Thursday, December 19, 2024

blog post

    Ok, so you aren’t the world’s most engaging writer. That’s why you hired a pro to write your marketing materials, including blog posts.

    Then, along came ChatGPT and many writers were quickly let go, and now the blogosphere is becoming cluttered with robotic content.

    Today we offer up some tips to keep in mind should you decide to use artificial intelligence to craft your blog posts.

    Always proofread the content before publishing

    There is a decided lack of a human touch in ChatGPT’s content. It also lacks the personalization and localization that resonates with readers. 

    The real concern, at least for agents who don’t proofread the blog posts before publishing them, is the accuracy of the content. 

    ChatGPT is updated periodically by what is known as a “knowledge update.” The most recent update (or “knowledge cutoff date”) was in March of 2023. Anything in the world that has happened or changed since April 2023 doesn’t exist to ChatGPT.

    Obviously, there is a good chance that the AI chatbot will produce inaccurate or outdated information. This is especially true in the current rapidly evolving real estate environment.

    TIP: Always proofread ChatGPT’s content and fact-check anything that appears to not be factual. 

    Your credibility is on the line here, so ensure that your “assistant” isn’t messing it up with misinformation.

    You may need to supplement the information ChatGPT provides

    ChatGPT may struggle to grasp the complexities of certain real estate topics, such as legal regulations, market analysis, and client-specific needs. 

    This is easy to remedy when you proofread. Look for definitions or concepts that need your expertise and/or insights so that the reader gets a complete understanding of what’s being discussed. 


    The Holiday Scheduled Campaign is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.

    What else to look for when proofreading your AI-generated blog posts

    Accurate Data: Ensure that any statistical information or market trends mentioned in the blog post are current and sourced from reputable sources.

    Local Relevance: Tailor the content to your market, highlighting unique features and attractions that resonate with local residents.

    Engaging Headlines and Introductions: The first few sentences of a blog post can either send the reader to the back button or capture their attention. 

    ChatGPT isn’t very good at creating compelling headlines or intros, so ensure that you change what’s necessary.

    Prompts to Help Generate Content:

    Prompts for ChatGPT are critical if you hope to get what you ask for when requesting a blog post.

    A prompt, for those new to the world of AI-generated content, “… is an instruction or discussion topic a user provides for the ChatGPT AI model to respond to,” according to Vincent Terrasi at searchenginejournal.com.

    I asked ChatGPT for some prompts that real estate agents could use when requesting a blog post and received curious answers.

    • “Explore the latest real estate trends in [specific city/neighborhood].”
    • “Highlight the top-rated schools and amenities in [specific area].”
    • “Offer expert tips for first-time homebuyers in [target demographic].”
    • “Share insights into the current seller’s market in [region].”

    As mentioned earlier, the chatbot has no way of knowing anything that is current, so only the third prompt is of any use.  

    “In conclusion” 

    When you see “in conclusion” at the end of an article or blog post you’ll know how it was written. It’s almost like ChatGPT’s signature. 

    Be different. Remove it.


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      Blogging consistently can become tedious, especially when you just can’t come up with decent topics that your readers will find compelling. You know – those blog post titles that, when posted to social media, have visitors stopping by your website to read the story.

      Fall, which started on September 21 this year, goes on until December 21 (based on the Farmers Almanac). So there’s still plenty of time remaining to write blogs about the season.

      We decided to lend a helping hand and give you some tips and ideas for your fall real estate blog posts.

      1.  Real estate blog posts shouldn’t be exclusively about real estate

      Surprised? Yes, valuable information about mortgage rates, market updates, buying, and selling is important. But post after post of open houses, new listings, and what your team is doing gets boring, really fast.

      Intersperse your real estate posts with hyper-local information. Not only is this, too, of value to your visitors but it’s good for SEO as well.

      A few ideas for posts that incorporate both real estate-related topics and hyper local information include:

      Fall curb appeal

      Fall Maintenance, Content Series

      Your listing clients who are putting their home on the market soon will appreciate this information.

      Don’t just give random tips, however, let them know where they can find the things they’ll need to get the job done, such as local hardware stores, home decorating stores, and the like.

      For instance, “You’ll find colorful fall plants at Joe’s Nursery at 122 Main St. in Anytown.”

      Fall home maintenance tips

      This one is especially good for your first-time buyers. It can be in checklist form, an infographic or text.

      Fall home décor trends

      Again, this is a common topic on agent websites, but we’ve seen only a handful of agents who wring out every last drop of hyper-local SEO from it.

      Visit decorating blogs for the tips and then point your readers to the local stores that carry similar items.

      2. Thanksgiving (November 28)

      Getting the most obvious topic out of the way up front: Thanksgiving alone can provide you with an endless supply of blog topics.

      Are restaurants in your area serving Thanksgiving dinner? Write a listicle, including dining hours, safety precautions the businesses will be taking and how to make reservations.

      In many markets, pre-made dinners have long been popular. If a grocer, restaurant, or other service is offering curbside pickup of Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings write a blog post (or add the information to the recommendation above)

      Here’s one: “4 Restaurants to Pick-up Curbside Thanksgiving Dinner in [name of market]”

      An excellent hyper-local topic directs the reader to non-profits that need help at Thanksgiving and all through the holiday season. Entire families often sign up to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the less fortunate. Ensure you get the address and contact information in there.

      A list of binge-worthy streaming movies with holiday themes.

      Netflix is offering:

      • Jingle JangleStarring Forest Whitaker and Phylicia Rashad, it starts airing on Netflix on November 13. Watch the trailer on YouTube.com.
      • The Knight Before Christmas—Vanessa Hudgens stars in this charming time travel-ish film. Catch the trailer here.
      • Bad Moms Christmas—With Katherine Hahn, Mila Kunis, and Kristen Bell. See the trailer on YouTube.com.
      3. Best fall hikes in [name of market]

      The air is brisk, crisp and cool – perfect for a hike. If you have a favorite local hike, write about it, otherwise, give a quick overview of hiking spots in your area.

      This one can lead to similar posts, such as:’

      • Best fall hikes with your dog in [name of market]
      • Best fall hikes with your kids in [name of market]
      Fall Curb Appeal, Content Series

      Get inspiration from denverbyfoot.com, sandiego.org, azcentral.com, and democratandchronicle.com.

      4. [Name of market’s] best attractions for out-of-town visitors

      Thanksgiving is a family holiday and some of us experience an annual flock of family members from out-of-town. “How will I keep these people busy?” is a question right there in the front of your website visitor’s minds.

      You may have to do some digging, but every town has interesting attractions to visit, from art galleries to museums and parks.

      Maybe some of these pieces will get your creative blog-writing juices flowing:

      Dcist.com – “25 Places To Take Out-Of-Town Visitors When They’re Done With The Mall”

      Sacramento.cbslocal.com – “Best Places to Take Your Out-of-Town Visitors”

      Timeout.com – “The best places to take out-of-towners in NYC”

      5. Fall daytrips

      Ok, so you came up empty with attractions in your tiny town. Suggest that your readers consider a day trip. To stay super hyper-local (and incorporate those juicy local keywords), feature destinations that are the closest to your market.

      Take a tip from some of these:

      6. Best places to warm up on a chilly fall day

      I don’t know about you, but I go out of my way to avoid Starbucks and I’m not alone. Write a piece about Starbucks alternatives for the rebels of the coffee-drinking world.

      These coffee shops are generally locally-owned and loaded with personality. Here’s an example:

      Rooster Coffee House – While coffee isn’t particularly known for helping one relax, Rooster Coffee House is. With a variety of different seating options, you can tuck yourself away in a corner to get some work done (free wi-fi) or enjoy the company of friends (socially-distanced, of course). Find Rooster Coffee House in Toronto at 343 King St. E, 479 Broadview Ave., 568 Jarvis St. and online at roostercoffeehouse.com.

      Now that we have you in the blogging mood, don’t forget to use the posts to drive traffic back to your site. Post them in your email newsletters and on social media.

      Fall Staging Tips, Content Series

      Happy fall!

      Send the Fall Staging Tips postcard from the Content Card Series to promote your new listing to the surrounding area.

      Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our prospect list tools to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

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