Finding Time To Blog As A Real Estate Professional
This might just be the most ironic post we’ll ever publish here on the Vine.
Teresa Boardman, the real estate blogging goddess from St. Paul, sent over this post to help us get some fresh content on our pages. It couldn’t have come at a better time. With all of my time spent on the recent growth of our company and the development of some very exciting projects, including an entire Tomato Makeover, it’s nice to have a few reliable contributors.
Finding Time To Blog As A Real Estate Professional
By Teresa Boardman
I am contacted by people from all over the country who would like to start a business blog or who already have one but are struggling with it. People make the same type of comment about not having enough time, not understanding how I find the time or saying that is takes too much time.
Marketing and prospecting have always taken time. In general it is recommended that real estate practitioners spend about two hours a day prospecting. We tend to want to work the business we have until it runs out and then start prospecting and advertising. Consistent prospecting, even when there is enough business is the secret to consistently having clients and making what can be a kind of roller coaster ride a bit smoother.
Where do I find the time to blog?
It is part of my daily routine and part of my weekly schedule. I don’t use time blocking, I find that too restrictive… but I do plan which tasks I will complete each day and writing is always on the list. I also have a list of buildings and places that I want to photograph. I think I have the best job in the world because taking pictures is on my to do list as a priority task. I just love it when someone challenges me on the amount of time I spend writing or taking photographs. I like to ask them how much time they spend doing open houses. I don’t have time for open houses and they don’t give me near the ROI as writing blog posts does. There isn’t time during my working hours to do anything that doesn’t directly or indirectly generate revenue.
For people who are serious about having a business blog a plan is essential.
If the blog always comes last (when you ‘have time) it is likely that posts will not be made on a consistent basis making it less likely that the blog will generate readership and revenue. Writing on a blog that doesn’t get read and does not generate revenue is a waste of time. It is similar in this way to other forms of farming. I have read that it takes about 18 months of mailing every month before geographical farming starts to pay off. Most agents give up after 6 to 9 months which means they more or less threw away the time and money they spent on farming. It works the same way with a blog. It can take months or even a year for a blogging to pay off. Once it does it just keeps on giving. A single post on a blog with consistent quality content can lead to multiple real estate transactions. it never goes away, it is out there in cyber space and people continue to find it and react to it.
Everyone has time for a blog.
We all have time to show houses, get listing contracts signed and attend closings. Writing a blog is just as important. I can’t imagine not having time to show houses. Most of us figure some way to work that into our schedules. Why doesn’t writing a blog post get the same kind of priority? It is just as likely to generate revenue as showing homes. From a big picture point of view showing homes can lead to one sale in the near future but writing a blog post every day, can lead to home sales for years.
Don’t tell me you don’t have time for your blog.
You do have the time. It just isn’t a high enough priority and you are not taking it seriously and should not have started a blog in the first place. Writing a blog or any prospecting activity is part of the job and should not be treated like leisure time activity that is done only when there is enough time. Get off of Jim’s blog right now and go to your own and start writing (you too Jim!). You just wasted valuable time reading my rant when you could have been writing or out taking pictures. You do have time or you would not be here reading this.
Teresa Boardman is an exceptionally professional Realtor in the St. Paul, Minnesota area.
Her website: www.TBoardman.com
Her blog: www.StPaulRealEstateBLOG.com
Voice: 651-216-4603
Thank you Teresa.
As always, it’s a pleasure having you ‘on the Vine’.
