Top 10 Tips for Writing a Blog

Blogging is a fantastic way to get your opinion out there and get connected. Many agents are active bloggers and have become well known in their markets because of it; many are deriving great revenue streams as a result of the connections made through blogging. Some agents however, have no idea how to start or how to write a blog.

Here are propertyadguru.com’s Top 10 Tips for Writing a Blog.



1. Make your opinion known. This is your blog and your little page in cyberspace to use as you see fit. People read blogs to hear and learn what the author thinks. So tell them! The words do represent you however, (unless you write incognito which makes no sense if you are trying to attract new business through this method!), so you should express your opinion in a way that is inoffensive but clear.

2. Keep it short. Blog posts should be short and sweet, usually containing only one idea or thought. Think back to English classes at school where one paragraph = one idea. You’re better off blogging short pieces regularly than long pieces intermittently.

3. Include lots of keywords. These will help your blog be found by those searching for information and commentary on your particular topic. Litter your posts (and heading) with words that are relevant to your area of interest, but ensure the post still reads naturally.

4. Include lists. Where relevant, bullet points and lists make a post much easier to read and more memorable.

5. Give your blog a theme. Don’t let your blog have an identity crisis. Post on one topic (real estate, your local area, your business/service) and stick to it. Blogs with posts on all sorts of random topics often lose the interest of readers quickly and gain little from SEO. Prove to your readers that you are an expert in your particular field.

6. Write in your own voice. Don’t use PR or marketing speak and be mindful of sounding like you are expressing the opinions of your business (if you don’t own it!) by writing in ‘corporate talk’. Give your blog some character and personality.

7. Allow and moderate comments. Blogs are all about interactivity. No point posting if you can’t handle the response. Allow people to post comments and then make sure you answer questions in a timely manner, respond to both positive and negative feedback and stamp out defamatory or spam comments. Moderation tools and spam filters are helpful but nothing beats being on the ball and checking your comments regularly.

8. Timely commentary. If you are passing judgement or simply posting a comment about a recent newsworthy story, make sure you do it as quickly as possible once the story breaks. If you post about something that happened 2 weeks ago, you’ll look silly unless you have new information or a really sensational opinion.

9. Links. Create as many as you can within your posts. Link out to other web pages that are contextually relevant to your post.

10. Chicklets. Once you get people to your blog, you want them to come back repeatedly. The easiest way to do this is to allow people to subscribe to your feed. Chicklets are the icons that add your blog feed to feed reading services such as Feedster, MyMSN and Google. Make it simple to subscribe and your blog becomes simple to read.

And finally, just get going! Blogs are not blogs unless they’re out there on the web. Exercise the frustrated writer within!

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4. Is There a Right Time to Blog, Tweet and Post?
5. Your Blog – Own it and go Local
6. The Do’s and Don’ts of Blog Commenting
7. How Blog Comments Can Generate Leads
8. How to Choose the Right Title for Your Blog Posts
9. Boosting Your Blog with Google Insights
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