San Diego Real Estate The Art of The Blog Part 4 " Content is King"
Content is King. This takes us back to Part 1 of this series when I introduced the movie review of "Julie and Julia" based on the book by Julie Powell about her blog.
Here in ActiveRain, with truly some of the best bloggers in the blogging world, the content of the blog is the message intended to inform, educate, entertain or in other ways to tantalize the reader. That message is of course the content.
It is redundant but necessary to remind you that it is the content that determines if the casual reader become a subscriber or if a subscriber , remains so. The reader is always looking for “ What’s in for me”. If they don’t find a relatively quick answer to that, they will likely just move on.
With respect to content, what is put into the blog post, determines the usefulness , short term or long term of the post for the reader. As an example, suppose a recent post discussing the $8000 Federal tax credit for first time Buyers was your contribution for the day. Now knowing that this program is set to expire in November of 2009,the useful shelf life of this post is by the nature of the content limited by the calendar. Next May 2010, it would be doubtful that anyone would be interested in reading it. That is not to suggest that this post today is not important or that this post shouldn’t be written. It should. The point is that there needs to be relevant content in your blog that also has some shelf life that can keep the integrity and flavor of the blog fresh while also providing an anchor to what your blog is about. In real estate, these may become your key instructional or how to posts that provide the consumer with reliable information beyond the listing or monthly marketing report.
Do you suppose that Julie’s blog where she discussed cooking every recipe of Julia Child's cookbook has a long or short shelf life? It would occur to me that it doesn’t matter when one reads it , the content remains relevant for a long period of time. So it is best to have at least some longer term shelf life posts. And these posts ( new original and updated ) in particular need to be offered up on a frequent basis. Therein is another new word that warrants some discussion. Original. There are few new ideas in the world but at least put what you you want to represent in your words. No lectures here about cutting and pasting. To me that would be under the heading of your personal Ethics.
The body of your content should always be original and written with your own unique flair. This is where the pros separate themselves from the beginners. They learn to write with a particular style. They can group together just about any set of words and write a post that would easily capture your imagination. They become risk takers ( in the sense that they could write a list of "How To's" for a consumer of real estate that would challenge the Best of professional journalists with their personal flair and still be relevant). Since they probably lived the post in some manner or are passionate about the subject, even as simple an idea as a "How To" post can totally capture the consumer.
Now, write a post about the counseling you give to a first time home buyer of the process they will encounter as they prepare to purchase a home. You begin to see the useful shelf life of a post like that. From week to week ,month to month it is not going to change that much. And again I remind you that all the posts don’t have to a long shelf life, but certainly there needs to be enough that the "blog" itself has a longer useful shelf life. Think Archives and Categories.
Here is the one of real secrets to good content. How often do you write an updated post about the counseling to that 1st time home buyer. Would you guess that a new young 1st time Buyer would find you because they Googled you and found you at the top of the search engines? That is of course what we all want to attain. Being found easily on the first page of the search engines. But when that Buyer does find you and if the content associated to you is not current or relevant , wouldn't they most likely just move on.? So while we strive to be number one and easily found by the search engines, remember that Content is King and that our content will ultimately determine if you are relevant to this new buyer or any Internet Empowered Consumer for that matter.
As I expand expand on the idea content, the way to be perceived as an authority is writing content about your specialty and with regularity. The answer I often hear when I have ask agents about what their specialty is, is that they often haven’t decided what that specialty is or say something like they prefer to to be able to work with anyone and not specialize. Certainly in the entire industry of real estate there is some one thing you love to do more than any other or one thing you know more about or just love to talk about. That could be your specialty. Being a specialist is better than being a generalist. You recognize this as your niche and a niche blog or website is most often "Specific Content" driven while still enjoying the connection to the entire real estate industry and the complexities of it.
Thinking about Content being King, as I write this post it occurs to me that my phone is not likely to ring off the hook nor will my e-mail reveal many new buyer or seller prospects trying to reach me from this post. That statement alone ought to tell you something about the relevance of content. Content is now and most always will be King. It is the engine that drives the blog right into the home of the consumer.
Make your content interesting, make it relevant and make it entertaining. as I have said, Content is King.
If you are Buying, Selling or Relocating to San Diego and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me a call or visit my San Diego Real Estate website and sign up for Listing alerts for your favorite San 
Diego Home and Condominium Property Searches. I specialize in Single Family Homes and Condominiums throughout the coast and inland areas of San Diego. Some of the communities are La Jolla, University Town Center, Bay Park, Mission Valley, Pacific Beach, Scripts Ranch, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos,Carmel Valley and Solana Beach. If I didn't mention a city or community that you are interested in, just let me know and i will find you an expert for that community as well.
Need Help and Guidelines for Buying or Selling a Home ? Check out my new " Voice of San Diego Real Estate Blog "
Copyright 2009 William Johnson author of The Real Estate Text Book
******************************************************************************************************
LIKE MY BLOG, Subscribe and enjoy all the great and creative things yet to come!
Click On Photo Below If You Enjoy My Blog
Thank You !
