Whether they choose to acknowledge it or not, most agents are doing a form of blogging every day. It's called email. When a client sends them a question via email, they take 10 or 15 minutes (or sometimes much longer) to respond to that person, giving them some of their valuable expertise. They sit at their computer, type up the response, and hit send. Those 15 minutes are wrapped up in a nice bow and delivered to the client, so they can absorb the answer at their own convenience.

Why would you waste that opportunity?

What opportunity? The opportunity to inform any of the millions that go to Google (or their search engine of choice) every day for answers to their questions. You didn't think your client was the only one that ever had that question, did you? When you wrap that little email up with the bow and hit send, you have just informed one person, instead of having the opportunity to inform millions.

For a lot of you reading this, it's old news. You have already bought into blogging as a way of informing your current clients, as well as building a library of content to reach potential clients. But I'm sure there are a few of you that still think, "I don't have time to blog". Or if it's not you, it's the person sitting next to you at the office saying that.

It's hogwash! (HA! I love that word!)

The reality is, you are doing it every day. You are answering questions from your clients via email and choosing to only share with one person, instead of millions.

For our next challenge, I'm asking you to share the emails that your clients are sending you where they are asking for you to explain something to them. And then I'm asking you to answer their question in a blog post. Of course, don't use any personal information, or feel free to change the email a little bit so that doesn't divulge exactly who your client is, or what their particular situation may be.

I'm going to give you until February 11th to submit your blogs. Since the holidays are upon us, and things get hectic this time of year, the extra time will give you plenty of occassion to pull together some questions which your clients have posed. Feel free to go back in your email archive and find questions clients have asked you in the past, where you only emailed them a response instead of created a blog post out of the answer. Keep a sharp eye out over the next month for questions your clients send you that would make for good blog fodder.

Here are some of the more popular questions people have asked in the last 30 days that have landed them on an ActiveRain blog:

• How to attract great renters
• How much does it cost to refinance a house
• How accurate is Zillow Zestimate
• How does Foreclosure work
• How much does a septic system cost
• How much earnest money to put down
• How to tell if you have Chinese drywall
• What does BPO stand for
• What does sale pending mean
• What does short sale mean
• What does HOA mean
• What is an origination fee
• What qualifies for a short sale
• What expenses to expect when selling your house
• When is earnest money check cashed
• Who pays transfer tax
• Who chooses the title company
• Who pays closing costs in a short sale
• How fast can a turkey run (maybe not your area of expertise, but 15 people landed on AR last month in search of the answer)

These are just a TINY sliver of the questions consumers are asking on a daily basis. Many of these questions are obvious to you, but your clients often have no idea what the answers are. And potentially more important, neither do your future clients.

In addition, many of these questions (or search phrases) show up in our analytics with geographic indicators. 'Who pays transfer tax' is a question that often is followed by 'in (state, county or city)'. So I would encourage you to use geographic terms in your posts that will lead local consumers to you. Remember, like in last challenges, I would encourage you to review Brad's post about writing content consumers will find and, if you are a little new to the site, take the time to take one of our ActiveRain University classes about search engine optimization (SEO).

As in the past, I ask that you don't half-ass your posts and know that if you do, I most likely will not give you any points. In fact, I might take some away. The point of these challenges is not to get points, it is to encourage you to write about things that will help your business. If you throw something together at the last minute and make up some lame question, and give an equally lame answer, just to get the points, that's not going to fly. (it's so dumb I have to say that, but I'm sure a few of you are shaking your head in agreement)

You can do a maximum of 5 of these posts for points. Each post will be worth 1000 points. (But if I were you, I would be doing this type of post all the time) I ask that you leave all the links to your posts at the same time in one comment on this post. I repeat, put all five of your links in one comment on this post. Posts must be submitted by 11:59pm on February 11th. It may be that you write one post a week for the challenge, but don't leave the links as a comment until you have all five done (or if you only do 3, then leave the comment with your links once you have 3 done).

Ready? Set.......Go Answer your client's questions!

 

 

 

  Friends, followers, and connections are the way of the future. 

 Make sure you check out some of our Facebook Fan Pages Too!

Based on the aggregation of billions of search queries people typed into Google this year, Zeitgeist captures the spirit of 2010.

As Google helps us take a look back at 2010, I wanted to thank all my subscribers, friends, blog buddies and the Rain Gods for making this a wonderful year in the rain. Thank you so much for reading my blogs, for all of your comments, and for your continued support. I appreciate it every time you visit.

courtesy of:

Mitchell Hall, Associate Broker, The Corcoran Group

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I must admit I am a newcomer (under a year) and a novice to the whole Facebook experience. Many colleagues of mine, especially in business have been Facebooking for years. With me, the jury is still out in accepting if not even understanding this new social phenomenon. So I want to open up a forum to you, to tell me

Why Do You Facebook? Fun, Business, or ADDICTION?

Or for that matter your own reason. Facebook as far as an activity is not really new. It is the old idea of writing a diary like with tasks, feelings, or a gratitude journal and extending it to a one size fits all template on the Internet in a fill in the blank format.

 

With Mark Zuckerberg, 26 year old Facebook billionaire CEO as 2010 Time magazine Man of the Year and the movie The Social Network out, Facebook is getting even more exposure. It mainly has to be thought of with amazement as it has 500 million members 70% residing outside the U.S. and the Palo Alto company says each member on average has 130 friends (direct connections).

The reason I ask why YOU are on Facebook is I find no fence sitters with the answer to this question. Other than me perhaps still wondering why? Most fully embrace it and are on it near daily, others set up the profile and are using it more day by day while the other camp, especially some seniors see no need for it. But there is a middle aged female trend that shows that demographic growing faster than others. Divorce attorneys also attribute 20% of divorces to someone linking up with some old flame or new one too.

In Greek mythology there was this hunter named Narcissus who was well known for his beauty. Being very full of pride he did not think he needed the love of others. In the forest at a deep pool he stopped to drink and admired his reflection and fell in love with himself. He could not tear himself away from the image and died from neglect of himself from his fixation. We get our word narcissism from this character. I bring this up cause our youngest generation is being described as the "Look at Me" generation and Facebook has an element to that. If it is not written down about your life you have not lived your life. So we have to question how much of narcissists we are turning into.

Another thing you hear in discussions of Facebook is consequential vs. trivial information. Do we really care what you ate for breakfast? Where you are? The weather? Who you saw? Where you slept? Who you slept with? That your dog vomited? I think this stems from releasing emotional needs, essentially to anyone, or at least your friends, like being in a psychologist office where they would ask you to tell more about you. What are you thinking about now, what frustrates you, what makes you happy? You lost your keys, good Zumba workout at the fitness club, had a bad meeting with a client. VERY SOCIAL, but also the minutiae of life. Trifling matters to most.

Then in the EVOLUTION of social media in civilization there is the move away from what was MORE PRIVATE to much more being PUBLIC. Mark Zuckerberg himself is flabbergasted that so many people give him so much private information like their birthday and the city they live in.

Yes there are business pages called fan pages. But isn't Facebook more about being SOCIAL? Social conversations can lead to relationships, shared interests and Groups, and leads for business.

The high school YEARBOOK effect of Facebook allows you to VIRTUALLY check out Bob or Susie from many years ago how they are aging, if they are more successful than you and how stable or unstable their love life has been. This probably borders on the appeal to the gossip type without having to actually go to the the reunion. A virtual social interaction without action having the person right across from you.

There is a time capsule effect too with writing on the WALL. Like a Caveman wall with hieroglyphics, it is there for posterity. All your photo albums instead of your hunted wooly mammoths.

Personally, with time as a consideration I would think you would want to live life and not document life. But maybe PART of Facebook is a form of living it but there is no doubt...

     FACEBOOK IS REALLY ALL ABOUT SELF.

                  "Why do you Facebook?"