Blogging 101An Introduction to Real Estate Blogging

for Property Managers

NARPM Orlando Oct 2009Steve Crossland, REALTOR®, MPM®, RPM®

Crossland Real Estate - Austin TXSteve@CrosslandTeam.com

Goals of this Workshop

• Learn more about Blogging

• Decide if blogging might be a viable lead generation tool for your business.

• Find out how to get started…

• Or decide this isn’t something you need.

Topics Overview

• How the Internet has changed Lead Generation• What is Blogging? (we’ll cover the basics)• How Blogs generate Traffic -> Leads -> Sales.• Who should NOT Blog (it’s not for everyone)• Topics Property Managers can write about.• How much time does it take, is there a cost?• How do I get started, what tools should I use?• Questions and Answers as we go

Some Basic Assumptions

• Every business, no matter the industry, is in the Lead Generation Business.

• Technology and the Internet have changed Lead Generation forever.

• Keeping up with all the changes is hard work and requires a shift in thinking. (Who Moved my Cheese?)

• Your competitors are figuring out Blogging, SEO and Social Networking. Are you?

Can you change how you think?

• Which direction is she spinning?

• Are you sure?

• Ask your neighbor

• Can you change what you see?

• Can you change how you think?

Can you change how you think about Marketing?

• Old marketing methods are going away.

• Inbound Marketing from the web has taken over.

• What are you doing to expand your online footprint?

What use to look like this …

Now looks like this …

If you want to succeed with Blogging and Social Networking

• Stop thinking of yourself as a Marketer and Advertiser.

• Start thinking of yourself as a Publisher and a Socializer.

• Can you do that?

What is Blogging?

From Blogger.com:

“In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.”

This is in contrast to the old, “static” or “brochure” website where content is rarely updated.

In Even More Simple Terms

Old Website: (menu of static pages)

Home | About Us | …Website with Blog: (add blog to menu)

Home | About Us | Blog | …You want your blog to be part of your

existing domain/website, not separate.

www.YourWebsite.com/Blog

Benefits of having a Blog

• Increased Search Engine Visibility.As you add blog entries to your website, this creates more ways for searchers to find you. Think of each new page as a sign directing web surfers to your website.

• Establishes your Credibility and Expertise. Provides a platform to share your knowledge, experience, expertise, operating philosophy.

• The combination of increased visibility and good content will produce LEADS.

My Story: Crossland Team Blog

• Started in July 2005 (4+ years).• 510 blog posts (aka “articles” or “entries” 10/mo)• 2,719 reader comments. (interaction)• 1,836 Subscribers to RSS Feed. (incubation)• 10,000+ Unique Visitors to website each month.• Almost all new business comes from organic (free)

internet leads. (50% referrals & repeat)• Most new leads cite the blog as reason for contacting us. • Blog generates more leads than we can handle.• Been interviewed numerous times by local/national tv

news, radio and newspaper/magazines who find blog.

A Good Blog will Deliver ..

• Ready and willing (high quality) leads that don’t even need converting. Your blog already converted them. They trust you. All you have to do is set the appointment and not blow it.

• A steady, ongoing stream of these high quality leads.

• A pool of unseen, incubating leads in the form of blog feed (RSS) subscribers.

Real Blog Lead I Received

Web Lead:

“I am visiting Texas from Australia, looking at real estate for investment with my brother-in-law. I came across your post about how to pick a buyers agent, and was impressed by your obvious expertise in this area.”

RESULT: Purchased two investment properties which we currently manage.

Another Actual Lead

Web Lead:

“My name is {Name} and I am looking for a home. I found a link to one of your blog entries and having read several entries and your About Us page, I would like you to be my agent(s).”

RESULT: Oct 2007: Purchased home in South AustinOct 2009: Purchased Move-up HomeOct 2009: Listed 1st home for sale

Things to Consider

• First things first – have a website worth finding. Should be “search engine optimized” with good content. Have a thorough FAQ section.

• A “good” website doesn’t have to be visually stunning. Content is more important than looks. Your web/blog site should be professional and simple in appearance and easy to navigate.

• Your Blog should be an addition to an already excellent website, not a cure for a poor website.

Who Should NOT Blog

• If you can’t write well, or fast enough…OR

• If you don’t have an employee, spouse or someone who can write for you.

• If you can’t commit to 2 articles a week for 1 year.

• If you have plenty of reliable leads from other sources.

Topics PM Can Write About

• You want to write articles that are relevant to your industry and/or community.

• You want to write “share worthy” articles.

• Write about things that demonstrate your expertise or knowledge.

• How to handle common landlord/tenant situations.

• Market stats and legal updates.

Regular Market Updates

Stats ChartsAustin Real Estate Sales Market Update - Sept 2009

Homes only (condos, duplexes, etc. not included) compiled from Austin MLS data

Aug 2009 Sep 2009 Sep 2008 Yr % Change

# Sold 1706 1639 1629 0.61%

Avg List $255,966 $257,361 $255,585 0.69%

Med List $195,750 $194,900 $189,900 2.63%

Avg Sold $246,372 $246,185 $246,079 0.04%

Med Sold $190,000 $188,500 $185,000 1.89%

Sold/List % 96.25% 95.66% 96.28% -0.65%

Avg SQFT 2200 2144 2120 1.13%

Med SQFT 1973 1919 1909 0.52%

Avg $ SQFT $111.99 $114.83 $116.08 -1.08%

Avg DOM 72 67 66 1.52%

Median DOM 43 40 48 -16.67%

# Expired 492 529 819 -35.41%

# Withdrawn 897 794 910 -12.75%

Not Sold 1389 1323 1729 -23.48%

Not Sold % 44.88% 44.67% 51.49% -13.25%

Make it Interesting and Valuable

• Don’t just provide information, interpret it and talk about what it means.

• Write in a conversational voice, but with an authoritative confidence. Editorialize.

• Be bold and edgy, not timid and bland. Have a “take” on things, have an opinion.

• Make sure there is a “take away”, or an “ah ha” for your readers. Teach them.

Examples of Articles I’ve Written

• Wanna Pay for a Big Tankload of Someone Else’s Poop?

• Tenant Eviction in Texas• Austin Subdivision Smackdown – Circle C vs.

Avery Ranch• How to Handle Tenant Deposit Disputes• Why I Never Do Move-out Walk-throughs with

Departing Tenants• Austin renters to pay more late fees with new

law

Dos and Don’ts

• DO allow debate and disagreement. Readers will post comments disagreeing with you. Let them.

• DO moderate/filter comments for spam.

• DO respond to comments so readers feel heard and appreciated so they’ll return.

• DON’T edit or change comments.

• DON’T leave an abandoned blog online.

Time/Cost Requirements

• Cost is basically free, except when you need hired programming help. More on that in the getting started section.

• Time required is generally 15 minutes to 2 hours to author a good blog post.

• You will also spend time commenting at other blogs, which creates links back to your blog, which helps your SE visibility.

• Some time on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin.

Getting Started – Tools and Software

• www.WebsiteGrader.com – use this to evaluate and optimize your website.

• www.WordPress.org – Free blogging software to install on your website. Use it.

• www.google.com/analytics - set up account and tracking code for your site.

• Rent-a-Coder.com or eLance.com or Craigslist.com. Hire someone to set up your wordpress site. Budget $300-$1,000.

Getting Started – Tools and Software

• Facebook.com – create an account

• Twitter.com – create an account.

• Linkedin.com – create an account.

• BudURL.com – create an account

This is enough to get started. You’ll use (leverage) the social networking sites to promote your blog posts and drive traffic to your site.

Promotion – A Typical Post

• Write the article and publish.

• Create a short link at BudURL.com

• Post short link on your Twitter account with article description. Do the same at Facebook and Linkedin “update” fields.

• Post link to any community/aggregator blog sites in your area.

The End

Thank you for attending. I hope you learned something useful.

These slides are online at:

www.CrosslandTeam.com/slides