The PowerPoint presentation is designed for use by small real estate brokerage and individual agents to develop and use a real estate oriented blog for developing or generating leads and marketing and selling real estate.

1. BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS Presented by: Ryan Shaughnessy, Principal PREA SIGNATURE REALTY www.PREASignatureRealty.com www.LafayetteReport.com Ryan@PREASignatureRealty.com 314-971-4381

2. WHY BLOGGING IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS? Generate and capture new leads. Enhance one’s credibility with potential clients. Establish one’s expertise. Provide information and knowledge about the real estate industry and the local area. Networkwith other real estate professionals and develop a referral base.

3. 6 DEADLY SINS OF BLOGGING Sending Mixed Messages – Failing to Stay on Message Making It Hard to Subscribe to Your Blog Inconsistent Blog Posting – Irregular Posting Schedule Failure to Interact with Readers - Lack of Replies to Comments Using the Wrong Platform Poor Keyword Selection and Failing to Use Sound SEO Practices

4. DEVELOP A BLOGGING STRATEGY Understand the Purpose and Benefits of Blogging Clearly Define Your Goals for Blogging Identify Your Target Audience Identify Blog Posts and Themes Relevant to Your Target Audience Always Include a Call to Action

5. DEVELOP A BLOGGING SCHEDULE Post Blog Articles on a Regular Scheduled Basis Inform Your Readers of Your Post Schedule Understand that Blogging Takes Time and Effort to Develop a Base and Generate Lease and Referrals Consider Using a Team or Group Blog or Use Guest Bloggers from Related Fields such as Lenders, Title Agents, Building Inspectors and Others

6. JUST DO IT – COMMON FEARS Acceptance, Criticism, Approval Not Enough Readers to Justify Effort Not Enough Business Leads to Justify Effort Focus on the Mechanics of Blogging Develop Your Owner Style Develop Your Own Voice

7. DEVELOP GOOD CONTENT Produce Quality over Quantity Stay Focused on Your Target Audience Develop Your Own Style and Message Offer Solutions and Optimism Share Your True Personality – Don’t Mimic Other’s Style Be Honest and Transparent Don’t Be Afraid to Express Contrarian Views

8. STOP SELLING – START SHARING Don’t Use Your Blog Solely to Advertise Your Listings Educate and Provide Assistance Use a Conversational Tone Share Personal Insights

9. CONTENT IDEAS Report Industry and Local News Comment on Current Events from Newspapers and Blogs Discuss Trends using Market Reports and MLS Statistics Focus on Localism – Neighborhoods and Local Businesses Differentiate Your Services from Competitors such as Emphasizing Your Use of Technology to Market and Sell Real Estate Use a Series of Posts and Group together to Encourage Additional Reading Show your Personality with Humorous Stories Provide Real Estate Training, Tips and Advice to Other Real Estate Professionals Advertise Real Estate Listings Mix Controversy or Contrarian View Use Comments to Your Blog for Future Blog Posts Use to Respond to Frequently Asked Questions from Customers

10. MAKE IT VISUALLY APPEALING Create a Professional Banner (BannerFans) Use Widgets and Search Engines (RealBird) Avoid Long Text Only Paragraphs Avoid Long Multi-Page Posts – Break into Multiple Posts as a Series Use Photographs, Video, Slideshows, and Charts to Support Your Main Points Use Bullet Points to Outline or Organize the Post Bold Important Points Use Outside Services such as: Document Hosting (Box.net) Slideshows (SlideShare.net) Photo Editing (Photobucket.com) Graphics (ImageChef.com) Lead Generation Forms (JotForm.com) Personalized Signatures (MyLiveSignature.com) View Your Blogs in Multiple Browsers and Formats to Insure that is Readable and in the Intended Format

11. FOCUS ON SEO – USE KEYWORD RICH BLOG TITLES How to Title a Blog Post Use keywords in the title that a consumer would type use to conduct a Google search. Example: Open Houses in Lafayette Square. Use geographic restrictions. Avoid common terms. Example: Vacant Land in Lafayette Square. Don’t use generic or overbroad titles. Example: Vacant Land for Sale. Develop a Big Fish in Little Pond Approach

12. FOCUS ON SEO – REPEAT KEYWORDS FROM TITLE IN FIRST SENTENCE Use this Indexing Technique Repeat the blog post title in the first sentence of the body of the blog post. Bold the keywords from the title in the body of the post. Example of Title: Vacant Land for Sale in Lafayette Square. Example of First Sentence: The has never been a better time to purchase Vacant Land For Sale in Lafayette Square. The first sentence is often shown in the Google search result and assists with indexing and encourages customers to click through to post based on relevant content.

13. FOCUS ON SEO – REPEAT KEYORDS IN BODY OF TEXT AND LINKS Repeat Keywords Repeat keywords 4-5 times throughout post matching keywords in title. Bold keywords in body of post. Write body of post to match keywords. Use links with keywords matching the title of the post. Tag your post with relevant keywords from Google.

14. FIND THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR YOUR BLOG AND BLOG STRATEGY Before Selecting a Blogging Platforms, Determine its Suitability and SEO Value My Preferred Platform: ActiveRain Resources – Tutorials to Assist and Teach You How to Blog to Generate Leads and Referrals SEO Value – Focus on Google Indexing Power Use a Real Estate Oriented or Local Platform ActiveRain Cares – Direct Interaction and Feedback with ActiveRain Staffers who Use Comments to Make Improvement to Blog Platform

15. DEVELOP A LINK STRATEGY Use Links to Promote Your Internet Presence from Websites to Social Networks Use Links from Your Website, E-Mail and Social Network Profiles to Promote Your Blog Great Content Doesn’t Have to Be Original Content - Link to Related Topics and Add Your Own Commentary as an Introduction Link to Related Your Relevant Prior Blog Posts to Encourage Additional Page Views within Your Blog Link to Local Businesses and Community Resource – Encourage Repeat Visits to Your Blog Don’t Recreate the Wheel – Create Introduction with Your Personal Commentary and Use the ActiveRain Re-Blog Feature to Develop Regular Content

16. INTEGRATE INTO YOUR BLOG INTO YOUR MARKETING PLAN Include a profile on your blog setting forth your training, experience, service areas and geographical preferences. Use links on e-mail, website, marketing materials, etc. to your blog. Use links on your blog to your website, listings, MLS search engine, etc. Post blog articles to social networks – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Use blog posts for print newsletters, e-blasts, customer guides, etc.

17. BUILD YOUR READERSHIP Include the URL for Your Blog on All Marketing Materials from Business Cards to Personal Website to Your Profiles on Social Network and Other Sites Encourage Subscription via E-Mail or RSS Feeds (FeedBurner) Provide Alternate Formats such as Podcasts (Odgio) Use Other Mediums such as Photographs (Flickr) or Videos (YouTube)

18. PROMOTE YOUR BLOG Register with Blog Directories Submit Blog Posts for Article Submission Services Use PR Wire Services Leverage Your Presence on Social Networking Sites with Links to Blog and Links to Specific Posts

19. MONITOR YOUR BLOG Track Blog Readership Statistics Using Google Analytics Use Internet Search Monitoring Services such as Google Alerts or Trackle.com to See How Your Blog is Received and Where Your Blog Posts Appear on the Internet Use a Copyright Monitoring Service such as Copyscape.comto Identify the Misuse of Your Blog Content