This post should be prefaced with yesterday’s post: 5 Great Ways to Use Your Blog to Engage Your Community
Your blog is your primary venue to demonstrate your knowledge of all things real estate-related. You can talk about everything from market trends and the buying and selling process, to upcoming events and the best local sushi restaurants. Blogging is a great way to stay connected and relevant to your existing network, but it can also be leveraged to help build that network by drawing in new visitors to your site by sharing specific types of information. A blog is really a place for you to answer the questions that future clients might be asking, before they ask them.
Try to put yourself inside the mind of a prospective home buyer. “Portland homes for sale” isn’t necessarily going to be your first Google search. Think about all the things you’d want to know before looking at actual houses. Then set to work answering those questions in your blog posts. If you can demonstrate your value and expertise to buyers in these early stages, chances are pretty good they won’t bother looking at other agents when they’re ready to get serious. So ask yourself: “What do buyers need to know about before they start looking at homes?”
1. Schools
When a family is considering relocation, odds are pretty good that the first thing they’ll want to research will be the schools in the area. It’s quite common for parents to choose homes or neighborhoods specifically because of their respective school districts. For parents from outside of the area, they’ll need to research those school districts to find out which one sounds best. Make sure your site has the information they need to make that decision. Be sure to link your school posts with your neighborhood posts, so that visitors can easily navigate from one to the other.
2. Neighborhoods
Take the time to write detailed descriptions of the neighborhoods in your market area. Become an expert on the geography, landmarks, businesses and parks. Provide all the details that a prospective buyer might be looking for, so that they have no reason to bounce to another website after finding yours.
3. Walkability
Many buyers consider walkability to be a priority when choosing a new neighborhood. They may research the most walkable areas long before they start looking at specific housing options. So do the research for them and write a “10 Most Walkable Neighborhoods in Portland” post. If you’re lucky (and know a bit about SEO) you’ll be able to get your post ranked well for that terms related to walkability in Portland, which may help you nab the occasional “pre-buyer.”
Most agents’ websites focus heavily on their own listings, or at least current listings available throughout their market. That info is everywhere and very easy to find. Consequently, it is nearly impossible to rank for anything with the phrase “real estate” in it. The good news is that real estate is not necessarily the first thing every buyer or seller wants to research. They may have preliminary questions, perhaps only tangentially related to real estate. If they can get the answers they need from your website, chances are pretty good that they’ll give you a call when they’re ready to make a move. After all, you’ve already established yourself as a valuable resource, and you haven’t even met them yet.
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