[php function=1] I was very excited when Laura Roeder (@lkr) was booked to speak at Real Estate Connect SF. I had been a fan of hers for some time, and have learned a great deal from her.
Laura Roeder is an author, consultant and creator as well as social media marketing expert who teaches small businesses how to create their own fame and claim their brand online. She is the creator of the Creating Fame Classroom and Your Backstage Pass to Twitter.
During Connect, Laura gave a presentation during the Internet Marketing Workshop entitled: Creating Compelling Content. By the end of her allotted time, the whole room was nodding their head – and I could tell everyone got a lot out of her session.
I knew after hearing Laura’s presentation, I had to share it with Next readers!
Here are some of my seven key takeaways from Laura’s message:
1. Your goal is not to be a professional blogger – your goal is to use your blog as a marketing tool to bring in leads for your business.
I love this. I think real estate agents get caught up in thinking they are not a writer, and they have to create brilliant content. Forget about the big numbers. The fact is you don’t need 10,000 followers. You just need people in your local area who are interested in buying or selling a home.
2. Use your blog to increase your know, like and trust factor.
How do people make a decision about whom to pick for their real estate agent? They look for the person who is perceived as the “local expert” in their market area. Laura talked about how many people have a “brochure site” – a site that is basically similar to a brochure with your bio and credentials. No one is ever going to “share” that type of site with their friends and family. We share blog posts we find useful or interesting.
3. The people who re-tweet you are making you a lot of money.
Laura said some of her biggest fans are people that have never spent money with her but have re-tweeted her content or shared her blog posts or videos. When you have people who love your content, who want to see you succeed – they may not be a paying client – but they may be sharing your content with someone who could be looking to buy or sell a home.
4. A lot of people are guilty about writing to their peers instead of your clients.
This statement resonated with me. How many times have you seen real estate agents blogging about things that are more geared for their peers to read than potential clients. Laura recommends to “go basic!” Ask yourself, ‘Who am I blogging for?’ It’s so easy to take for granted the things you know. Write super basic posts such as:
• What is a mortgage?
• How does it work? (buying a 1st home)
• Who pays closing costs? What are closing costs?
• How can you figure out how much you can afford?
You might be thinking, “this is so basic – everyone knows this” – but they don’t. Most people are afraid to ask basic questions and its hard to find basic info because people don’t want to go that basic when they blog.
5. Write down a list of questions that people ask you and create an editorial calendar.
This is a great way to come up with content quick. Laura said to think of 20 things off the top of your head and if you can’t thing of 20, look in your inbox at the questions you get asked. Take notes about what people ask you all the time. This can be great blog content. Create an editorial calendar so you have a plan. The biggest obstacle in blogging is not knowing what to write about.
6. Your blog post does not have to be an essay.
There doesn’t have to be a beginning, middle and end. Remember, you are not going for the most original content – you are not trying to win the award for the most creative blog posts – you are writing for YOUR people. Also, you are not trying to rank on the internet, you are just trying to rank in your local town.
7. Stick to a realistic schedule
Once a week or once a month is better than nothing. I completely agree. I see so many people start a blog or Facebook page and then see it abandoned a few months later. When consumers come upon a blog or page that’s been abandoned, they assume you are out of business.
After Laura’s presentation, I had the pleasure of talking to her and asking her more about what she is up to and also her thoughts about creating content for the real estate industry. I think you will really enjoy her insights and candor. Enjoy the video, and if this post was helpful to you, please share or like it!
Here is a link to Laura’s Backstage Pass to Twitter. I’d love your thoughts and feedback – please let me know what you think and post a comment below.
Can’t see the video, click here.
