Still on the fence as to whether your real estate company should be launching a blog? Here's our take.
It’s a question content marketing agencies get all the time: “Does my real estate company need a blog?” As a company that offers blog-writing services, you’d expect us to leap in and say, “YES! YES YOU DO!”
But actually, we’re going to go out on a limb here and tell you otherwise. No, your real estate company does not need a blog. You, as a professional in the real estate industry, do not need a blog either.
Wait, what?
See, the truth of the matter is, people have been buying and selling real estate since the beginning of time. Blogging is still a relatively new phenomenon. If blogs were to magically disappear tomorrow, people would still buy and sell real estate.
So no, you don’t NEED a blog.
BUT…. There are certainly plenty of reasons why you should WANT one. Here are a few reasons that rise to the top.
1. Blogging helps you stay top-of-mind with your audience.
The majority of people in your network probably won’t need to buy, sell, renovate, invest in, refinance, remodel or inspect a property in the short term. But if you’re putting out high-quality, high-value content to your network on a consistent basis, you’ll be the top-of-mind when people DO want to buy, sell, renovate, etc. down the line.
2. High-quality content helps you build trust with your audience.
Real estate is a crowded industry. To put it in perspective: there are at least two million licensed real estate agents in the U.S., and the property management industry is worth $58 billion. Content helps you stand out in a crowded field. When you put out engaging, high-quality content on a consistent basis, people start to lean on you as an expert.
Consider Home Inspector A who has a website but no blog vs. Home Inspector B who is constantly updating his blog with advice for homeowners, tips for prospective home buyers, etc. When it comes time to hire someone, who are you more likely to hire? The person showcasing his knowledge on a consistent basis, or someone whose website just describes their services? A real estate blog is a bonafide way to increase the authority you possess, and in doing so, build trust with your audience.
3. A real estate blog helps you expand your reach.
Whether you’re a local real estate broker or an asset manager advising hotshot real estate investors, a real estate blog can be used to help expand your reach. When you blog, the content shouldn’t just live on your real estate website. It should be distributed across various channels – from social media to your newsletter, to websites like BiggerPockets and Medium (depending on the subject matter).
If that real estate content is particularly captivating, it will be retweeted, shared, liked and further distributed by others. Each time someone shares your tweet, for instance, that tweet is shared with that person’s audience as well. Say you have 500 Twitter followers and that person has 2,000 – you’ve just increased your reach by fourfold.
“Evergreen” content is particularly useful in this regard. Evergreen content is content that will continue to be useful to people over time. There’s no real timestamp on it. For instance, a blog post on “2018’s biggest real estate trends” will only be relevant this year. Compare that to a blog post on “how to thaw frozen pipes,” which will always be useful (assuming people always have issues with pipes freezing!). When evergreen content includes keywords optimized for search engines, your content will continue popping up time and time again. It can also be recirculated to your audience time and time again, unlike time-sensitive content that quickly becomes stale. Evergreen content can be reused in perpetuity as you continue to expand your reach.
4. Blogging is a cost-effective marketing strategy.
Blogging isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, it takes a lot more time than most people realize. It’s not just the time you need to carve out to sit down and write the blog. It also takes time to add pictures, make sure the content is optimized to perform well in search engine results (through keywords, backlinks, etc.), add it to your website and then share the content through various channels. That said, while blogging is time intensive, it’s also a cost-effective marketing strategy.
You can write and manage your own blog (basically, for free) or you can outsource the work for a relatively marginal cost. Some companies provide 500-word real estate blogs for as little as $22.50 each. When managed properly, that blog can reach thousands of people. It’s far more cost-effective than trying to mail letters to thousands of people, or pay thousands of dollars to advertise in print media.
5. A real estate blog helps build your brand and showcase your personality.
The average person is exposed to 4,500 marketing messages EACH day! Logos, commercials, bumper stickers, radio spots, social media – it’s everywhere. Blogging is one (affordable) way for real estate companies to define their brand, connect with their audience, and showcase their personalities in an otherwise noisy world.
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So, to wrap things up, it’s worth reiterating: No, you don’t need to blog. You can continue chugging along, business as usual, without one. But if you’re in the real estate industry, blogging is a great way to boost your business.
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