Finding inspiration
So, you are a real estate agent who has decided that you want to embrace inbound marketing via social media and the internet.
You have read success stories, maybe you even know someone at your office who is using these tools to great advantage and you have made the call that you are ready to jump on board and get blogging.
You did some research on blogging platforms and have decided which site you want to call home and you are ready to get started and then you realize:
That was the easy part!
Now the really big questions come to the front including the one that seems to come up most with new bloggers… “What will I write about?”
First off, I would like to encourage you not to worry about being an English professor or journalist. Your “voice” should be be true to you and readers of blogs are there for information, not perfect grammar. While you should endeavor to use your best writing skills, missing a comma or dangling a participle will not get you kicked off the internet or cause your readers to shut you down. Content is the key to a great blog, the rest matters much less.
Simple tips for finding inspiration:
As to the WHAT to write about, here are some simple tips for blogging inspiration for real estate agents:
1- a fun, funny, unique or strange house showing story. I wrote one on a whim and had a wonderful response to it. Let’s face it: we run into some pretty random things while showing houses…share the fun!
2- a recent buyer story. Get their permission, along with a photo and a quote. This is a step up from publishing testimonials, it is graphic and real and your readers will be able to relate.
3- community news.
4- market reports. They aren’t as fun as other posts, but there are some readers that just LOVE them.
5- home selling tips by season.
6- changes in real estate transaction requirements like smoke detectors, septic tanks, etc.
7- a special mortgage program or town funded home buyer incentive program.
8- short sale advice for sellers.
9- specific buyer tips and advice. Write to the first time home buyers or foreclosure buyers or investors, for example.
10- news about you…did you get an office award, attend special training, earn a recognition in the community?
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Blogging gets easier the more you do it and soon enough you will have more blog post ideas than time to write them! Blog posts don’t need to be long, in fact, many argue that shorter is better and if you have a story that is long, you can break it into several parts and post separately.
Soon you will be shouting out loud, “OH, I have to blog about that!” or thinking “That’s a blog post!” as you pass through your day.
Remember: you are the expert! Speak in your blog as you do when sitting with your buyer and seller clients and share your expertise with a larger audience. Your authenticity and advice will capture your audience and help you establish yourself as an authority in yet another format.
photo courtesy of M i x y on flickr
