John Merse
on

Peter Drucker once said “quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the customer gets out of it." I’m an evangelist for Union Street Media, and the real estate industry. I work day in and out to make sure we’re creating a product that prioritizes our client's needs. By understanding a realtor’s day-to-day, I can help design efficiencies around it through our software. On top of that I have an extensive background in marketing campaign and strategy management. If I can save a client time and money - while growing their business with successful digital campaigns - we’ve done something important.

Off-Site Recommendation: Blogging

If you’re having trouble sticking to a weekly blogging schedule, read on. Regularly adding valuable, unique content to your site will benefit you now more than ever before.

Google’s most recent algorithms – Penguin, Panda, and Hummingbird – may sound cute and cuddly, but they pack a suckerpunch of power when it comes to planning SEO strategies. The company’s most recent algorithm updates are designed to aggressively attack the low-quality, spammy content that has overrun the Internet. SEO strategies that were once effective, like creating many similar pages with only a few words tweaked, no longer fly. (Does “keyword overuse” ring a bell, anyone?)

Conversely, well-written, informative content now has even more opportunity to get found – as it should! So how can you take advantage of these updates? Blogs provide an easy way to feed search engines more of the content they want to see: unique, timely, and useful information.

Consider this:

  • On average, blogs refer 13% of all visits to websites that have them
  • The bounce rate on blog-referred visits is 3% lower than the site average
  • Blog-referred visits last 17% longer than the site average
  • Average number of pages per visit is 12% higher for blog-referred visits

That’s some qualified traffic that your site may not have seen otherwise.

Another search-inspired reason to blog: the growing relevance of online social networking. Facebook, Twitter and other social sites provide easy ways for people to share content. If one person finds your article interesting enough to share with their online friends, your business could be exposed to dozens (even hundreds) of new potential customers. These new potential customers may, in turn, expose you to their networks. And the cycle continues.

Maybe you feel motivated but are short of ideas. Some good go-to sources of material:

  • Answering a frequently asked question from customers
  • Highlighting a certain unique property or open house
  • Providing a “top 5” list of real estate for clients
  • Providing local, area-specific tips for buyers and sellers

Remember, a short post each week is better than a mammoth-sized post once a month. Consistent content helps build your web presence and authority; it also better promotes your brand for potential clients. Respond to your surroundings. Maybe there’s a new law in your county that affects real estate sales. Maybe your team is expanding to a new office. Talk to your audience. Chances are they’ll talk back.