As many of you know by now, blogs are ‘real-time’ technology tools. We create posts or short articles of information, we hit save and the content is immediately available for online viewing. It’s a dynamic environment that typically leads to some pretty good visibility in the search engines if you use it correctly. But wait, has anyone really stopped blogging long enough to think about how to turn that visibility into an online lead? This is the end game, so let’s talk about it a bit.
Link Funneling ABCs
What does this techno-speak mean anyway? When I talk about ‘link funneling’ – what I am really referring to is ‘how many people are you sending from those blog posts to the lead capturing tools on your websites?’ Lots of folks think only in terms of unique visitors – how many visits am I getting to my blog in a day or a month? What we should really be thinking about instead is – how many potential visitors did I funnel to my MLS Search pages, my Home Valuator, and my e-mail listing alerts. You may be surprised to know that some of you who are experiencing less visitor traffic, yet are doing a great job at link funneling may be getting more out of your investment than those with lots of traffic and very few link funnels.
Blogging is About Visibility, Lead Capture is Up To YOU
If you want it to also be about lead capture, you need to put some thought into it. What happens when someone lands on that blog post you wrote about the new condominiums going up two neighborhoods over? There are a few things you should consider every time you write a business-based real estate blog post:
Have you put yourself in the reader’s shoes? Meaning… is your post easy to read, well laid out, does it offer value, and are you answering the questions that led your reader here?
Are you the resource or have you given the spotlight to someone else? Every time you offer a link out to an external resource such as a newspaper article or perhaps the developer of a new project, you send a message to your reader. That message is, that I am not the expert – they are. This is OK, but you need to do a cost/benefit analysis of doing so. Is it worth potentially losing someone to the outside source or could you spend a few extra minutes giving out more information from your own expert opinion?
Is your content relevant to your target audience? Again, step into your potential client’s shoes – what are they interested in, and what kinds of questions might they turn to Google for answers on? These are the things you should be focusing much of your blog posting energy on.
Does your post make it easy for the reader to find your complimentary online tools? This is A#1 – if you don’t make it easy for them to click on “Free MLS Search” or “What is my city, state Home Worth” or “Sign up for Automated Real Estate Listing Updates Via Email” – how are you going to get the opportunity to turn them into a lead?
Make it Easy, Easy, Easy
When you add those links to your complimentary online tools – make sure you link directly to the relevant page within your website. Don’t create a link that says, “Free MLS Search” and then send someone to your home page! Make it simple, send them directly to the search page or to the registration page necessary to get into the search page! The last thing someone wants to do is land on a home page and figure out what to do next.
Blog Navigation is a Key Factor
How’s your navigation? And by navigation I mean the links you offer from the top, left, and right sides of your blog. Is it easy to understand/use? Could it be simplified? How about turning text into graphic buttons? Would any of this make your user interface and your reader’s experience better? These are important questions to ask yourself as typically your environment can be modified to meet your needs.
