- New Orleans Condos and Lofts
November 14, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I have tended to do most of the blog myself but have invited some guest writters of which I hope to find more. Just need to get them to write on a regular basis.
Paula Henry
November 15, 2008 at 10:47 am
Eric – I asked a couple of lenders to write for my blog, without success. Not everyone is a “blog” writer, especially on a consistant basis.