6 Unprofessional Tips to Make Your Real Estate Blog Soar
Critics. You gotta love ’em. They’ve got a warning or harsh comment for anything that doesn’t align with their worldview.
Perhaps I should call them naysayers. Or old school diehards. Maybe taskmasters. Gruffy, but lovable.
Whatever name I give them, however, one thing is true: the hair on the back of their neck stands on end at anything that sniffs of unprofessionalism.
Take blogging, for example. A real estate critic–if you can get him on a blog–will write articles on open houses, listings and the market. He sticks to the party line like Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins: “Precision and order/ That’s all I ask.”
He gasps at a misspelling. Shakes his head at grammatical mistakes. And soils his pants at the mention he should consider writing about his daughter’s first day of school.
I have to confess: Todd Carpenter’s great article People Really Do Want You to Tweet About Your Cat inspired this blog post. In particular what he said about his Twitter topics of discussion during Connect 08–namely antics at an after party, who he wanted to go to lunch with and tequila drinking etiquette:
“Unprofessional? Yes. Absolutely unprofessional. That’s the point really.”
So what’s unprofessional behavior got to do with real estate blogging supremacy? Quite a lot. Let me show you how through these 6 tips.
Tip 1: Get Personal
If you’ve been exposed to social media at all, you’ve definitely heard this concept: Let your hair hang down. But it’s more than that. It’s about personality. Breaking the mold. Letting your spirit come through.
If you like stallions, mention stallions in your blogs posts. Draw stories and metaphors from your loves and passions. Show people you love something more than real estate. And land. And the economy. And money.
2. Be Vulnerable
Last year I wrote about the heart attacks Jet Blue lawyers probably had when their CEO publicly complained about his own company. That’s honesty. That’s vulnerability. And it’s credible.
Why is being credible and vulnerable important? Because of the soft stuff: Your reputation. What people think about you. That stuff compounds, even though we can’t track it. Stockpile whuffie and money will eventually arrive at your doorstep.
Tip 3: Display Passion
I love to see people who are enthusiastic. [Except maybe Anthony Robbins.] You can’t help to get hooked to their drive, their urgency, their energy. Look at Jay Sekulow or the guys at the Motley Fool. Their is no doubt they are alive. And love being alive.
The result? Their enthusiasim has drawn substantial followings.
Decide to be something more than a warm body in the blogosphere. Decide to be life. A light. Do it now.
Tip 4: Make Worry-Free Mistakes
At some point you are going to forget to dot an i or cross a t. Don’t worry. You may upset your English professor. You may drive Jim Cronin away. But like the late copywriter legend Gary Halbert [work safe video] said a long time ago, “You’re going to piss some people off no matter what. Ignore them. They’re not your audience.”
Tip 5: Fail Often
Jeremiah Owyang tells a story about his first presentation he gave for a client when he started working for Forrester Research. The presentation bombed. The client poo-pooed him. And his boss scolded him.
This would drive some people to want to live under their bed with a bottle of vodka and sleeping pills. Not Jeremiah. He failed. But he was okay with that. Why? He got over it and vowed never to do it again.
Moral of the story: Lunge out of your comfort zone. And learn. Growth will naturally follow.
Tip 6: Apologize Profusely
For the longest time I thought that people who apologized were sissies (what about you?). Apologies stank of weakness. Hmf. I thought it was enough I felt really bad on the inside. Problem is, no one can see your heart. Or hear your thoughts. You need to apologize. And loud.
Furthermore, when you do screw up, admitting you wronged someone will build magnificent bridges between you, that person, your base and their base…because your entire little affair will probably be blogged publically.
Nobody likes someone who stiff chins it and never admit he’s going the wrong path or said the wrong thing. So, get in the habit of asking for forgiveness. This is almost as productive and life-changing as the habit of gratefulness.
Conclusion
While this list isn’t exhaustive, I think it definitely sums up what four years of experience in blogging has taught me–sharing personal experiences on how to be a better professional will make you rise to the top.
The cascading formula is simple: Jakob Nielson wants you to write articles. Brian Clark wants you to add value. Todd Carpenter wants you to be personal. And I want you to be unprofessional.
Go on. Soar.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
How a Cocky, Obsessive CEO of GE Can Make You a World-Class Blogger
How to Create, Grow and Protect a Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
