Fair question Jack!
First of all, my business model is 100% Internet. I refer all the leads I get to a team of agents in my area (2 counties). This gives me the time to spend on my websites/blog and helping my team improve their close rates of my leads. So, there's no question where my business is coming from as I haven't paid to do any other type of advertising for years.
When I get a lead that starts off "I've been reading your blog for awhile" I know that I've already have established a relationship with this prospect and most of these turn into a listing or Buyer transaction. I call these the "juicy leads". Others will say that they love my website which I would take to mean they've probably using one or more of what I offer; IDX searches, Blog, IDX custom reports, market snapshot, Just Sold reports, market statistics, etc. And again, someone mentioning my website in the initial contact is an indicator that they are ready to buy/sell rather than some "just curious" lead wanting to know the HOA fees on a listing they found on an IDX search.
Others have already mentioned SEO as a benefit of a blog. I agree 100%. I do things a bit differently than most as I host my blog on my website. I use the older Blogger.com which allows me to ftp the blog directly to my site each time I publish a post. So, the 1500+ blog posts I've done are 1500 pages on MY web site. Getting people to my website is goal #1 which the blog has definitely helped with and see it both in the ranking reports I generate plus keyword searches people have used to find my site.
My business strategy is to offer a site that when someone visits they will say "this is the best real estate site I've seen in this area" so even if they are not planning to buy or sell right away, chances are that they will revisit when they are ready. I also believe I'm getting word-of-mouth recommendations too. If someone themselves might not be ready to buy/sell but they talk to someone that does, if I have impressed them with the info on my site than chances are they will tell the other prospect to visit my site. I already mentioned how many people are now using my name in a keyword search so that's either people that have been to the site and forgot the URL or others that have heard about my site from someone else.
So, with my goal on being the BEST real estate website for my area I look at adding many different things to raise the bar on my competition. Since you've been to my blog, you probably already noticed that I try to blog at least once a day. I also do a lot of short posts that don't take much time to read. Most people will check cnn.com or other sites on a regular basis because there is something there that is NEW. Most every real estate website I've seen is the same day after day. Sure, the listings change in the IDX search but as you asked if people read my blog if they are looking to buy or even if they aren't. I can pretty much guess that people that aren't looking to use an IDX search on a realtor's website aren't going to come back to that site as there is no reason to. With my website, people now know that if they come visit it they will see something new on my site (blog). I don't think people are going to keep returning to a site (or blog) when it isn't updated regularly. Most realtor bloggers I've seen will do a post every couple days, then there is a multi-day (week!) gap and then some turn into Dead Blogs. Why would anyone want to waste their time checking to see if there were any updates. I will say that it took a few years to get into a daily blog routine. I also have 2 guest bloggers which allows me to take a day off once in awhile.
In my previous high-tech career, we would put a "What's New" section on the company website. I use my blog to do the same thing. I also post market statistics (after midnight on the 1st of every month I post the previous month's stats and have for a few years). It's sort of like a newspaper when people expect to see certain sections on a particular day. I also use my blog to announce new listings, local news, and a variety of other stuff.
In summary, my website generates my business and my blog is part of my website. If I didn't have the blog, the content value of my website would be lower and my search engine visibility would be lower too which I KNOW would affect my lead generation. That's why I believe my blog is bringing me business (other than the prospects that contact me saying they've been reading my blog)!
Keith
www.SloCountyHomes.com
byrd@SloCountyHomes.com
p.s. This guy did an article about my website/blog last year. Don't know if there is anything in it that helps convince you that doing a blog is worth it. J http://tinyurl.com/6ckht6
p.s.s. I'm looking to put together a directory of the BEST websites for a particular area. These would have the best MLS Search, market statistics, etc. If you have a site you think is tops in your area, contact me. I'm not going to charge to be in the directory but your site has to pass the test of being the best in your area!
Jack says:
Thanks for the input, Keith. I have visited your very comprehensive blog and it is very clear that you do put a tremendous amount of time and effort into it.
With all due respect, your statements, however, are not unlike so many responses I have seen over the years, vague and unquantified: "I know it's bringing me business." How do you know? What business is it bringing that you can absolutely identify with a blog. Do people actually read your blog when they want to find or sell a house? Even more relevant, do they read it when they are NOT looking to buy or sell? Are you able to build NEW long-term relationships through blogging?
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