blog articles

Instill Calm in Your Prospective Clients Instead of Fear

Jan 28, 2022

If only I had a dollar for every online article and blog post I’ve read about home buying and how “difficult”, “scary” and “challenging” it is.

“Buying a house is exciting, intimidating, and, honestly, a bit complicated,” says one agent.

“The first time you undertake a home purchase, the complexity of the transaction can be particularly frustrating because there are a number of unknown rules and procedures that you are generally forced to learn through ‘the school of hard knocks,’” says another.

The combination of highfalutin’ words and the imagery of the “school of hard knocks” is enough to scare any real estate consumer into staying put.

My initial reaction to these fear-inducing blog posts and articles is, “If the process is this difficult, scary, or complex, it may be time to find another agent.”

Be the expert who soothes their fears

If clients aren’t completely familiar with the buying/selling process going into it, the best agents counsel them so that they learn and ultimately feel more comfortable.

Unfortunately, there are agents that think scaring potential homebuyers about the complexities of real estate is a way to win their business.

The first quote above is from a national real estate company’s website. It’s fine to caution folks that buying a home because it’s an unfamiliar process, might be challenging. However, a better statement would be to mention that it won’t be challenging if they work with you.

Because you, the superhero of the real estate world, will teach them what they need to know and be with them every step of the way.

You are an awesome communicator who wouldn’t dream of allowing your client to enter into the process without being armed with all the information he or she needs.

You are the expert and are happy to share your expertise with your clients. Want proof, you might ask? “Here’s my testimonials,” (list of former clients saying how amazing you are and how you explained everything and made the process so easy).

Think what a breath of fresh air your website, blog posts, and other marketing materials will be to a consumer who has surfed all the negative and scary agents’ sites.

When they land on your website and read words of encouragement and simplicity they will breathe a sigh of relief.

Looking for the right words to instill confidence? How about:

“Buying (or selling) a home doesn’t have to be scary, intimidating, confusing, or challenging. Allow me to show you how it’s done.”

Imagine THAT phrase added to all of your real estate marketing materials.

6 Reasons to Go After Baby Boomers Right Now

They own 26 million homes in the U.S.
They control 70% of all wealth in this country.
They hold more than 50% of all owner-occupied homes.
41% state they will definitely purchase another home.
They are almost completely ignored by the real estate industry.
And, we’re giving you the first 100 prospects on a Baby Boomer list for free right now!

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Winter Blog Topics Every Agent Should Consider

Jan 13, 2022

If you find yourself craving a piping hot peppermint mocha, going home and lighting a cozy fire, and wishing you could wear your hoody to a listing presentation, it must be winter.

Winter this year started on December 21 and lasts until March 20, 2022. Before the winter season ends, there is a lot happening, although local pandemic regulations may restrict some winter events.

These festivals and other celebrations make welcome blog post topics. Today we take a look at some of what your readers are craving.

1. Winter blog posts for homebuyers

“3 must-have tips for buying a [name of town] home this winter”

Need more ideas?

What’s going on in the local market? Is inventory still low? Are prices softening or rising? What are interest rates like? Warn readers that interest rates are expected to rise in 2022, so choosing to buy now is a wise decision. Check out this example Neil Kearney of Boulder Real Estate.
Handy with Canva? Head on over there and create an infographic addressing the age-old question of whether to buy now or wait.

2. Fishing for sellers?

“3 must-have tips for selling a [name of town] home this winter”

Most potential sellers want to know what’s happening with home prices. A market update, such as the one for buyers, mentioned previously, will most likely be quite welcome.

Few agents do reader-friendly and hyper-local market updates like Kirkland, Washington’s Jim Badgley. Check it out at badgleyhomes.com.

Don’t forget to add local keywords throughout all blog posts.

3. Winter events in the community

Winter events and festivals abound in the US. There’s Wintersköl in Aspen, CO, the amazing Winter Carnival in St. Paul, MN, the Winter Festival in Portland, OR, and more.

Even non-snowy regions have winter events, like the Borrego Springs Film Festival in San Diego, CA, and Gasparilla Music Festival in Tampa Florida.

Details about these events are ideal for a hyper-local blog post. Plus, they’re immensely sharable.

Use various smaller holidays as topics. For instance, January 27th is Chocolate Cake Day. Write a listicle naming all the places in town one can get a great piece of cake.

Other holidays that are easy to hyper-localize include:

National Frozen Yogurt Day (February 6, 2022)
National Pizza Day (February 9, 2022)
Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2022)
National Puppy Day (March 23, 2022. Great opportunity to write about the various pet shelters and rescues in your area).
St. Patrick ‘s Day (March 17, 2022. Who has the best corned beef and cabbage?)

Then, there is the old standby “Best places” in your town to (or nearby):

Take out-of-town guests
Sled, ski, etc.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
Ice skate
Indoor and Mall walking tracks in your town

There is far from a shortage of hyper-local winter real estate blog topics. Write ‘em up and don’t forget to link to them on social media.

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Two sales in one (they’re selling their current home and buying another larger home.
They’ve purchased real estate before and understand the process, making for an easier transaction.
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They typically have a nice amount of equity in their home, meaning more money to spend on a new home.
They’re excited to enter the marketplace and take advantage of the low mortgage rates and buy bigger.

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Your Real Estate Blog: Don’t Skip the Research

Apr 27, 2021

I recently had an online conversation with an agent who stated that the use of real estate video for agents is the end-all, be-all, and he had the stats (from his own site) to prove it.

My research on video for real estate says that videos addressed to homebuyers aren’t popular.

In fact, when asked how they prefer to get their real estate information, buyers prefer website content (it came in first) and video came in last – behind open houses, according to your association’s research.

So, who is right?

Is it the guy who wrote a recent article, titled “Google Loves Video?” He’s pretty persuasive, citing studies that show “A video is 50 times more likely to appear on the first page of search results than a traditional web page.”

Wait.

That just doesn’t jibe with reality, at least not for all topics. See for yourself.

Enter any real estate term that a buyer may use into Google. How many of the results are in video form?

I find zero.

The author also quoted an SEO Moz study as well, telling us that “Blog posts that include video content attract 3 times more inbound links than posts without video.”

Thankfully, he linked to both studies so I could go take a look at them.

Guess what?

Both studies are from a decade ago. As you know, in the tech world, that’s a lifetime.

So, why did he have to dig so far back to get stats that support the use of video over text?

It turns out that he works for a video company, so he has an obvious agenda.

Therefore, this is just a friendly reminder to be very careful that you check the source and dates while researching information that you hope to publish on your website.

Step 1: To ensure you’re informed

The very first thing to do when researching the veracity of statistics is to learn about the author. I instantly distrust what the author is saying when there could be an agenda behind it.

Like when real estate agents warn readers not to sell their home without an agent. There isn’t anything wrong with that, per se, but ensure you have independent, unbiased sources to back up your claims. Avoid building even a shred of distrust with your audience.

So, dig into the statistics – how old are they? Who did the study?

In the case of the previously mentioned gentleman, recent statistics to prove his claims just don’t exist.

Step 2: Check your assumptions

It’s far too easy to blindly accept a statistic when it agrees with our assumptions. For instance, some of NAR’s highly touted stats about FSBOs are not only outdated but they’ve been debunked by university studies.

A Stanford University Economics Department study, for instance, found “no evidence that the use of a broker leads to higher average selling prices. . .”

Then there’s the study by the American Economic Review, a couple of years later, that showed that FSBOs who used FSBO websites made “at least as much for their homes” as did home sellers using an agent.

If you find yourself agreeing with a statistic because it agrees with your assumptions, it’s time to dig deeper. Even if it hurts.

Whether you’re reading a news story or an industry piece, RESEARCH is your best friend.

And, when it comes to your real estate content, the only good research is recent. Your clients (and your reputation) depend on your information to be accurate.

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1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

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How to Write Blog Articles That Inform Instead of Frustrate

Mar 2, 2021

Has this ever happened to you? Suppose you’re seeking the perfect recipe for apple crisp (or instructions on how to paint something, clean something, build something, etc.). You scour the internet, looking for those how-to blog posts with good reviews and, finally, you find it: the 5-star apple crisp recipe.

What should be a straight-forward list of ingredients and instructions is, instead, a 3,000-word discourse, starting with the author’s childhood reminiscences of the scents in gramma’s kitchen, tons of photos and, finally, if you manage to slog waaaay down to the bottom of the page, the actual recipe.

It’s posts like these that created the invention of Tl;dr (Too long; didn’t read). But, it’s not just the overly-long introduction that ticks off many a reader, it’s the fact that the title of it promised an answer to a question and then made us work hard to find the answer.

This is but one way bloggers can tick off their audiences. Since consistently blogging is the best way to gain organic online traffic to your real estate website, angering your readers is something you should avoid at all costs.

Let’s take a look at ways to do just that.

Who are you “talking” to?

Radio dee-jays are taught that, before they open the mic, they should picture their audience. One guy or gal, maybe driving, cooking dinner or working. The trick, they’re told, is that they should be talking to one person.

This works for writing as well. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. If you’re writing a blog post about an aspect of homebuying, write it to one homebuyer. Get inside his or her head, feel the confusion and angst and offer a solution.

Each post should have a very particular audience and address a specific solution or action for that person.

Skip the overtly sales stuff

There’s a time to market your business and this isn’t it. Blogging is meant to educate, entertain and build website traffic. Save the self-promotion for other areas of your website.

When it comes to real estate blogging, take a cue from Ernest Hemmingway: “Show the readers everything, tell them nothing,”

Yes, you’re the agent they should hire and because you are writing about what you know, your expertise will shine through without having to overtly state it.

The over-promise and under-delivery blogger

The headline and intro to your blog post are a promise to your reader: what follows is the solution.

If the solution is thin or weak, you’ve broken your promise. You’ve wasted the reader’s time. That kind of stuff frustrates people. They will find the answer–on someone else’s blog. Most likely, they’ll hesitate ever returning to yours.

The way to avoid over-promising and under-delivering is to keep your topic at the top of your mind while writing.

It’s ok to ride a stream of thought, as long as it’s in the first draft of your post. But to publish a post in which you’ve veered far off course is to break your promise.

Along with keeping focused on the topic:

Don’t confuse a blog post’s topic with its title. Keep focused on the topic while writing, but write the title last.” “Before you write your headline, you need to know you’ll back up the promise it’s making,” suggests James Chartrand at copyblogger.com.
Let the thoughts flow on the first go-round.
Allow the piece to sit for a time and then go back and read what you’ve written.
Ensure that the post delivers on its promise.

The last thing you want when trying to establish trust and credibility is to leave readers feeling deceived.

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And, remember, with Scheduled Campaigns, YOU DON’T PAY until the mailing goes out (cancel or change up until the night before mailing).

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Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”