A lot of people ask me what kind of business would I start if you were starting a blogging business from scratch. Usually I scratch my head in awe and make up something like advertising. After pondering this for awhile I now understand the marketplace a lot better and understand some of the do’s and dont’s of blogging.
If I had to start a blogging business today I would enter the growing field of Real Estate Blogging. In a recent survey done by Blogging Systems, a leading real estate blogging service 68% of real estate agents said they would be focusing on blogs as a marketing tool in 2007!
Remember when real estate agents hired high schoolers to flyer homes? This was the old days. Now the tables and technology has grown and real estate agents understand the need to market online now more than ever. This is a unique situation for blogging companies and real estate agents.
According to Richard Nacht of Blogging Systems:
“Real estate blogs are an excellent way for real estate professionals to establish or expand their internet presence. The Internet is now the number one place for information for home buyers and sellers. If REALTORS® aren’t found online, there’s a good chance they won’t be found at all.â€
More and more companies appear to be heading towards real estate blogging, and other web based marketing. One Phoenix Arizona company called Famous Agents helps realtors setup blogs and handle copywritting.
So if you ask me again what kind of business I would start if I had to start from scratch it would be Real Estate Blogging and I would do it NOW.
Originally posted on February 19, 2007 @ 7:33 am
David,
Just started my blog this year, and felt it was a necessity in my area. Good to see things out there like your blog confirming my hunches!
Yeah I agree. It’s never to early to start blogging. :)
Hi, David. I appreciate the enthusiasm of agents who want to start blogging but some indicators suggest the demand for their services is diminishing.
The Freakonomics guys wrote early last year in NY Times magazine that, “There will always be some home sellers who prefer full-service, full-fee agents, and a handful of these high-end agents will undoubtedly thrive…But more and more home sellers, armed with data from real-estate Web sites and facing a variety of pricing options, will surely choose another route”.
Even though Blanche Evans said in her July 29 2005 Realty Times piece that the real estate portion of the Freakonomics book amounted to a “flawed study”, logically speaking it seems clear that putting the data directly in the hands of sellers could mean that the economic value provided by real estate agents will decrease over time.
Paging Paul Chaney!
And why not? People selling books have blogs .. people selling gadgets have blogs .. people selling their services have blogs .. why not people who sell houses too?
It’s funny though, because although it’s getting more popular .. I still see more frequent changes on “websites” that are not blogs .. when you would think the “blogs” would be the one with more frequent updates – at least up here in Canuck-Land.
There’s only so much you can write about real estate, even different markets. The early bloggers who have a following in Real Estate, or in their communities, will be the winnners. The rest of the late-comers will find few readers for their me-too blogs.
There are over 1 million agents in the U.S. If a lot of them blogged in 2007, there would be a lot of crap that no one would care to read.
Note about Blogging Systems – this is a company that charges many times the price of TypePad or other tools for basically the same stuff. They are ripping Realtors off so badly that they won’t even publish their pricing on their site (www.bloggingsystems.com). I met one of their guys at Real Estate Connect and had a hard time getting him to quote me a price – this is not the kind of company that a technically-challenged Realtor (as many are) should be doing business with.
Any survey data from BS is just b.s. IMHO.
Real estate “sales” blogs are nothing new. What is needed in the online real estate world is more indpendent blogging aout market trends, stuff like that – not just another lame sales pitch from some big titty bimbo trying to sell me a house. I’ll masturbate to her picture, but I won’t buy a house from her. Well, unless her tits are REALLY big. I like big knobs.
I have been coaching all my clients to get blogs, but its an uphill battle. People either can’t see the value in them or dread having to write.
Remember, when writing blog posts the title is the most important. Spend 90% of your energy creating a catchy, interesting and unforgettable title and you will be on your way to huge readership.
I think Blogging is better from the consumer point of view. I have started a blog about a poor Agent I had trouble with (http://www.friedlaenders.com) and the stories that have come to me are incredible.
Molly
Crunchback is right when it comes to not having enough content in the sales arena, but when you throw in investment, home improvement, construction, landscpaing tips, real estate legal posts, you name it… then there should be enough content out there to keep things interesting, atleast for the time being untill someone comes up with another creative direction.
Hi. I just started the real estate blog for b5media, propertycrossroads.com I aim to make it as a one-stop information resource for real estate in general. It’s not a real estate sales blog, so my topics are not limited to any specific market or area. It discusses everything that has to do with real estate from trends, news, views, buying and selling tools, latest developments in the US and the rest of the world. Ryan from Property Doctors just gave me an idea for my future topics. I totally agree that the internet is the number 1 resource for buyers and sellers…it is more accessible, saves time and you can practically search for any topic or location.
Common excuses are
1. I got no time.
2. I don’t know how to use a computer ( really )
3. My market does not use the internet
Blogging is a tool for realtors if and if use it and market it correctly. Internet, surely changed the way realtors market their services. With more people going online — it’s an opportunity wide open for everyone to join in the band wagon.
Hi.
Nice site! And some really helpful information there. I’m sorry for beeing a little off-topic, but I want to ask you about the design of this site. Did you make this template yourself or got from any templates website? I am using joomla myself, but want something better..
I work on Real Estate Web sites, and I always suggest to my clients that they use blogging to create network connections and leads.
“Real estate blogs are an excellent way for real estate professionals to establish or expand their internet presence.â€
I whole heartily agree. A Blog builds a rapport with your audience and a following. Real Estate marketing for the realtor becomes easy as you open those relationships with readers and potential clients.
To top it off every Realtor should have a Newsletter that is sent out on a regular basis… (Tip: include the newsletter in posts to your blog).
Great tip…
Cheers,
John