Phoenix Real Estate, and More... : I am not really sure where to begin or what to say half the time. Any Blogging secrets out there?

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I am not really sure where to begin or what to say half the time. Any Blogging secrets out there?

By: Jay & Francy Thompson REALTORS®
Monday, October 22, 2007 9:51 PM

"I am not really sure where to begin or what to say half the time. Any Blogging secrets out there?"

Joe Schutt said that in a previous post. He asked me to respond, so I will. This is just one person's opinion, other's will differ...

There is no single "secret" to blogging. Here's some of what I've learned in the past 2.5 years I've been blogging:

Make posts consistently -- post at least once a week. Twice a week is better, daily even better. (more than that can actually be a detriment, especially if your blog is new and hasn't established a readership).
Be honest -- if you make a mistake, say so. Try to hide it, or deny it, and your "blog rep" will be ruined.
Link liberally to other blogs -- this may be the single hardest thing for new bloggers to do. It goes contrary to your natural inclination of "I finally got them to my blog, if I link to someone else, they will leave." You've got to get over that.
Get a very thick skin -- it's easy to get hurt. People may call you names, you may get pummeled by "bubble bloggers". Get used to it. Ignoring them is the easiest way to handle it. If you chose to take them on, do so with dignity and grace.
Read as many different blogs as you can. Every single day. This will give you an idea of what works, and what doesn't. It will give you things to link to. It will also give you ideas for your own posts, which leads to....
Never, ever, ever copy someone else's words. You can certainly quote "snippets" (with proper attribution -- a link back to the source). If you need to copy more than 3, maybe 4 sentences, you probably need to re-think your writing.
Comment (with some substance) on other people's blogs. Don't just say things like, "Nice post!". If you can add something to the discussion, do it. Other readers will follow your comment to your blog.
Don't obsess over "great writing". You are not Faulkner or Shakespeare. Just write like you talk. Don't try to impress readers with fancy words or deep metaphors. Blog readers are a bright bunch, they will see right through you.
Be incredibly patient. It takes a LONG time to build up a "blog presence". I blogged on Phoenix Real Estate Guy for over a year before it really started taking off. Most blogs (real estate and everything else) die in weeks or a few months because the blogger gets discourged.
Blog to learn, to improve your writing and communication skills. Blog to educate your readers. Blog for fun. If you try to play salesman, if you "self-promote", it's an immediate turn-off for 99.9% of blog readers. Stick with it, and eventually clients will come. If your sole reason for blogging is to get clients, it's highly probable that you will fail.

There is a great site at http://www.realestateweblogging101.com. It contains a *wealth* of information.

Really stuck on blog ideas? Here is a great list of 106 things a real estate blogger can write about.

Dustin Luther is the real estate "blogfather" in my opinion. I'd read everything he's ever written. Especially:

http://www.raincityguide.com/2005/12/13/linkation-linkation-linkation/

http://www.raincityguide.com/2006/02/27/8-common-mistakes-made-by-real-estate-bloggers/

http://www.raincityguide.com/2005/12/15/7-tips-on-marketing-your-real-estate-blog/

http://www.raincityguide.com/2007/09/11/rules-for-rain-city-guide-contributors/

http://www.raincityguide.com/2007/08/20/presentation-using-blogs-to-build-an-online-brand/

Comments

Member Since '03	Howard Arnoff said: Jay, you have been of enormous help to many in the blogosphere including myself. Thank you. A point I would like to make is that while being fun and satisfying, a blog takes hard work and time. And folks, we're talking about your personal weblog, not just here at Reliberation. October 23, 2007 3:49 AM
Member Since '06	Joe Schutt said: WOW!!! Double KUDOS to Jay!! You are so amazing to take the time to write this post and I hope all people take advantage of your kindness, in a good way of course; it can only help. I have read your blog every so often and have been extremely impressed. I knew you were the man to go to for advice, tips and ideas. I will be printing it and keeping it close so I can refer to it as I Blog away. Jay is my Blogging Beacon...Boston Bloggers...watch out!! Howard also makes a great point, it is hard work and time to write a blog. I already failed, like Jay states above, due to the time and energy it takes. Thinking Positively!! October 23, 2007 6:49 AM
Member Since '06	Cathy Clark said: So THIS is what Jay did on his summer vacation! Great information. It is definitely time consuming. While I've done some market stuff I've taken a different turn recently. Around any holiday, I usually post an event list for people (fireworks schedules/parades for the 4th of July, etc.). Recently I worked on a schedule of events for Halloween and thought, rather than just make it an event list, call it a blog! So I took it a little further with links and posted an announcement on my front page directing visitors to my blog. It appears to be getting more traffic for the short time it's been there (a few days) and views on my other blogs have increased as well. I'm even getting some google and yahoo love for related search terms! I also no longer post listings on my blog. I don't know if that's a mistake or not, but I figure if someone wants to look at listings there are plenty of other places to do that! October 23, 2007 7:05 AM
Member Since '03	Howard Arnoff said: Cathy, I don't post listings on my blog either, I generally avoid trying to "sell" but prefer to let potential clients get to know me and the Charleston area. I saw an interesting article by the Real Estate Tomato that should help anyone wanting to start their blog. http://tinyurl.com/2zo3dl October 23, 2007 7:13 AM
Member Since '05	Jay & Francy Thompson REALTORS® said: Well thanks folks. I appreciate the appreciation... I don't post listings on my blog either. I figure there are plenty of other places out there that people can find our listings (I do have a link back to our main site that has our listings). Funny you should mention holidays and events Cathy. The two highest traffic days ever on my blog were this past July 3rd and 4th. I wrote a post listing various places to see fireworks (written on June 26 -- do things like this a little ahead of time). Traffic on those days were more than double the usual -- and it was all from people searching about local fireworks. Your idea to link to an "event" is outstanding. Do that with every holiday and you'll be amazed at how you can become a local "go to" source for people looking for info. If you're a go to source for info, you may well become a go to source for real estate... October 23, 2007 8:06 AM
Member Since '07	Candice A Donofrio said: And a happy birthday to Jay on the 18th! :) October 23, 2007 8:35 AM
Member Since '06	Sharron and Steve Lobman said: Jay--As always -- thanks for the tremendously helpful, well-written and unpretentious post. October 23, 2007 8:53 AM
Member Since '07	Bill Thompson, REALTOR® said: Jay-You are the man! Thank you for being so willing to share your wealth of information with the rest of us, free of charge. October 23, 2007 9:44 AM
Member Since '04	Mary Welch said: Jay, I almost said "nice post" because it was but I can't do that I have to elaborate. lol. I wish you would post more here, I feel we are loosing some good people and we need to stick together. Thanks. October 23, 2007 10:09 AM
Member Since '05	Cindy Hartman said: Thanks Jay - What a great source of instruction - I'm printing it out and will use as a guideline. This is such a new medium to communicate and sometimes it can be overwhelming... Cindy October 23, 2007 10:17 AM
Member Since '04	The C Team said: Jay, thanks for the information. Like many people, I am one of those who is afraid that I won't have anything new or great to share, but your advice give me two reasons why I can put that excuse to bed. Really good post! Tony October 23, 2007 12:35 PM