This article is based on the PreReal podcast episode, How To Connect With Your Audience Effectively With Elizabeth Ruth. James Prendamano interviews Elizabeth Ruth on the importance of blogs in marketing for realtors and connecting with your audience effectively.
How Does Technology Affect Business?
The way we market our business right now is way different from what it was used for many years ago. For example, in 2008 I started a mom blog. At that time, blogs were more of a journal versus the resource guides and searchable articles today.
Now, blogs are used to write content and generate leads for a business. They are written to educate, inspire, entertain and demonstrate our authority in our respective fields.
Should Marketing For Realtors Include A Blog?
Have you considered having a blog as part of your realtor marketing strategy? If so, how often do you want to post? Every business has its own strategy for posting and doing blogs. P how often you want to be doing it so you can keep your efforts consistent.
Next, before you write, brainstorm the different topics you could write about. Are you promoting a certain property or perhaps a podcast episode you were on?
Determine what you’re trying to achieve with your blog and draw out your story. Everyone loves stories, so if you have sold a comparable property or you had a listing, what is the story behind that? Basically, answer the question “how did you do that?” Then people are going to have confidence in you and say “I want those people to list my property.”
Purpose Of A Search Engine
The number one goal of search engines like Google is to offer up the exact articles that will give users the answer to their queries. This is essential for you to understand and incorporate when marketing for real estate agents (or any industry). By understanding what your audience is searching for, you will be able to create blog posts to attract them to read more from you.
Maintain A Low Bounce Rate
Contrary to the phrase “the higher, the better,” it is actually better to have a low bounce rate. Bounce rate is calculated by how long people are stay on your website before leaving.
If you use the proper keywords and the content you put out is what people are looking for, the higher the chances you’re going to keep them from bouncing off your blog.
One idea for maintaining a good bounce rate is linking other articles that you’ve written that are related to the initial blog. Then it becomes the blog version of a Netflix binge where your reader will have multiple tabs of your articles open and waiting to be read. Each minute it is open counts towards your bounce rate. Google will note that your website is giving the reader exactly what they’re looking for, which then gets you higher up in the search results for free!
How Often Should You Blog?
When evaluating how blogging is part of a marketing plan for realtors, the answer is that it depends. Even more important than quantity, I say look at what consistency you can maintain. Maybe that’s once a week or once a month for you. Work with the goal in mind to produce helpful content, get your habits and systems in place, and regularly evaluate how much you enjoy writing them, if your audience is reading your posts, and if it’s increasing your overall website traffic over time.
Use This Easy Blogging Formula
A quick formula to get you started is to write an introduction, three main points, and a conclusion. The length depends on the topic but I recommend a minimum of one hundred words per section. If you’re not sure what to write, we’ve created a free resource guide, How To Set Up The Perfect Blog Post to point you in the right direction.
Where To Publish Your Blog
The best place to host your blog is on your own website. Some people have a separate URL or business address for their blog, which is actually counterproductive. A blog is a way of attracting people to our website. When they’re on your website, they see your products or services, real estate listings, and more. Use your blog to pull them into your own universe, or in this case, your website.
Promoting Your Blog Posts
At ER Marketing Services, we are big fans of working smarter not harder. We recommend you take your article and share it on social media, either in whole or chopped up by idea, and share it with your email list. This way you can take your one idea and promote it on many digital spaces and platforms.
Where Do You Go Next?
After absorbing all the information above, if you are still unsure of the path to take in marketing for realtors, I invite you to take our fun and quick quiz to help you decide What Digital Marketing Should You Do Next For Your Business.
