Easy Listing Leads from Your Next Blog Post
Here’s a free blog post you can use to generate high quality seller leads.
However, remember blogging isn’t going to overwhelm you with leads. You’ll pick up a lead or two a month that you otherwise wouldn’t have. So I want you to be realistic. If it adds 3-4 transactions a year to your total it’s worth a few minutes a week to put this source to work for you.
So here’s a free “copy paste” blog post. Again, all we ask is that you maintain our citation as the source.
=== Copy From Here ===
Why Waiting Could Cost You Thousands of Dollars Extra When Selling Your Home!
At the risk of sounding cliché, the old adage “The early bird catches the worm” definitely applies to selling your home. Those who get started early tend to sell for more money in a shorter time.
There are three basic reasons.
Reason #1 – Buyers doing research in early spring are generally more serious about buying soon. As the weather gets nicer, it tends to pull a lot of folks who’ve been thinking about buying into the process. They’ve been thinking and planning the move all winter, so when sunny days hit, people start driving around looking at homes in their target areas.
Reason #2 – Sellers who get started early tend to generate a higher sale price because the increased demand, with more buyers in the market, typically helps generate better offers. So be sure to get your home in tip top shape for showing ASAP!
As most good agents will point out in their listing presentations, the typical home has anywhere from 5-15 items, ranging from minor issues to major improvements that need to be addressed before putting a home on the market.
So get focused on knocking these things out ASAP, because the last thing you want is to be working on your home while the best buyers are buying and being taken out of the market.
We’ve all heard, “Timing is everything.” Well, in selling a home that’s often true. The best buyers, the ones who will offer you highest sale price, tend to be drawn out of the market early.
So prepping your home for sale sooner than later, is a good idea.
Reason #3 – Getting started right now allows you to research, educate yourself on market conditions, and find out who’s doing a great job of listing and selling houses in your area.
You’ll gain understanding of the market and narrow your list of potential agents, enabling you to mentally and emotionally prepare. Selling your home can be a roller coaster ride of emotions and choosing a quality agent, someone who will be your trusted advocate, goes a long way towards smoothing out all the potential bumps in the road.
So to recap, getting started right now will help you in many ways. You can knock out all the prep work. You can do your research. And most important, it positions you to have the best possible chance to sell your home quickly and for the most money.
As always, if there is anything at all I can do to help you, please feel free to call me at 1-555-555-5555. The conversation is always free and you’re under no obligation of any kind. My entire objective in our conversation is always to help you in any way that I can.
Also, to help you with some of these important steps in preparing your home for sale, I’d like to invite you to receive our special free report, “11 Things You’ll Need to Know to Pass a Home Inspection.” Just call the recorded message anytime 24 hours a day and I’ll get that report out to you ASAP!
===== To Here =====
If you’re an agent reading this feel free to call the recorded message line. It’s an automated demonstration that will show you how this little ad on Craig’s List, your Facebook page, your web site, a local throwaway newspaper, your farming newsletter, a postcard or virtually any other marketing source can have you actually talking with sellers immediately!
I’m not talking about capturing a lead, calling them back and interrupting their dinner. I’m talking about having a live conversation with them immediately, right when they call, while they’re interested and have questions.
Yes, we also capture their lead information for you to follow up. However, what’s even more important is talking to them live, as they inquire. It increases your conversion rates 3-5X or more.
Would you rather interrupt people in the middle of something, barge into their lives and attempt to strike up a real estate conversation…or talk with them while they’re actually interested and want to talk?
Based on our clients feedback, catching people at the right time increases your chances of having a meaningful conversation by 300-500%! So check it out!
It’s 1-800-959-6550 Ext 7505 – 24 Hours
Call and it will show you how we help you break down the voicemail barrier and actually talk with sellers while they’re actually interested and want to talk.
That said…
Feel free to use this blog post with or without the ad. If you don’t have our MVR service, just post it without the ad. If you do have our MVR service, publish this blog post with that ad and watch your blog leads pick up substantially!
Until next time here’s to your success!
All the best,
Gary Elwood
President/CEO
Proquest Technologies, Inc.
An Easy Free Lead Source
In our last post we talked about blogging and got quite a few replies. One of the most common was, “I’d like to blog but I don’t know what to write.” and/or “I just don’t have time for something that only returns modestly.”
Well if you fall into that category I’ve got some good news. We’re planning on publishing a ready-made blog post for you right here every 2-3 weeks. The goal is to put out 20 free “copy-paste” blog posts for you right here.
Just copy, paste and publish. You might need to tweak the language slightly to reflect your given market, but 99% of the heavy lifting will be done for you. All I ask is that you maintain our citation as the source.
So here’s your first blog post of 2015, if you so choose…
=== NOTE ===
This post is no longer available for syndication. However, if you would like a free piece of content crafted uniquely for your site and your audience, fill out the brief form below.
======
If you’re an agent reading this feel free to call the recorded message line. It’s an automated demonstration that will show you how this little ad on Craig’s List, your Facebook page, your web site, a local throwaway newspaper, your farming newsletter, a postcard or virtually any other marketing source can have you actually talking with sellers immediately!
I’m not talking about capturing a lead, calling them back and interrupting their dinner. I’m talking about having a live conversation with them immediately, right when they call, while they’re interested and have questions.
Would you rather interrupt people in the middle of something, barge into their lives and attempt to strike up a real estate conversation…or talk with them while they’re actually interested and want to talk?
Based on our clients feedback, catching people at the right time increases your chances of having a meaningful conversation by over 1000%! So check it out!
It’s 1-800-959-6550 Ext 5505 – 24 Hours
Call and it will show you how we help you break down the voicemail barrier and actually talk with sellers while they’re actually interested and want to talk.
That said…
Feel free to use this blog post with or without the ad. If you don’t have our MVR service, just post it without the ad. If you do have our MVR service, publish this blog post with that ad and watch your blog leads pick up substantially!
Until next time Happy New Year!
All the best,
Gary Elwood
President/CEO
Proquest Technologies, Inc.
Should You Be Blogging?
Once you’ve read this post reply and let me know if you agree or disagree with our thoughts on blogging.
Tons of people have been touting blogs as this awesome business building tool. Yet, others seem to feel blogging is a complete waste of time.
Who’s right?
After dozens of conversations, searching high and low for good information on real estate blogging, and reflecting on my own experiences, our feeling is you should probably have a blog on your web site.
However…
You need to keep it in the proper context, just like social media. Don’t get sucked into wasting tons of time on something that typically only produces a modest trickle of business.
See the vast majority real estate blogs are very poor traffic or lead generators.
However, a blog can be a solid source of quality leads if you craft relevant messages and then lead your prospects to take action.
Frankly, the idea that you should be the ultimate “community resource” with your blog is unrealistic. There are too many good community web sites who already control most of that traffic. To compete for that traffic isn’t practical.
So what’s more important is to focus all your energy on what’s relevant to those blog readers you do attract.
You’re a real estate agent and when people read your blog they are reading it for a reason. Therefor it’s okay to talk about real estate.
Keep the focus narrow and all about your visitor’s wants and needs. Again, stop trying to be all things to all people with your blog. Ask yourself…
What’s the goal?
It should be the same goal as every other marketing channel you have, to create a live conversation with someone who’s interested in buying or selling real estate, right?
So how do you do that with your blog?
Stop posting recipes, pet stories, or funny happenings from the county fair.
Sure, those things can be interesting. But the fact is most people will never bookmark your blog or see it as their go-to source for local info.
Instead, take that brief moment of opportunity, while your prospect is reading, and convey something that’s highly relevant to their buying or selling decision.
In that moment do everything you possibly can to get that prospect to respond to you, because when they leave your blog…
They are GONE!
Thinking they’re going to come back is delusional. Your mom might. Your close friends might a couple times…but the prospects of your market…nope.
The prospects of your market are hit and run artists. They hit your site, they hit you blog, and they run.
So while they’re there you’ve got to focus every ounce of marketing energy you’ve got on getting them to respond to you!
If you waste your one and only chance…well…good luck!
Quit trying to play the big content company’s game posting every day.
Forget it.
The better approach is to post highly relevant articles once every 2-3 weeks and get prospects to respond to you so you can have a live conversation. Then meet them for coffee or get them to come to your office.
The bottom line is if you don’t talk to people…they don’t do business with you!
So when you’ve got a prospect’s attention…focus all your resources on getting them to a live conversation with you.
Create a “call-to-action” that causes them to respond to you for more information, and then guide them down the path that leads to an immediate conversation.
Emailing, texting, or pinging them on social media is NOT a conversation!
You’ve got to engage prospects and lead them down the path most likely to create a live conversation immediately! If you don’t these hit and run artists, ‘er I mean prospects, are instantly lost – back into the sea of Internet noise.
There are 5 basic steps to crafting a highly effective call-to-action, regardless of your marketing source.
To help you with bring it all I’ve put together a special free report “Five Simple Steps to Successful Lead Generation,” because the fundamentals of lead generation via your blog are the same as any other marketing source.
So if you want to ramp up the number of buyers and sellers in your pipeline you can check out that report here…“Five Simple Steps to Successful Lead Generation”
Happy Holidays!
Gary Elwood
President/CEO
Proquest Technologies, Inc.
PS Don’t forget to reply to gary@proquesttechnologies.com and give me your thoughts on blogging.
6 Daily Habits That Will Make Your Blog Better
Creating good content is probably the biggest challenges that real estate agents face. Is that true for you? If so, let’s look at six habits you can adopt to help you create better content–more often.
Habit 1: Write
First things first. You need to sit down and write. You need to write without distraction. You need to write without the internal editor whispering in your ear.
Block off a half hour where you sit down with a blank screen and write. Try to get 1,000 words a day. If that sounds impossible, start with 100. Do that for a week, then bump it up to 200. Do that until you reach 1,000.
Habit 2: Make a List
Again, with the internal critique wearing a muzzle, knock out a top ten or twenty list. “On what?” you ask. It could be anything. Top ten stupid things you do before 9 in the morning. Top twenty reasons why every real estate agent should hold more open houses. Dig into your experience. Think of things that have annoyed you. Look for connections between the economy and your market. Draw associations between the news and your market. And then write a list.
Habit 3: Research
Your copy that you wrote and the lists that you create are probably not that solid. You need to find some research to back up your thoughts. You need to find some examples to support your ideas.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be something that you pencil in everyday. You could include this work in your daily activities–whether checking trade journals or browsing through your Twitter stream–keep an eye out for ideas.
Habit 4: Edit
This is probably the hardest habit to master. Editing is an art. It’s not something that you can do with great success overnight. It takes years to develop an eye for what you should and shouldn’t keep. To pick up on more effective ways to re-organize your content. You could hire a high school intern to be your editor or, if you are the DIY type, pick up some books on the topic. EB White’s Element of Style is a must. So is Joe Sugarman’s Advertising Secrets of the Written Word.
Habit 5: Promote
Once you’ve got a post in good enough shape where you feel comfortable publishing, share that post with your social media platforms: Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. And don’t just do it once and call it a day. Go back and re-tweet content you wrote last month. And don’t forget to share other people’s content, too. Serve the community–not yourself.
Habit 6: Monitor Metrics
The last habit you need to get into is measuring your efforts. What should you look at? Number of comments, likes, tweets, visits to the page. These numbers might be low to begin with but don’t worry–they’ll get better.
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.
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Six Video Interviews to Drive More Traffic to Your Website
As I a follow-up to my last post, I wanted to make another suggestion on how you can pay kindness forward…
But I also wanted to share a conviction that I hold firmly, and it’s this: when you do good things to others good things will happen to you.
Call it karma, destiny, aura, fate or kismet–it’s a concept that holds true. Especially if you keep your eyes peeled for it.
But what does that have to do with your real estate career or your website? A lot. Giving to others is a great strategy to attract business. And it’s a great strategy to drive visitors to your website.
What kinds of things am I talking about giving away? Advice. Video advice to be precise. This was an idea that Steven Schweickart shared yesterday. It’s a great idea and I wanted to expand on it.
It’s a pretty simple concept and drop-dead simple. In fact, if you’ve got an iPhone, then you’re pretty much in business.
The idea is this: interview people who are involved in the real estate and home business. Ask them to give advice on a very specific topic. Then pop that video on your website.
Here are six ideas you can use.
Interior Designer
Ask an interior designer to share advice on essential staging tips for people who are trying to sell. Maybe they could tell you how to make a small space look large. Or what to do with problem areas.
Mortgage Broker
The mortgage broker could tell your audience about the different financing options available.
Landscaper
This expert could point out inexpensive ways to create curb appeal for people who are selling. For home owners, he could share tips on lawn care in extreme weather.
Rehabber
Get a hold of someone who buys homes, rehabs them and then sells him to tell you about what you must do to get started rehabbing homes. He could also explain what makes a home a good deal when looking to buy.
Investor
Have an investor share his thoughts on buying homes for investment purposes, like what are the best ways to go about doing just that and what are the advantages of renting.
Home Repair
Invite someone who does home repair projects–builds decks, lays wood floors, fixes sinks.–to share cost-cutting ideas to improve an owner’s home.
By the way, keep the interview under four minutes. Anything longer than that and you lose people. This means you’ll need to do a little video editing.
Your Turn
What about you? Do you have anybody you can think of who should be interviewed? What kind of questions could people ask? Looking forward to your thoughts.
How to Spot a Bad Blog
I’ve been writing a lot lately on social media. Frankly, the reason is because that seems to be the topic real estate agents want to know about most.
Case in point: A couple days ago I wrote a post in responses to a question by a reader: 7 Correct Ways Real Estate Agents Should Use Social Media.
After that post, I find myself wanting to write about the topic more. But come at it from the other direction, while focusing just on blogs.
So here’s six ways to tell if you or someone else has a bad blog.
1. Writer Behind the Blog Is Dull
The problem here is that the blogger is just flat-out boring. You know, talks about things other people don’t care about–the fine print on a contract, tax law or himself. The last one is the worse…and a sure killer of anyone reading your blog on a daily business. Or maybe he’s just a bad writer.
2. No Engagement
This blogger posts and then disappears. Someone might comment with a sincere question…and all he hears is crickets. Bad. Bad blogger. Instead, he should, as much as possible, treat every person who comments on his blog like royalty. Having a one way conversation is enormously annoying.
3. Isn’t Very Smart
…or experienced. You can spot these bloggers because they make rookie social media mistakes like the above…or try to generate a huge following early on by spamming prospects or using auto devices…or maybe write a wall of text that’s nothing but a run-on sentence. The list goes one.
4. Doesn’t Have Data
A bad blog will spout opinions and substantiate nothing. In addition, the blogger will stiff arm people who disagree by attacking their character rather than there arguments. Also, they may just delete comments they don’t like. Bad blogger. Bad.
5. No Links in His Blog Posts
Bad bloggers don’t share links on their blogs. Either because they don’t know or are simply too lazy. Either way, they are not sharing in the conversation. There are other great ways to share blog posts…but links in your own blog does wonder for building community with like-minded bloggers. Besides, you might need the help in the future.
6. Isolates Himself from the Blog Community
Blog communities grow over time. Only, however, if you avoid the last five mistakes. Otherwise you are doing nothing but talking to your self. That means if you visit a blog with articles that do nothing but talk about the blogger, ignores the comments and is without links, data or intelligence, you, my friend, have stumbled upon the mountain man blogger. Or the hermit. Leave him alone. Immediately.
So what other bad behaviors have you seen in terrible bloggers? Please share! And by the way, got a topic you’d like me to write about? Let me know what it is. I’d love to take a crack at it.
Did you find this article helpful? If so, leave a comment or subscribe to this real estate marketing blog.
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7 Correct Ways Real Estate Agents Use Social Media
Do you know what a good real estate blog looks like? Could you spot an influential social media marketer? And what makes a real estate agent like Trey Pennington a successful online networker?
If you answered “no,” “no” and “I don’t know” to the previous question, then this blog post for you.
While social media is not a barn-burning profit maker…it is a great tool to emphasize who you are [personal brand] and what you are trying to do [business strategy].
The bad news is if you don’t know how to use social media properly you could foul up your personal brand and hose your business strategy down the drain.
But the good news is you can learn how to use social media correctly. Just mirror these seven traits of successful blogs.
1. Personality
The person behind a great blog or Twitter stream is exciting, risky, interesting and perhaps even flamboyant. In other words, he or she stands out. And the cool thing about social media, even introverts can stand out.
2. Engagement
You need to interact with the people who read your blog or follow your Twitter stream. This means responding to comments. Replying to tweets. Sharing links.
3. Unfiltered
While not a must, the more fluid communication flows [comment moderation on your blog isn’t on] the more real and personal and authentic the social media tool seems.
4. Intellegence
Another trait behind successful social media mavens is smarts. Book smarts. Street smarts. Business smarts. Marketing. Writing. Real estate. It doesn’t matter in what field their wisdom lies…as long as they share. [So if you aren’t wise, start reading. That’s a simple solution.]
5. Data
Original research and analysis is a great draw. Can you share first-hand discoveries you found after a simple, informal survey you took in the shopping mall parking lot? Got a bead on a statistic you churned out after burning housing data through software programs all night? Share it.
6. Links
You add value to your followers when you share links in your blog posts and Twitter and Facebook streams. You also support other people in the social media community, which builds your whuffie [reputation].
7. Builds Community
The endgame for successful real estate social media is community building. Drop the cut-throat, scarcity mindset and get comfortable with working and supporting everyone. [Naturally, the scum of the earth you can avoid.]
Did I miss anything? Please share your thoughts!
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing blog.
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Gimpy Website? 5 Techniques to Create a Killer One
Okay. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you’re a real estate agent, you probably have a website.
No surprise there.
But let me go even further out on that limb and say you’re probably not sure if it’s a good website or not…
First of all, you’re not sure if people are actually making it to your site. Second, you’re not sure if the people who are finding your website or blog are actually finding what they need.
Am I right?
To make matters worse, it costs money to host your website or blog. [Not a lot. But if you’re not making money, even a little money is hard to lose, right?]
You’ve got two options, really. Ditch the hobbling website/blog or make it kick butt.
If you answered “make it kick butt,” then you’ve come to the right place.
1. Make It Big, Simple and Short
People come to a website for one reason and one reason only: To get information. They’ve got a burning question or need–“how do I stage my home?” or “I need to sell…now!”–and you’ve got to answer that question or satisfy that need.
Fast.
See, people won’t look long or hard. More than likely they’ll skim and scan web pages. That’s why you need to make everything you write clear and concise. And the most important details must stand out.
If you want them to call you for a free consultation…spell it out loud and clear on your home page. In fact, every page should include a call to action.
2. Know Thy Audience
Who are you writing for? You should know your audience. And know them well. Only then will you be able to convey a message that will reach prospects personally. Find out what your audience wants to know…and then write to them specifically.
3. Empty Your Home Page
This may surprise you, but your home page should NOT contain the bulk of your information. Your home page is more for branding and encouraging people to find what they are looking for deeper in the site.
The links and short descriptions on your homepage should be clear enough that the reader doesn’t have to guess where they’ll end up. Bottom line: Simplify your home page.
One more thing: It is always helpful to have a search box. It makes the reader feel more comfortable on your site.
4. Think Pathway Pages
Your pathway pages [pages channeling off your home page] contain the answer to your reader’s question–they exist as a path to your reader’s ultimate destination.
Clarity is key here as you drive them deeper, with more specific information. And keep in mind, it doesn’t really matter how many click-thrus you have until your destination, as long as the path is extremely clear along the way.
Also, don’t forget that call to action on every page.
5. Prevent Reader Overload
When thinking about how long to make a web page, think about what the reader is looking for: Are they going to print this page out? Is this too much information?
If it’s too much information on one page, consider breaking your pages down into topics and sub-topics.
By the way: Use PDFs sparingly. PDFs are miserable to read online. They should only be used when a reader needs all the information on the document.
And if you must use a PDF, warn the reader.
Conclusion
Okay, you’re making your website or blog drop-dead easy to find and use. But is it compelling?
If you need help deciding exactly what you should say on your blog or website then join us next week where we’ll look at six guidelines to help you focus your essential message so it’s clear, concise and compelling.
Did you find this article helpful? If so, leave a comment or subscribe to the real estate marketing blog.
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Your Real Estate Career: 9 Ways Blogging Can Help You
Is blogging right for you?
While I’m a big fan of blogging as a way to get content online, I don’t think it’s the ULTIMATE way of having a web presence for real estate agents.
Why? Simple. Blogs don’t suit every personality.
You might be a writer. Then again, you might not be.
You might be a good communicator. And you might not be.
You might prefer speaking over writing. Or not.
You might be a self-starter. Or not.
You might be starved for time. Or not.
You might have thick skin. Or not.
You might enjoy reading. Then again, maybe not.
You might have the stamina. Or not.
Where you fall in these two columns depends on lots of factors, but namely your personality. In other words, you have to decide that for yourself if blogging fits your personality.
However, if you’ve come to that point in your career that blogging, indeed, suits your personality, then this post is for you. Here are nine ways in which blogging can help you and your real estate career.
1. Attract a New Market.
No surprise here, but the new savvy home buyer and seller is online. Googling for homes to buy. And real estate agents to work with. And more.
People are also searching for answers. You have to be the person who answers those questions.
2. Dominate Search Results.
So, a blog will allow you to write content about how to buy a home, stage a home or finance a home…typical needs home buyers and sellers have.
In other words, you write posts about ways you can help people.
And you want a page from your blog to appear in the top ten of search results. More pages with more inbound links equals greater chance you land on that coveted first page for that keyword. That’s how you dominate search results.
3. Establish Your Authority.
Published online content–at first blush–equals instant credibility. But there’s more to it than this. I’ll explain in a minute.
4. Sharpen Your Writing Skills.
Within four seconds people decide if the page is worth their time and attention. The more you write, though, the better you become. And people start to recognize your talent. Thus, your credibility grows.
5. Engage Your Prospects in a Wider Discussion.
Did you touch upon an issue in a meeting you would’ve liked to have gone deeper but couldn’t because of time? Blog it.
Local issue that’s abuzz in your community? Blog about it.
Then there’s popularity contest you could play. A sure winner for drawing readers.
6. Clarify Points.
Maybe you said something in a networking event or negotiations that wasn’t clear. Or drew criticism. Blog it. Systematically and clearly. Why? See point 4.
7. Do More.
Wanna start a discussion about a topic but don’t want to mess with the logistics of actually bringing warm bodies together? Blog it.
You can use your blog as a forum and invite your prospects to join a certain topic–new development or a slumping market. Think online small group.
8. Build a Reputation.
This is similar to authority. The difference is that authority is instant credibility. The certificate you see on the wall certifies your doctor is legit. That’s authority. Your best friend raving about the best MD in town…that’s reputation.
You want both.
9. Stretch Your Skill Set.
Launching a blog is easy. Still, it contains challenges and new ground to cover–from the hard [minor technical tweaks] to the soft [replying to criticism].
Thus, rounding out your real estate career set with blogging skills can be an added bonus for younger generations who grew up with blogging and social media. Something to consider.
Please note that these are in order from what I think is most important to the least important. Building an online presence and generating more traffic is a good reason to start a blog. Better than simply stretching your skill set.
But they’re all good things–both professionally and personally.
I’m sure there are plenty of other reasons why or ways that blogging can help your real estate career. Can you share some?
Did you find this article helpful? If so, leave a comment or subscribe to the real estate marketing blog.
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Real Estate Blogging: 14 Profound Ideas to Increase Links to Your Blog
Linkbait. Just sounds evil.
But it’s not. It’s nothing more than a label for a content-rich, useful blog content…a blog post that people not only love to read, but more importantly, share.
“Once a great site, great application or trendy post is written about somewhere, it gets picked up and dragged across the web. Social tagging and popularity ranking sites (like the aforementioned Digg & del.icio.us) help to give the document massive visibility to hundreds of sheep-like content creators, who’ll happily link to you.” Linkbaiting for Fun and Profit
In the end, linkbaiting is a beautiful thing. It bring you traffic. Attention. Subscribers. Prospects. And ultimately clients.
So, just launch just one of these linkbait ideas on your blog a month for a year…and there’s a good chance you’ll develop a large following.
Web 2.0 Applications
While mashups, maps and community-like apps tend to be shoe-ins for easy link bait, there’s a hitch. Not for the faint of heart. You must be–or must know–a software engineer. Greg Swann is the king here on this.
Collaborate on Blog Posts
Connect with some other bloggers to create content that’s useful, unique, urgent and ultra-specific. With multiple authors, you tend to get links from their sites to your site, thus drawing their audience to your site.
Expose Wicked Deeds
Uncovering a scandal is sensational. Somewhat suspect. At times, down right dirty. But oh so loved by everyone. Now, having said that, please…be professional. Expose the deed. And don’t make a judgement call. In fact, ask your audience what they think.
Top 10 Lists
Think David Letterman. Numbered lists with tips, advice and steps are great for drawing traffic and links. And it doesn’t have to be 10. It can be 100. Or even 1,000.
Real Estate Related Humor
Everyone–even the top-notch serious–need to bust a rib every once in awhile. But as with “Exposing Wicked Deeds” make sure you use your noggin’ here. Common sense should tell you NOT to use stereotypes or crude language.
Reviews of Events
Reviews of pubcrawls, conferences, product launches, speeches or seminars are exceptional examples of linkbait.
Interviews with Insiders
In today’s globally connected world, emailing an insider is a cinch. Frankly, you don’t have an excuse not to do this. It’s that easy. My recommendation: Email about five people. You raise your chances of getting a response from at least one. And if all five respond–you’ve just got yourself a series.
Surveys or Collections of Data
Survey Monkey makes collecting data child’s play. Simply whip up the survey and post the link. Within days you’ll have a smidgen of data you can build a good post around.
Film or Animation
This is a stretch…but worth a thought since videos tend to be easy targets for going viral. Make it real estate related, and you’re liable to wind up on a high-caliber web site. That’s a promise.
Charts, Graphs or Spreadsheets
For those closest Excel addicts, this is your chance. But don’t forget: you must examine and analyze the data. A summary is imperative. Otherwise you come across as a numbers snob.
High Profile Criticism
Target someone or something that’s in the spotlight–and do a good, honest job of it–and you’re likely to draw links out of the woodwork.
Contests, Giveaways and Competitions
This may smack of coupon cutting (that is, low brow), but numbers and research are not on your side if you resist this idea: Contests, giveaways and competitions draw people. An insane amount of people.
Trend-Spotting
There’s an art to trend setting. Or a science. Whatever you think it is, the bottom line is that it takes time. But picking up on a story before everyone else–even if it’s not identified at first–will make you a star. Just ask Matt Drudge.
Advice from Multiple Experts
If you’re creating an article that offers advice, pulling opinions from the well-known experts in the industry is a great way to make sure links flow your way. The experts themselves will often be inclined to link.
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