Most real estate agency or brokerage owners understand the importance of maintaining a solid online presence, including an attention-catching blog — it’s how they drive traffic to their websites, establish authority and so much more.
Coming up with worthy topics can be tricky, though.
Some real estate bloggers get so frustrated that they give up altogether.
Here are some tips, taken from brokerages who know what they’re doing, that will help all real estate bloggers — broker or agent — choose worthy topics.
1. Think seasonally
Considering trends associated with the current or upcoming season is an excellent tactic for real estate agencies struggling to find blog topics.
The Agency uses that approach and gets strong results. Posts discuss the company’s holiday party — while simultaneously mentioning the agency’s top performers — and tech items that may be on people’s wish lists this year, including a reminder that real estate specialists can show tech-connected homes to clients.
In each entry, there is a conscious effort to incorporate real estate into the blog organically. One way to accomplish this is by talking about the cities in which the real estate company serves.
Incorporating local information into seasonal posts such as summer road trips and places to buy back-to-school items is a great way to marry value and business, and it shows that the brokerage is in touch with what’s happening in its readers’ lives.
2. Inspire the audience
Writing solely about real estate can become a bit dry. That’s why it’s crucial to come up with ways to inspire your audience.
Godutch Realty specializes in helping people sell and buy properties in Costa Rica. Look through the company’s blog, and you’ll notice an effort to generate excitement about the area.
Although there are some variations, many of the posts discuss matters associated with Costa Rican culture and what to expect if visiting or moving there.
Together, the posts showcase that it’s a place with a lot to offer, which is important to convey in the real estate sector.
3. Choose a well-defined focus and a descriptive headline
Another effective way to explore blog topic possibilities is to decide on a broad topic, then narrow it down to a specific point or focus.
For example, a cross-country move is a general subject, but discussing the challenges of a cross-country relocation with kids and pets is more specific.
Marcotte Properties shapes its blog posts with engaging titles that tell readers what they’ll find out by reading the whole piece.
One post is titled: “Where do Silicon Valley’s tech workers really live?” That choice is arguably superior to a clickbait title like: “The surprising thing you never knew about Silicon Valley’s tech workers.”
Readers don’t have the time or patience to spend long figuring out whether to read a post or not, which is why descriptive headlines pay off and set the tone for readers while encouraging website traffic.
Focused headlines also force real estate firms to avoid topics that are too generalized. Casting a wide net when writing isn’t always a bad thing, but it could cause people to feel overwhelmed or think the post does not have sufficient value.
4. Don’t stick to one format
Ideally, readers should feel they’ve learned something useful when they finish reading a blog post.
Creating a number-based list, such as “5 fall home improvements for less than $500” gives people an idea of the content length, which could help them determine whether to read a post now or later.
However, it may be more effective to write a headline that relates to needs people have, such as “How to simplify your house hunt and reduce stress.”
Bloggers should experiment with different post formats. Tutorials potentially work well for one segment of the audience, but others might prefer hyper-localized content about what makes an area unique.
Real Property Management Executives Greater Atlanta handles rented accommodations and investment properties. A look at the firm’s blog reveals a wide variety of post types, including news coverage and advice.
The diversity consistently provides readers access to material that matters to them, which helps solidify the firm as a business in the know.
5. Give the readers what they want to build trust
Often when bloggers have trouble picking blog topics, they think about what they’d like to read. People who need real estate expertise are usually trying to buy or sell a home and may be in need of moving guidance.
A&S Realty, a firm serving the Boston market, made a dedicated blog for people moving to the area. Known as the Boston Move Blog, it covers subjects including the best places to watch televised football in the city and the best time to start looking for an apartment.
The goal of these posts is to make people feel confident that A&S Realty understands the market and has the knowledge needed to make moves easier to manage.
It easily accomplishes those objectives in its specialized blog and gains trust from the audience, thereby promoting the company as a worthwhile entity.
This list of pointers will help real estate bloggers break through creative dry spells as they evaluate things to cover.
Kayla Matthews covers smart technology and future trends for websites like VentureBeat, Curbed and Motherboard. You can read more posts by Kayla on her personal tech blog: Productivity Bytes.
