Whether you are a seasoned blogger or just getting started, its always good to go back to basics and check yourself to make sure that you are covering all bases. I found this article today and wanted to share it with you:

Inspiration for your Company Blog

Pay special attention to the Google Alerts point. Google Alerts is a great tool for getting news feeds straight to your desktop. If you're not familiar with it or are not using it, be sure to check it out. You can sign up to get alerts anytime information that matches your keywords appears in Google. As an example, I am originally from Wisconsin so I am signed up to receive news alerts anytime my city appears. I am also signed up to receive news alerts for the word 'REALTOR' so I can keep on top of what everyone is up to in the news! To sign up, click here.

Where Google alerts is most helpful to your business is when you can get information on local market news. Be the first to share and disseminate the information through your blog or Facebook Fan page and your clients will appreciate that you are a one-stop shop for everything local.

Finally, I also happen to love their suggestion to get guest writers. Check your list of friends and business associates and start thinking about how they could offer your clients beneficial information. Whether its a friend in the mortgage and finance business, real estate law, title companies or maybe even your company's broker, ask them to be a guest to your blog. Decide on a topic ahead of time and be sure to promo your guest to gain interest. Once they've posted, be sure to spread the word through your various social media sites. If you can bring new, interesting and unique content to your blog, you'll be able to capture readers again and again.

Labels: Blog Dictionary, Blogging Ideas, Facebook, Facebook Fan Page, Google, Google Alerts, Real Estate Blog

You know how sometimes you just can't figure out what you should write about, and you really need to post something? That happened to me today. I have this small window of time to write in, and the part of my brain responsible for writing blog posts is apparently on vacation. So while navigating the vast sea of posts still unpublished because they aren't finished yet, I came up with this idea. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets stumped and can't get their writing brain in gear, so in the event that you find yourself in this predicament, here are some ideas to get you out of your rut.

1. Tell your readers who you are, or what you're thinking. It's your blog, so nobody's going to stop you. You can take an online survey and post it with your answers in it. For some reason people like knowing odd, intimate details of other people's lives. The details don't necessarily have to be too personal if you don't want them to be though! You could simply make a list of your favorite things (raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, anyone?). For some quick and easy surveys, go here. Make sure you keep it rated PG though.

2. Find something funny on You Tube. Not only will you have a blog post in mere seconds, but searching for the perfect funny video will boost your mood as well. Maybe it will even clear up that darned writers block so you can post something important to follow your goofy You Tube video.

3. Publish A Poem. It doesn't even have to be one you wrote, although it could be. But for those of us less poetically-inclined (like myself), here's a good place to find old favorites. If you're not so into poems, you can also find song lyrics and other quotes there.

4. List some cool facts or laws. Here are some laws (pick your favorites) and here are some facts. Yes, this is a "fluff" post. But it gives your readers something to think about for a bit.

5. Show off the kids. Or the fluffy little dog that fits in your purse, if you don't have kids (or the purse-dog with the kids, if you're like me and have both). Your female readers will ooh and aah over the cutie pie (applies to both purse-dogs and human-kids). To accompany the photo(s) you can write a caption about it, or an antic that might have something to do with the photo.

Remember, don't take yourself too seriously. Yes, your blog is about real estate, but you have a personality outside of your job and it's okay to show that sometimes. So when you get stumped, reconnect with your readers by showing them you're a person. Your guaranteed to get a better response from any of these blog ideas than from doing yet another space-filling (and sleep-inducing) market report.

Related Reading: Ten Tips to Spice Up Your Real Estate Blog

Labels: Blogging Ideas, Real Estate Blog

This is part of a new series I'll be doing that will give you tips on how to improve your blog with subtle changes and easy-to-implement techniques. The first tip I'm going to cover is replying to comments left on your blog.

There are several reasons why you'll want to reply to your comments. First, it shows the commenter that you actually read the comments you receive and you value them. Most of the time when people leave you a comment they come back to see if their comment got any responses. People get the warm fuzzies when they see that the blog author read the comment and actually responded. You'd be surprised to know how many blog authors don't bother to respond to comments, even though it seems like simple logic to you and I. Personally, when I leave a comment and it doesn't warrant a response, I feel ignored, and I find that rude. It's like when you leave someone a voicemail and they never call you back. Another reason to respond to your comments is that it can gain you additional comments. You can start a dialogue of sorts on your blog. If someone comments to you, you have the opportunity to respond and possibly open up a conversation (depending on the topic, of course). Then you can invite other people to share their opinions on the comment, and then you have a dialogue (or a debate, but we'll talk about that some other time). Not only does this dialogue get you more hits to your blog from people checking back to read the comments, but it also gives the commenting parties a feeling of community, as if they have made friends on your blog and they're sharing ideas and thoughts. That's another warm fuzzies type of feeling.

Now on to how to do it. First of all, you can't really respond to a comment like, "Great point, I love your blog!" and expect to start a conversation. You have to look for the right type of comment. If someone asks a question or makes a point that corresponds with your original point (the reason you wrote that post), then you can comment to get an intelligent conversation started. Sometimes it won't work, and the commenter won't return, and nobody else will comment. That's okay. You did the polite thing by responding, so let it go. Don't post an additional comment asking for more opinions or wondering where the original commenter has gone. It makes you look desperate, and nobody wants to look desperate. Another thing to remember is that you do not bother responding to mean, hurtful, or negative comments unless you are fully prepared to deal with the lashback. The blogosphere can be a harsh place. There are so many types of people with so many varying opinions, so make sure you can handle the heat if you're starting an arguement. When I get unpleasant comments, I usually just delete them and move on. To me, it just isn't worth the hassle of starting a huge arguement, and it makes your blog look unprofessional.

Good luck in your commenting endeavors, and try to remember a very important point. You will not get a lot of comments. That doesn't mean your blog is boring or you're unpopular. You're not writing a blog for the comments, you're writing it to boost your site and to introduce yourself to potential clients. The comments are just an added bonus.

Labels: Blog Project, Blogging Ideas, Commenting, CyberSunshine, Real Estate Blog

Part four in our series is going to be all about you. More specifically, it's going to be all about who you are, who you should be, and what you should do with your online self. Let's just get right into it then...

7. Develop an Online You
I'm sure the offline you is just fine, but for the sake of this post, let's just say that you're a dull, drab, uninteresting, anti-social cave-dweller. Or something equally unpleasant. And let's say that your only interest is being a hacker. So you basically blog about being a hacker and whatever it is that hackers talk about, and it's all very techy and complex. Of course, the only other people who have any inkling what you're blogging about are other hackers, so that's going to be your primary audience, right? Well in that situation, maybe it is. But you are a blogging real estate agent, and you have a life, and friends, and maybe a family or at least a cute little dog. You don't want your audience to be other real estate agents, unless you're blogging to make friends and have no interest in getting leads (which of course, is not your case!). So you need to be a human and you need to be interesting. Don't write drab market reports all day long. The general public has no idea what those even mean. You need to write about things that interest you (so you look like a real live human being), and you need to write in a way that's engaging and interesting. Even your market reports can be entertaining. Check out Teresa Boardman's blog to see what I mean about finding your online personality.

8. Take That Personality on the Road
So now that you've got yourself a nifty new persona, it's time to take it on the road. Commenting for traffic is not a new practice, although it may be to you if you're just venturing into the blogging world. The basic idea is that if you go to other blogs that talk about the same stuff your blog talks about, and you leave comments, then people will venture to your site to check you out. And then, of course, they will fall in love with your blog and subscribe via RSS immediately. Hopefully. Anyway, the important thing here is that your comments shouldn't be bland "Great point, I love your posts" type comments. Nobody cares about that. You want to say something intelligent so people stop and say, "Oh, who's that person who has all these interesting opinions?" You know what I mean? Now get out there and try it. You'll probably even make some new friends.

And again, we have come to an end. Check back next week for the final installment of this series, and I'll do my best to make it worth your while.

Have an idea for a series or a post? Email it.

Labels: Blogging Ideas, Making the Most, Real Estate Blog

Today's post is the third in the series, and we're going to talk about two things that are crucial to a successful blog. Those things are headlines and keywords. If you don't have good ones, or you're not using them right, it will only hurt you in the end.

5. I'll Think of a Good Title Later
A good headline (or title, or whatever you want to call it) is critical to your blog posts. Basically, if you have a title that's not interesting, nobody wants to read the post. But you also don't want to make up a title so weird and out there that nobody gets it either. There's a fine line. Read this post on Copyblogger.com. It's about this very topic. The key to writing a good title is simple. Make sure it says something to get attention, and also tells the reader what the post is about. For example, if you wrote a post on the Stanley Cup and your opinion of the Penguins, but title it "Hockey is a Great Way to Lose Your Teeth", that isn't very helpful. It's funny, I suppose, but not helpful. A better title would be "Stanley Cup Recap: Penguins Waddle Away Empty Handed". For the record, I am neither a Penguins fan or a Red Wings fan. I'll keep you guessing on this one. Now, the reason the second title is so much better is that it tells the reader briefly what the post is about, but its also interesting enough that the reader thinks it will probably be somewhat witty and informative, so they might read it. But keep in mind that if you are writing about the Stanley Cup, you should probably not be doing it on a real estate blog! Which brings us to tip #6...

6. Got Keywords?
Your keywords are by far the most important part of your blog. Think of them as the "About Me" section of your blog's personality profile. The way keywords work is that when you use them repetitively, that tells Google that your site is about that topic. For instance, lets say your site is about Custom Real Estate Web Design (because that's what my site is geared towards, so that's what we're going with for this example!). Now, you'll want to use those terms as frequently as you can within your site and/or blog in order to convince Google that that really is what your site is about. For me, using Custom Real Estate Web Design in a blog gets a little difficult, so I have backup keywords too. My favorites are Real Estate Blog and Real Estate Design. They're easier to incorporate, and it doesn't seem too obvious when I use those. So make sure you keep it short and sweet. A long phrase that you keep repeating over and over in your Real Estate Blog (see that?) gets really annoying to the reader. Also, don't capitalize the first letter in each of your keyword phrase, that makes it really obvious! For more in-depth reasoning on the topic, check out what Lorelle has to say. She's a smart cookie!

Well that was week three for this series, which sadly means it is drawing to an end soon. Only two more posts left. That's okay, there will be a new series to take it's place. If anyone has any ideas for a new series, I'm open to them, by the way!

Labels: Blogging Ideas, Making the Most, Real Estate Blog

Quite frequently I come across people who think there just isn't enough to say to warrant having a blog. Not true. Yes, you are somewhat confined to talk about real estate, since that's what your blog is about. But you don't have to do the same old market reports day after day! Below is a list of 10 things you can (and should) write about to spice up your blog, along with links to examples.
1. Hit the Local Hot Spots
I am sure that, no matter where you live, there is something beautiful or interesting to see or do. Teresa Boardman, for example, has a peaceful lake nearby. This post is not really about real estate, but it does talk about the area she sells in, and promotes the area by showing off it's finer points. Buyers want to live in nice areas, so you have to show them how nice your area is!

2. Review a Restaurant
You know that place that you always seem to have a craving for? I have a few of those places presently, but we'll not get into that! But if I had a real estate blog, you can bet I'd be sharing my opinions of my favorite eateries. If you tell the owners of the establishment what you're up to, they'll probably pose for pics and maybe even throw you a freebie appetizer! Check out Ines' favorite Mexican restaurant in Miami.

3. Show Your Lighter Side
I know, you feel like you should always be professional and conservative to avoid giving off the wrong impression, right? Wrong. This is 2008, and buyers and sellers don't expect their real estate agent to be uptight and humorless. I personally have had the pleasure of meeting a billion real estate agents, and I find that the ones not afraid to show off their personality are more appealing. Which is precisely why I like this post from Kristal Kraft. She saw a funny photo op and took advantage, and I thought it was cute.

4. Tempt Them With Tips
Here's a nifty post from Roberta Murphy with tips on how to Feng Shui your house. You may not be into Feng Shui, or whatever the latest house-harmony trend is, but your readers might be. And, you'll learn something new and different in doing the research for such a post. A tip for you: readers love tips and lists, so anytime the opportunity arises, seize it!

5. Helpful Reminders
Everybody needs to be reminded of common sense now and again, and it's always a good idea to blog on a topic that hits close to home. In Phoenix I would imagine that pool safety is always an issue, as it is in South Florida. Jay Thompson reminds us all to be careful near the pool, and I think that's excellent advice.

6. Investigate a Product
You're a real estate agent, so you see all sorts of things in houses that the rest of us only see on HGTV. And the best source for this info is the homeowner, with whom you happen to be buddy-buddy. So take a cue from Jack Blacksmith and get floored.

7. Make Some Plans
One important thing that I always consider when moving is what types of activities are going on all year. I have several dogs, a husband, and a baby that need to be entertained, and it always makes me very happy to have options of things to do. I don't think I've ever seen a more complete list than this one, so kudos to Betty Jung!

8. Pat Yourself on the Back
...or pat your town on the back. Either will be sufficient. The thing is, you pay attention to accolades that your town receives, but the rest of the world probably doesn't. The same goes for you receiving an award. You should be proud and give credit where it's due. And you can do it tastefully, like the Boston Real Estate Blog did.

9. Write a How-To
There are plenty of things buyers and sellers need to know before plunging headfirst into the current real estate market. And you, conveniently, are the local expert. So write a little how-to on something that you think is important, like staging. Here's a how-to on staging from Jerry LaRose that is short, sweet, and easy to digest. If you want, you can even do several how-to's and make them a series. Readers love posts that come in series.

10. Publicize Your Social Calendar
As a real estate agent, and as a blogger. you probably have speaking engagements or training seminars that you're part of from time to time. Whether you'll be doing the speaking, or just attending, you should let your readers know where to find you. Buyers and sellers like to know that their agent is "in the know", and by telling them you attend conferences such as NAR and Inman, you look like you're "in the know". Kris Berg is going to be speaking at Inman, and she should be proud.

Well, there are 10 tips for you. Now you can shake up your blog and get creative. Don't forget that you're not just limited to these topics. You can cover a variety of subjects on your blog, and it doesn't always have to be about real estate. Your readers know you're a person, so don't be afraid to act like one!

Labels: Blogging Ideas, Real Estate Blog