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Top 3 Reasons Real Estate Blogs Fail
by Brandon Cornett
Here today, gone in a month. That seems to be the lifespan of many real estate blogs these days. The agent launches a realty blog without much planning, the blog fails to produce the desired result, and thus it is abandoned. It's a needless cycle of frustration and waste.
Are you planning to publish a real estate blog in the near future? Or maybe you already have a blog, but you're looking for ways to improve it? In either case, this article is for you. In this article, we will look at some of the reasons why realty blogs fail, and what you can do to avoid those mistakes. Learning the wrong way will help you understand the right way.
So without further ado, let's look at the first reason why realty blogs fail to get off the ground.
Reason #1 - The Real Estate Blog Lacks a Purpose
Why did you start your blog, or why do you plan to start one? What are your blogging goals? What do you hope to get out of it? Asking these questions in advance will save you time and effort down the road. It will help you plan the subject matter for your blog and organize it into categories. It will also help you identify ways to make your realty blog unique.
A real estate blog that lacks purpose will also lack direction. In such cases, the agent publishing the blog doesn't know who the intended audience is or what kind of information they want. Without knowing this, how would you even begin to write the first post?
Try to distill your blogging purpose into a sentence or two. Here's the "statement of purpose" for my small business blog: "The purpose is to educate small business owners on the benefits of Internet marketing." It's short and to the point, but it still has the three ingredients needed. It has an action (to educate), an audience (small business owners), and a subject (Internet marketing).
What's your blogging purpose? What action is taking place? Who is your audience? What is your subject matter?
Reason #2 - The Blog Lacks Originality
The real estate industry has taken to blogging like a duck to water. As a result, there are thousands of realty blogs online today. See for yourself — do a Google search for your city name plus the phrase "real estate blog" and see how many you come up with.
So with all of these real estate bloggers competing for attention, how will you make your blog stand apart?
The best way to succeed in such a crowded web space is to offer something original. Make your blog stand apart by providing information that is more useful and engaging. Design your blog so that it's easier to use and more professional than the blogs of your competitors. Come up with a unique theme to make your blog stand apart.
There are many ways to make your blog original and unique. You could provide tips or instructions that are hard to find elsewhere on the web. You could offer a fresh new insight into a particular topic (such as your local real estate market). You could use humor in some interesting way. You could cover a new topic that nobody else is blogging about. The main thing is to be original in some way, shape or form.
Reason #3 - The Blogger Lacks Patience
When you first launch your realty blog there's a good chance you'll be blogging to an audience of one (yourself). Many agents find this discouraging. "Nobody is leaving comments on my blog. Nobody is reading it. Nobody cares!"
Don't be discouraged. If you publish quality information on a regular basis, your audience will come with time. You can also grow your audience by focusing on search engine optimization when you blog, but that's another article entirely.
Many real estate bloggers lack the patience and determination necessary to build an audience. It's hard work, and it usually takes weeks, months or even years to accomplish.
My point is that you need to set realistic expectations when you first start blogging. If you expect to generate a bunch of leads and inquiries from realty blog right out of the gates, you'll probably be frustrated. On the other hand, if you clearly outline your objectives for your realty blog and publish great information on a consistent basis, the audience will eventually grow. And with that audience comes other kinds of success (leads, inquiries, new clients, etc.).
Your Roadmap for Success
Now that you know some of the common reasons why real estate bloggers fail, you'll be better able to avoid these mistakes on your own blog. Determine your blog's purpose early on in the process. Find a way to make your realty blog unique and interesting. And be patient but persistent when you first start out. Success will come in time.
P.S. - If you have a blog and you're looking for ways to improve its search engine visibility, consider using the directory I've created for business bloggers.
About the author - Brandon Cornett is an Internet marketing veteran and the creator of several resource websites for real estate agents, including AdviceForAgents.com, ArmingYourFarming.com, and TopTenAgent.com. Visit the author's website at www.AdviceForAgents.com.