BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS

Presented by:Ryan Shaughnessy, PrincipalPREA SIGNATURE REALTYwww.PREASignatureRealty.comwww.LafayetteReport.comRyan@PREASignatureRealty.com314-971-4381

WHY BLOGGING IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS?

Generate and capture new leads. Enhance one’s credibility with potential

clients. Establish one’s expertise. Provide information and knowledge

about the real estate industry and the local area.

Network with other real estate professionals and develop a referral base.

6 DEADLY SINS OF BLOGGING

Sending Mixed Messages – Failing to Stay on Message

Making It Hard to Subscribe to Your Blog Inconsistent Blog Posting – Irregular

Posting Schedule Failure to Interact with Readers - Lack of

Replies to Comments Using the Wrong Platform Poor Keyword Selection and Failing to

Use Sound SEO Practices

DEVELOP A BLOGGING STRATEGY

Understand the Purpose and Benefits of Blogging

Clearly Define Your Goals for Blogging

Identify Your Target Audience Identify Blog Posts and Themes

Relevant to Your Target Audience Always Include a Call to Action

DEVELOP A BLOGGING SCHEDULE

Post Blog Articles on a Regular Scheduled Basis

Inform Your Readers of Your Post Schedule Understand that Blogging Takes Time and

Effort to Develop a Base and Generate Lease and Referrals

Consider Using a Team or Group Blog or Use Guest Bloggers from Related Fields such as Lenders, Title Agents, Building Inspectors and Others

JUST DO IT – COMMON FEARS

Acceptance, Criticism, Approval Not Enough Readers to Justify Effort Not Enough Business Leads to Justify

Effort

Focus on the Mechanics of BloggingDevelop Your Owner StyleDevelop Your Own Voice

DEVELOP GOOD CONTENT

Produce Quality over Quantity Stay Focused on Your Target Audience Develop Your Own Style and Message Offer Solutions and Optimism Share Your True Personality – Don’t

Mimic Other’s Style Be Honest and Transparent Don’t Be Afraid to Express Contrarian

Views

STOP SELLING – START SHARING

Don’t Use Your Blog Solely to Advertise Your Listings

Educate and Provide Assistance Use a Conversational Tone Share Personal Insights

CONTENT IDEAS

Report Industry and Local News Comment on Current Events from Newspapers and Blogs Discuss Trends using Market Reports and MLS Statistics Focus on Localism – Neighborhoods and Local Businesses Differentiate Your Services from Competitors such as Emphasizing

Your Use of Technology to Market and Sell Real Estate Use a Series of Posts and Group together to Encourage Additional

Reading Show your Personality with Humorous Stories Provide Real Estate Training, Tips and Advice to Other Real Estate

Professionals Advertise Real Estate Listings Mix Controversy or Contrarian View Use Comments to Your Blog for Future Blog Posts Use to Respond to Frequently Asked Questions from Customers

MAKE IT VISUALLY APPEALING

Create a Professional Banner (BannerFans) Use Widgets and Search Engines (RealBird) Avoid Long Text Only Paragraphs Avoid Long Multi-Page Posts – Break into Multiple Posts as a Series Use Photographs, Video, Slideshows, and Charts to Support Your

Main Points Use Bullet Points to Outline or Organize the Post Bold Important Points Use Outside Services such as:

Document Hosting (Box.net) Slideshows (SlideShare.net) Photo Editing (Photobucket.com) Graphics (ImageChef.com) Lead Generation Forms (JotForm.com) Personalized Signatures (MyLiveSignature.com)

View Your Blogs in Multiple Browsers and Formats to Insure that is Readable and in the Intended Format

FOCUS ON SEO – USE KEYWORD RICH BLOG TITLES

How to Title a Blog Post

Use keywords in the title that a consumer would type use to conduct a Google search. Example: Open Houses in Lafayette Square.

Use geographic restrictions. Avoid common terms. Example: Vacant Land in Lafayette Square.

Don’t use generic or overbroad titles. Example: Vacant Land for Sale.

Develop a Big Fish in Little Pond Approach

FOCUS ON SEO – REPEAT KEYWORDS FROM TITLE IN FIRST SENTENCE

Use this Indexing Technique

Repeat the blog post title in the first sentence of the body of the blog post.

Bold the keywords from the title in the body of the post. Example of Title: Vacant Land for Sale in Lafayette

Square. Example of First Sentence: The has never been a better

time to purchase Vacant Land For Sale in Lafayette Square.

The first sentence is often shown in the Google search result and assists with indexing and encourages customers to click through to post based on relevant content.

FOCUS ON SEO – REPEAT KEYORDS IN BODY OF TEXT AND LINKS

Repeat Keywords

Repeat keywords 4-5 times throughout post matching keywords in title.

Bold keywords in body of post. Write body of post to match keywords. Use links with keywords matching the

title of the post. Tag your post with relevant keywords

from Google.

FIND THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR YOUR BLOG AND BLOG STRATEGY

Before Selecting a Blogging Platforms, Determine its Suitability and SEO Value

My Preferred Platform: ActiveRain Resources – Tutorials to Assist and Teach You

How to Blog to Generate Leads and Referrals SEO Value – Focus on Google Indexing Power Use a Real Estate Oriented or Local Platform ActiveRain Cares – Direct Interaction and

Feedback with ActiveRain Staffers who Use Comments to Make Improvement to Blog Platform

DEVELOP A LINK STRATEGY Use Links to Promote Your Internet Presence from

Websites to Social Networks Use Links from Your Website, E-Mail and Social Network

Profiles to Promote Your Blog Great Content Doesn’t Have to Be Original Content -

Link to Related Topics and Add Your Own Commentary as an Introduction

Link to Related Your Relevant Prior Blog Posts to Encourage Additional Page Views within Your Blog

Link to Local Businesses and Community Resource – Encourage Repeat Visits to Your Blog

Don’t Recreate the Wheel – Create Introduction with Your Personal Commentary and Use the ActiveRain Re-Blog Feature to Develop Regular Content

INTEGRATE INTO YOUR BLOG INTO YOUR MARKETING PLAN

Include a profile on your blog setting forth your training, experience, service areas and geographical preferences.

Use links on e-mail, website, marketing materials, etc. to your blog.

Use links on your blog to your website, listings, MLS search engine, etc.

Post blog articles to social networks – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

Use blog posts for print newsletters, e-blasts, customer guides, etc.

BUILD YOUR READERSHIP

Include the URL for Your Blog on All Marketing Materials from Business Cards to Personal Website to Your Profiles on Social Network and Other Sites

Encourage Subscription via E-Mail or RSS Feeds (FeedBurner)

Provide Alternate Formats such as Podcasts (Odgio)

Use Other Mediums such as Photographs (Flickr) or Videos (YouTube)

PROMOTE YOUR BLOG

Register with Blog Directories Submit Blog Posts for Article

Submission Services Use PR Wire Services Leverage Your Presence on Social

Networking Sites with Links to Blog and Links to Specific Posts

MONITOR YOUR BLOG

Track Blog Readership Statistics Using Google Analytics

Use Internet Search Monitoring Services such as Google Alerts or Trackle.com to See How Your Blog is Received and Where Your Blog Posts Appear on the Internet

Use a Copyright Monitoring Service such as Copyscape.com to Identify the Misuse of Your Blog Content