Hawaii Real Estate | Hawaii Relocations | Hawaii Home Buying & Selling

Blogging on ActiveRain has been a long road that brought me business as well as connecting with my peers. Blogging meant that I make my own ‘POP’ with content that will attract readers who wanted to know more about real estate, my local area and certainly ….a bit about me.  Blogging isn’t just about me either.

With consistency, dedication and a whole lot of hard work…

Came business from the consumer and referrals from my peers.

We all want to have many featured posts, to  accumulate lots of  points and have LOTS of readers and business from our blogs. Well, here’s a bit of news. It doesn’t come easy! 

Writing on ActiveRain about my local area and real estate are a given but I started thinking  about this……  My blog has to have a personal side to it because it defines WHO I AM as a person!  It’s WHO the consumer will call because they read a bit about WHO I AM …and the person behind these written words.

I have to make my own POP to my blog…

…. and everything else will follow.

QUALITY CONTENT!  This is NUMERO UNO on the list for creating readership.   Writing a few words that have no real substance ( just to get a few points) will not create long lasting readership.   Believe me when I say we can see underneath those few meaningless words.  Your content will come from your heart, mind and soul…and you will create your OWN magic when being REAL! Transparency. When writing a variety of topics, write as if you are conversing with the reader.   

ADD VISUALS!  I take MANY pictures of our Hawaiian scenery (ocean, flowers, historic sites etc), local areas and just …stuff around me.  Entering pictures into my blog gives the story a visual and personal side to my area and WHO I AM.  A picture will give me idea of what to write about too! (i.e. A picture of a path through the woods could present a story about my pathway to professionalism)  Get out there and take your own pictures to use in your own blog.

COMMENT ON THEIR BLOGS TOO!  You want readership?  Go and comment on others blogs too! Don’t just leave a ‘thanks for the post’ or ‘good post’. READ it before commenting…and I mean REALLY read it. Don’t just skim and leave a comment that has nothing to do with the whole story. Don’t expect to receive comments if you don’t give them too.  Connecting with others in the community means to interact with them too!

These are just a few tidbits to start with amongst using great titles, tags and keywords for a blog. The rest doesn’t come easy but these are my own person rules of thumb for Making My Own Magic in the World of Blogging:

• Write with conviction, wit, humor, passion because everyone will read you if you do.
• Write with original content and your own pictures that you created yourself because everyone will read if you do.  (and remember, PLAGIARISM means Stealing! Do not copy and paste someone else’s words, photos or videos!)
• Write with wit, humor and emotion because everyone will read you if you do.  
• Write with the intent of giving back to the community because everyone will read you and give back to you and the community too. It’s not just about me, me and me. It’s about you too!
• Write with integrity, honesty and respect because everyone deserves it and so do you.  
• Write a comment or two for the post you just read (show sincerity) and everyone will continue to come back and read yours too.
• Write from your own thoughts with facts and not assumptions because no one will read you if you don't.  

Having a Blog that Pops….

Is better than a Blog that Flops.

It’s really up to YOU.

About two and a half years ago I wrote a post Stewardship: The Way to a PLEASANT Blogging Experience.   I got the idea to write the post from a comment thread in which our own Bob Stewart - ActiveRain talked about holding ourselves to a higher standard. 

He said, ""If you have a following on ActiveRain, you need to HOLD YOURSELF TO A HIGHER STANDARD. Having a big following (and there are a ton of you commenting on this that do) means that you take stewardship over the community as a whole. ..........Your actions reflect positively and negatively on ALL OF US."

Hang around the barber shop long enough and you end up getting a haircut.  In other words, if we read a lot of negative posts about the community we won't move there, right?  We on ActiveRain ARE a community and it is the people behind all the words that make this a great community.  Once in awhile there will be disparaging posts or comments and we can choose to ignore, jump in and fight or look on the positive side of the story.

There are always two sides to everything.

 In my own mind and stepping into another's shoes.

Your success in business is not dependent on others giving it to you. YOU MAKE IT.  Same goes for blogging. We have to work hard at creating a good post full of information that shows some transparency to who is writing it as well as making it interesting so the consumer and our peers that will read it.

We engage the reader with:

• Quality Content:  Yeah, you can cram a load full of creative content t into one post or very little with thought provoking tidbits to make you think further.  That's the beauty of blogging....you MAKE your own blogging experience turn into business and connecting with your peers by putting interesting information into your writing.
• Transparency in Content:  When you are talking to someone about real estate (or staging, loans etc.) are you just reciting and talking AT them instead of WITH them? Same goes for your writing.... FEEL the reader walking beside you and write as if you're talking with them. Reciting does not go a long way...being real does.
• Variety in Content:  Whoever said local area, food joints, the best pedicurist in town, history and points of interest in your neighborhood has nothing to do with real estate is OUT OF THEIR MINDS!  Everything around us is Real Estate Related. If a client asks where a great dining place is you have answers. If they ask about the neighborhood history or entertainment you have answers. This could make the difference in their believing YOU ARE THE AREA EXPERT......or NOT.

ActiveRain is my best source for getting myself and my information out to the public. It is my best source for referrals and without a doubt the only place that I have truly bonded with my peers and turned many a connection into long lasting friendships.

You CAN and WILL create your own blogging experience on ActiveRain with dedication, consistency and a whole lot of effort. Just like any other marketing tool....it takes time for it to implement into your business ....as long as you are creating content worth reading. It take a heck of a lot of focus....on your own self instead of worrying about everyone else. It is when you understand all this...is when you ARE ....Creating Your OWN Blogging Experience on ActiveRain.

It takes a positive attitude to work smoothly alongside your peers in any community.

Are you holding yourself to a higher standard within our ActiveRain community?