I have heard many real estate agents and brokers say that blogs are a waste of time, ineffective, just a bunch of people whining online...(and the list goes on). Then there are some (the few) that have embraced blogging and rant and rave about how much it has helped their business as well as them personally. So which one is it, "mumbo jumbo" or the "Real Deal" and an integral part of real estate moving forward?
Based on recently published Global Research Center findings, 68 percent of real estate agents will be focusing on blogging as a marketing tool in 2007.
But how many of those 68 percent will actually follow through and create a blog? How many of those that do will actually have a successful blog that has a shelf life of more than 3 to 6 months? And why are so many agents making blogging a part of their marketing plan?
The number of those that follow through will surely be less than half. It's like a New Year's resolution. You're all excited and pumped to get it done and then...notta, zilch, zippy.
As for the percentage that will have a successful real estate business blog (around for more than one year), you can count on 40 percent failing within the first year and 96 percent failing within 10 years (based on new small business statistics).
And agents are starting to see that real estate blogs can act as a lead generation tool, provide local and possibly national exposure for themselves and their listings, increase their credibility among consumers and are a tool to increase their knowledge of real estate and make them better at what they do, in turn providing their clients/consumers with better service.
Based on the real estate blogs I have come across and the success stories I have seen, read and experienced myself, I am a strong proponent of real estate blogs and believe that they are truly worth the time and effort they require. But that's just me. Blogging is not for everyone just like I stick with residential real estate and don't touch commercial real estate. Perhaps the agents and brokers that think it's "mumbo jumbo" don't understand real estate blogs or blogs in general and/or view it as a threat to their livelihoods because others are having success and taking business away from then.
But regardless of whether you are a "fit" for real estate blogging or whether you think they're "mumbo jumbo" or not, it's pretty clear that real estate blogs are becoming a part of the real estate industry for agents, brokers and consumers alike. With real estate blog readership numbers growing daily, I say it's the "Real Deal".
Related Posts/Sources: The Real Estate Tomato, "The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Dont Work and What To Do About It" by Micheal Gerber
UPDATE: Believe it or not, Realtor.org actually recognized blogs as an emerging technology and force to be reckoned with in 2007. Check out the article here that lists 5 of the most popular real estate related blogs around.
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