![]() In the 2000s, I was a licensed real estate agent and owned a small mortgage company in California for a while. I realized that I LOVED real estate - but wasn’t as passionate about actually selling it. So, I shifted gears, and since 2011 I’ve have specialized in providing marketing services for Realtors, loan officers, and real estate professionals. I love it! In fact, I estimate that in that time, I’ve written about 2,500+ blogs and articles for Realtors, along with countless social media posts sharing this content. Part of my job is also keeping track of analytics, so I measure how many people are clicking, reading, and reacting to these blogs. Based on that extensive experience, I put together this list of the TOP PERFORMING BLOG TOPICS for any real estate agent. Basically, I’ve noticed what works best for Realtors and gets the most reaction from their audience, time and time again. I’ve even formulated a scoring system based on total number of page views, clicks, likes, comments, sharing, and other engagement metrics. You’ll see that I rated each blog with this engagement score, just for purposes of comparison. If you want likes, followers, inquiries, and a fast-growing database, go down the list and offer these blogs via your professional social media accounts, emails, newsletters, on your website, and other marketing. Written and crafted correctly, these blogs will yield the results you want: more leads, clients, and, ultimately, closed deals! The top-10 highest performing blog topics for Realtors: 1. Neighborhood profiles Home buyers aren’t just interested in a brick and mortar structure, but the lifestyle that their new home affords them. Therefore, blogs and profiles on certain neighborhoods score remarkably well with real estate audiences, who are looking to compare locations as much as houses. In these neighborhood-centric blogs, you can cover a brief history, what it’s best known for, restaurants, parks and recreation, festivals and events, typical architecture, nearby amenities, commute times, and staple mom-and-pop businesses. Yes, you should also cover real estate market data and recent home prices. Tip: You can even document famous people from that area, local trivia, and other interesting facts, but there are a few things that you CAN’T mention in these blogs (see below). Blog engagement score 96% 2. Pointing out common mistakes (negative-slant themes) What are the 10 mistakes first-time homebuyers make? What 5 mistakes are costing sellers big bucks? Why should you definitely avoid these landlord mistakes with your new rental properties? Research shows that the human motivation to AVOID PAIN (in this case, usually wasting money but also time, energy, liability, etc.) is even stronger than our motivation to pursue GAIN. For that reason, blogs with a. negative spin, i.e. what NOT to do, or which mistakes NOT to make, perform surprisingly well with audiences. Tip: Don’t be afraid to hit ‘em with the truth, because this is your one chance to scare your audience a little bit - for their own good and to be helpful. Blog engagement score 92% 3. Local market updates (including home values) Do you specialize in a certain neighborhood, or have a marketing campaign “farming” a specific area? You should exhibit to your audience that you’re the authority on the matter, offering up-to-date and accurate data on home values, buying and selling information, and other pertinent housing and economic data. Tip: I recommend drafting a Special Report every quarter with local housing data. Blog engagement score 89% 4. How to make more money Did I catch your attention already? Home ownership is the most significant lifetime investment for most consumers, so a lot is riding on getting it right. In fact, just by knowing how to fix up your home before selling, whether to stage or not, or knowing if it’s the right time to sell could put tens of thousands of extra dollars in your sellers' pockets. And for buyers, their choices are just as critical, so any information that helps inform and guide them towards a great home that will appreciate exceedingly well is invaluable. Tip: Be specific. While “How to make more money when selling your home,” is fine, a blog with the title “How to increase your net profit by 1.5% in 3 easy steps when selling your home” will practically jump off the page at the reader (or jump off the computer screen.) Blog engagement score 87% 5. Ways to save money Seriously, who DOESN’T like to save money? Blogs that offer money-savings tips around the house, strategies to cut energy costs, how to save when it comes to home buying or selling, and even how to get the best contractor for the best price will pull in a very thankful audience. In fact, it will be clear to them just by your headline, lead sentence, and accompanying image that they’re actually going to waste money by not clicking and reading your blog! Tip: If you’re target demographic is people with means, then saving money may not resonate as much. However, people in higher income brackets ARE constantly interested in saving time, reducing liability, and also other more actualized concerns, such as having green homes that leave a smaller environmental footprint. Blog engagement score 84% Important! What NOT to write about! Before you start writing blogs rapid-fire and sending them out, remember that there are certain things Realtors are prohibited to talk about. For instance, the Fair Housing Act was enacted in 1968 to help eliminate housing discrimination by urging certain people to live in certain neighborhoods. Therefore, you CAN’T write about school systems, crime rates, race, religion (including nearby churches and places of worship), politics, demographics, (great young couples, etc.), family status (perfect for singles, bachelor pad), or disability. But if asked, you CAN direct them to impartial third-party resources like an article online, a title company guide, or other tools. Consult our broker or state or local Realtor organization for regulations and statutes, but always stay in bounds of the law – especially when you’re putting information in writing. *** Look for part two of this blog coming shortly, where I'll discuss the next five highest-performing Realtor blog topics.
1 Comment
7/20/2022 11:49:50 am
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