Posts Tagged ‘Business Blogging’

Blogs: A blog\’s value is much different than other platforms because of different benefits. The benefits you’ll have from blogging include: ranking high in search engines, becoming a voice in your industry, having a community of users that can support your future growth, having something in common with 200 million bloggers (networking), and building a list of subscribers engage your content. Subscribing to a blog takes two clicks, which is faster than it takes to sign-up for an email newsletter. This means that blog subscribers are less valuable than email subscribers, but are more valuable than social network followers. A social network follower only has to click one button to read your content, while a blog has two.

The following is a guest post by Leslie Mann, a real estate agent with Hallmark Sotheby’s International Realty of Hopkinton, MA and the real estate blogger for the MetroWest Daily News.

Most real estate agents have a social media presence, but are they really giving home buyers and sellers want they crave? Buying or selling a home is an important financial–and emotional– decision. Most people are full of questions when they undertake this endeavor.

They want more than someone who’s just experienced in the industry. They want someone who will protect their interests and help them navigate the complexities of real estate. It is important that the agent they choose is someone they’ll feel confident having by their side throughout the process.

That’s where social media comes in. If applied correctly, it can be a great way to open a dialog, share advice, and begin to forge a relationship.

Here is a handy list of social media dos and don’ts for real estate agents.

Do

• Invite buyers in – Home buyers want to know the good, bad, and ugly of each town they’re considering moving to. Yet most real estate blogs simply give buyers basic demographic statistics and perhaps some flowery language about the area. Give potential clients a far richer understanding of the markets you serve, letting them know the pros and cons of each area. Be honest and forthcoming with a wealth of information and opinions. Let them know why you chose where you live and they’re more apt to turn to you for advice.

• Be yourself - I’ve heard of many realtors who pay a ghost writer to write their blogs, yet this approach has its shortcomings. The copy simply doesn’t ring true; it fails to give clients a sense of who you really are. Studies show that consumers want to make a personal connection with those they do business with. Let your personality shine through. It’s a great way to open a dialog with a client, before they ever pick up the phone.

• Take advantage of controversy - Some of the most trying days as a real estate agent prove to be great lessons we can share with our clients. Tell readers about common real estate pitfalls to help them have a smoother home buying/selling experience.

• Chat - Home buyers today expect instant response to questions, day or night. Use a free widget like Meebo to allow home buyers to initiate a chat session with you, right from your blog.

• Respond to comments, good and bad – Respond promptly and courteously to engage readers who post comments on your social media sites. One caveat: Don’t feel compelled to respond to those who post abusive comments. The social media space does lure its share of online bullies. Resist the temptation to get into battle with them, instead help to solve their problem.

Don’t

• Shout about your home listings - It’s fine to let people know about the homes you’re marketing, but don’t make that the primary topic of your interactions. Think about common questions home buyers and sellers ask you, and turn these into posts. Provide valuable content and you’ll keep people coming back.

• Forget video - It’s tempting to skip this expense, but online video is an important element of home marketing. If well done, video creates an emotional connection with buyers—and improves search engine optimization. Video is 50 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google search results than a text page, according to Forrester Research.

• Assume you’re only connecting with first time buyers - The fastest growing Facebook demographic is women over 55. At last count, there were already nearly 30 million U.S. users ages 35-54 and more than nine million U.S. users age 55 and older on Facebook. It’s a great place to engage “fans” and learn what they’re looking for from their agent.

• Talk to yourself - Social media is more about listening than about talking. Pay attention to what people are saying about you and your brand. Solicit and gather feedback through informal polls or via free services like TweetBeep or Google Alerts.

• Ignore your existing clients - Invite your previous buyers and sellers to join your social networks. This way, your sites becomes richer communities of shared experiences and objective advice from those who recently completely the home buying/selling journey. These contributors may prove themselves to be your strongest advocates.

by Samir Balwani

When IBM decided they wanted to start using blogs, they didn’t just create one blog, they created an entire network. IBM created a way and allowed their employees to write about their experiences, what they’re working on, or any other topic of choice.

IBM capitalizes on the intelligence of their employees to give consumers insight into what happens behind the scenes. By giving the industry experts they’ve hired a voice, IBM is able to highlight the people behind their products. Users get to see how IBM operates, and are given a direct connection with IBM employees.

Lesson: Having a CEO that blogs is great, but increase the number of blogs and you increase the number of connections. Leveraging your employees to write about what they love conveys the corporate dedication to the industry.

FROM: Yvonne A Jones

Re: Business Blogging

Most internet marketers agree that blogging is an important part of their marketing strategy.  The difference in the approach lies between those who are in favor of promoting Article Marketing as the premium method and those who regard blogging as the foremost method.  Personally, I regard them as very important, if not equally important, aspects of my marketing strategy.

I created my first blog in December 2008 and started posting to it on a regular basis.  Initially my posts were directed to home-based and small business owners as well as clients interested in skin care and cosmetics.  One of the first training classes I attended quickly made me realize that I would better serve my readers by separating the topics as, for example, a male business owner would not want to have to sift through articles dealing with skin care and make-up to find posts with business topics.

I’ve found that blogging allows you to interact with your target audience and allows you to build credibility.  I’ve had many comments that readers like my style of writing and through my writing I am able to build up that know, like and trust factor.  While article marketing is an essential strategy, because blogging is done on a more informal basis, I am able to connect more with my readers.  In addition, while I still find writing short posts a challenge, this is an advantage of blogging, you can write short, concise posts. The great thing is that with small changes I can turn my posts into articles for submission to Ezinearticles.com.

Like any other strategy there is a purpose to my blogging.  One of the key purposes is to build my targeted list and so I created an Opt-in Box on my blog and would encourage anyone who has a blog to do this.  In exchange for your readers’ name and e-mail address you must give something, and I currently give away an MP3 recording of a short teleseminar and a Report.

Through online live trainings I’ve learned of the value of doing keyword search before deciding on the exact title, adding keywords and keyword phrases within the each post and the importance of relevancy and consistency.  Personal strategies I implement for more visibility include commenting on other well-known bloggers website, having my posts automatically tweeted on Twitter and fed to Facebook.  I’m also a member of different Forums and I post my blogs there as well.  All of these help to position me as an expert, but also help to develop relationships.

Another goal of blogging is to make money.  As you build your list, connect with them, and continue to provide valuable content, when you have a product to sell they are more likely to purchase from you because they would already know who you are and that they can trust you to recommend something of value to them.

I do not pretend to be a total expert on blogging, because there are well-known marketers whom I’m mentored by and whom I consider to be experts in blogging, but I make learning a constant part of my activities and work on keeping abreast of the steps that can made your blog become more visible and almost viral, like RSS feeds, social bookmarketing strategies like Digg, Stumble Upon, etc. There are also Blog Directories that blogs can be submitted to for more visibility.