Top 10 Ways to Use Blogging in Real Estate #4:
Use Blogging to Humanize the Online Experience
People like doing business with people, not businesses.
Let me say that again…
People like doing business with PEOPLE, not businesses.
… and businesses (of all sorts) are starting to catch on. Think about some commercials that we hear all the time … ones that stand out:
Those are real people representing their now-wildly-successful businesses. Real Estate blogging gives you the opportunity on a local level to be the “voice” and “face” of real estate, much like these guys have now become a voice and face for diamonds and dating.
There was a particularly interesting article about Humanizing the Online Experience, by Robert Williams. He points out that there is a great need for human contact in the internet:
“Search is my favorite online tool. I use it daily. But search doesn’t tell you things, it only finds things — lots of things. And brings them all back to you like a mad, overachieving Labrador Retriever, leaving you to sift through the pile, looking for what you really want. That’s when search is operating as designed. However, if you’re not sure or clear enough, if you’re not using the right words or phrases when searching, then you’ll be left with a potentially never-ending task looking for that desired needle in the digital haystack.”
Can you imagine the immense haystack potential home buyers and sellers find themselves in when they begin their online search for real estate help? It is ridiculous how many real estate related things are online.
What blogging does is MAKE SENSE of online real estate information.
Blogging gives real estate professionals the ability to prove that you are the expert in a way that makes online home buyers and sellers actually understand exactly what it is you are the expert of.
How do I humanize the online real estate experience with my real estate blog?
- First, write your blog posts like you would write an email – professional, but not insanely formal. Blogs are not meant to be dissertations on the science and philosophy of the field of real estate studies yadda yadda yadda. Blogging is a conversation that you are having with your readers. (Just make sure you Speak English Good.) Yes, at first, it will feel like a conversation that you are having with yourself and the few spam commenters that find your blog, but eventually it will be a conversation that you have with your readers… the folks out there looking to eventually do business with you. Write your blog in a “tone” that you would use if you were responding to an email.
- Second, don’t be afraid to let your personality show through your blog posts. This is called your “voice” … Now, if you are a complete jerk, you may want to reconsider being in real estate all together, as there are enough jerks out there and I’m pretty sure the Real Estate Jerk Quota is full. Try back later.
Your personality will attract more people than just a bunch of statistics and data on a computer screen. In addition to people wanting to do business with people … people like doing business with people they know. Letting your personality shine through your writing will get people to know you before they even “meet” you.
- Third, explain things in terms that your target audience will understand. YOU may know what a FSBO and a REO is. YOU may know what DOM and absorption rate is. YOU may know all the lingo and terms that are now a part of your everyday language… but the everyday public may not.
Stand out from your competition. Don’t just HAVE an About Me page … BE your About Me Page.
Read Also:
Top 10 Ways to Use Blogging in Real Estate: Introduction
Top 10 Ways to Use Blogging in Real Estate: #1 Use Blogging as a Farming Tool
Top 10 Ways to Use Blogging in Real Estate: #2 Answer Real Estate FAQ’s Just Once
Top 10 Ways to Use Blogging in Real Estate: #3 Use Blogging to Become a Niche Expert
Ken Smith
July 9, 2008 at 8:31 am
“Third, explain things in terms that your target audience will understand. YOU may know what a FSBO and a REO is. YOU may know what DOM and absorption rate is. YOU may know all the lingo and terms that are now a part of your everyday language… but the everyday public may not.”
SO important IMO. Industry Jargon can cause a person to not understand what you are talking about in your blog posts or conversations. To put it in perspective talk to a true car person about cars, or about computers to an IT person. You are going to get terms that you have no clue about tossed at you, how does it make you feel? How much interest do you have in the conversation at this point?
Paula Henry
July 9, 2008 at 9:54 am
Mariana –
Jerk quota full – love it!
I tried so hard when I first started out, there was absolutely no personality there. I just kept on with encouragement and great examples from people like you in the industry. Still learning and working on it 🙂
Being your “about me” page is excellent advice and hard to implement. Many mistake it as talking about themselves, rather than imparting their personality.
Glenn fm Naples
July 9, 2008 at 10:06 am
Ken makes a good point in his post above. When writing or speaking people have a tendency to use abbreviations or anacronyms. We have actually included in our posts right here – FSBO, REO, DOM, IMO – yes we know what they mean, but someone less familiar with the terms will not have an idea of what is being said. We might need to write and express ourselves at a lower level that a layperson can understand.
Mariana
July 9, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Ken – You are right. A lot of the time “professionals” don’t, or forget to, get outside of themselves to understand how they are (or are not) being understood by the consumer.
Paula – Exactly… BEING your About Me page is not just talking about yourself. it is BEING yourself.
Glenn – I believe that most (not all) websites should be aimed at HS or mid-college level, in terms of writing. That will appeal to most of the folks out there surfing online.
Jennifer in Louisville
July 9, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Identifying your target audience is absolutely a vital part of blogging. You speak differently to real estate investors that turn 100 deals a year, than you do a person that is a 1st time home buyer. You talk up or down, depending on whom you are trying to appeal to that may read your writings.
Mike Taylor
July 10, 2008 at 6:55 am
I think finding your audience is something many bloggers struggle with. Many of us blog on several different platforms which potentially have vastly different audiences. On your local blog, I believe that while you are more likely to get comments from other agents you really need to target the consumer who will likely never post a comment.
Mariana Wagner
July 10, 2008 at 7:19 am
Jennifer – Yes. A lot of being a real estate agent (and blogger) is knowing who your audience is. In fact – I belive that is the case in any industry.
Mike – Thank you! I JUST was trying to explain the “comment” thing to someone. I told them that your job as a real estate blogger is to get TRAFFIC that turns into BUSINESS – not comments. I would take a client over a comment ANY day.
Ken Smith
July 10, 2008 at 9:58 am
“On your local blog, I believe that while you are more likely to get comments from other agents you really need to target the consumer who will likely never post a comment.”
Exactly! If you need comments to make yourself feel better then create a separate blog to target agents, but keep that content off your consumer focused blog. Amazes me how many agents think that rants about their MLS, or another agent, or NAR, or ….. belong on their consumer focused blog.
If you want clients write consumer focused content and focus on generating leads. Personally money in the bank makes me feel much better then getting 20 comments from agents looking for a link.
Erin Fogarty
July 10, 2008 at 1:44 pm
What a great post, so many agents don’t get it. Your blog should be focused at the consumer, and not at other agents. Your blog should be about local stuff, and the real estate talk should be toned down so the consumer understands the content. If you want to complain about the MLS, that should be reserved for Active Rain. And lol at the “jerk quota”!
Ken – I totally agree with you!
Toby & Sadie
July 10, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I love blogging. I love how it allows customers to have a chance to get to know me as me. I’m not going to “hide” behind my blog. Do I lose customers? Sure. Do I gain more? Yep.
I love your take Mariana and have been busy working with those online – to – real-time clients so have to go back and read the rest of your series.
Keep up the great work my little MasterMind.
Sue
July 11, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Mariana, your posts always make me smile. I agree that knowing your audience is key because that is what will attract buyers and/or sellers. I also think its important to let your personality shine thru, add some interest and pazazz to your posts. Like you do Mariana! We may not all be as good at it though, it takes practice. Sometimes I find that when I just sit and type its better.
Mariana Wagner
July 11, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Ken – Yep! I have found that the only consumers who ever leave a comment on my blogs are other bloggers. Non-bloggers will rarely leave a comment and I am fine with that.
Toby and Sadie – Ah! Thank you! I find that when you find your voice, you wind up attracting people who WANT to work with you and who you WANT to work with… which is sweet.
Sue – I like to write and I like to talk … however it is a constant learning process. I have been doing this for about 2 years now and I am STILL learning soemthing new everyday …