by Rich Schiffer, Weichert Realtors
The team at AR has created a platform for networking and blogging that has more potential than many people seem to realize. I have been thinking of ways to utilize the pairing of AR and Localism to their fullest, and I thought I should share some of my ideas, rather than keep them a secret. This community seems to be a great one to bounce ideas off of and to hone something from a concept to a viable practice. Here are some of my ideas. I welcome your comments, as always.
- Blogged Listings -- Open Houses
I have seen relatively few blogged listings, and I think this is an area that needs to be explored, especially with the advent of Localism.com
A blog could be written up for each open house that you sit, whether it is your listing or another agent's in your office. Write the blog at least a week in advance, and announce the date, time, location, and driving directions. Categorize it as "public" and "advertisement" and make sure to put it in the right region. Include some links to information about the community, and maybe even some comparable sales data. After the blog, you can report on how many guests came through, and what some of their comments were. If you have the capability, put your laptop up in the kitchen, with the blog on the screen, and ask guests to leave comments. This will provide up to date data for the sellers, and enable them to make improvements that might enhance the marketability of the property. It will also showcase your professionalism and your creative use of the Internet for the prospects that come through. Remember, of course that the blog is public, so be sure to respect the confidentiality of your client. Once you have updated the blog, after the open house has concluded, you can take it out of public view and effectively "archive" it by changing it's status to "Draft" or "Associate Only" Then, you are ready to create a new blog for the next open house. Because Localism and AR posts blogs in order, your new blog will appear at the top of the list for your region, potentially driving more interested buyers to your open houses.
- Blogged Listings -- Stagers Before & After Pictures
This is another area I think has been overlooked. Stagers could post "Before and After" pictures for the properties they stage. Important things to highlight would be the number of days on the market before staging, and the number of days till accepted offer after staging, and the selling price, along with any comments by the seller or listing agent. This type of blog could easily be utilized by stagers to refer potential clients to documented "success stories" and client testimonials. It would also serve as a way for REALTORS to evaluate stagers that they might choose to refer their clients to. Just like the open house example above, the blog would need to be posted as a "public" blog, as an "advertisement", and categorized in the correct region. On other aspect of stagers posting these type of blogs -- Prospective clients looking on localism.com will see the posts, and could be driven to your website, or they could even contact you directly.
Additional Ideas for putting Localism can be found here:
Event Blogs - How to Make Them Work for You
Community Calendar Blogs - How to Make Them Work for You
The Bottom Line: Take advantage of everything that AR and Localism have offered you.
