Most of my blogging efforts revolve around delivering sound real estate blogging advice. The articles generally take me at least a couple of hours to develop, format, publish and broadcast. I have dozens and dozens of ideas that are just waiting to be developed and published, but as we all know, the most challenging thing about blogging is carving out the time.
Then it strikes me. Micro Blogging on Twitter would be a fantastic solution to my dilemma: a ton of ideas, and no time to get them into blog-shape. So, on April 25th, 2009, I started posting Real Estate Blogging Tips to Twitter, under the hashtag #reblogtips. Only having 140 characters with which to deliver sound advice forced each one to be clear and definitive. The following are a collection of 50 of those first two months of tips.
1. Near holidays, timely posts can drive HUGE traffic to your blog. Great article on just that phenomena: http://bit.ly/WysfJ
2. Tell it from your perspective. If you think you don't have one, then you don't have much business being a blogger.
3. Getting your readers to subscribe to your blog is crucial. Make it VERY CLEAR how to subscribe via email and rss reader.
4. Copy/Pasting entire articles you find on the Wire to your blog = Fail. Grab a paragraph and leverage your own opinion.
5. Do an Interview Post with a local business owner and it will dominate the SE's for their business. Good power to have!
6. Never, I mean never, under estimate pointing out the obvious. What's clear to you is that "a ha" moment of others.
7. Looking for your blogging voice? Tell a great real estate story, a story that has a point with value for your ideal reader.
8. Write posts with the intention of making your blog better. Each article is someone's first impression of you.
9. Want good SEO content about yourself on your blog? Interview yourself with some keyword rich questions. It'll be fun too
10. Use Sub Headers to break up the different ideas or sections of your blog articles. Easier to read, and huge for SEO!
11. Blog from your ideal reader's point of view. Ask their questions, in their voice, and then answer them.
12. Don't be afraid to ask for guest authors to contribute to your blog. Or pay it forward and offer to write on someone else's.
13. 3 reasons LISTS make for great blog articles: 1. They make engaging headlines. 2. Easy to write. 3. Easy to read.
14. 2 great locations for FREE and interesting IMAGES for your blog posts: http://cli.gs/DHsj1R and http://cli.gs/RTBRj8
15. Your images will rock in Google with keyword rich file names and alternate text. These details make all the difference.
16. Learn to add padding around your images to keep them from butting up against the text. It will make it look like you care.
17. What is the most challenging element of blogging? Finding the time. If it’s that important, you must schedule it!
18. Every article needs an image. It's worth the $1/per to get the perfect one at istockphoto.com.
19. Your categories NEED to be Keyword Rich. Yes, you should change them if they are vague, or lame.
20. Your readers love lists. They represent the perfect Snack Sized Article that they can quickly consume.
21. 1st Whimsical Weekly Topic: One Question Interview with a Stranger on the Street. "Man on the Street" style.
22. 2nd Whimsical Weekly Topic: "Guess the Local Location" - Easiest post ever. Reward first correct answer with $5 coffee card.
23. 3rd Whimsical Weekly Topic: "About Me" Share something about yourself to your readers. They need to know you to trust you.
24. If you want people to watch the entirety of your video blogging clips, keep them under 2 mins .
25. The #1 overlooked element of a successful blog is your participation in the blogosphere. Engaging Comments People!
26. The best Back-links to your blog come from Writing Large Amounts of Quality Content. & it doesn't hurt to ask for them either.
27. End each article with links to related articles. Use descriptive sentences to improve SEO on the link. You'll thank me later.
28. Break longer articles with well placed Keyword Rich Sub-Headers. Your readers and the search engines will thank you.
29. Write with your Ideal Reader in mind. Define them, name them, and then write to them. They will start to hear you.
30. Many of those that are currently holding the top spots in the SEs have done it without much regard for SEO. How? They write!
31. For RE agents to embrace blogging, the routine needs 2 be realistic & comprehensive. It's writing, folks, not brain surgery.
32. People want to live near parks. 2 properly written articles on any park in town and you'll dominate the SE's for their names.
33. When a client asks a question, odds are dozens more are asking the same, and 100's more will ask it within the year. Blog it!
34. Need a quick idea for a blog article? Head over to Trulia Voices: http://www.trulia.com/voices/ There are 100's!
35. It is a mistake for a real estate blogger to be caught without their camera. No, your cell phone cam doesn't count.
36. When your brain is hungry for content, you begin to recognize the blog article in every personal connection.
37. Having trouble finding time to blog? Schedule it. Block off 3 hours a week, and keep disciplined.
38. Success Takes Planning. Can you make the commitment? Who is your ideal reader? Do you have an outline of regular topics?
39. Headlines need Call-To-Action. What is your reader going to get by clicking on your headline? Make the value clear.
40. Headlines need Keywords. If you aren't using the words you want Google (and your audience) to find you for, you will be ignored.
41. Headlines need emotion. If you aren't compelling, you are ignored.
42. Read everything Copyblogger (Brian Clark) has ever written about Writing Headlines. http://cli.gs/3QjEyZ
43. Funny Thing: The terms you think you want to be found for are hardly the only ones that will generate the right audience.
44. Regular Blogging (3+ times a week) is you first step to success in the search engines.
45. For blogging to be the appointment generator you want it to be, you need to make it the priority that it deserves to be.
46. When building an audience and gaining exposure in the search engines, many short, powerful posts are better than long articles.
47. Monitor your comments. Comment spam makes your blog look neglected, and Google will follow suit, quickly.
48. Post your articles to AS FEW categories as possible.
49. Treat you blog's categories like sections of a newspaper. Only create categories that you are committed to write to regularly.
50. Define your Ideal Reader; Age, Gender, Profession, Income, Needs. Now write your articles to and for him/her.
Look for the next collection of 50 tips in two months!
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