Podcast: Interview with Sarah Yaussi from Big Builder on Blogging, Twitter and Content
Tune in for the full interview with Sarah Yaussi as we discuss blogging, Twitter, and Social Media goodness. Learn how you can create valuable content and spread it out amongst all the appropriate networks. We explore what this means for homebuilders and tips on how to use effectively. You can also view the follow-up article she wrote below the podcast player. Enjoy.
A big fat “thank you” to Sarah Yaussi, the Executive Editer of Big Builder for her participation in the Blogging lesson in the Social Media Boot Camp series. She also did a great wrap up and agreed to re-post here. Be sure to let her know how awesome she is by leaving a comment and following @bigbuilder on Twitter
Last week, I participated in an online seminar called “Social Media Boot Camp: Blogging – Building Your Home Base.” I was invited as a guest speaker by Mike Lyon of http://www.doyouconvert.com/ fame, who hosted the event. (I still love that he called me a social media ninja, although it means I may have to start dressing the part.)
I thought the topic of blogging was a particular good one because it seems as though builders are starting to catch on to the idea that blogs are an effective search engine optimization tool. Now, let me just talk about SEO for a second. Even though I can’t see you, I know some of your eyes are glazing over at the term. The kindergarten-level explanation is that a blog, like other social media outlets, can help your name pop up higher on the list of possible matches when someone does a Google search for something generic like, say, “new homes in Dallas.” (For a much more detailed and yet easy-to-read explanation, I suggest checking out this blog post; it does a great job explaining it all in plain English.)
But being able to stack the deck in your favor when it comes to search results is just one benefit to a blog. Others include:
- Simple to implement (there are many user-friendly templates)
- Low cost (some blog hosting services are free)
- News focused (fresh content drives Web traffic)
- Authoritative (looks very professional)
- Highly interactive (comment features are king)
- Spread easily (think RSS feeds)
Given this rather long list of benefits, I’ve been noticing a lot of builders launching blogs, both separate from their corporate Web sites and integrated into their existing sites.
But with a growing number of builders sold on the blog idea, “now what?” seems to be the big question. Many builders seem to be struggling with the content part of the equation–what to post, how often to post, how much to write, what kind of voice to have, and so on. If that sounds like you, let me share with you some of the advice, suggestions, and ideas that were doled out during the seminar.
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What’s the best blog format? While some of the seminar participants used Blogger, most liked using WordPress. We built http://www.housingcrisis.com/ on a WordPress template and have been pretty happy with it. It’s not too hard to figure out how it works, and there are a ton of different template styles and themes. (A word of caution here: Some of the coolest looking blog templates require an enormous amount of content, so you may want to rein your imagination in to make it more manageable.)
- How often do I need to post? That’s a good question, and there’s no right answer. But remember that search engines absolutely love all that is fresh and juicy content, so the more often you post, the more likely you are to have success in driving traffic. Me personally, I’m trying to step up my blogging to two to three times a week. It’s a far cry from some of the best bloggers who post multiple times a day–one of my faves is Calculated Risk, who at the time I wrote this post had posted five times on his blog–but I think that’s a good goal given that my day job has a few other responsibilities. The bottom line: Content gets moldy fast, so new posts a couple times a week are probably the way to go.
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What should I write about? I totally feel you on this one. There are definitely times when I open up a new Word doc, and it sits there blank for quite some time. And I’m sure it’s worse for people who aren’t naturally prolific writers. But that’s really where I say, “Loosen up!” Your next blog post is not your opus. (I have to remind myself of this all the time because as a journalist my natural tendency is to write stories with facts, figures, and quotes in them, and you don’t have to do that with a blog. A blog is more about personality and perspective, in my mind.) The shelf life of a blog post is so short that it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. I liken a blog post to a paper cup; you use it once and then throw it out. Of course that doesn’t mean they should be messy and riddled with typos and grammatical errors. It just means stop stressing and get typing.
As for topics, there are a million things to write about. Here are eight ideas that are a little more imaginative than “home for sale”:
- Real estate/home building
- Local economy
- Green building
- First-time buyers
- Financing
- Local events
- School districts
- Your employees (I think this is a good one that is hardly ever used)
We covered off on a lot more, but I think that’s pretty much the meat of the session. As a follow-up, I asked participants to point me to some of the blogs they were working or thought were good examples. Take a look!
- Peachtree Residential Properties: http://atlantaluxuryhomes.wordpress.com/
- Dealssentials: http://www.dealssentials.com/
- Zach Schabot: http://zachschabot.blogspot.com/
- Wanderings of a Wayward Online Sales Consultant: http://www.leahkaiz.blogspot.com/
- Stylecraft Builders: http://stylecraftbuilders.wordpress.com/
- NewHomesDirectory.com: http://blog.newhomesdirectory.com/
- Brookfield Homes San Diego: http://blog.brookfieldsd.com/hud-does-it-again/
- Housingcrisis.com: http://www.housingcrisis.com/
- Real Property Alpha: http://realpropertyalpha.com/
- Eastern Shore Housing: http://www.easternshorehousing.com/
Reach your customers in a hyper-local Web 2.0 world
I was listening to a podcast the other day by a journalism teacher from New York who had done some research. He found multiple hyper-local bloggers who were clearing over $200,000 per year just by blogging on local news events. Basically, they attended local events and blogged about them and then sold their own advertisements on the site to grab the revenue. This brilliant social media business approach comes back to the difference between what the soon-to-be extinct newspapers are doing now versus the new media — and what’s going to happen from here. There’s not a lack of need for good quality journalism covering quality events and quality news. We still want that reporting! The only thing that has changed is the distribution of that news from newsstand to the Internet, newspaper in hand to blog on the screen.
A good newspaper may clear a million dollars in annual advertising revenue, but a single local blogger could reach $200,000 – $300,000 a year without all that excessive overhead. This new shift has moved the reporting and revenue power to the consumer. It’s going back out to the local person who seizes initiative. The problem is that newspapers cannot grasp the fact that they must actively participate in the social media conversation. It used to be you had to go to the media to get the news, but now that news is being created by everybody else! We’re all sharing the news that’s important to us. Everything is a network now. What our friends are sharing is just as important as national and international breaking headlines. But the old-fashioned newspapers have lagged behind and are just not jumping on board with social networking and new media — a bit late to the Internet marketing party.
How are you going to integrate yourself and your real estate or homebuilder business into this new media? Newspaper advertising is out. That’s not where people are going for news. As you look to media sources and those selling you advertising, remember that consumer behavior is changing. What are you doing to create your own news, to engage in your own conversations with these hyper-local bloggers — the authority figures in your own small market? How can you evolve your homebuilder marketing to incorporate the new media? Think about new and creative ways that you can engage your audience and engage your local market. And get moving!
The “cool kids” club
I had the great pleasure of presenting to the Builder 20 Group #33 “The Survivors” in Cleveland this week. By the way, Cleveland has a really clean downtown. Moving right along…I love presenting to 20 groups! You can be much more open, honest and transparent.
This was really a cool group of builders ready to kick this economy’s (you know what). If you are a builder looking for a powerful way to connect – you need to talk with the NAHB about their 20 Clubs. Here is a quick description:
The 20 Clubs are comprised of similar type builders or remodelers from non-competing markets who meet several times a year to share their wisdom and learn from each other ways to improve their operations and increase their bottom lines. Members share and compare financial information, look for trouble spots, and offer each other advice on how to increase their profit ratios and improve their performance
I also shot a quick “So what are you going to do when you get back” video. Thank you for the opportunity guys!
Swimming in the Web 2.0 stream
Something extremely unique about social media is the flow of information in real time, whether it’s tweets or status updates on Facebook or LinkedIn. You might even say it is more like a “firehose” of information as opposed to a stream. It can be tough to keep up with all this information – almost like drinking from a firehose. Wonder what that is like, just watch this classicvideo example.
And what is interesting is the difference between “traditional” Web and Web 2.0. The traditional Web is more permanent. Web 2.0 is transient, or Sarah Yaussi from Big Builder recently said: “New media is like a paper cup – you use it and then you throw it away.”
For example, if you miss a tweet on Twitter, it’s soon fades away. As newer tweets pop up, the others get pushed farther down in the stream and eventually off to the next page, or the post is pushed out past your 100 updates on Tweetdeck. Gone.
Such fleeting moments are the social aspect of Web 2.0. It’s like walking into a party. You don’t walk around to everyone and ask, “What did I miss?” On Facebook, the same holds true. You’re not going to go back every 15 days to see what you’ve missed on every single person. You may go back and look at the interesting people, but you’re really only interested in what’s happening in the here and now. Anything older than a few days is ancient history. The same holds true for Twitter. What is happening today? Are you showing up in the “here and now”? You should spread out your posts so you’re not posting too much. And you do want to post insightful information and ideas that prompt other people to talk about it and comment back. This is the foundation of Internet marketing and PR at its finest.
What gets the conversation going in “Real Estate 2.0”?
1. Create interesting, informative content. Piquing interest is the easiest way to increase exposure.
2. Stay relevant and noteworthy. While some readers might find it fun to hear about your pet’s last trip to the litter box, avoid the temptation. Stay relevant and on focus with your audience.
3. Time your updates. Just as there is a good time to send an email for maximum visibility, there is the best time to update your status or send a tweet. Saturday at midnight is not good because your readers aren’t online. What day and time will your audience be looking? Send your information then.
4. Engage others. You will get more “action” when you hold real conversations online. More people will talk about and promote you if you are practicing the golden rule.
5. Put the conversation first. If your sole goals are marketing, traffic, and exposure – you’ve missed the whole point of social networking. This is Real Estate 2.0 and it starts with the conversation. Chat now. Sell later.
Just like attending a party in a physical location, at a digital party, it doesn’t matter if you show up late, but you need people to be part of the buzz all the time.
Managing your Calendar
Even though the Web allows you to connect with your target market faster, you must remember that closings don’t happen immediately. In his sales talks and presentations, Myers Barnes stresses the importance of managing your calendar. What is important to remember is that whatever actions or marketing initiatives you decide to implement now will not garner results immediately. For instance, when you sell a home today, most likely it won’t show the fruits of labor for four to six months. Most new home sales take that long to build, complete, and close, and the closing is where everyone finally gets paid. That is the target point in the process that keeps the business moving forward.
The same calendar pattern holds true for your Internet marketing strategy. Just because you’re ready to start your Internet marketing today doesn’t mean you’ll see an influx of new customers tomorrow. Deciding to create a new website, redesign an existing one, or buying pay-per-click advertising today won’t provide you with results, like closings, for about four to six months.
Consider a new website design. It takes about two to three months to complete the new site. Once it is “live,” plan on another three months to start seeing return on your investment (assuming you’ve invested in SEO and SEM) with new leads. Another month to convert that lead into an appointment and then to a contract. So, on your calendar, you can expect at least a four- or five-month lag time between the launch of the site and a new sale – and that’s if you started today. Any delay in the start of this initiative and a year could pass before you see results. What are you waiting for? Take action now! Create a sense of urgency for implementing your new marketing program.
Managing your calendar is extremely important, especially when it comes to your marketing initiatives, because those initiatives turn into sales and, ultimately, to closings.
The last thing you want is to bring on a bad case of “Analysis Paralysis” This is what happens when you over-analyze the situation or try to make decisions by committee. Be bold and do whatever you can to move the needle in the right direction.
