Do you recall Garrett Morris' Saturday Night Live character Chico Escuela? His famous line was, "Baseball has been very, very good to me." Let me borrow from that sentiment to say, "Blogging has been very, very good to me!" My own experiences with blogging testify to the positive effect it can have in marketing and growing a real estate business.

For the past couple of years I have been talking about real estate and mortgage fraud on my Flipping Frenzy blog. I was frustrated with the lack of attention given the subject by the media, and felt a blog would be a good way to educate the public and, hopefully, curb the problem.

Little did I know how powerful blogging could be. The media started visiting the blog and began to use me as a source for feature articles on the subject. The FBI started referring people to the blog and judges are now using it in their cases. As a result, I am now considered an international real estate and mortgage fraud expert.

That was only a trickle of the torrent of opportunities that blogging opened up to me. I have been asked by the producers of ABC's Super Nanny to do a show on real estate and, thanks to blogging, I just finished a book called, "Flipping Houses For Dummies!," published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Further, I have been given the opportunity to be a keynote speaker at many top-level real estate conference and events.

So powerful has been the effect I have now incorporated blogs into my Ralph Roberts real estate site, and on a philanthropic site called, The Big Nail. I am also a contributing blogger on the official real estate industry blog, RealBlogging.com. My Macomb County Community Blog from Blogging Systems, LLC, which is located on the web at MacombCountyVoice.com, keeps me networked with my local community like no other marketing tool can.

From a business standpoint, blogging has given me the ability to establish myself as an expert in real estate and mortgage fraud, created many opportunities for interviews, speaking engagements, and has helped me build my personal brand better than any other tool I have ever used.

Now, do you understand why I say blogging has been very, very good to me?

Blogging has had great effect on my personal life as well. Following the death of my young daughter Kolleen, two of my virtual assistants, Kandra Hamric and Rosanna Tussey knew about my passion for blogging and the passion about my family, set up a blog KolleenRoberts.com in tribute to her life, inviting those that knew and loved her to leave a comment.

There was no way I could have prepared myself for the overwhelming response. To date, over 1,300 comments have been submitted. I know of no other Internet publishing tool that would allow for that type of direct, personal interaction. Kolleen's blog has been a tremendous source of comfort and healing to my family and has given me a way to let others know about the wonderful life she lived.

Now, do you understand why I say blogging has been very, very good to me? Here is a list of just some of the ways blogging can work for you as well:

• Blogs enable increased presence on major search engines like Google and Yahoo!. One veteran blogger put it this way, "BLOG stands for Better Listings On Google."

• Blogs enable you to speak directly and candidly with your customer and prospects.

• Blogs provide an additional channel to put your brand in front of the customer and keep shaping its unique identity in real-time.

• A real estate-related blog community will help set you apart from the competition and allow you to strengthen brand awareness and customer loyalty.

• Blogs enable you to build personal, long-lasting relationships with your customer that foster trust.

• Blogs are very niche-specific. You can use them to penetrate niche markets that are underserved.

• The media relies on blogs for source material. As a result, journalists call you, not your competition.

• Blogs are a more personal form of lead generation in that they enable you to establish rapport with readers which fosters trust. Over time that can mean contacts from prospects and customers.

• Articulate your viewpoints, knowledge, and expertise on matters pertaining to real estate, your local community, etc.

• Blogs require no technical skills. If you can send an email or use Word, you can blog. It's that easy!

Blogs should be at the top of every Realtor's marketing list. What has worked for me can work for you as well. If you want a low-cost way of being out there in the marketplace every day, try blogging. It could be "very, very good" to you too!

If you're interested in learning about blogging, send and email Blog@RalphRoberts.com and I'll send my gift of 101 reasons why you should blog.

Published: August 16, 2006

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Once dubbed by TIME Magazine "the best-selling REALTOR® in America," Ralph R. Roberts, CRS, GRI is an award-winning and internationally recognized real estate agent, author, coach, and speaker. Throughout his career, Ralph has proven his commitment to helping other real estate and sales professionals build upon their past and present success, grow and expand their businesses, and provide a rich and rewarding future for themselves, their customers, their employees, and their families. As president and CEO of Ralph Roberts Realty, Ralph has personally helped thousands of consumers realize their dream of homeownership. While selling over 10,000 homes (and buying and selling over 3,000 investment properties) throughout his 30-year career, Ralph has made the time to mentor and coach hundreds of professionals in real estate, sales, and a host of other fields. Ralph is a recognized authority on Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud; Residential Real Estate; Personal Salesmanship; and, Sales Force and Office Management, Motivation, and Design. Ralph's numerous websites, blogs, seminars, and speaking engagements engage, entertain, and educate both consumers and professionals. Ralph is also an accomplished author with several successful titles to his credit, including: Power Teams: The Complete Guide to Building and Managing a Winning Real Estate Agent Team Mortgage Myths: 77 Secrets That Will Save You Thousands on Home Financing (John Wiley & Sons) Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Protect Yourself from Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud: Preserving the American Dream of Homeownership (Kaplan) Foreclosure Investing For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Advanced Selling For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Flipping Houses For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman (HarperCollins) Real Wealth by Investing in Real Estate (Prentice Hall/Penguin Group) Sell it Yourself (Adams Media) 52 Weeks of Sales Success (HarperCollins) To learn more about Ralph, visit AboutRalph.com or check out his daily insights on real estate and mortgage fraud prevention at FlippingFrenzy.com. You can reach Ralph at RalphRoberts@RalphRoberts.com or by calling (586) 751-0000.