If you’re a licensed real estate agent or a Realtor, you probably do several different things for marketing. This can include mailing postcards, open houses, emailing newsletters to your database, and probably posting on social media.
However, according to research, an individual-agent or personal blog is just as effective as all of those – or more so.
Don’t believe me?
In fact, Google searches for real estate-related keywords and terms have skyrocketed by 253% over the past four years, 90% of homebuyers are searching on the internet to start their house hunt. Maintaining a personal real estate agent blog, whether on your own website or a company website, is the best way to fill that void and connect with potential new clients.
So we know that you should write blog content regularly, but WHAT should you write about?
The good news is that today, we’re going to share the top-10 best-performing blog topics for Realtors.
Over a five-year period and several thousand real estate blogs, The Real Estate Marketing Bulletin tracked analytics of reader responses. They then formulated a scoring system based on the total number of page views, clicks, likes, comments, sharing, and other engagement metrics, called the Blog Engagement Score.
Written and crafted correctly, these blogs will yield Realtors the results they want: more leads, clients, and, ultimately, closed deals!
They concluded that there are the TOP-10 HIGHEST PERFORMING BLOG TOPICS for any real estate agent:
1. Neighborhood profiles
Home buyers aren’t just interested in a brick and mortar structure, but the lifestyle that their new home affords them. Therefore, blogs and profiles on certain neighborhoods score remarkably well with real estate audiences, who are looking to compare locations as much as houses. In these neighborhood-centric blogs, you can cover a
brief history, what it’s best known for, restaurants, parks and recreation, festivals and events, typical architecture, nearby amenities, commute times, and staple mom-and-pop businesses. Yes, you should also cover real estate market data and recent home prices.
Tip: You can even document famous people from that area, local trivia, and other interesting facts, but there are a few things that you CAN’T mention in these blogs (see below).
Blog Engagement Score 96%
2. Pointing out common mistakes (negative-slant themes)
What are the 10 mistakes first-time homebuyers make? What 5 mistakes cost sellers big bucks? Why should you avoid these landlord mistakes with your new rental properties?
Research shows that the human motivation to AVOID PAIN (in this case, usually wasting money but also time, energy, liability, etc.) is even stronger than our motivation to pursue GAIN. For that reason, blogs with a. negative spin, i.e., what NOT to do, or which mistakes NOT to make, perform surprisingly well with audiences.
Tip: Don’t be afraid to hit ‘em with the truth, because this is your one chance to scare them a little bit (to be helpful.)
Blog Engagement Score 92%
3. Local market update (including home values)
Do you specialize in a certain neighborhood, or have a marketing campaign “farming” a specific area? You should exhibit to your audience that you’re the authority on the matter, offering up-to-date and accurate data on home values, buying and selling information, and other pertinent housing and economic data.
Tip: I recommend drafting a Special Report every quarter with local housing data.
Blog Engagement Score 89%
4. How to make more money
Did I catch your attention already? Home ownership is the most significant lifetime investment for most consumers, so a lot is riding on getting it right. In fact, just by knowing how to fix up your home before selling, whether to stage or not, or knowing if it’s the right time to sell could put tens of thousands of extra dollars in your seller’s pockets. And for buyers, their choices are just as critical, so any information that helps inform and guide them towards a great home that will appreciate exceedingly well is invaluable.
Tip: Be specific. While “How to make more money when selling your home,” is fine, a blog with the title “How to increase your net profit by 1.5% in 3 easy steps when selling your home” will practically jump off the page at the reader (or jump off the computer screen.)
Blog Engagement Score 87%
5. Ways to save money
Seriously, who DOESN’T like to save money? Blogs that offer money-savings tips around the house, strategies to cut ener
gy costs, how to save when it comes to home buying or selling, and even how to get the best contractor for the best price will pull in a very thankful audience. In fact, it will be clear to them just by your headline, lead sentence, and accompanying image that they’re actually going to waste money by not clicking and reading your blog!
Tip: If your target demographic is people with means, then saving money may not resonate as much. However, people in higher income brackets ARE constantly interested in saving time, reducing liability, and also other more actualized concerns, such as having green homes that leave a smaller environmental footprint.
Blog Engagement Score 84%
Important! What NOT to write about!
Before you start writing blogs rapid-fire and sending them out, remember that there are certain things Realtors are prohibited from talking about. For instance, the Fair Housing Act was enacted in 1968 to help eliminate housing discrimination by urging certain people to live in certain neighborhoods.
Therefore, you CAN’T write about school systems, crime rates, race, religion (including nearby churches and places of worship), politics, demographics, (great young couples, etc.), family status (perfect for singles, bachelor pad), or disability. But if asked, you CAN direct them to impartial third-party resources like an article online, a title company guide, or other tools.
Consult our broker or state or local Realtor organization for regulations and statutes, but always stay within bounds of the law – especially when you’re putting information in writing.
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Look for part two, with the next five top performing blog topics for Realtors that will bring in plenty of new leads and clients!