Doug Devitre presents Blogging Effectively By Building Consumer Loyalty And Minimizing Risk.

1. Blogging Effectively by
Building Consumer Loyalty
and Minimizing Risk
By Doug Devitre e-PRO, CRS, ABR, GRI

2. “People only change when the pain
not to change exceeds the pain to
change.”
Dr. George Lucas

3. Information Source % of Buyers
Real estate agent 84%
Internet 84%
Sign 59%
Print newspaper 50%
Open house 48%
Magazine 31%
Home builder 24%

4. Just the Facts
“39% of home buyers were
1st time home buyers.”
2007 National Association of REALTORS® Profile
of Home Buyers and Sellers.

5. Just the Facts
“65% of 1st time buyers are
between the ages of 18-34.”
2007 National Association of REALTORS® Profile
of Home Buyers and Sellers.

6. Consumers Want Information NOW!
• Text messaging
• Email
• Blogging
• Podcasting
• YouTube
• Twitter

7. What is a Blog?
• Web log
• Online newspaper
• Articles = posts = entries
• Reverse chronological
order
• Interactive
• Allow for responses

8. Why Read Blogs?
• Be the first in the know
• Learn and analyze new
statistics quickly
• Make decisions faster than the
competition
• Respond to hot topics quickly
• Receive information anywhere

9. Why Consumers Will Read Your Blog?

10. Why Consumers Will Read Your Blog?
Relevancy
Time sensitive
Frequently asked questions
Communicate
Explain complex ideas
Kept in the know
Accurate Information
You Are the Expert!

11. “50% of Internet users in the
US regularly read blogs.”
eMarketer (May 2008)
http://technorati.com/blogging/
state-of-the-blogosphere/

12. “On average, bloggers use 5
different techniques to drive
traffic to their blog.”
Technorati (2008)
http://technorati.com/blogging/
state-of-the-blogosphere/

13. “72.5% of people in
the US regularly go
online.”
InternetWorldStats.com
http://www.gstatic.com/youtube/
engagement/platform/autoplay/advertise/
downloads/YouTube_InTheKnow.pdf

14. “25% of REALTORS® post to
their own blog for business
purposes.”
2009 REALTOR® technology report
http://www.realtor.org/wps/wcm/connect/
54d719804f2807aca5f1e74e813808c1/2009+Tech
+Report+-+v1.pdf?
MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=54d719804f2807aca5f1e74e8
13808c1

15. “More than 90 percent of home
buyers 44 years old or younger
used the
Internet as a source of
information during the home
buying process.”
2008 National Association of REALTORS®
Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

16. RSS

17. Example RSS Feeds
• Blog
• Comments from blog
• YouTube videos
• LinkedIn network update
• Twitter status update feed
• Slideshare of new presentations
• Flickr photostream of new photos
• FriendFeed of status updates
• Google Calendar of new events

18. Blog Example

19. Features of Blogs
•Title •RSS Feeds
•Post •Widgets
•Page •Categories
•Comments •Plugins
•Permanent •Membership
links

20. Why www.WordPress.com
• Create self hosted blog
• 100% customizable
• Embeddable widgets and IDX feed
• Built in RSS feed
• Pages, posts, and multimedia
• Authorized users upload content
• Easy to use

21. Selecting a Blog Title
• Title should represent
you, area of expertise
and niche
• Five words or less
• Google “real estate
blogs” for examples

22. Keys to Creating Intriguing Entries
• Must benefit reader, not author
• Relevant information to real estate
• State opinions or facts from other
resources or websites
• Time sensitive information
• 200-500 words

23. Links
• Links highlight your
favorite websites
• Link your website to
your blog
• Link your blog to your
website
• Link individual pages
in your website

24. Conversations
• Comments track existing
conversations between author
and consumer
• Dialogue critical for success
• People receive answers to
important questions
• Never answer questions twice

25. Top 10 Mistakes
Bloggers Make
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26. 10. Blog About Themselves
• Consistent self
promotion does
not work.
• Do not always
blog about
listings.
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27. 9. Do Not Include Picture
With Each Entry
• Pictures tell a story
• Included in other
social media
• Make words you
write more
interesting.
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28. 8. No Multimedia
• Videos?
• Audio?
• PowerPoint?
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29. 7. Categorize Blog Posts
• Categories are
mental file folders
that store blog
posts.
• Engaging names
for categories
• Store posts in
correct category
28

30. 6. Insert Tags to Entries
• Tags are keywords
that identify each
entry.
• Tags make entries
easier to find.
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31. 5. No Hyperlinks
• Embed hyperlinks
into entries:
– your website
– other blogs
– documents
– online articles
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32. 4. Inform Others About Blog
• Print advertising
• Email
communication
• Daily conversation
• Email signature
• Social media
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33. 3. Never Respond to Comments
• Comment on
others’ comments
• Commenting shows
you care
• Comments clarify
questions
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34. 2. Not Enough Value
• Consumers want
high content
• Relevant
information
• Targeted to a
specific niche
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35. 1. Do Not Update Often
• Write 2-4 times a
week
• Form a team of
authors
• Hire a ghost writer
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36. Frequency
• The more you blog the
better you get
• Stay on top of hot topics
• Creates credibility.

37. How Can Consumers
Access Your Blog?
• RSS reader
• Subscribe by email
• Direct email communication
• Facebook
• Linkedin
• FriendFeed
• Conduit Tool Bar
36

38. RSS Reader
• Google Reader
• Yahoo Reader
• Newsgator
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39. Subscribe by Email
• RSS delivers blog
post to email
automatically when
published.
• www.FeedBurner.com
38

40. Direct Email Communication
• Locate hyperlink of
blog post
• Copy hyperlink to the
clipboard
• Paste hyperlink into an
email message
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41. Facebook
• Import blog RSS
feed into the notes
section of your
Facebook
application
settings.
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42. Linkedin
• Copy and paste blog RSS feed into
Linkedin application.
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43. www.FriendFeed.com

44. Add Social Media Profiles

45. Available Social Websites
Choose
frequently
used

46. Friend Feed RSS Feed
45

47. www.Conduit.com
46

48. Favorite Links
• Each blog has favorite links of other blogs
or websites
– www.YourName.com
– www.YourCompany.com
– www.YourCity.com
– www.CitySchools.com
– www.HUD.gov
– www.ASHI.org

49. Categories
• Which topics will you write
about the most?
• Which geographic regions
do you represent?
• What areas of real estate
do you specialize?

50. Permanent Links
• Each page = web page
• Each post= web page
• Each category = web page
• Each tag = web page
• RSS feed = web page

51. My First Experience Blogging
Don’t give
up yet.
It takes time
to learn…

52. Risks of Blogging
• Negative Comments
• Lose control over the message
• Neglect
• Misinterpretation of blogging
culture
• Presenting incorrect
information

53. Negative Comments
• Damage reputation
• Hurt credibility
• Others may be
offended.

54. Lose Control Over the Message
• Don’t get caught saying
– I didn’t mean that
– I didn’t think they would
respond that way
– I can erase it later
– No one will see this.

55. Neglect
• No new information for
repeat visitors
• Responding to
comments is crucial
• People may not return.

56. Misinterpretation of Blogging Culture
• Focus on expertise NOT
self promotion
• Showcase hot topics,
NOT your resume
• Extreme opinions may
cause more harm than
good.

57. Presenting Incorrect Information
• Lying will damage
your reputation
• Facts can be found
other places
• People will find out if
you are lying.

58. Class Exercise
Risks of Blogging

59. Ethical Issues in Blogging
• Embracing diversity
• Avoiding stereotypes
• Fair housing
• Code of Ethics

60. Embracing Diversity
• Are you able to write about all the cultures
that make up a neighborhood?

61. Be Cautious About…
• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial status
• National origin
• Disability

62. Fair Housing
• Discriminatory acts
• America One Principles
• Steering
• Equal Professional
Service Model

63. Code of Ethics
• Divided into three sections:
– Duties to clients and customers
– Duties to the public
– Duties to REALTORS®
Are you following the Code of Ethics
in your blog?

64. “Such interests impose obligations beyond those
of ordinary commerce. They impose grave social
responsibility and a patriotic duty to which
REALTORS® should dedicate themselves, and
for which they should be diligent in preparing
themselves. REALTORS®, therefore, are zealous
to maintain and improve the standards of their
calling and share with their fellow REALTORS® a
common responsibility for its integrity and honor.”

65. “Such interests impose obligations beyond those
of ordinary commerce. They impose grave social
responsibility and a patriotic duty to which
REALTORS® should dedicate themselves, and
for which they should be diligent in preparing
themselves. REALTORS®, therefore, are zealous
to maintain and improve the standards of their
calling and share with their fellow REALTORS® a
common responsibility for its integrity and honor.”

66. $19.95/
month VIP Membership $199/
year
• 5 videos weekly that explain how to use tools you already own specific
to real estate.
• Weekly Downloadable PowerPoint presentation to edit, share,
and use to present in your office, association, or workshops.
• Monthly Webinar that explains advance concepts in real time allowing
for question and answer specific to individual needs and video/audio
archive of entire session.
• Recent Blog Posts reminders of new thoughts, ideas, and concerns on
the impact technology has on real estate.
• Updates on Event Recaps of live sessions Doug Devitre presents at
conventions, workshops, and seminars that include video, pictures, viewable
PowerPoint presentations, handouts, etc.
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