Where readers ask, and we try to answer:
Hello Alex,
I came across theFrontSteps today while researching local real estate blogs. My mother is an agent in NJ and she came to me about advice on creating a blog and testing other social media channels to help her business. I figured I’d research what others are doing and your blog is one of the best I’ve come across so far. Well done!
I’ve got a lot of experience in creating blogs and online marketing, so have a pretty good idea of the direction I’d suggest she take. Just thought I’d go straight to a source to see if anyone is having success with real estate blogs. My one question is – does it work? Are you gaining (great) leads from the search engines and your blog? I certainly understand if you’d rather not divulge.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have on blogging and online marketing. I’ve been in the industry for 12 years now.
Cheers,
-T
Dear T,
Thanks for the kind words and writing in. Glad you were able to find us and glad you like what you see. Your question couldn’t have been more timely as we were preparing a post on this very topic. The long and short of it…YES! This site is a tremendous source of quality leads, and if we chose to chase every lead down I’d certainly be one of the Top Producing agents in the city, but somehow leisurely activities like surfing, skiing, and golf seem to continually get in the way. ;-)
Some examples of what kind of business this blog brings in: We received a lead to price (and eventually sell) a $2.4M condo at the St. Regis, which led us to meet a buyer at the open house, who then went on to purchase a $1.6M home on a hill; A lead came in because of the Tour de San Francisco I used to write and just yesterday we closed on a $3+M pad in Palo Alto, and those clients are dear friends now; To put icing on the cake, a deal was closed last year based off a lead that came as a result of this blog and a few Tweets on Twitter.
So the answer is a resounding YES! It works, and it works well. Almost too well. I feel badly for the readers and potential clients that contact us and we let slip through the cracks. Sorry all…it’s not personal.
Oh, and by the way. I came across the below blog while researching. Looks like they have good content and a decent readership. They just closed shop. Might be worth looking into acquiring.??
Best,
T
Thanks for the tip…we like, but can’t afford, their Schtuff. ;-)
A blog is technically software.
The internet is about content and needs content.
People doing searches for real estate, search for real estate related content to help them in there purchase or sale of a home.
As a Realtor deliver content that will assist those folks in their search.
The blog software is a great start to sharpen your publishing saw. However it is limiting if all of a sudden the author fashions themselves as a blogger. They are a Realtor using the tools of the web to deliver their message.
Start with the blog and repurpose the message thru the rest of the social media (another loaded word) and websites.
You , we, I are not bloggers we are publishers.
Like for any other online businesses, real estate websites can take a lot of benefits from blogging. By publishing blog posts on a regular and consistent way, you can build a community of real estate fans and followers who would like to hear more about the properties you introduce, destinations you describe and so on.
Blogging helps you establish yourself as an authority expert in the realm of your activities. Those who read your blog, could turn out to be your upcoming clients.
honored to be included as another note worthy blog. believe it or not, i’m actually beginning to miss it a bit. alex, with all those big deals you seem to be closing from theFrontSteps leads, i’m certain you can afford our Schtuff ;-)
Blogging about SF real estate is one of the things I like best about my job. I have to say that I have recently been receiving a lot of quality leads from those who have stumbled upon my site. But not every agent should blog–there are tons of ways to get leads. In my opinion, you should use the ones that are most suited to your strengths.
Blogging is a great tool provided you know how to use it. The important part of blogging is attracting people by providing them useful information. In order to reach your customers you need to be visible online.
When I was new in blogging, I had some difficulties of reaching to people but good thing I learned a lot from friends and mentors. I even came up with a new blog http://reversethatforeclosurenow.blogspot.com/ to help those homeowners facing foreclosure.
Good luck!