Presentation: Using Blogs to Build an Online Brand
A while back I posted an outline I had for a presentation I was giving to group at CAR (California Association of Realtors). I got some awesome feedback from the RCG community that definitely helped improve the presentation (Thank you!!!).
On Wednesday, I’m giving a different presentation at Keller Williams’ Mega Technology Camp (Jim is presenting on Monday!) , so I thought I’d pass along this seminar’s outline to solicit feedback as well… (Plus, the combination of these two posts should help satisfy the occasional request I get for seminar outlines! 
)
My objective for the presentation is to have all the participants walk away with an understanding of what it will take to get benefits from blogging (something along the lines of: it’s hard work and potentially time consuming, but is well worth it if done right). I don’t have any delusions that blogging makes sense for most agents, and yet, I’m hoping to inspire the few in the audience who will make great bloggers.
Note that the outline below is just an outline. With tons of examples sprinkled through the presentation, I’m still working on cutting the whole thing back to 45 minutes!
Outline of “Using Blogs to Build an Online Brand”
1) Why you should care?
- Consumers view real estate transactions as inefficient
- Competition is connecting with consumers using web2.0 technologies
- Everyone is a publisher
- Websites are designed for more than just browsers
- Consumers expect personalization
2) Ways to get involved
- Network on a community website
- Buy traffic
- Create a community destination website
(If I’m confident I’ve given myself enough time, I may take over Let’s Talk and do a live post at this point in the presentation.)
3) Benefits of blogging
- Why blogs do NOT work (Some common responses)
- “People don’t visit my existing site, why would they visit my blog? “
- “Internet leads don’t convert”
- “I’m not a good writer”
- “Blogging is just another fad to get me to buy a product”
- “I don’t have the time to blog”
Comment: These are all good and legitimate reasons and explain why blogging does not work for most agents. The reality is that agents who treat their blog like their existing website, expect to convert leads in the typical way, write badly, try to “buy into blogging” and/or don’t put in the time, will never get much benefits from blogging.
- Why blogging works
- High search engine rankings
- Fresh content
- Niche content
- Natural language
- Long-tail content
- High conversation rates
- Agents are already doing it
- Look in sent items folder
- Blog posts are just an “email to the world”
- Long-term benefits
- Ads have a short life-span
- Active blogs get more valuable with time
- Low-cost
4) Blogging done right
- Just like everyone else on the web, you have to start thinking like a publisher,
- Be:
- Entertaining and educational
- Expert
- Opinionated
- Frequent updates
- Local market expert
- Look for targeted distribution
- Find websites, people who can get your content in front of relevant consumers
- Go viral
- Think linkation
Posted: August 20th, 2007 under Agent Advice.
Tags: agents, benefits, blogging, keller-williams, kw, presentation, real-estate, realtors, seminar
About the Author: Dustin Luther
- Author's website: http://4realz.net/
- More posts by Dustin
- Email the author
Comments
2.
Comment
from Brian Brady
Time August 20, 2007 at 7:00 am
Brilliant, Dustin!
As a graduate of your “Relevance on the Internet” seminar and a serial quoter of “Linkation, Linkation, Linkation”, I gorge when you offer free food.
3.
Comment
from Jillayne Schlicke
Time August 20, 2007 at 7:13 am
Either you’re going to have to talk faster than people can listen or write, or you need to pare this down by at LEAST half.
Three main points, three bullet points for each main point.
Edit your outline and then repost as a comment, please.
4.
Comment
from ARDELL
Time August 20, 2007 at 11:40 am
Dustin,
I would suggest a greater emphasis on “be expert”. I see way too many agents blogging that they’ve never sold a house before, doing their first ever Open House, losing a client because they were too busy blogging or doing blog related things, their client losing out on an offer because of their inexperience, etc.
Of course it’s better for the consumer to see these things, as this kind of transparency helps the consumer in their agent choices. But sometimes I wonder if agents read what they write, and understand that a “tell all” blog can hurt them more than it can help them, if they reveal that they are not “expert” when blogging.
The question “Will Top Agents Blog?” is being tossed around the internet. For the consumer’s benefit, I’m hoping all agents have a blog. More blogs equals more choices for the consumer to make comparison. That would greatly benefit the Top Agent bloggers.
When Inman asked one of our panels “Should ALL agents blog?” my answer was yes. Maybe not for the agents’ benefit, but for the consumers’ benefit. The more agents reveal about how they work, the better off the consumer. Some on the panel said no, all agents shouldn’t blog. But transparency requires both good and bad agents to blog. Otherwise it’s just another “ad” venue.
Still, your seminars should warn agents, maybe with examples, not to call their blog “The Real Estate Rookie”. How will that play five years from now? Who wants to hire the real estate rookie? When they have ten years’ experience, will the blog still be called “The Real Estate Rookie”? I think some are not thinking far enough ahead, or realizing how their first year writings might hurt them both now and later.
5.
Comment
from Dustin
Time August 20, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Thanks everyone for the awesome feedback…
Jillayne: I think I’m going have trouble cutting much of it out and still giving a big enough picture to meet my objective. What section would you cut out?
Here’s my schedule as I’ve timed it out:
5 min: Why you should care
5 min: How to get involved
5 min: Demo of a blog post
15 min: Benefits of blogging
10 min: Blogging done right
for a total of 40 minutes. Of course, I could talk longer on any given topic, but I’m a huge fan of the idea that if you can’t explain it in 5 minutes, you probably don’t understand it well enough philosophy.
Overall, I don’t doubt that I’m probably trying to cover too much ground, but I’m honestly unsure what I should cut. Any ideas would be appreciated!
6.
Comment
from Jillayne Schlicke
Time August 20, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Draw a picture of a rectangle. Now color in one small corner of the rectangle.
That’s how much knowlege your audience might be ready to learn that day.
The ability to let go of the rest of what’s left inside the rectangle is the challenge for a presenter. It is an act of will to let go of what we THINK the audience HAS TO learn that day. (not shouting, just using caps for emphasis.)
“5 min: Why you should care
5 min: How to get involved
5 min: Demo of a blog post
15 min: Benefits of blogging
10 min: Blogging done right”
Out of all these things, which three are the most important to your particular audience?
“I’m a huge fan of the idea that if you can’t explain it in 5 minutes, you probably don’t understand it well enough philosophy.” (I’m sure you meant philosophically.)
That does not translate into: It’s okay to talk five thousand miles per hour for five minutes.
After you’re done identifying your top three, I’ll give you your next assignment.
7.
Comment
from Dustin
Time August 20, 2007 at 10:26 pm
I’ll do you one better…
Here are the *two* things that are most important to the audience:
* Benefits of blogging
* Blogging done right
In retrospect, the other things are intro and/or overview sections (with the possible exception of a demo of a blog post).
8.
Comment
from Jillayne Schlicke
Time August 20, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Okay, good! Next, line up three bullet points for each main point.
1) Intro
a.
b.
c.
2) Benefits
a.
b.
c.
3) Doin’ it right
a. First, define what you mean by “right.”
b.
c.
4) Conclusion
a.
b.
c.
When you’re deciding on these sub-points, I want you to think about what are the absolute most important things a Realtor has to know.
Let go of the demo blog post. Bring it along with in case you finish your material early. Then you can ask them if they want to see it. Really, though, rarely does an audience retain tech “how to” unless they are in front of the computer doing it. Technology retention requires tactile learning.
9.
Comment
from Jillayne Schlicke
Time August 20, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Here are some ideas for you to ponder.
I have found that many Realtors are deathly afraid of blogging. Their fears come from a couple of places, namely, a fear of saying something stupid, inaccurate, or not knowing about a state or federal law and then being caught looking foolish. This is a big fear that is perpetuated by their brokers telling them NOT to blog because of the increased liability for the broker. Realtors are afraid of conflict in the written form, out there for all to see!! Realtors are afraid of people disagreeing with their opinion or of a critical comment from a reader. Our jobs as presenters (and teachers) is to help them begin to develop some self motivation to move into and past these fears.
Realtors, are stereotypically poor writers. Why? Because they’ve been trained that their jobs are to fill in blanks on forms day in and day out. Blogging is outside the comfort zone for many (not all) Realtors. Their creative writing juices have been squelched. The best bloggers can sometimes be the Realtors who love to talk because bloggging is so conversational for them.
Medium to high producing Realtors sometimes (not all the time) have a hard time visualizing a way to merge blogging in with all the other tasks they are currently doing. They need direction here.
Realtors have been taught to be constantly selling and constantly asking for referrals, or else they’re not working on the close. Decades of traditional sales training is embedded into their psyche. For some, this will require re-learning how to connect with people without the direct, hard sell tactics. Blogging is somewhat indirect, yet their business sense is screaming at them to make a direct connection to a sale and measure the ROI with graphs and numbers in order to justify the time spent. This is not a bad thing.
Realtors ought to blog about what they know, and what they love. If they’re passionate about their topic, writing blog posts will not feel like a chore; it will be enjoyable and interesting. For example, take Marlow. She loves unusual homes and interesting architecture. Her blog matches her personality. Some people are more analytical and love to play around with data and numbers. Some people love to entertain by telling fantastic stories….everyone’s different. The point here is that there is no magic solution for you to offer the audience. Instead, make THEM create THEIR OWN blog idea before they leave the room.
10.
Comment
from Dustin
Time August 21, 2007 at 1:25 am
Jillyanne, Jillayne,
I’ll continue down this path…
Intro: Why you should care?
* Consumers view real estate transactions as inefficient
* Competition is connecting with consumers using web2.0 technologies
Benefits:
* Why blogging works
* Why blogging does not work
Tips:
* Think like a publisher
* Linkation
Conclusion:
* Blogging will not work for most agents, but for inspired few, it will have awesome, long-term benefits
11.
Comment
from Jay Thompson
Time August 21, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Thanks for sharing Dustin! Regardless of what you do/don’t do with the current incarnation of your presentation, the attendees are in for a wealth of info.
Austin is a wicked cool town, I lived there for 20 years. I don’t know what kind of music you like, but you can find it playing live somewhere in Austin on any given night. If you can hit Sixth Street, stop in Maggie Mae’s (rooftop or the “old side” are best) for an *excellent* selection of beers. Ivory Catz will have an AMAZING piano player. And whatever you do, don’t miss the little hole-in-the-wall bars that are splattered about. Some of them look scary, but you’ll see some of the best music on the planet from jazz to blues to whatever.
12.
Comment
from Jillayne Schlicke
Time August 21, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Intro:
* Consumer view
* Competition
* Why blogging works
Benefits:
*
*
*
Blogging Done Right (Tips):
* Think like a publisher
* Read other blogs, leave comments. By doing so, you will start to learn what you like and don’t like about blogging tools, design, etc. (This is just my own tip. You can replace mine with anything you want)
* Linkation
Conclusion:
* Get honest with yourself: will blogging work for you?
* Why blogging does not work for all agents
* Long-term benefits
Dustin, now fill in the blanks in the benefits section. Going back up and reading your original blog post, the bullet point items under benefits read like features. Translate them into benefits.
13.
Comment
from Joseph Bridges
Time August 23, 2007 at 8:03 am
Dustin thanks for your presentation at KW Tech Camp. It was great and we know others who also feel the same way. Thanks so much for the great advice.
14.
Comment
from Dustin
Time August 23, 2007 at 8:08 am
Joseph,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I had a blast giving the presentation and the audience definitely seemed to stay with me throughout the presentation, so I’m thinking it went pretty well!
15.
Comment
from Dustin
Time August 23, 2007 at 8:21 am
Jillayne:
I was definitely game for reworking the presentation, but time became too big of a factor, so I went with what I knew would work…
However, one idea occurred to me that you might find interesting. It seemed to me that in our conversations (both on this thread and via email) your focus was on education (for very good reasons!), while my focus, for better or worse, is on motivation and entertainment.
I may be underestimating myself, but I sincerely doubt that I could teach anyone to be a good blogger in a few hours (let alone 45 min). Success for me is when I walk out of the presentation to hear people tell me they now understand why they should get involved. For my audience if I can motivate them to simply try out blogging with a mindset that will bring them long-term success (i.e. writing consumer-friendly stuff), I call that success.
16.
Comment
from Rebecca Levinson
Time August 23, 2007 at 1:54 pm
And the best thing about blogging for the real estate agents is it lends personalization that a static website cannot. If I am trusting an agent to sell my home, and am connecting from a distance first via the internet, I want to get a true sense of who that agent is, the whole person, before I make that connection. It is this transparency that blogging affords.
17.
Comment
from Jillayne Schlicke
Time August 23, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Hi Dustin,
Making the transition from features to benefits, no matter what a person is doing: presenting, teaching, etc, is always the hardest step.
Features can convey excitement and act as an external motivator.
To reach your audience at a level where they will act, the motivation must come from within a person.
Just like they say with blogging, “to do it right, it takes time,” to do a presentation right, takes time. When you find the time, pick up this thread again and we’ll keep moving toward the summit.
18.
Comment
from Jay Thompson
Time August 23, 2007 at 3:01 pm
“to do a presentation right, takes time.”
From the comments I’ve heard here and elsewhere about Dustin’s presentation, it sounds like he did it right to me….
19.
Comment
from Jillayne Schlicke
Time August 23, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Hi Jay,
Can you help Dustin out?
What are the benefits of blogging?
20.
Comment
from Dustin
Time August 23, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Jillayne
I think some of the confusion may be that I didn’t bullet things correctly in my post above…
I meant for these five items to be bullet points below “why blogging works”:
# High search engine rankings
# High conversation rates
# Agents are already doing it
# Long-term benefits
# Low-cost
In other words, the benefits are that the search engines love quality blogs, the leads convert really well, it’s easy because agents are already “blogging”, there are obvious long term benefits and the costs are low to getting involved.
Sorry about the confusion, I hadn’t realized I messed up my bullets above!
21.
Comment
from Jay Thompson
Time August 23, 2007 at 4:15 pm
I really don’t think there’s much I can tell Dustin about the benefits of blogging Jillayne
22.
Comment
from Mariana - Springs Realty Scoop
Time August 24, 2007 at 5:48 am
Dustin,
You did an amazing job at Mega Camp. You REALLY made a lot of sense and your water breaks killed me!
From everyone who spoke over the 3 days that I was there, your presentation REALLY made the MOST sense - especially to soem of the folks who are just starting out.
Bravo!!
23.
Comment
from LC
Time August 25, 2007 at 6:59 am
Dustin, I’ve learned a lot from your presentation, yes you talk a little fast , but I thought it covered so much good information, and honestly, because of YOUR presentation I will start blogging myself. I, any like some of the other Realtors, I won’t be too concerned about being ‘perfect’, otherwise, I’ll end up like that old couple that waited for ever to get married, because they thought they couldn’t afford it before, so they were in their 80’s when they finally got to the altar….. Now, I know I have lots to learn and don’t even know where to begin…. is http://www.blogger.com a good starting point?
24.
Pingback
from Blog Classes - Everyone’s Getting Into the Act | Rain City Guide | A Seattle Real Estate Blog…
Time August 28, 2007 at 9:01 pm
[...] I looked over Dustin’s format, but while Dustin is my Blogging Guru, there’s not much I can use there. It won’t include an overview of what a blog is. It will get straight to the point. Blog now! LOL. Clearly I don’t want it to be like some of the Web 2.0 classes I’ve been to, where the instructor spends most of the time talking about the days before faxes, and ends with “and now we’re at Web 2.0 thanks for coming”. It also won’t be about what blogs are. It will be a “getting started right now” seminar, much like Project Blogger that produced Kevin’s Blog. (Kev was on the news in Miami today - his blog is gangbusters). [...]
25.
Pingback
from 7 Ways to Make an Impact | Rain City Guide | A Seattle Real Estate Blog…
Time September 25, 2007 at 11:30 pm
[...] After my presentation a few weeks ago in Austin, TX, the folks at KW asked if I’d like to submit an article on blogging for the next issue of the KW newsletter. Rather than succumb to the usual “5 reasons you should blog” type article, I thought I’d try to be a bit more interesting and profile some of the bloggers that have made the largest impact on me. [...]
26.
Pingback
from I have no intention of turning this into… | Rain City Guide | A Seattle Real Estate Blog…
Time October 23, 2007 at 1:58 pm
[...] Also, I shouldn’t admit this, but I honestly have not given much thought about what I’m going to say just yet… Conveniently, back in August I did a presentation on using blogs to build up an online brand for the KW Mega Technology Camp that came off well (and took about 45 minutes including questions from others who were on stage). I think I’ll adjust that presentation a bit but go with that general outline. If anyone who was at that presentation wants to give me feedback, I’d love to hear it! [...]
27.
Pingback
from Bank of America Exits Wholesale Lending…For Now??
Time October 25, 2007 at 9:08 pm
[...] If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Sorry for the lack of updates today folks. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Beverly Hills and Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors meeting to hear Brad Inman and Dustin Luther talk about blogging in real estate. I highly recommend that if you are the industry you try to hear either of them speak - you’ll learn a lot about where we are headed in terms of marketing to customers. [...]
1. Comment from Deborah Burns
Time August 20, 2007 at 1:30 am
Lots of good info in the bullit points, I can see why it would be hard to keep it to 45 minutes!
I like the part about blogging is writing an “email to the world:…that is especially why I like blogging, because I have always enjoyed emailing. I have told people that if you like emailing and do it well, then blogging should come more easily to you.
I need to work more on links, links, links!