Ending the cycle of 'Realtor-on-Realtor action'
Bloggers discuss strategies to engage consumers
By Inman News, Thursday, July 24, 2008.Bookmarking Sites
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jim Cronin, the owner of the Real Estate Tomato blog site, said there is a lot of "Realtor-on-Realtor action" going on in the industry blogosphere.
And it's not what you may think.
Cronin, who writes about real estate marketing, said that there is a high volume of comments at real estate agents' blog sites coming from other agents in the industry, and that's not necessarily a good thing.
"It seems people leaving comments in most cases are Realtors from across the country patting you on the back," he said. There should be less of that inter-agent back-patting and banter -- and more engagement with real estate consumers: "Mr. and Mrs. Home buyer," according to Cronin.
He spoke during a "Growing Pains: Take Your Blog to the Next Level" session during a blogging workshop Wednesday at the Real Estate Connect conference.
Jeff Turner, president for Real Estate Shows, a company that allows agents to create property ads with a sequence of panning digital images and audio tracks, has coined a term for this connection with consumers: You Engaging Others, or YEO.
It's a play on search-engine optimization, also known as SEO, which refers to Web sites' designs that are intended to maximize the ranking in search engines and the volume of online traffic they attract.
"The goal is about getting out into the community and engaging the community … instead of waiting for the community to engage you," Turner said. He noted that successful bloggers likely already have decent content that is driving their SEO, and the next step is to better connect with consumes and build up YEO.
"YEO can drive SEO," said Daniel Rothamel, a Realtor who blogs at the Real Estate Zebra site. Rothamel also serves as the Inman Community manager for Inman News.
While panelists suggested that school communities can be a great place to connect with residents and promote your business, there are also some online venues that can be useful in establishing a community presence.
Dustin Luther, an industry consultant who created Seattle's Rain City Guide blog and blogs at 4Realz.net, said that there are many online communities not affiliated with the real estate industry that can be a great place to establish a presence.
And real estate professionals can find them and find out about them using sites like Twitter, Outside.In, blog search engines, Flickr and YouTube, he said.
"How do you go out and how do you reach the influential people in your community? Start to engage the community that's already out there online," he said.
Web analytics could help real estate professionals to gauge how consumes are finding your blog site, Luther said, and this tracking could be useful in drawing more traffic to the site. "There's nothing wrong with getting more analytical." He also suggested that real estate bloggers can put a property-search tool on their blog sites.
Rothamel noted that the hard sell may not be effective when connecting with consumer offline. "You don't have to say, 'Hey, I'm a Realtor, use me.' Build that relationship and other things will flow from there," he said.
Nicole Nicolay, who contributes to the real estate technology blog MyTechOpinion, recommended talking to parents at local schools and getting to know the people at the park with their kids.
Cronin agreed, "By engaging the community and opening up the conversation … you're going to make them feel like they can trust you more. You're going to be virally engaging the community."
Cronin's father worked as a real estate agent, and he said he used to think all his father did was talk to people and take pictures all day. "I remember just tagging along with him as a kid … trying to figure out what he did as a career," he said.
Then he understood. "My dad was a human Rolodex -- he just knew how to connect people. He made sure the deals got done and they were connected properly."
"Real estate is a business of content. You don't really have a product," Cronin said. "Essentially the entire transaction has to do with your opinions, your expertise, your ability to answer questions." And that, he said, is a key to connecting with consumers -- whether it's online or offline.
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Submitted by Norm Fisher on July 24, 2008 - 9:18pm.
Cronin hits the nail on the head with, "Essentially the entire transaction has to do with your opinions, your expertise, your ability to answer questions."
When it comes to engaging consumers on our blogs I really believe that they want to see us demonstrate our "expertise" and "answer questions" about our real estate markets. They want specifics about what's happening in the market and what factors are influencing it. General buyer and seller tips are all over the net, easy to find, and only interesting once. Talk about the market and people will talk back.
Submitted by Ralph M on July 25, 2008 - 8:10am.
The article is pretty good but dances around the edges.
Real estate professionals should stop looking for the pat on the back or the "whoa is me" from other real estate associates. Get over it. Quit looking for, "The client is wrong" and the "Don't worry about it, you will get the next one" 10 yr old lines you may tell your kids.
This is a business. Engage the public, become a problem solver and last but not least.......................You will NEVER please everyboday, so don't even try it.
Unless your name is walmart, start making money and start to care less about the ones who despise you for being succesful.
If you don't belive me, shoot over to Donald Trumps "I want to be your friend" forums..
Submitted by Dave "Utah Dave" Robison on July 25, 2008 - 10:43am.
What an interesting blog. I agree there probably are people patting people on the back. Which isnt a bad thing altogether. But if that is your intention....than that definitely needs to be fixed. Helping people complain about their clients is definitely not a good thing either. There is a comaderie type of environment that could be very healthy for ones career. Helping other agents and giving value helps you become a leader and helps other agents in the industry. Its okay to pat people on the back...they need encouragement. Its great to build relationships and help others. Its when your motive is to get a pat on the back is when your output becomes not very valuable. Are we looking to give or are you looking to get?
Your Friend,
Utah Dave
www.utahdave.com
Submitted by Diane Cohn on July 26, 2008 - 2:01pm.
I absolutely agree with Jim Cronin, Norm Fisher and Ralph M. Agent blogs need to engage real live people interested in the conversation about local real estate. And I'm talking about internet strangers who disagree with you, challenge you and make you think.
In the past 30 days, our blog has received 375 comments on 18 posts primarily from strangers on the internet. Yes, we sometimes comment back as needed, but other agents almost never do (because frankly they fear my commentators).
As agents we have learned so much from engaging with these anonymous contributors, I can't even tell you. They all bring unique perspectives, expertise and original thought to the conversation, and they have truly helped us to see the market for what it really is. They also keep us honest. If we make a mistake, they will call us on the carpet without hesitation.
Because of the level of transparency that we practice, along with our willingness to listen to and consider opposing viewpoints, our blog has become the number one trusted source online for information about local real estate.
Do these people call us for help buying or selling their properties? Sometimes, but more often they send their friends, family and colleagues to us, their comments add to our SEO arsenal, and their participation adds a huge amount of credibility to our blog.
In essence, we are no longer just a blog, but a real community centered around the topic of local real estate.
Meaningful conversations with real people about real estate are what lead to contacts and closings. Conversing online through a blog is just another way to engage the consumer. The Reno Realty Blog generates real business for our team, and the bonus for everyone who participates is that we all become smarter in the process.
Diane Cohn
Realtor, ABR
Chase International
www.renorealtyblog.com
Submitted by Joseph Bridges on July 26, 2008 - 2:42pm.
It really is about engaging the public and getting people to interact. To me it isn't a problem with agents commenting it is how they comment. Trying to comment and learn about a new area as a real estate professional is ok but just commenting as "Great work" is not helping anyone.
Getting interaction is key and it helps build a community and a network. Diane makes a great point about the level of interaction on her blog and all should really aspire to that level of commenting and interaction.
Visit the blog at: http://www.InternetRealEstateSuccess.com
Real Estate Resources at: http://www.OnlineRealEstateSuccess.com
Submitted by Jim Cronin on August 1, 2008 - 9:47am.
Hey all!
Just found this article about us yesterday...a little late to the picnic - all that recovering from Inman :)
The phrase that I see as the best description of our point from the panel was this by Diane Cohn:
"In essence, we are no longer just a blog, but a real community centered around the topic of local real estate."
That's really the whole idea. By bringing in voices that force transparency and move you away from that industry-centric tone, you have the opportunity to create a community. And after-all, it's the community that is farmed for business, is it not?
Juicy Blogging Advice for Realtors
http://realestatetomato.typepad.com