Real estate agents should value blogging if they want to develop a perpetual business model based on a specific type of client that is well informed, loyal and trusting.

While it has already been proven that a real estate company can be established solely around a successful Internet presence, most agents new to the web get caught up chasing social media shiny objects before they clarify their true purpose for getting online.

One of the first misconceptions agents make about blogging is that they approach their business blog like it’s an all-encompassing forum to journal their personal thoughts about life or evolution through social media technology.

However, the business-minded industry professionals that are able to keep their online content focused on providing valuable information for clients are actually quite successful at integrating an Internet presence into their daily office routine.

Quick Overview Of The Basics:

Simply put, a blog is just a type of website platform that is designed for the purpose of quickly publishing content to the Internet.

Categories, Tags, RSS Feeds, Page / Post structure, Widgets, Sidebar / Footer Areas and Custom Menus are some of the technical components of a blog that allow a publisher to easily organize their content in whatever manner best suites the needs of their target audience.

The actual technology behind some of these blogging platforms is getting so advanced that authors can effortlessly publish content by simply sending an email or even leaving a recorded message on a special 800 number.

Regardless of your learning curve when it comes to computers and gadgets, if your business involves sharing information with clients about products, services or anything else that may impact their decisions, then it is vital to your survival to start learning more about the blogging process.

Finding Your Purpose As A Real Estate Blogger:

It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a professional copywriter, the following six points are the main reasons real estate agents should care about blogging:

1.  Education

I believe that if home buyers were better informed about the real estate and mortgage process over the past 10 year we wouldn’t be overwhelmed with a foreclosure crisis.

While it may not be our actual “job” as industry professionals to teach our clients about the responsibility of home ownership, it is in fact our duty to break down this complex buying and selling process in a manner that people can understand.

Keep in mind that when home buyers get the fever for moving, most of them become obsessed with gathering information online.

So, if you’re not providing your clients with the most accurate and easily accessible data that they need, there is a high probability that someone else online is feeding them the wrong info.

2.  Communication

Constant communication is an important part of building trust and loyalty with clients and referral partners.

Frequently asked questions, market updates, rate changes and neighborhood happenings are relevant topics that can be published to your blog and then emailed out to specific groups of clients.

We’ve streamlined our client relationship building systems to the point where just about any question someone has can be quickly answered with a few bullets and a link to a specific article on one of our blogs.

3.  Equity

Growing your number of Fans, Friends and Followers in social networking groups may seem like its productive work, but online relationships don’t necessarily translate into true equity in your business.

Well, at least not in comparison to the type of perpetual equity that you can build with an authority blog that the search engines love to crawl and feature in the top ten results for important key phrases.

A seasoned domain name with thousands of links from other strong sites can be worth serious money, especially if it generates a significant amount of traffic from a targeted audience that translates into closed transactions for your business.

In addition to search engine strength, a niche blog that contains hundreds or thousands of articles takes a long time to build.

It’s the complete body of work that becomes so valuable to an agent or brokerage for recruiting and hiring.

4.  SEO / SEM

Search engines love frequently updated content.

And, if your articles get linked to from other industry related sites that are deemed trustworthy, the chances of your posts showing up at the top of the search results pages dramatically increases.

Blogs also require very little out of the box tweaking to ensure each page, post, category and tag are optimized so that the search engines know how to properly index your content.

From a unique permalink structure, to the customizable Meta Descriptions of every detail, it’s easy for an author to strategically place specific content directly in the path of their target audience on the search engines.

5.  Branding

While the other agents in your city litter homeowners’ mail boxes with postcards labeling themselves as “Local Market Experts,” you can actually prove it by providing valuable content on your own blog.

Whether you specialize in short sales, first-time home buyers, bank owned properties or high-rise condos, it helps to highlight your expertise by providing a wealth of valuable information on your site that speaks to the direct needs and anticipations of your potential clients.

It can be as easy as giving your insight and commentary on market news that may have a direct impact on the real estate decisions your clients are in the middle of contemplating.

6.  Targeted Marketing Opportunities

If you write it, they will come.

Choose your audience, write content that answers their specific “buying” questions and then offer solutions to their problems.

Since each client has a unique scenario, a blog will allow you to tailor your message to answer their individual needs.

Obviously, a successful blogging campaign takes time and dedication before you can move all of your business building activities online.

However, the lasting benefits are significant and well worth the investment for those agents that stick to a plan.

For new real estate bloggers, I recommend establishing your purpose, setting an achievable publishing schedule and then defining your target audience.

After that, simply load your blog up with excellent information that will prove to your readers that you are an undisputed expert in your niche.