1,505,863
There is a LOT to blogging. Did I mention there is a lot to it? The basics "for a 7 year old" I'd give are:
- Make it informative
- Keep it entertaining
- Use images
- Use proper formatting (headers and such)
- Don't make paragraphs long, 3-4 sentences is a good average. You want that blank space to break up the reading visually for the reader
- Use charts and graphs where appropriate, but don't overdue
- Have a "Call to Action" (also called a CTA) in the blog. A "Call Celeste Now" type of deal
Other than that, there is a LOT of debate about word length. I've seen people say everything from "a couple hundred words" to 3,000 words minimum. The best advice there is to write enough to cover the topic.
IF the "7 year old" wants to go grow up and go to college on blogging, Ahrefs has an incredible youtube channel that mainly focuses on SEO but also has a WEALTH of more detailed information on blogging (as a means to improve site ranking). Moz.com also has good info as well as does SERPStat. Those three will get you a solid "Bachelor's Degree" worth of info. Then there are some real hidden gems of SEO experts out there (not Neil Pattel) and some focused forums and such if you want the "Master Degree" or "P.h.D." level info.
There is enough info out there for my one person shop to take on the 800lb gorillas and own page 1. It's just a full-time job and a multi-year effort to get there.
-
Elyse Berman, PA
Boca Raton, FL
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Margaret Goss
Winnetka, IL
-
Kathleen Daniels, Prob...
San Jose, CA
-
Jerry Newman
San Antonio, TX
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
-
Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
-
Andrew Mooers | 207.53...
Houlton, ME
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Carol Williams
Wenatchee, WA
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
1,056,097
Sure. Here's the most dumbed down version.
This is a blog site. There are literally millions of blogs on this site. All you need to do is read through a bunch of them, get ideas, and then use the relatively simple blog creation interface to pen your own.
If you're savvy enough to create videos to text, I suspect blogging will be a walk in the park for you.
-
Elyse Berman, PA
Boca Raton, FL
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Jerry Newman
San Antonio, TX
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
-
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Carpinteria, CA
-
Carol Williams
Wenatchee, WA
510,464
I think that blogging should be about sharing. Sharing something you know a lot about, sharing something you feel might interest someone else, sharing who you are and what you stand for.
A lot of people use blogging as advertisement, like TV commercials. But I prefer to use it as a way of engaging other like minded people.
-
Tony and Suzanne Marri...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Jerry Newman
San Antonio, TX
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Carpinteria, CA
-
Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
-
Susie Kay
Plano, TX
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
3,174,937
Hello Celeste,
For starters, blogging is most effective when you can answer a few questions and then target your blogging:
1. Are you blogging for business or fun?
2. If you're blogging for business, who is your target audience? Consumers or other agents (if you live in an area with lots of out of towners coming in, referrals COULD be productive)
3. If you're blogging to the consumer, what can you offer that is unique? Blogging the "generic" stuff they can find anywhere while useful for building up your website content, isn't likely to cause someone doing a Google search to find you and then hire you.
4. Is there an underserved niche you can blog about? For our market, it's low maintenance homes (patio homes, condos, etc.). A post to a niche can be about 10 times more effective than a general blog post.
5. Blogging is a marathon and not a sprint. It takes time to build up enough content to increase the odds that Google likes you and the consumer finds you.
If you look in ActiveRain's groups, find Ask An Ambassador. There are many posts in there with specifics about how to blog, improve your results, etc.
Bill
-
Elyse Berman, PA
Boca Raton, FL
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Jerry Newman
San Antonio, TX
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
-
Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
-
Carol Williams
Wenatchee, WA
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
4,477,171
Celeste welcome to blogging,my advice is go to the Leader board and follow the top 100 active members. See what style they are writing which matches your style... follow and interact with them and amazingly enough you will find your voice, Endre
-
Bob Crane
Stevens Point, WI
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Jerry Newman
San Antonio, TX
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
2,221,377
Celeste, you have many great suggestions for blogging.
-
Bob Crane
Stevens Point, WI
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Anthony Acosta - ALLAT...
Atlanta, GA
7,862,342
Follow my blogs to see the dumbed down version.
-
Elyse Berman, PA
Boca Raton, FL
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Andrew Mooers | 207.53...
Houlton, ME
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
2,399,375
I would love to know how to send out videos via text so that alone would be a good blog post Celeste Salzberg . Other wise the best tip I can give is to do localism posts. Take a look at my blog for some ideas or Roy Kelley is also someone who likes to blog about what ever crosses his mind and Roy is The King of Active Rain.
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Andrew Mooers | 207.53...
Houlton, ME
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Dario Ferreira
Attleboro, MA
-
Susie Kay
Plano, TX
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
6,416,169
Lots of good advice here already, all that I can add is, Consistency is key to success.
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Bob Crane
Stevens Point, WI
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
5,111,821
I am not sure what you mean by "dumbed down" version. Version of what? Scroll through the posts here and you can see what blogging is all about in various forms and topics. Lots of how-to's for blogging on line if you go to Google. Videos via text and blogging are two totally different animals. And I'm one of those people who hates receiving unsolicited video texts. Unless it's a friend or a client, I automatically delete and block those senders.
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
-
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Carpinteria, CA
-
Susie Kay
Plano, TX
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
3,349,229
The answer could fill many books and has filled many books. AR is a good online book. Follow some of the top bloggers here and learn from what they are posting.
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Endre Barath, Jr.
Beverly Hills, CA
3,138,143
Welcome to ActiveRain Celeste! Get acquainted with the site and how it works by reading up on the information at the bottom of the page, it is easily understood. If you need help, ask for it.
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
1,846,851
This is a tough question. I 'hear' you saying I want the 'express learning' pressed into my head. I want to be successful at it in a month's time. That's all I'm giving it .....
People gave you good advice above. We used to have University vids & posts but I don't know if they are still there.
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
4,900,085
Have a point and don't suck.
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
-
Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
5,253,385
You have some great answers, Celeste! Welcome to blogging and ActiveRain!
I would upload those videos and type the words spoken in the video (for SEO) and post them here. Videos help your posts rank as well. Since you've already gotten some videos prepared, it's a great way to start.
Good luck!
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
-
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
-
Anthony Acosta - ALLAT...
Atlanta, GA
2,245,575
Reporting from your home town corner of the world. You know where all the back road short cuts are, the best place for lasagna, who does good work, what's to do for fun... all of it. You tell the local story and embed video and images captured from the area you post about on a regular basis. So you are the go to habit as the local authority.
You engage people and develop a following when you blog post on worthwhile topics to the them. Save them time and money and offer something of value. You blog about what you know, you report from your area to help others thinking of moving or investing here to know what it is like if they follow your blog posts. Provide something you would want if brand new to the topic or area and looking to be educated on the unknown.
(Seven Year Old Version Explanation) Wide shot, natural lighting (Boy sitting at kitchen table drawing with magic markers and getting light headed) Slow zoom in on little boy's art work. NARRATOR "Once upon a time, there was a little boy. He was helpful. Can you say helpful? I knew you could."
Be a helper like Fred Roger's mother taught him ... and pitch in, provide information, graphic flash cards, home made everything to make life easier for others. The end. (Fade to black) That's a wrap... thank you people.. now help out with the set tear down.)
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
509,449
I don't think I'm that good with blogging. I'm learning about it, too.
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Susie Kay
Plano, TX
420,003
Start with taking some cell phone photographs and think about a very short story you will write with the images. Keep the topic close to your heart, related to what you do, perhaps solves a problem... Add your contact information. These are posted and help find you on the internet.
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Susie Kay
Plano, TX
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
1,077,951
You write online so people will read what you write, and eventually, engage and reach out. You can write to answer questions, you can write to just write/share something about yourself, or write to describe things that happen to you in your business. The more you write, the more the internet sees your content and likes you, and the better things get from there.
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
-
Susie Kay
Plano, TX
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
564,494
I recommend starting with a topic that you are confident about and have something to share with others. Keep it simple and include some graphics to add some visual appeal. Don't over-think it...be authentic.
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
347,398
Celeste,
Just in case this is a typo:
REAL ESTATE AGENT
Celeste Salzberg
Realtor in Downtown Wilmington's Hiistoric Dist.
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Endre Barath, Jr.
Beverly Hills, CA
1,045,440
Tons of info and methods to this write it from the perspective of the consumer.
Using graphics, videos, images to make it easier and more engaging for your target reader.
Most believe in writing longer posts 1000 words +
Don't write too technically they say most people prefer to read below the 8th grade reading level and follow things more easily.
I'd be happy to share more if you'd like to you can contact me directly I'm an agent just like you.
-
Jeff Myers
Adams City, CO
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
636,127
My advice is to write content that you know is correct within the scope of your knowledge & expertise. There is so much "noise" and misinformation online...especially about real estate & mortgage lending. Being known as a reputable & reliable source of accurate content builds credibility and is reinforced with each blog you post.
On a side note, I'd be very interested to know how the video texts are working out for you if you're willing to share!
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Roy Kelley
Gaithersburg, MD
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
5,583,328
just write what you know..... that's the advice I received from Lenn Harley....
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
1,205,863
Stay faithful to active rain.
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
921,504
"That's all I've been doing."
This statement suggests to me you have a great deal of information and have been 'doing blogging stuff' but are unable to interpret what the website analytics is telling you.
What you are asking us to do is suggest how to fix they MS blue screen without sharing what preceded the event there fore the answer is always, pwr down, unplug then restart. Those who ask you no questions are suggesting a reboot.
The dumbed down version is simply rally your tribe on FB. However, if being a relateable human being is important, your blog needs to serve a purpose of solve a problem........for the reader NOT THE AGENT.
Let's start with building your business and blogging around the topics related to your perception of why you have been given breath to walk the earth. Real estate is the vessel you ride to achieve your purpose in life. That purpose should NEVER BE the next transaction.
If you understand, then the birds of the air will seek shelter beneath your tree of wisdom. Why? Because everyone else is asking the exact same question you are...."Why are my efforts not bringing to me the fulfillment I need?"
That $600 an hr advise should have opened the door through which even a 7 year old will find transformation.
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Kris Collis, Associate...
East Stroudsburg, PA
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
5,772,575
I agree with Joseph Domino 480-390-6011
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
3,627,072
Write about something, no matter what that you are interested in. I write about history, nothing real estate related.
If you don't write about what your passionate about it shows
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
5,237,958
Write a blog about using video text messages. It would be well received!
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
-
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - W...
St. George, UT
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
1,753,213
Celeste, the videos sound awesome. Since you're already doing that, blogging will be a piece of cake. Here is a simple outline of how to blog effectively:
How to create a smooth flowing blog
I would have outlined it here, but I didn't think the readers would appreciate that much text.
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
2,784,416
In the same way you have asked this question, make a statement in writing. This is called posting, blogging or commenting. You can then take your subject matter and apply this to it: Who, what, where, when, why & how....
-
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Minot, ND
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
3,071,489
Joseph Domino 480-390-6011 nailed this one!
-
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
-
Joseph Domino 480-390-...
Scottsdale, AZ
1,598,452
5,877,179
Do blogs on the neighborhoods you service, talk about what services you offer.
4,959,192