Social Media 301…Blogging! Essentials to Creating your

Real Estate Blog.

Written and Instructed byPatrick Flynn

BLOG…What's it mean?

Business Building

Lead Generation

Online Marketing

Get Into Relationships

What We Will Cover Today

• Section One

6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real Estate Business.

What We Will Cover Today

• Section Two

10 Essentials to a Strong Blog Post.

What We Will Cover Today

• Section Three

Adding Video & 7 Other HelpfulWays to Get Blogging Everyday.

What We Will Cover Today

• Section Four

5 Places to Syndicate Your Blog &Create Your Own Traffic.

What We Will Cover Today

• Section Five

Finally, the Where, When & WhyTo Blog.

SECTION ONE: 6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real

Estate Business

1. Top of Mind Marketing2. Word of Mouth Marketing3. Permission Marketing4. Return Marketing5. Visual Marketing6. Credibility Marketing

SECTION ONE: 6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real

Estate Business1. Top of Mind Marketing• Allows You to Touch Your Database

Daily!• Allows You to “Pattern Interrupt”

Your Database with Helpful Information.

• Allows You to Create a Brand Awareness with your Database

SECTION ONE: 6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real

Estate Business2. Word of Mouth Marketing• Allows You to Touch Others Outside

Your Database!• Lets Your Database Show and just

not Tell Others About You.• Allows You to Create and expand

your Referral Base through reposts & sharing.

SECTION ONE: 6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real

Estate Business3. Permission Marketing• Allows You to Reach Your Database

at their pace so they don’t feel “bothered”

• Creates a more relaxed exchange with Your Database.

• Allows your Database to assimilate your info w/out asking for something.

SECTION ONE: 6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real

Estate Business4. Return Marketing• Your posts are always out there…• Your posts find people not even

looking for you.• A single post can drive traffic to

your blog for years.

SECTION ONE: 6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real

Estate Business5. Visual Marketing• Adding Video Creates a Familiarity

with Your Database.• Documents, PowerPoints & Ebooks

Add Value with Your Database.

SECTION ONE: 6 Ways Blogging Can Increase Your Real

Estate Business6. Credibility Marketing• Become an Expert through your

Posts. • Blog about & with Your Community. • Offer Informational Data & Useful

Tips and Ideas to help your Community.

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.

1. Captivating Title2. Make Your Blog Readable3. Content4. Linking5. Photo’s

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.

6. Categories7. Size8. Post Tags & Keywords9. Call To Action &

Engagement ???’s10.Share Buttons

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.1. Captivating Title• Give a Reason to Read Your Post.• Add the Name of Your Blog in Every

Title. (Branding)• Twitter/LinkedIn-Title is all you get!• Reposts-Your blog name on other sites

means new readers!• World Wide Web/Search Engines-Drive

Traffic to your Blog.

1. Title

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.2. Make Your Blog Readable• Use multiple Paragraphs & Spacing

often• Add Bold, Italic and Underline

Fonts & Colors when necessary• Use Bullet Points or Numbers when

possible

1. Title2. Blog

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.3. Content• Converse with the intent to Convert • Convey a Thought or Idea• Communicate in the first person• Create a Reason for your

Community to want need to Comment on your post

• Engage with EVERY Comment• BE YOURSELF!!!

1. Title2. Blog3. Content

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.4. Linking• Create More Traffic by Linking to

other blogs• Link to a Blog or Website that has

‘further’ information about your post subject

• Edify and Recognize other authors by adding a link to their blog or facebook business page

1. Title2. Blog3. Content4. Links

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.5. Add Photo’s• Stay consistent with your photo’s

size and placement• Consider adding multiple photo’s • Keep a folder on your computers

desktop of nothing by photo’s for your blog posts

• Use your own photo’s as often as possible

1. Title2. Blog3. Content4. Links5. Photo’s

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.6. Categories• Be specific and goal oriented • Filters and defines your posts• Use Categories for Neighborhoods,

Types of Real Estate Services you Provide.

1. Title2. Blog3. Content4. Links5. Photo’s6. Categories

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.7. Size of Your Blog Post• 2-3 Paragraphs• 75-100 per Paragraph• No more than 300 words total• Of course, as you gain an audience,

your posts can become more in depth and wordy

1. Title2. Blog3. Content4. Links5. Photo’s6. Categories7. Size

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.8. Post Tags & Keywords• Always Use the same for every post-• Your name• Your Brand• Your Area you Work• Type(s) of Service(s) You Provide

• 15-25 Post Tags pertaining to your post

• How you ‘Google’ for something is how you should think about which Post Tags and Keywords to use.

1. Title2. Blog3. Content4. Links5. Photo’s6. Categories7. Size8. Post Tags

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.9. Call to Action &

Engagement ???’s• Start your post with a Call to

Action.• “What do you think about this?”• “How would you handle that?”• “Who do you know who…”

• End you post with an Engagement ???

• “I would love to know what you think” • “Let me hear from you”• “As always, I answer every comment

personally”

1. Title2. Blog3. Content4. Links5. Photo’s6. Categories7. Size8. Post Tags9. Call to Action

SECTION TWO: 10 Essentials to a Strong

Blog Post.2. Share Buttons• Make it easy for your readers to

send your post to Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter

• Invite or flat out ask your readers to “please share”

• Getting your post out there is how we can find new business.

1. Title2. Blog3. Content4. Links5. Photo’s6. Categories7. Size8. Post Tags9. Call to Action10. Share Button

Compliance Essentials While we are on the subject of essentials, to gain success with your blog there are also essentials you need to be aware of that keep you out of trouble with the Department of Licensing and other entities (like lawsuits!). The DOL requires that real estate agents inform the public who they are working for by having the Firm’s name easily recognizable on anything they publish - that includes all internet sites. You can use your Team or Group name as long as your Firm’s name is easily seen. The actual term used by the DOL is “clear and conspicuous” so using a size 4 font for your firm name isn’t going to meet the criteria! If you don’t want your Firm’s name on your blogs you need to have written permission from your Firm to get a separate license from the DOL in your Team or Group name. Also, check the contract you signed with your firm - most of the large regional and national franchises require their name on everything so leaving it off internet sites violates a contract you signed. Check WAC 308-124B-210 for more info on the DOL requirements.  

Compliance Essentials And don’t forget federal copyright laws. If someone has a copyright on their information be wary of using it without their written permission. Our school has used quotes in a number of our courses but always with written permission of the author - a piece of paper that is carefully guarded.  And please don’t plagiarize or use “content farms” - that is as bad as violating copyright laws. We frequently see posts on Facebook that are word for word identical with other posts coming up the same day…sometimes within minutes of each other!

There is a big difference between using information from another source to stimulate your own ideas and just doing a ‘copy and paste’ or subscribing to a blogging service that uses the same content for multiple users claiming it as your own.

It won’t take long for your readers to figure out what you

are doing. 

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.1. Sphere2. Newsfeeds & Subscriptions3. Sharing4. Community Awareness5. Groups6. Polls7. Yep…Your Own Stuff

SECTION THREE: Adding Video

Go to YouTube and

find a Video…Click

Share.

HUGE HINT:Sign up for a

YouTube Channel…

NOW!!!

Step 1. Click the Embed

tabStep 2.

Copy the Code

WAIT! Make

sure you only use

old embedded

code

SECTION THREE: Adding Video

Step 3. Paste the Code &

Publish That’s it!!!

HINT: Be Sure You Have Your

Tab set to HTML

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.1. Sphere• Your Lender can add an Article

about the buying process• Your Inspector can post about home

maintenance & things to watch for • Title & Escrow can write about the

Why’s of title insurance & What’s a HUD-1

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.2. Newsfeeds & Subscriptions• I have Multiple information sources

sent directly to my email every morning.

• DSNews.com• AgentGenius.com• InmanNews.com• Bankrate.com

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.3. Sharing• Very simply copy/paste another post

or article on your site. • BE VERY CERTAIN YOU GIVE

ATTRIBUTES TO THE AUTHOR AND LINKBACKS TO BOTH THEIR ACTUAL POST AS WELL AS THEIR BLOG, FACEBOOK PAGE OR WEB SITE!

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.4. Community Awareness• Write an article on a local shop

owner• Expand on an upcoming local

functions• Holiday Event • Block Party• Local Festival

• Post a Series on a new building or planned community being built.

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.5. Groups• Join Groups on Facebook and post

an article around the discussions; Here’s some Groups to look at

• Social Media Marketing for Real Estate Professionals

• Tech Support Group for Real Estate Agents

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.6. Polls• Adding a Poll is one of the better

ways to support engagement…Here’s how.

SECTION THREE: Adding Video & 7 Other Ways to Help You Blog

Every Day.7. Yep…You’re Going to Need to

Write your Own Blog Posts Every Once in a While…however, I think we can easily see how simple it is to BLOG Consistently!

SECTION FOUR: 5 Places to Syndicate

Your Blog & Create Your Own Traffic.

1. Facebook…Fan Page & Fun Page!

2. Twitter3. LinkedIn4. Other Blog & Website(s)5. The World Wide Web & Social

Media

SECTION FOUR: 5 Places to Syndicate

Your Blog & Create Your Own Traffic.

1. Facebook…Fan Page & Fun Page!

• Take your blog post and place a micro version right onto your Fan/Biz Page…here’s how

Add the Title of your Post…a Punctuation and Space…Then the Shortlink!

SECTION FOUR: 5 Places to Syndicate

Your Blog & Create Your Own Traffic.

1. Twitter• Once posted to your fan page, you

can automatically have your article syndicated to your Twitter page…here’s how

www.facebook.com/twitter

SECTION FOUR: 5 Places to Syndicate

Your Blog & Create Your Own Traffic.

1. LinkedIn• Now that you have your post

automatically syndicating to your Twitter page, let’s get it to automatically syndicate to you LinkedIn…here’s how

1. Edit Profile

2. Edit Twitter

3. Add Twitter Account

Uncheck this box to be sure all Tweets

come through!!!

SECTION FOUR: 5 Places to Syndicate

Your Blog & Create Your Own Traffic.

1. Other Blog & Websites• When your blog becomes more

widely read, you will begin to find other bloggers ‘sharing’ your articles and posts…truly one of the bigger complements one will enjoy.

SECTION FOUR: 5 Places to Syndicate

Your Blog & Create Your Own Traffic.

1. World Wide Web & Social Media

• One of the main goals for your blog is to get high ranking on the Search Engines.

• As you blog grows, so too will the likelihood someone will find you in a Search…On both the World Wide Web as well as Social Media Sites.

SECTION FIVE: Finally, the Where, When

& Why to Blog.1. Where• Wordpress.com• Posterous.com• Joomla.com• Blogger.com• TypePad.com• Tumblr.com• LiveJournal.com• Blogspot.com

AND HUNDREDS

MORE!

SECTION FIVE: Finally, the Where, When

& Why to Blog.2. When• 7am, 5pm & 11pm (EST)• Thursdays and Fridays have shown

to have an 18% higher engagement rate that other days

• Other than that, the timing of your post is as subjective as your content

SECTION FIVE: Finally, the Where, When

& Why to Blog.2. Why• Blogging is likely the single most

important ONLINE marketing tool you can use to increase and drive your OFFLINE real estate business.

• There are 2 types of people who already use blogging…

YOUR CLIENTS & YOUR COMPETITION