I can go home happy now. In just one short morning spent in the Palace Hotel Gold Room, I learned how to write the Perfect Blog. No one person has the answer, of course, but by aggregating the wisdom shared by the collective mind of the blogging greats who spoke to us this week, I have the fail safe recipe for blogging infamy and success. I won’t name names, but following are the essential ingredients according to the blogging Who’s Who:
- Blogs should be short. Readers are Scanners (they are busy, busy people), and five paragraphs in size is the ABSOLUTE MAX. Otherwise, you will… What was I saying? Oh, yeah. You’ll lose your… What do you call them? Readers. Do I smell pot roast?
- Avoid being self-congratulatory. No particularly reason given, but we can take the leap that nobody likes a braggart. As one who has never been recognized nor been the recipient of a prestiguous honor, ever, I totally agree.
- Focus on the consumers, not on the agents. The consumers should never see healthy discourse among agents. Where’s the fun in that? Much better to have a site where you receive, oh, zero comments on a lengthy (five paragraph MAX) position statement on the value of hiring a top-producing neighborhood specialist. If people enjoyed voyeurism and lurking, they would frequent porn sites.
- Make sure your title and your content are Keyword Rich. Whether you aspire to dominate San Diego real estate or the picnic catering industry in Maricopa County, you should pick words that work toward that end. An expert who does this stuff for a living said (and I am not making this up) that, within 6 months, my blog should be getting 2,000 unique visitors a day. After 15 months, I am just 1974 shy of that number. (Self derogatory comment alert! 5 Bonus Points awarded for achieving #2 above).
- Use tons and gobs and bizillions of pictures. See #1 above (Technorati Tag: Attention Deficit Disorder).
- Use Technorati Tags. See #3 above. The consumers are all searching on Technorati for the best real estate agent in (name your city). The guy who lives two blocks from you, the one who sees your yard signs, receives your mailers, and picks up your flyers, the one who is most likely to actually HIRE you, is most definitely searching on Technorati. How else would he stumble on your site, the site of a rarely acknowledged and only moderately talented participant in the online industry discussion? (I’ve got this Rule #2 thing down).
- No personal chit-chat, EVER! “Your personality and your voice are interesting; you are not”. This is a direct quote. Trust me, it’s true. Ask my two teenaged daughters when they return, respectively, from Volleyball Camp and a Rotary International sponsored exchange program to Cairo, Egypt. They will definitely confirm that I am in no way interesting.
- The majority of people surveyed (it was a dead heat, according to the snappy Power Point presentation) want blogs to be either humorous or sassy/edgy. In other words, this is Show Biz! Take my Blog, please! Your Mamma!
- The majority of people surveyed (it was a landslide) want content rich in statistics. (Margin of error = 8%, standard deviation = 1.5, your mileage may vary).
- Don’t talk about blogging! It’s the dirty little secret. Shh! Not a blog… no siree. Just a computer talking.
This is overwhelming to me. Next up, I will attempt to write the Perfect Blog, And by that I mean, a piece of journalistic voice demonstrating my humble yet well-intended commitment to whimsically convey information useful to those seeking to acquire insight into the San Diego home buying and selling process, in a visually pleasing format, which will exponentially increase the consumer’s chances of landing in the 95th percentile of the knowledge base.
Technorati Tags: blogging, connectsf, best San Diego real estate agent in the universe, Inman, blogging with gobs of pictures, RE Connect, real estate, real estate marketing, Cairo Egypt, Attention Deficit Disorder, Volleyball Camp, I’m a really sucky blogger
Jeff Brown says:
Kris – I love this post because of the so-called experts who put this stuff out. I’m not saying they don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s just that I’ve violated at least three of those ‘commandments’ on an almost daily basis.
I had this same conversation yesterday with Brian Brady – a guy who has forgotten more about blogging than I currently know.
We agreed on a couple things, both of which had us laughing out loud.
First – the whole seo thing, though important I guess, has proven to be virtually irrelevant to the success of our blogs.
Put more clearly: Are the bankers for real estate bloggers happier about the agent’s growing number of readers, his ‘authority’ rating – or the checks he deposits?
Second – After hearing some of the stories coming out of Inman’s Connect, it appears that whenever a blogger reported great success, but with multiple blogging violations, they were nearly called liars in public.
I’d love to hear what you and Steve think is the main motivation for RE agents having blogs in the first place.
August 3, 2007 — 11:56 am
Teri Lussier says:
Kris, I think this post was brilliant, but I’m not really sure because you didn’t use pictures, and you had too many paragraphs, so I quit reading after I smelled the pot roast.
Happily sitting upwind in Ohio.
August 3, 2007 — 12:20 pm
Galen says:
Rule 11: If you follow every rule about blogging, your blog will be boring. Break at least 2 rules every post. If you are a good writer and confident you’re generating interesting content, break more.
August 3, 2007 — 12:52 pm
Flexo says:
Excellent post. Loved the idea that to find great agents, one should search technorati. I’ll definitely keep that in mind…… I guess I should use flickr to search for real estate listings as well. Who knew the possibilities of Web 2.0?
August 3, 2007 — 12:53 pm
Kris Berg says:
>I’d love to hear what you and Steve think is the main motivation for RE agents having blogs in the first place.
BG – I think the reasons vary. Social, ego, business? My reason was this sense that it could conceivably become the best thing since the toaster (or it could flop like a fish), and those participating early on would be better positioned to capitalize from the increased exposure and, hopefully, business. Kind of goes back to that fear of being the only one who didn’t get invited to the big party. Who knew it was so much work? And, I will keep doing it because a)the jury is still out on where this is all headed and b)I have never been able to quit reading the book, even when it confuses me, bores me or even when I just begin to lose interest.
Teri – Funny girl!
August 3, 2007 — 1:04 pm
Todd Carpenter says:
I’m hoping Web 3.0 is invented in Nebraska.
August 3, 2007 — 1:35 pm
Tripp Fenderson says:
[shakes head at blogging experts and goes back to unsuccessfully searching for a local Realtor on Technorati]
August 3, 2007 — 1:38 pm
Dan Green says:
Hello. I found this post from Technorati. I searched for the tag “Pot roast recipes for people with Attention Deficit Disorder in Cairo, Egypt”.
What is a blog?
August 3, 2007 — 1:50 pm
Doug Trudeau says:
Kris – I agree. Say it. Get to the point and move on. Precise, concise and to the point. Try an exercise, write no less then 500 words; easy. Reduce the same info to 250 or less words; not so easy. Then say the same in exactly 50 words; difficult.
I followed my advise above and its 50 words (exceluding this line).
August 3, 2007 — 2:26 pm
Christina Ethridge says:
Dan Green has me ROFL!
Kris – some of these seem like jokes, yet others are realistic Some of the ones that seem like obvious jokes are the ‘technorati’ one and the ‘never get personal’ one. I think that ‘blobs’ (blog snobs) have a serious affectation issue.
August 3, 2007 — 2:38 pm
Todd Carpenter says:
Hey Dan, when I asked your panel the same question, “What is a blog?”, it was based on a story Joe & Rudy from Selsius shared with me back at the Denver tour stop. While they were interviewing people across the country, and asking the same question, one guy answered, “It’s words on a F’ing screen”. It’s the perfect definition.
I think it’s tremendously valuable for experienced bloggers to share what they have learned. But there’s something to be said for doing it your own way.
August 3, 2007 — 2:53 pm
Kris Berg says:
Dan – You are indeed a riot! By the way, I think Spray-N-Wash is far superior to Shout in removing bird dropping residuals from the shoulder of one’s shirt. Thought this was a homemaking tip you might find handy. I had a blast this week – You owe me dinner. 🙂
August 3, 2007 — 2:58 pm
Charleston real estate blog says:
Kris, keep writing the old way, you’re one of the best in the blogosphere.
August 3, 2007 — 3:32 pm
Jay Thompson says:
Damn. The more I hear out of Inman Connect, the more I realize my blog must really suck.
Too bad there are no bonus points for violating every rule in the same post.
August 3, 2007 — 5:58 pm
Derek Burress says:
I do think we need to focus on the consumers and not other agents, but at what expense? A good portion of our readers do not know that such and such individual is a real estate agent (unless they get smart enough and click the link) if they leave comments on our blog as we chit chat. I think chit chat is good among agents as it shows visitors we’re personable and easy approachable to them and others but rather than write to agents, IF WE ARE WRITING FOR BUSINESS we should indeed focus on the consumers and not other agents with our articles. Of course, writing entirely to consumers may end up costing you comments from other agents on your blog but I do not see it as a huge price.
Short blogs: Depends on what you are blogging for (like I tend to blog for Google, so I use a lot of words. If you blog for customers, perhaps it would be good to keep the content short and to the point)? It also depends on the nature of the article. I am also a history major. Yes we try to keep our stuff short and conscice but we have to to get certain facts and clarifications out so the heck with the length as long as we’re able to support our thesis.
Tagging: Jury is still out on that one for me.
Keyword Rich Titles: If you can squeeze San Diego Real Estate in your article, it will be seen as much as in the title. I prefer to have fun with the title and leave the keyword rich stuff to the article.
The biggest thing for me is realizing in blogging, you’re on your own. I am not competing with Greg, Jim, Ardell, Mary, Kris or anyone. I am on my own. I get ideas from these people as to how to improve and make my site better but to my own tailored needs. Greg’s needs are different as is his real estate market. His purpose is different as well and for a new blogger who wants to be successful as Greg, the first thing to learn is this… realize you can’t follow the crowd and that you’re not competing with anyone but yourself. If you worry too much about the competition you end up being unprepared yourself. Of course as a sports coach I should have known this but hey I was a new blogger so..
August 3, 2007 — 6:49 pm
Derek Burress says:
Jay the only thing that makes your blog suck is that darn log. I just do not see a pine tree growing in Arizona. Leaves me with a blank every time I visit. Then again I have never ben to Arizona. When I think of Arizona I think of catusus and scorpions. LOL
August 3, 2007 — 6:51 pm
Jeff Brown says:
Hey, let me try that ‘short’ ‘concise’ stuff – cuz folks don’t want long and substantive posts – I get it now.
Leverage is good – sometimes.
Cash flow is great – but not always.
Cost segregation isn’t for everyone – look up definition on your own time.
1031 exchange means you don’t pay taxes – today.
Buy low – sell high.
Get a ‘good’ lender – they’re much better.
Don’t buy investment ‘stuff’ in a bad market.
Buy investment stuff when it’s the right time – avoid the wrong time.
That’s it – I’m done until September. See you guys later. Thanks a million!!
August 3, 2007 — 7:34 pm
Jay Thompson says:
“Jay the only thing that makes your blog suck is that darn log. I just do not see a pine tree growing in Arizona. Leaves me with a blank every time I visit. Then again I have never ben to Arizona. When I think of Arizona I think of catusus and scorpions. LOL”
Derek – the “log” you’re referring to is a graphic representation of a Saguaro cactus. I think/hope that’s obvious to anyone who lives here. (Saguaro pics)
And actually, mid and northern Arizona is the home of the largest stand of Ponderosa pine trees in the world. That surprises more that haven’t ever been here…
August 3, 2007 — 7:52 pm
Kris Berg says:
>When I think of Arizona I think of catusus and scorpions.
Cacti? Not sure, but just askin’. Too tired to Google.
Derek – That was an important “take away” I got this week, a reminder of sorts. There is a tendency, I suppose, to conform, which is not always (ever) in our best interest.
August 3, 2007 — 8:46 pm
Dan Green says:
Kris, in your comments here you raise a serious issue that seems to have not been addressed at the Inman conference.
Is it “okay” to use the Comments section of your OWN post to pull traffic away from the Comments section of somebody’s ELSE’S post?
Clearly, you could have mentioned the bird poop thing on Bloodhound Blog post #1735 (https://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=1735). Instead, you chose to hijack it.
At current count, this post has 22 comments (and mine will make 23). My blog pictorial at https://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=1735 has but two.
I learned at Inman that my goal in blogging is to write posts that create comments because that’s how I know that I am a good blogger. In fact, I think I saw it printed on the inside cover of the conference program that the skill of a blogger is directly proportional to the total number of comments divided by total number of posts.
In other words, Kris, you are an awesome blogger. Scripps Ranch is lucky to have you and Steve living there.
For everyone else, if you happen to stop by my Blog Pictorial at https://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=1735 and feel compelled to leave a comment, just do it in this thread. It’s what Kris would have wanted.
August 4, 2007 — 7:31 am
Dan Green says:
Yes, everyone-who-didn’t-know-that-this-is-a-running-gag-between-bloggers-who-were-at-the-conference, this is a running gag between bloggers who were at the conference.
August 4, 2007 — 7:38 am
John L. Wake says:
Time for Greg to consider putting together a get together for bloggers. Winter in Phoenix should be popular. It would be a helluva a lot cheaper and better than Inman.
August 4, 2007 — 11:13 pm
Teresa Boardman says:
Great advice
August 5, 2007 — 6:17 am
Jay Thompson says:
“Great advice”
?????????
August 5, 2007 — 9:04 am