How many of you agents out there would like to convert your low traffic weblogs into prospect producing machines that have the ability to drive more potential clients to your business than you ever thought possible? I can already see the virtual hands being raised, because guess what, each and every one of you would like to do just that.

Thanks to modern technology we now have a number of tools and applications at our disposal. We have email programs that do everything but write the message themselves, we have website software and custom IDX’s that allow us to list new properties quicker than we ever could before and we have state of the art CRM (customer relationship management) programs that can help us keep track of even the slightest details for each and every client. So what is the problem? Well, the problem is that all of those tools are better equipped for current and repeat clients with little to no functional means of referring new prospects to your business. Generating web traffic is what your blog does best!

Whether you call them a "blog", a "weblog" or that "website thingy," all blogging software has one thing in common, they are designed to utilize everything wonderful in this web 2.0 era. For instance, your blog will not only generate an RSS (really simple syndication) feed ready for the web but it will also publicize that feed to potentially hundreds of different sources on its own. Your blog also has the built in power and ability to automatically notify top search engines when you publish a new article. That’s like blowing the dog whistle and waiting for them to come to you. Yet, as great as all of those functions are, they still aren’t enough to bring in the cavalry, there are still some simple things that each one of you can do to increase your web traffic exponentially.

3 Easy Ways to Increase Your Blogs Performance:

Revamp your writing style - Real estate blogs are notoriously boring, each article is often focused on a particular property or area, not the type of article for the casual reader. However, they don’t have to be that way. It is not only possible, but easy, to convey that same message in a much more user friendly format. Popular blogs often publish lots of "top 10" and "how to" style posts because they captivate the reader and pull them in. For instance, rather than writing an article titled "Things to do in Dallas Texas", what if you wrote, "Top 20 Family Friendly Hot Spots in Dallas Texas". Which one of those would you be more inclined to read? Those little changes can drastically increase your blogs traffic.

Encourage reader involvement – Blogs are designed to be a community hub but it is the bloggers responsibility to encourage the community. Many real estate bloggers like to jump straight to requesting the phone call, when in reality that is kind of like skipping dinner on the first date. You should give your visitors the opportunity to get to know you before handing them a mortgage bill. Encourage your readers to sign-up for site updates through a third party service such as Feedburner.com. If after a few visits they still want to contact you about a property, then you have strong prospect that you can work with.

Let yourself become social – One major attraction to blogging for many businesses is the blogs natural connection to the numerous social communities available these days. Social networks attract millions of people in every age group and from every walk of life. These communities regularly make or break a bloggers fame. Try including social bookmarking buttons and icons at the bottom of each post in your blog, you might even include a quick line, something like "If you enjoyed this post please share it on your favorite social website by using the buttons below!". A line like that is simple, unobtrusive and again encourages your readers to get involved. Oh and by the way, getting an article on the front page of a popular social site can easily bring upwards of forty-thousand visitors to your website in a matter of hours. How does that sound?

Dare to be Different:

How many licensed and active agents are in your local market? Now figure that one-third of those agents are writing the exact same local information on their websites and blogs, how do you stand out from the crowd? Chances are good that you don’t stand out at all, you are standing in a big open pasture dressed like a cow and nobody is ever going to give you a second look, but you can change that. You can take off that cow costume and make yourself different, you can make people notice you by the articles that you write and by the topics that you cover.

You can choose to publish information on topics that other agents in your area aren’t covering. Write an article about a local event as its happening, or cover the local sports team, or give people ideas on where to go for the best shopping deals in your city. All of those are great ways to catch a whole new audience that the competition isn’t currently catering too. You have to stop blending in and start standing out if you want people to take notice of you! A blog is a tool, that when used correctly and efficiently, can take you out of the cow pasture and place you smack dab in the middle of the public’s eye, everything else is up to you.

Patric Herber is the CEO of Real Estate License Direct, the leading online real estate licensing and training resource for prospective agents around the country. Through his website he has helped thousands of people just like you, find the information they need to obtain their real estate license and flourish in this highly competitive industry. You can find out more information about getting your real estate license or contact Patric through his website at RealEstateLicenseDirect.com.

Published: February 24, 2009

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