DORKY: A style of writing, primarily used in self-promotion, which is predictable, boring, boilerplate or just plain blah.

I know you aren't DORKY. I'll bet if I asked a dozen of your friends if you're an interesting, personable, caring, creative kinda guy or gal, they'd confirm that you are. So, why is it that those in our profession insist on creating written promotional material that screams, "I'm boring as dirt and have absolutely nothing interesting to say!"

You know what I'm talking about. The corporate-inspired announcement letters we send to our friends and family when we go into real estate. Our business cards with the sappy, meaningless tag lines. Our online profiles that might put the reader to sleep if they actually get past the first paragraph. Where did all that personality go? Where are YOU?

When you blog, don't be DORKY, be YOU. If you're sappy, blog sappy. If you're sarcastic, blog sarcastic. If you're funny, blog funny. If you wake up one morning frustrated as heck about something or other, blog about it. Conversely, if you're tickled pink by a recent encounter at the health food store, write about that. If you have a brilliant AHA moment standing in line at the post office, there's a blog in there somewhere!

(Oh, one caveat. If you're a sloppy writer, don't blog sloppy! Use your spell check, capitalize appropriately and be sure to use your enter key on a regular basis.)

Don't try to write about topics you couldn't care less about. Not a political type? Don't try to write about local political issues. Don't know much about the economy? Leave the economic outlook blogs to someone who does. Not into cultural events? Don't bother trying to write intelligently about the new opera in town. Me? Among other things, I love dogs, sushi, rollerblading and old houses. That's what I blog about.

But don't worry too much about speaking to any particular audience. YOU do the talking and the right audience will find you. And you know what? If your blogs come from YOUR voice, you'll stand a much better chance of enjoying the process enough to keep it up.

Blogging for dollars is a long-term prospecting project, so enthusiasm is critical if you want to see your efforts pay off. Once your audience discovers YOU and starts to tell you how awesome YOU are (how insightful, how funny, how creative, etc.), well, that'll be some serious inspiration to keep at it! But blog with someone else's voice and eh ... you'll probably throw in the towel within the month.

To summarize, to avoid being a DORKY blogger:

• Write from YOUR voice, that real person who has a terrific personality

• Write about topics of interest to YOU

• Proof-read, proof-read, proof-read

Now, go get ‘em you UNDORKY blogger, you!

(I consider my blog un-dorky … but you can judge for yourself at this link.)

Published: August 20, 2008

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

Jennifer Allan is the author of Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect, as well as a number of eBooks including The Seduction of Your SOI: Generating Business and Referrals from the Very Important People Who Know You, Dorky Announcement Letters - DEDORKED! and For Sale Signs Don't Pay the Bills. Jennifer began her writing career after ten years of selling real estate successfully in Denver, Colorado. She was dismayed at the low level of professionalism she frequently encountered in the real estate industry and, with her "soulful" message, hopes to encourage the real estate community to self-correct the negative stereotypes of the profession. Jennifer's message is that agents should strive to be competent real estate advisors instead of simply competent real estate prospectors. That agents should respect the intelligence of their clients, rather than attempt to insult that intelligence with aggressive closing techniques. She preaches that agents should appreciate the significant commissions paid by their clients, rather than complain that they, themselves, are not appreciated. Her personal mantra is "The clients I have today are far more important to me than the ones I hope to have tomorrow." She is a regular contributor to several real estate newsletters and magazines, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most popular bloggers. You can learn more about Jennifer's "soulful" philosophies at SellWithSoul.com.  Subscribe to  The Daily Seduction Tips & Inspirations to Generate Business and Referrals from The Very Important People Who Know You  Your Email Address: Your Name: