In the collective discussion that took place on this topic, there was lots of writing on why blogging helps you gain the trust of your audience, and how blogging helps you connect to your potential clients, but pinning down why they should care took some time to uncover.

Paula Henry from IndyRealEstateTalk.com broke through with the concept that a well executed real estate blog gives clients a sense of the agent “beyond the slogan.”

Many real estate agents use slogans such as:
“Knowledge Is Power”
“Service You Deserve. People You Trust”
“Experience Is The Difference”
“Always There For You”
“We Care”
“Your Local Expert”
…and so on.

Without the substance to back up these slogans, they are nothing more than sentences. Your clients and potential clients are in fact looking for an agent that has superior knowledge, rich experience, is trustworthy, offers excellent service, knows the area and cares about them.

It is through blogging that your audience is able to recognize that you are the embodiment of the aspects they are looking for in the agent that will guide them through the most important financial decision of their lives.

Knowledge:

Your ability to cover relevant subjects in well organized and rich articles reflects your knowledge first-hand.
This should matter to them.

Experience:

You deliver inexhaustible content around the topics that are relevant to your audience’s interests and concerns.
This should matter to them.

Care:

The act of regular blogging itself shows your interest, passion, and commitment to your clients’ education and understanding of their needs. In addition, it shows that same commitment to the development of your own education and business.
This should matter to them.

Local Expertise:

Delivering the scoop on local real estate trends – and – reporting on the community, one photo and one article at a time illustrates your roots.
This should matter to them.

Visibility/Accessibility:

The blog that is regularly updated illustrates an environment that is approachable. Dialogue involving the author in the comments illustrates participation and attention.
This should matter to them.

Internet Marketing Savvy:

Chances are, your current and potential clients do not blog. Your management and mastery of your broad online presence is impressive, and is the difference when they are judging your skills to embrace the internet as a marketing tool – the #1 most important tool in 21st century real estate.
This should matter to them.

If your (potential) clients do blog… well, now you have more in common than you could ever hope for: You’re both crazy.

Trust:

Of course, the above list clearly works towards building your clients’ trust. However, there are other avenues to streamlining that trust through blogging. Our next post will cover it in depth, but here’s a taste based on the banter in the Tomato Forum.
Courage To Expose
Publishing your thoughts online for the world to read and criticize.
The Effort to Demonstrate Reliability & Integrity
Bringing the facts, and boosting your accountability
Transparency of Personality
Your readers ‘get to know you’

Home buyers and sellers have a choice when selecting an agent to represent them during the purchase or sale of their most valuable financial asset. Rather than relying on static branding and ubiquitous online tools, seasoned real estate bloggers are able to illustrate their value to their potential clients through focused daily writing. Once a potential client has uncovered your blog, you have set the stage for winning them over.”

In this new century we are seeing 85% of buyers looking for houses online before ever speaking to a seller or REALTOR. This web savvy buyer is looking for more than the traditional REALTOR who is still deemed by many to know their job based upon how many listings the REALTOR has in The Real Estate Book.

These were points well made in favor of why a buyer/seller in today’s market needs a REALTOR with a web presence. Although it was meant for Real Estate Professionals, I thought that anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the future could get something from this as well.

Enjoy!