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The Dreaded BLOG

I could never quite understand why, but it seems that the more real estate agents I meet, the more it becomes apparent that there is some sort of consensus among most agents that they have decided to avoid blogging as if it were an infectious disease. Blogging could actually be one of the single most impactful steps that you could personally take to improve your website's rankings in your spare time (go ahead and insert the inevitable groans and eye rolls here).

Stay with me for a minute. We all make the time for what's important. The fact is, that if capturing online leads is important to you, you have got to set aside enough time to blog, or else your website will be left in the wake of other sites who are cranking out the content. Let's even out the playing field.

Think about it; you have loads of thoughts, opinions, and resources all rolling around in your mind. Let's make use of those! Search engines rank websites based upon loads of different metrics and you can improve your chances by featuring as much verified, unique content as possible on your website--on an ongoing basis.

What is one way to continually add new content to your site? THROUGH BLOGGING.

If the very thought of writing a blog (or even finding yours) makes you a bit nervous, just follow these simple rules.

1. Make it easy for you to find your new blog page. Bookmark a direct link to your "Add new post" page so that you get right there, without having to hunt through your site for where exactly to click to get to where you need to go. Take this a step further by saving your log in credentials to the computers you use most for the smoothest possible process.
2. Pretend that you're just typing a document. Forget about the fact that this is going to be published and indexed on the web for a minute, and let's simplify the process for you. Remember that a good blog post is made up of four key ingredients: a descriptive title, a unique body of content, a general category, and a main photo. With a little practice, you can be writing great articles in no time; no technology degree necessary.
3. Write about what interests YOU. Don't believe for even a minute that every single post that you write has to focus exactly on "Real Estate." In fact, branching out on other topics can only broaden your audience. You can absolutely still find great potential leads who happen to stumble onto your website looking for a restaurant review. Just make sure that all of your topics are very geographically focused. Stick to your main area of focus that your website has surely already pinpointed.
4. Make use of your resources! Do you have a photographer, loan officer, home inspector, contractor, etc. who knows a lot about their field? Ask them to feature a story on your blog! You could even work out a schedule so that they are posting bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. Especially if you're already giving them lots of business, ask them for a favor in return.
5. Hire it out. Of course, you can get out of writing the blogs yourself by throwing a little of your marketing budget into it. We think that blogging is a great skill to develop; but if you've read all of the above steps and just don't have the time, at least work it into your budget to hire it out so that your website will have fresh content all the time.

Need more blogging inspiration? Here are a few topics courtesy of our team.

Community Ideas:

• Grand openings of new businesses in your area
• School events
• School test scores
• High school sports programs and games
• Plays
• Fundraisers
• Free concerts, fairs, or other family fun
• Local date night ideas
• Restaurant reviews
• Farmer's markets
• Charities in the area
• Home improvement tips
• Local election dates and voting locations

Real Estate Ideas:

• New neighborhood developments
• Tips for selecting an agent
• Market updates
• How to select a home warranty
• What to expect during the closing process
• First time buyer FAQs
• Tips for Sellers
• Tips for Buyers
• Tools to know what you can afford
• How to refinance your home

Ideas Featuring Listings:

• Coming soon listings
• Just listed
• Open houses
• Recent sold listings
• Most expensive home in an area
• Best locations for waterfront homes, dining options, proximity to parks, etc.

To view the original article, visit BrokerageU.