6 Tips for Starting Your Own Real Estate Blog
Launching your own blog can come with serious benefits. Not only can it serve as a great marketing tool for your business, but it can also help establish you as a recognized expert in your community.
What’s more? Regular blogging can also improve your website’s SEO performance and search rankings, and that means more traffic, more leads, and more potential clients in the long run.
Are you ready to get your real estate blog off the ground? Here’s how to start your own real estate blog:
1. Build the foundation.
You’ll first need a web host and a platform on which to publish your blog. Most people use tools like WordPress, Tumblr, or Blogger for their blog content, though the former is probably the most common (largely because many brokerage sites are already based on this platform.) If your agency is already using WordPress for its main site, publishing your first blog post is just a few clicks away. If it’s not, or you’re just not sure where to start, check out this guide on using WordPress.
2. Brainstorm ideas.
Take some time to brainstorm potential topics that you can blog about. You want posts that position you as an expert, both in real estate and in your individual market, and that market your unique skills and experience. Put yourself in the shoes of your clients and think of topics that they would want to read. Write down a list of the most common questions you get on a regular basis — then create blogs that answer those questions.
Some topics you might consider covering include:
- Buying and selling strategies
- Home prep and staging tips
- Local market conditions and trends (home prices, days on the market, etc.)
- Weekend open house round-ups
- Community event calendars and coverage
Make a long list of topics you can pull from, and keep adding to the list as ideas come to mind. Be sure to subscribe to other real estate agents’ podcasts or blogs for inspiration (just make sure to put your own spin on things!)
3. Create a content schedule.
Blogging isn’t effective unless you can commit to regular posts, so map out a content schedule that you can reasonably expect to adhere to. Your goal should be at least one or two posts a week, but there may come busy periods when this just isn’t possible.
At any rate, get out your calendar and pencil in a few time blocks each week for writing, editing, and posting your blogs. If you’re prone to procrastinating, you may even want to schedule Google Calendar reminder for each block to make extra sure you stay on track.
4. Get writing.
Once you have the basics in place, it’s time to start writing. Begin with your strongest, most relevant topics first, and be sure to format the post for utmost readability. That means including bullet points, lists, headers, and of course, images. You can use a site like Pexels if you don’t have photos or stock imagery you can use. CreativeCommons.org is also a good source for free photography.
5. Promote your posts.
There’s no “if you build it, they will come” guarantee here — at least at first. If you want to make sure your blog is read by the masses, then you have to put time and effort into promoting it. Send it out to your email lists, tweet out a link to your followers, and post it on your Facebook page. You can also add it to your LinkedIn profile or promote it on any other social platforms you might be a part of. The more exposure you can get your post, the better your results will be.
6. Assess and analyze.
If you want to keep improving and strengthening your blogging efforts, then it’s important to take a step back and analyze things occasionally. To start, sign up for a Google Analytics account, and make sure you have the appropriate code inserted into your blog. This will allow you to track traffic to and from your posts, as well as view your SEO performance, audience demographics, and more.
Log into your analytics account at least once a month to see how things are shaking out.
- Are some posts performing better than others?
- Why do you think that is?
- Where are your views and visitors coming from?
- How can you increase them or replicate them for other posts?
Use what you see to guide your blogging strategy, as well as the topics you cover in future posts.
More tips for blogging success
If you really want more visibility for your blog, then consider networking with other brands, agents, and community members. Link to their content in your posts and on social media, and publish Q&As with local leaders. The more you bring visibility to others, the more they’ll send back to you in return.
Need great ideas for blog topics? Then check out the Embrace Home Loans blog for inspiration. From mortgage and home buying content to interior design and decor topics, we cover it all. Once you get to the blog, sign up on the right side under “Newsletter Signup” to get all our posts delivered directly to your inbox.