Whenever I talk to real estate marketing managers about blogging their eyes roll back in their head as if saying, “Enough already.” Everywhere they turn, it’s hammered into them, “You need to blog, you need to blog, you need to blog.” Which begs the question, “About what?”
The majority of blogs completely miss the mark and turn into a mismanaged love fest about the agent or the area. On the other hand, we have developed blogs for countless clients that go unused because they want to create the content themselves. What actually happens is they end up like a “deer in the headlights” when they sit down to produce valuable content.
So how do you come up with ideas for real estate blog content? We can help.
Blog for your ideal real estate client
From the get-go, many bloggers make the mistake of blogging for EVERYONE. It's great in theory but each client is unique and presents a different set of needs and challenges. Take the time to think about your past clients and those you hope to attract. Group them into categories or customer profiles: families looking to upsize, empty-nesters downsizing, second home buyers, retirees or those buying their first home.
Choose one to focus your blog post around. What unique needs do they have? What questions do they frequently ask? Why are they selling or buying? Do you have agents who have worked with this type of client?
Your primary goal is to provide answers to their questions and establish your office as the go-to experts. If you speak to one specific audience for each blog post, you will build up an archive that appeals to a variety of client types and topics.
Lean on your real estate experts
As the head of marketing for a real estate office your job is to bring in as many leads as possible. It is not your job to know everything when it comes to selling real estate, because chances are you have a lot of know-it-all real estate agents. This is the biggest knowledge resource you could ask for. Tap into it until it runs dry.
I have an office that presents one question to all of their agents during their weekly meetings. They pass around note cards and each agent answers the question. Boom, there is a blog. The blog could be, "3 things you need to know about buying your first house.” Select the top three responses and use those for your content. It may be worth going back to those agents to ask some follow-up questions and gain more insight. Ask for their input and you will get their buy-in as well. They will become advocates, helping you distribute across their own social channels. When our office started taking this approach, we found that the blog became a source of pride and team building.
Interview your real estate clients
The customer experience is one of the biggest digital marketing strategies right now so it’s important to capture the perspective of your current clients. Ask them questions such as, “What are your goals? What did you enjoy about the home buying process? What did you learn during the sales process? What would you do differently?” You may discover something you didn't know that is worthy of sharing.
Your objective is to write a blog that could be helpful for someone who is about to go through the same process. There are a lot of people trying to answer their real estate questions online. Your blog can be their knowledge source.
Benjamin Franklin said it best, "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” and blogging is no different. Take the time to think through the needs and challenges of your personas, get ideas from your agents, and garner insight from current or past clients. You might not be a real estate expert yourself but you have enough resources at your disposal to create great engaging content for your real estate office. With a little planning and strategy blogging can be a lot of fun. It sure beats the “deer in the headlights” syndrome.
