Doesn't it seem like every community has someone — a broker or salesperson — who just is the one who seems to have the Internet figured out. Certainly that's what happens in small towns. Their name pops up whenever anyone queries about real estate in the community; their blog and their home page shows up more than anyone else’s whenever a search for ‘listing agents’ or ‘homes for sale’ (or anything else about local real estate) is being looked for.
The question we asked ourselves is HOW do they become what seems to be the local expert? Especially since there are many other equally experienced agents around. Do they spend all day on their Twitter and Facebook accounts? Do they pay hundreds (okay, realistically — thousands) of dollars for Google Adwords ads? And how do they have time to do the actual job of a REALTOR® when they spend all day fussing with the Internet?
It’s clear that web pre-eminence goes to those with the most recent information about real estate queries — but only when the search engines ‘trust’ a source. Search engines don’t ‘trust’ fly-by-night sites. The top-of-the-page winners are sites that consistently present valid information, not sites or blogs that are quickly abandoned (that ‘bounce’).
How does a practicing REALTOR® have time to consistently present updated information that is engaging enough to hold new visitors' interest for a minute or more, week after week, and month after month?
The answer is by forming a kind of coop with others to share the expense of a staff of researchers and writers, and then blogging with content that’s fresh and not widely available. Of course, they add their own hyper-local, purely personal posts whenever they have time. But busy pros know that when they get busy, the blog — and the website — have to go by the boards.
But since subscribers need no more than 5 minutes to customize each article for their community (they get to reserve their territory’s name, like “Elk Grove” or “Miami Beach,” and as long as they subscribe, are the only ones allowed to use it to customize their blog posts), they always have time to blog.
That’s all it takes for them to become their community leader — the local REALTOR® who has the Internet figured out!
