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RSS FeedReal Estate Blogging: To Encourage or Discourage? That Is the Question! |
Aug. 25, 2008
Categorized in: Blogging Q & A
Tagged with: blogging, business week, donald trump, frances flynn thorsen, jack harper, lexus, realtalk, win singleton
There is a very interesting discussion thread in RealTown’s RealTalk community. Industry veteran Jack Harper asks, “OK – So I need your collective knowledge on blogs.” Most of the comments correspond to thoughts supporting the wisdom and good sense attached to the growing number of real estate agents who choose to blog. There is some interesting dissent, curiously enough, from a real estate web designer. The challenges to support a case “not to blog” are compelling enough for me to take this discussion from the RealTown Communities page, a general social networking arena, to a more appropriate platform -- the Blogosphere.
Today’s announcement that Trulia launched a new blog platform is likely to drive a stampede to its site in coming weeks. I urge REALTORS to take advantage of social networking opportunities that are likely to post a significant return on investment; early adopters of technology are the first to reap the bounty in buyers and sellers.
Win Singleton (Summit Web Design):
“.. I'm not so sure that consumers are looking for or even expecting a Web 2.0 experience in growing numbers when it comes to purchasing something, especially when buying or selling a house! This seems to be another "myth". Rather than real estate being a "social" interaction, it is what we have always referred to as a "sales" situation.”Frances Flynn Thorsen:
It is hardly a myth. The National Assn. of REALTORS report that 92% of home buyers used the Internet in 2008. Real estate Web 2.0 giants Zillow and Trulia each report traffic in the neighborhood of 5 million unique visitors each month. Modern real estate professionals are happy to trade outdated “sales” descriptors for consumer-centric words that reflect service and consultancy expertise. Win Singleton (Summit Web Design):
“Think about it. When buying new tires, are you really going to read a blog at GoodYear? No! You came to look at replacing your tires... and GoodYear hopes to make a sale today with the price information they display on their site instead of you going to Bridgestone instead. If you want a new Lexus, do you plan on interacting on a blog with the local dealer? No. And once the "sale" has been made, will the consumer really plan on coming back often to see their sites again... even if they have a blog? Probably not for many months or even years! If you just bought a Kenmore washer & dryer at Sears, do you keep coming back over and over to look at washers & dryers again?”Frances Flynn Thorsen:
I started blogging in January 2005, the same year that Business Week ran a cover story on blogging. The message in 2005? Catch up … or catch you later!I don’t know much about Goodyear … but take a look at GE, maker of Supra lockbox products and numerous product lines. They have an excellent blog.
The Lexus media team thinks that blogs are very important and this company flexes some creative muscle in a blog to sponsor a US Open Podcast.
Real estate mogul Donald Trump is a man with a household name and a record of accomplishment. Guess what? He blogs!
Win Singleton:
“… The main reason many, many agents don't "blog" is because very few can actually "write"! I'm not being sarcastic when I say this, but all you have to do is visit lots of real estate agent sites and read their content to confirm this. Very few of us would be considered "authors" by others ...”Frances Flynn Thorsen:
You do not have to be Ernest Hemingway to blog. If you can write an e-mail or a business letter, you can blog. Do some people blog better than others? Certainly! Bloggers can improve their skills with some short-term blog coaching. Superb writing skills are not required to blog successfully. In fact, a conversational writing style is probably the best approach on a blog.The industry has always had its share of naysayers and early adopters.
There were people who thought the Internet was a fad in the early and mid 90s. Others saw possibility on the Web and acted upon it. Blogging is a Web trend with increasing traction.
Is blogging a passing fad or is it evolving as an important business tool?
People who asked that question in 2004 could ask that question with a straight face. In 2008 it sounds utterly foolish!
HAPPY BLOGGING!
One of the bonuses of traveling to meetings around the country is the chance to meet fellow bloggers and e-PROs in person. Last week Joeann Fossland and I were in Ocean City, MD, to present an e-PRO Workshop for local REALTORS and we had the good fortune to meet e-PRO Susan Pruden, who drove up from Prince George's County. Susan has been an e-PRO for years, blogs at RealTown (
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