Looking for a way to supercharge your real estate business?  Try launching a blog. In an age where most consumers turn to the Internet as their first source for information, a blog will serve to position you as a personable expert in the field of real estate. Read on for additional reasons to blog for your real estate business and find out tips on how to run a top-notch blog.

So what is a blog, anyway?

If you’re new to marketing on the Internet, you may be unsure of what exactly constitutes a blog.

The term “blog” is a contraction of the term “web-log.”  It’s a specific type of website that contains regular entries, usually about a certain topic or theme. Most blogs are managed by individuals, but some blogs consists of a stable of contributors who write on a broad range of topics.

Typical blogs contain text, images, and links to other sites or other blogs. The frequency of blog posts depends solely on the creator of the blog. Some bloggers update their blogs several times a day while others only blog a few times a month or less.

Most blogs display entries in reverse-chronological order so the most recent blog post appears at the top of the blog.

Blogs make you more visible

One of the best reasons to start a blog is to make your real estate business more visible. This is because many consumers look for real estate agents online. They use search engines like Google or Yahoo! to find sites with keywords like “real estate agent [Your town]” – e.g., “real estate agents in Chicago.”

The more frequently you blog about real estate in your city, the more frequently those keywords will appear on your site. This will boost your rank in the search engines, meaning it will move you up closer to the top of the search rankings. This increases your chances of having your website or blog visited by potential customers.

Blogs connect you to prospects

To make your blog work for you, be sure to regularly list your email address and your website address. You want to make it as easy as possible for blog readers to get in touch with you. If potential customers have trouble finding your contact information, they’re less likely to seek you out as their real estate agent. And when it comes to the Internet, any information that takes more than seven seconds to find will be lost on your prospects.

Blogs position you as an authority

There’s something about putting information in print that makes it appear authoritative to many people. If you blog about various matters related to the real estate industry, you’ll come across as very knowledgeable and helpful to anyone reading your blog.

It’s a good idea to address a variety of topics on your blog – though they can all relate to real estate. You don’t want to blog about the same thing every day because your readers will likely lose interest.

By all means, you should include occasional blogs with updates on housing statistics and sales in your town, but you should also sift in other topics. Write about the school districts in your city, or about the various homeowners’ associations. Do an occasional blog on the weather and the government leaders in your city. Basically, keep your content varied and interesting.

Always be sure that the information you post is true to the best of your knowledge. Customers can be quick to recognize sketchy information and may shut the door to hiring you forever. Take the time to do a little research or ask questions of experts and post only helpful, accurate information.

Blogs can help you advertise for free

If managed correctly, a blog can win you a fair amount of free advertising. If you network with other business professionals in your town who also run blogs, ask them to mention you in their blogs – and make sure they include a link to your website. In exchange, you can mention them in your own blog.

Try to only promote the services of non-competitors, such as mortgage lenders, landscapers, or home inspectors. Mentioning the services of fellow real estate agents does you no good, as you risk losing potential customers to them.

Blogging doesn’t take a lot of time

The secret to successful blogging is to post regular entries that keep readers coming back for more. An average rate of posts is three to five per week. If this seems like a lot to you or if you’re not sure you can make the time for so many posts, tap into guest authors and contributors.

Allowing others to have login access to your blog so they can make regular posts serves a few purposes. It keeps your content fresh and updated and it also allows you to expand the information services you offer your readers. In turn, this expands your potential prospect base.

Look for guest contributors who can offer relevant information to your readers. For example, you may ask a mortgage company to make weekly posts regarding interest rates. You could also have an interior decorator write up regular blogs with tips for decorating a new house. Essentially, strive to include relevant but non-competitive posts.

Blogs offer a glimpse of who you are

If you decide to promote your real estate business with a blog, just be sure it reflects your values as a real estate agent. Keep it clean and professional and make sure it represents who you are.