"Blogging for Business - Show Me the Money" presentation for the 1st Tulsa Social Media Conference March 2011

1. Blogging for Business –
Show Me the
MONEY! $$$$$
Presentation © 2011 by Lori Cain

2. Social Media: the 4 legs of the table & syndication
LinkedIn - as necessary as a business card - your online resume. Free. Easy setup.
Requires few updates/maintenance. Get/give recommendations.
FaceBook - personal page and business page; easiest way to stay connected with
your COI and new friends
Twitter - great communication tool; requires more time online;
learning curve to interact and engage; schedule tweets
Blogging - the method to engage with people you don't yet
know and would not otherwise have the opportunity
to meet; opportunity to engage with future clients

4. Social Media
Don’t be scared –
this isn’t new.
Social Media doesn't change
WHAT we communicate –
it simply changes HOW
we communicate

5. What is a blog?
What is blogging?
How many of you blog?
Do you know what a blog is?
Online journal? Diary? Record?
Way to ENGAGE!!!
IMPORTANT: Blogging is THE method to engage with people you don't know
and otherwise wouldn't reach, people you hope will be future clients

6. WHY Blog?
The sole purpose of blogging is to come up in internet searches
and make your phone ring >> resulting in business
(a commission check).

7. Show Me the Money – Benefits of Blogging
How much I earned from blogging in 2010:
Over 30% of my total income was a direct result
of people who found my blog
(this does not include FaceBook, Twitter or
LinkedIn residual business)
$360K buyer - found my blog by googling
“midtown Tulsa homes with sidewalks”
$350K seller - found my blog searching for
information on home staging
$420K buyer - referral from another blogger
with clients transferring from Dallas
$700K buyer from Scotsdale, AZ searching for
2010 Production was TRIPPLE of Tulsa real estate
2009 Production!!!

8. How to Blog – Where/How to Start
Easiest way to start is to respond to FAQs , write about your personal experiences,
draw from your daily transactions - write about a problem you solved.
Once blog is written answering FAQ, send to other clients.
Get across to readers that you are knowledgeable, professional - comfortable,
friendly, approachable.
Write about what you know. Be transparent - give readers the opportunity to
know and trust you - they will feel like they know you and have a level of trust
with you before they ever call you.
Write in a comfortable and conversational style,
like you're talking over coffee.
Where to Blog
Active Rain, WordPress, Blogger, customized, etc.

9. Rules of Blogging
Rule #1: What's published on the internet STAYS on the internet! Don't drink & blog.
Rule #2: Don't steal images –
Images and copyright infringement.
Take your own photos – carry camera
at all times!!
Start a photo gallery of your own images!
Find sites with free images or an annual
subscription.

10. Why Blog?
Lead Generation. Money - obtaining new clients, referrals
Get found on search engines
Reminders about your business (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, syndication)
Become the neighborhood expert - write about your local area,
show that you know what's going on locally, that you are
connected and engaged
GOOGLE Juice! - Blogging is the fastest way to get key
placement with the search engines, PERIOD!
Use your blog as if you were giving your clients a free sample.
They get to learn about you, how you do things, and who you are.

11. What to Blog About?
• Real estate (or your business as applicable)
• Market reports or industry news
• FAQs and “How To” or “Top Tens”
• Neighborhoods - neighborhood expert
• Community events - community leader
• Locally-owned businesses
• Your family, your dog, your passions
• Editorial calendar: feature employees or clients
• Press releases
Have a “Call to Action” at end of blog post, i.e., ask reader to
subscribe to your blog; links
back to web site; provide fresh
and interesting content!
Elements of a good blog post:
Entertaining and informative; formatted well for scanning;
strong visuals; HRO - human reader optimization –
writing for search engines and humans

12. What’s the Next Step?
Start writing – there is no right or wrong way to blog.
There are preferred blogging practices that will help get
your blog posts indexed, but first you must write – you
can fine-tune later. I am still editing beginning blog posts.
Attend any and all pertinent webinars.
Did I say START WRITING?

13. Blogging for Business Summary
Blogging is THE method to engage with people you don't know and otherwise wouldn't
reach, people you hope will be future clients
Purpose of blogging is to come up in google searches and make your phone ring >>
resulting in business and $$$$.
Thank you for attending this presentation and do call when you are ready to buy or
sell a house!! Go to my web site to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter please!
www.LoriCain.com