If you’re thinking about starting a blog for your real estate business but aren't really sure about the actual benefits, rest assured, blogging will help your business both in the short and long term. There are numerous benefits to blogging: from SEO to social media marketing and lead conversion, quality content should be a crucial part of your overall real estate marketing strategy!
In this article we will answer a question every new blogger faces: "What should I write about?"
To make the whole process easier, we'll be answering several questions to help you determine the editorial line of your blog and make sure you create content that converts leads into clients.
1) What's the scope of your real estate business?
The real estate industry is one of the biggest industries in the world. It's populated by many different companies of varying sizes, from international development companies to national brokerage firms and local real estate agencies. They all coexist because they fulfill different needs for different clients, and that is exactly why their blogs should be different.
A multinational company like CBRE, for example, will not write about the same subjects as a local real estate agency. Why? The stakes and expectations are different, but more importantly, because their clients are different. Always keep in mind who you're writing for!
Example: I am a local realtor in Madison, WI.
2) Who are your clients?
It's crucial to determine who you are writing for because that will determine what you should write about! The best way to proceed to is to create a customer avatar that represents your average client.
"A customer avatar is a fictional character that represents your ideal prospect. When complete, it will help you understand the motivating beliefs, fears and secret desires that influence your customer's buying decisions." - Hubspot
Here are some questions to help you determine your buyer's profile:
- B2B or B2C? Is your client a corporation or an individual?
- Where does she/he come from? The city or the country side?
- What age group does she or he belong to?
- What type of lifestyle does your client live? Looking for a bachelor pad in the city or a single family home in the suburbs?
- What's her/his budget?
Once you've answered these questions, you should have a good idea of your average client.
Example: My average client is a young couple, mid-thirties, dynamic and wants to settle down in a small house or apartment near the city center.
3) What are you knowledgeable about?
To be successful, a blog has to be useful. It's the best piece of advice I can give you. Write useful and original content that helps people. The more comfortable you are with the subjects you write about, the more leads you will attract, so write about what you know.
Example: I love cooking, baseball and going to concerts. I am also pretty handy and love spending hours in my workshop.
4) Why is your client looking to buy?
There are many reasons for someone to purchase real estate. It can be an investment, to purchase and renovate a family home, to settle down for a few years, raise a family, etc.
Depending on the reason, the requirements change. Someone looking into it purely as an investment, for example, will be looking for some market analyses, data and projections. On the other hand, a family of four, looking to settle down in a quiet neighborhood, will be interested in the community life, schools, restaurants and family activities.
So ask yourself, what are my clients looking for?
Example: They're looking for a one-bedroom apartment, but intend to move to something bigger when they start a family in a few years. Therefore, they also see it as an investment for the future.
Conclusion: What should you write about?
Blogging is going to take up some of your time so if you decide to do it, write about something you really care about. Whatever the subject, from real estate market insights to DIY decorating tips, make it original and make it local.
There's no point in trying to compete with major news outlets like Inman, Forbes or Business Insider. So here are a few tips to help you start writing:
- Make it personal: write about things you care about and show your personality through your blog.
- Make it local: whether you are an national brokerage firm or not, people care a lot about the environment surrounding the property you are selling.
- Make it original
- Make it useful
Here are two great examples of real estate blogs:
They did an excellent job of understanding that neighborhoods matter a lot and that buying a home is also about buying a lifestyle.
The Corcoran Group doesn't need an introduction, the famous luxury real estate firm has an impeccable reputation and their blog is a perfect illustration of this article.
So what could our imaginary realtor from Madison, WI write about in his blog?
The first thing I would do is write some blog articles about the different neighborhoods in Madison; including both positives and negatives since honesty always pays off. I would like to talk about the cool places to hang out, the great unknown restaurants and trendy concert venues. As a professional realtor, it's also important that I show my expertise. Therefore, I would also write local market reports and investment opportunities.
If you decide it's time for you to start your wonderful blogging adventure, I'd recommend reading our article about the best website builders to start your blog.
What's your opinion? What's your advice? Let us know in the comment section below!
