Starting a real estate blog has never been easier.  There are many different companies out there that will even let you start a blog for free!  The ease of starting and low costs to enter the online world has had many real estate professionals start blogs, but few have seen any real results.  A “Real” result means getting closings each and every month from your blog!

Getting your real estate blog to the top of the search engines and then getting it to give you leads that you can turn into business each and every month is certainly possible.  With just a little bit of planning and a little bit of work you can easily stand out from the crowd and a blogger that actually generates business.

Here are some actions you can take to make your blogging efforts worthwhile.

• Know your options – There are a number of blogging platforms available to real estate professionals.  Some are specific to real estate while others are used for a variety of industries.  Take time to look at the different features before jumping in and blogging.  Products like ActiveRain are great for networking with other Realtors, but you may want to consider a product like WordPress or Blogger to reach more consumers.  ActiveRain, WordPress, and Blogger all have free options which are the best way to start if you aren’t sure you are going to stick with it.  If you do enjoy blogging, then there are a number of companies out there that offer turnkey real estate blog solutions.

• Outline your first 10 posts – Writers block will happen to everyone but to avoid it in the beginning stages of your blog take time to outline the subjects of your first 10 blog posts.  This will help you to start off with a bang and keep the momentum going with your new efforts.  Start with subjects that you have the most knowledge of and writing will be easy.

• Set a schedule – Getting to the top of the search engines to get the maximum number of leads requires consistency in your blogging efforts.  Much like when you start off with a new gym, start off slow and build up to a more aggressive schedule.  At a minimum start with just 1 blog post a week and you will still be ahead of 90% of your competition.  After a few weeks of doing 1 blog post a week you can work up to doing it a few times a week.  The key is to stick with it!

Having a real estate blog won’t bring you leads unless you keep it relevant and post information on a consistent basis.  It doesn’t take much effort, it just takes a dedication to write information that your next customer is looking for! 

By James Bridges of Online Real Estate Success

Online Real Estate Success offers real estate marketing and coaching programs for real estate professionals who want to succeed with online marketing.  Programs are balanced to cover everything from lead generation to converting those leads into appointments that lead to sales.