Blogging Blueprint Class: Answering Frequently Asked Questions

I Want Answers!

Every day millions of people go online and ask Google to answer some question that is important to them. Every day you are being asked real estate related questions by your clients. Your blog can be should be the perfect convergance of these two events.

How often do you find yourself responding via email to some kind of question your client has asked you? Probably often. Why would you spend that time educating one client when you could just as easily make that response a blog post and then post it online for that person to read (send them a link to your blog post) as well as have it online for anyone else who might ask that same question of the search engines.

We see this kind of traffic ALL the time on ActiveRain. Consumers go online to find answers to frequently asked questions and they end up landing on a blog post written by a member of ActiveRain. So Let's learn the best way to write blog posts that answer frequently asked questions.

Blogging Blueprint Class: Answering Frequently Asked Questions

In this Blogging Blueprint class we will take a look at how to properly construct a blog post that answers a commonly asked question, including:

• What should your keyword phrase be
• How do people ask questions in the search engines
• What calls to action can we place in these kind of blog posts
• How should we format the blog posts so they look professional
• What kind of questions are people asking

Watch the class recording now




Download the PDF that shows you hundreds of the most recent questions people have asked that have led to blog posts on ActiveRain to give you some good ideas of what to write about. The reality is you are getting these questions every day from your clients and it's not a huge leap to assume that others are asking the same questions of the search engines. 


























Catch the entire Blogging Blueprint series

WOW Potential Sellers and Attract Buyers with Your Listing Blogs

WOW Potential Sellers and Attract Buyers with Your Listing Blogs

With hundreds, maybe thousands, of sites where you can find listings online how likely is it that consumers are going to go to your blog to look for listings? Not very likely. But maybe you can attract them to your blog and then direct them to your website to look at more listings.

In this Blogging Blueprint: How to Blog about Your Listings, ActiveRain Community Evangelist Bob Stewart divea into the most effective ways to blog about your listings. Because after all; this is real estate and our goal should be to sell houses.

We're going to talk about:
-The best way to blog about your listing
- How your blog post can wow potential sellers and convince them you are the one to market their home
- How your listing can help you attract other potential buyers that may be interested in a property similar to your listing

View the sample blog post

Download the HTML code for the sample blog post

Watch the class recording now

Catch up on the entire Blogging Blueprint series

Blogging Boot Camp Classes and Recordings

Blogging Boot Camp

Our fundamental blog training on ActiveRain is our blogging boot camp series. This post is a hub to keep you updated on the most recent recordings from Blogging Boot Camp as well as a way for you to sign up for the next live series of classes for Blogging Boot Camp.

Blogging Boot Camp is a series of three classes that gives you the fundamental understanding of how to get your blog posts to rank, what you should be writing about to get in front of interested consumers in your market and also how to use calls to action in your blog posts to drive traffic to your website and generate leads for your business.

Upcoming Live Blog Boot Camp Classes

Class 1: SEO, Get Your Blog Posts to Rank on the Search Engines

Thursday, June 7th, 9am Pacific Time (12pm Eastern Time)

Sign Up for Blogging Boot Camp SEO, Getting Your Posts to Rank

In this class I'll show you how to get your posts to rank on the first page of the search engines. We'll talk about the fundamentals of a good strong post in terms of SEO and we'll also talk about what kind of things are the most effective for you to write about in order to make sure you land on that first page. We'll also show you a few secrets about what people search for as they get closer to buying. It will be no time before you have a post with thousands of clicks from potential buyers.

Class 2: Learn Keywords that Attract Consumers

Thursday, June 13th, 9am Pacific Time (12pm Eastern Time)

Sign Up for Blogging Boot Camp Keywords that Attract Consumers Class

In class one we teach you how to get your content to rank in the search engines. But how do you figure out what you are going to write about? This second class shows you some of the ways people search for content online and we dive into the concepts around how we should think about keyword phrases and some of the ways we should target people doing searches online. As a special bonus we give you the chance to download a PDF with 500 keyword phrases that have been searched in the last 30 days. Some simple tweaks for your market and you have enough blog ideas to keep you busy for months.

Class 3: Generate Leads with Your Blogs

Thursday, June 20th, 9am Pacific Time (12pm Eastern Time)

Sign Up for Blogging BootCamp 'Calls to Action' Class

This class used to be all about links. And sure we'll still hammer down on links, but we will also discuss some of the other ways that you can get the people reading your blog to take action. At the end of the day, your blog should be all about generating leads and contacts for your business. This class will show you how to most effectively create these calls to action in your blog posts.

Most Recent Class Recordings

Recording and Downloads Class 1: SEO, Get Your Blog Posts to Rank on the Search Engines

SEO.....you've all heard the phrase. It's our ability to get our content ranking in the search engines so that consumers looking for real estate in our market will find us. Depending on what day you're asking, well over 80% of consumers start the home search process online. And they continue to go back to Google throughout the entire journey to find the information they seek. 

The question is, will you be the one they find?

If you take the time to learn how to create blog posts that rank on the first page of the search engine, the answer is "yes, they will find you". The first class in our blogging boot camp breaks down the fundamentals of writing a blog post that ranks on the first page of the search engines.

Grab some popcorn, a cold beverage and put on your thinking cap, we're about to take you through the ins and outs of SEO.

Watch the recording of class one now

Download the action items for class one now

Recording and Downloads Class 2: Learn Keywords that Attract Consumers

In class one we teach real estate professionals  how to get their content to rank in the search engines. This second class shows you some of the ways people search for content online. We dive into the concepts around how we should think about keyword phrases and some of the ways we should target people doing searches online. Some simple tweaks for your market and you have enough blog ideas to keep you busy for months.

Watch the recording now

Download the 500 'Homes for Sale' Keyword Phrases now

Recording and Downloads Class 3: Generate Leads with Your Blogs

Proper use of links and calls to action in your blog posts can have a tremendous impact on how you convert traffic from your blog into prospects. Links in your blogs can also be a great way to help your own website rise in the search engine rankings.

During the Blogging Boot Camp Class Three: Generate Leads With Your Blogs we discuss:

• How to compel your readers to an action
• Using links to get users where you want them
• What every IDX needs to be an effective part of your blogging strategy
• How many links should be in a post

This session is valuable in your overall online strategy and how to maximize the impact of each post you write. You can find the class example calls to action referenced in class, the action items to help you incorporate what you learned and the class recording below.

Watch the recording now

Example Image Calls to Action

You can download these images by right clicking and saving the image to your desktop

Download the Action Items now



 

Generate Leads with Your Blog Posts

Generate Leads with Your Blog Posts

Proper use of links and calls to action in your blog posts can have a tremendous impact on how you convert traffic from your blog into prospects. Links in your blogs can also be a great way to help your own website rise in the search engine rankings.

During the Blogging Boot Camp Class Three: Generate Leads With Your Blogs we discuss:

• How to compel your readers to an action
• Using links to get users where you want them
• What every IDX needs to be an effective part of your blogging strategy
• How many links should be in a post

This session is valuable in your overall online strategy and how to maximize the impact of each post you write. You can find the class example calls to action referenced in class, the action items to help you incorporate what you learned and the class recording below.

Example Image Calls to Action

You can download these images by right clicking and saving the image to your desktop

 






















Download the Action Items now






Catch the recaps and recordings for this entire boot camp series

ActiveRain Newbies Start Here

ActiveRain Newbies Start Here

Congratulations on Joining ActiveRain!Now that you're here, I invite you to learn what it means to be part of this community and how it will grow your business.     

You can watch the recordings below or check the ActiveRain University Calendar for upcoming live classes!

ActiveRain New Member Orientation

This quick 30-minute class will teach you how to build your network and find great content on ActiveRain.

How to Write a Blog Post

From title to tags, we will cover everything you need to create a blog post. At the end of this class you should be comfortable writing your first blog post or more comfortable writing your next post.



For more classes, check out the ActiveRain University Calendar

8 Ways to Generate Seller Leads

8 Ways to Generate Seller Leads

In this webinar Bob hosts Jerimiah Taylor, a top producing agent from Tuscon Arizona. Jerimiah has positioned his business in the last year to take advantage of tight inventory in his market by aggressively going after sellers. In any market the more listings you have the more prospects you will be able to generate for your business. Jerimiah shares some of the ways he has been generating sellers leads both offline and online.

In this call we discuss:

• Prospecting to FSBO and Expired Listings: What do you say?
• Connecting with your sphere: How do you make sure they refer you business
• Using your database to entice sellers: How can you leverage the leads you currently have
• Using one motivated buyer to find potential sellers
• Craigslist: How can you find interested sellers and also identify FSBOs
• How to Focus on a Niche

And a few other strategies for generating seller leads. 

Target Consumers in Your Market with the Right Keywords

Target Consumers in Your Market with the Right Keywords

In class one we teach real estate professionals  how to get their content to rank in the search engines. This second class shows you some of the ways people search for content online. We dive into the concepts around how we should think about keyword phrases and some of the ways we should target people doing searches online. Some simple tweaks for your market and you have enough blog ideas to keep you busy for months.

Watch the recording now

Download the 500 'Homes for Sale' Keyword Phrases now

Follow the entire boot camp series with classes one and three.

Learn How to Get Your Blog Posts to Rank in the Search Engines

Learn How to Get Your Blog Posts to Rank in the Search Engines

SEO.....you've all heard the phrase. It's our ability to get our content ranking in the search engines so that consumers looking for real estate in our market will find us. Depending on what day you're asking, well over 80% of consumers start the home search process online. And they continue to go back to Google throughout the entire journey to find the information they seek. 

The question is, will you be the one they find?

If you take the time to learn how to create blog posts that rank on the first page of the search engine, the answer is "yes, they will find you". The first class in our blogging boot camp breaks down the fundamentals of writing a blog post that ranks on the first page of the search engines.

Grab some popcorn, a cold beverage and put on your thinking cap, we're about to take you through the ins and outs of SEO.

Watch the recording of class one now

Download the action items for class one now




Follow the entire Blogging Boot Camp Series

Broker's Guide: What to Blog About

The time is now. ActiveRain consists of over 300,000 real estate professionals.  Agents, Lenders, Inspectors, Home Stagers, Social Media Gurus, we have them all. Using AR correctly is a surefire way to slingshot your name, information, niche, area and expertise to the masses.  And not just in a way that is relevant for a day or even a week; small efforts from you will have long lasting staying power if done correctly.

Today's call discussed how you are easily able to trasition into the teacher role by mentoring agents with your knowledge.  Specifically, how to connect with agents in your area, highlight the best training and tools from your office, track potential recruits in your market and share successful stories and benchmarks to attract talent.

Now that you've taken the class and know the information, it's time to blog about your knowledge.

What to Blog About When Recruiting New Agents

• What's it like to be a real estate agent.
• How to get a real estate license in (state)
• Tips to pass the (state) real estate exam
• How to interview potential brokers
• How do commission splits work?
• What does your brokerage offer new agents?
• How much do real estate agents make?

Don't Just Post and Pray

• Craigslist
• Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+
• Recruiting Link on your website
• Drive people back to your blog posts

What to Blog About When Recruiting Existing Agents

• Make training synopsis available to all agents by making a write-up about what was covered
• Announce upcoming training events
• Review the tools your brokerage is using & explain why it's a benefit to your agents (ie Website, CRM, Marketing System, Signatures, Postcards)
• Community involvement/Volunteering
• Your Agent's success stories
• How to overcome objections
• Problem solving
• Advice for new agents

Don't Just Post and Pray

• Send to targeted agent list via email and direct message on Facebook
• Post though leader articles on LinkedIn
• Share on social media by leveraging lists of local agents
• Highlight in groups on ActiveRain

How to Connect and Find Agents on ActiveRain

• Use ActiveRain's Leaderboard to find agents in your area & subscribe to their blogs
• Leave meaningful comments on their posts
• Subscribe to blogs of people in your area
• Look at State, County and City pages on ActiveRain to see who is actively blogging
• Buy Advertising on ActiveRain Get engaged on ActiveRain First!

Learn How to Reach Potential Customers with Your Blog

At ActiveRain University we have a series of classes that we host that teach you exactly how to blog if you goal is reaching out and connecting with consumers in your market. In these classes we walk through the process of building a blog post that ranks on the first page of the search engines. In addition to helping you get your posts to rank, we also teach you how to go about selecting which keyword phrases you want to target in the search engines and we also teach how to use 'calls to action' in your blog posts in order to turn visitors to your blog into prospects for your business. 

You can sign up for our Blogging Boot Camp classes by clicking on this link. Even if you can't make the exact times, please sign up as we always send out the recordings of each class to everyone that is signed up, even if you can't make it to the live version of the class. 

Watch the Class Recording

How to Blog about Neighborhoods and Subdivisions

How to Blog about Neighborhoods and Subdivisions

In this class we take you through the format of a blog post about subdivisions. These posts are some of the most highly trafficked blogs on the ActiveRain network. If done correctly, they can be a long term source of traffic to your blog, your website and even lead to additional leads and prospects for your business. If done incorrectly, you could potentially be losing out on the opportunity to turn more of the readers of your blog into clients.

We walk you through the lay out of a blog like this, what kind of things you should include about your neighborhood or subdivision, how to include images and maybe the most important piece, what kind of potential calls to action are available for you to use in your blog posts.

By the end of the video we hope you'll be able to create great 'evergreen' posts of your own (you'll have to watch to figure out what that means, but it's one of the key takeaways if you've been blogging for a while or are just getting started) with the aim of generating leads for your business. 

Watch the Class Recording Now

View the sameple blog post referenced in class


Download the sample blog post HTML file

You can download example calls to action from this previous Blogging Blueprint webinar blog post



Check out more class like this in the Blogging Blueprint Series

Sample Post: Homes for Sale in the Kennydale Neighborhood Renton WA

Homes for Sale in the Kennydale Neighborhood Renton, WA

Why Do People Live here?

Kennydale is a beautiful neighborhood of single family homes that is conveniently located just 20 miles outside of Downtown Seattle. It's not uncommon to see neighborhood kids playing the streets of this quaint little oasis in the suburbs during the summer and sledding down snow covered streets in the winter. It's far enough from the main hustle and bustle of the city that residents don't feel like the urban center of Seattle is knocking on their door.

Looking for a home in Kennydale?

Interested in finding homes for sale in the Kennydale Neighborhood of Renton WA? Click that link to find all the currently available homes in this area of Renton.

What's the Neighborhood Like?

The homes you would expect to find for sale in the Kennydale Neighborhood are generally going to range between 1500 and 2000 square feet. Most of the homes were originally built by Quadrant homes back in the late 1980's. The last set of homes in this subdivision were built in 1992. Since then, many of the homes have had updates and it's not uncommon to find homes that have extensive finished basements adding to the square footage of some of these great homes. The smallest homes in the neighborhood start with 3 bedrooms while the larger floor plans have a four bedroom layout with some models putting the master bedroom on the main floor. Most of the lots range between 1/4 acre and a 1/2 acre so there is plenty of room for people to get out and enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest weather.

What's Going on Nearby the Kennydale Neighborhood?

Kennydale is located right in revitalized Renton Highlands area of the city. There is a major hospital less than 5 miles from the neighborhood as well as just about every kind of conceivable shopping in walking distance. The Sunset shopping center is just down the street and has everything from a pharmacy to a wonderful local coffee shop. In the evenings you will want to take a stroll down to enjoy dinner at Mac's, a great neighborhood Irish pub. The little Green Lake Cinema plays indie films throughout the year and it's not uncommon to have it sold out on Thursday nights for their 'Film Noire' series. Find out about everything that is nearby to Kennydale including places of worship, banking, shopping, Attractions and recreation and much more on my website.

What Schools will the Kids Attend?

If you buy a home for sale in the Kennydale Neighborhood of Renton WA, the local schools serving this area are Lawton Elementary School, Meeker Junior High, and Blaine High School. To get local school scores and more information about these schools check out the Renton school reports on my website.

Now You Really Want to Find a Home Here, Right?

If you are interested in the current homes for sale in Kennydale Neighborhood of Renton WA click on the link. Our 'for sale' property information is a direct feed from the Northwest MLS and is updated multiple times per day.

The ONE Thing: Get a Sample of the Book

We just had Jay Papasan and Ben Kinney join us to discuss The ONE Thing (written by Jay Papasan and Gary Keller) you can do in your business and your life so that everything else becomes easier on your way to extraordinary results. If you joined us for the call, here are a few samples of the book that were discussed during the call.

Feel free to download these PDF's and give yourself a taste of a powerful way to focus your life and your business. 

(Don't worry, if you missed the call we will have the recording of the call up........but you'll have to wait until Monday.)

Download Chapter One   

In this first Chapter you get what you would expect in most first chapters, some context for the journey you are about to take.                               

Download Chapter Five

In this chapter, one of the Lies that we all tell ourselves is discussed. Jay and Gary talk about the Lie of Multitasking and how much productivity and time multitasking actually robs from you.

Download Chapter Seven

Willpower. We all have it. But what is it exactly? How does it manifest during your day? Do you have control over it? Find out.

Interested in Buying the Book?

You can order the book here

How to Write a Blog Post on ActiveRain

How to Write a Blog Post on ActiveRain

This class covers writing your first blog post on ActiveRain from title to tags!

Are you wondering:

1. How do I add content to my blog?
2. How do I format it to look professional?
3. How do I add links and images to make my post come to life?
4. How do I add video or other media to the post?
5. What selections do I make on the post to make sure as many people see it as possible?

If you have any of these questions, check out the recording.  You should feel comfortable with your layout and please know we're always here for you if anything doesn't click right away.  Use the "Contact ActiveRain" button at the bottom of any AR page for some one-on-one help.

You can take your post from drab to fab with a few insider tips so take a peek at the short video below!

Market Report Blogging Blueprint

Market Report Blogging Blueprint

Since many buyers and sellers are researching the real estate market long before they contact a real estate agent it is important to be the one providing the information.  Your blog is a perfect place to share this information with prospects and get discovered on the search engines.

In this class, Community Evangelist Bob Stewart teaches you what kind of market data people are searching for online, how to get your market report blogs to rank on Google, and how to capture and close leads from market reports.


Watch the class recording now

Example Blog: Home Prices in Redmond WA for November 2012


Download the Blog Template for Market Reports 

Catch up on the entire Blogging Blueprint series!

Blogging Boot Camp Starting April 18th

Boot Camp kicks off again on Thursday April 18th at 9am Pacific Time (12:00pm Eastern Time)

Class #1 has been rescheduled due to technical difficulties to Monday April 22nd at 10am Pacific Time (1pm Eastern time)

If you want your blog to generate prospects for your business, we walk you through three weeks of classes (an hour each week) that I believe are fundamental to ensuring a successful real estate blog. These classes are open to everyone, although in order to use these concepts on ActiveRain, you'll need to have a Rainmaker account. We might even offer some nice promotions on a Rainmaker account throughout the series (and by 'might' I mean 'will')

Seriously......you need to take these classes. If you are having some success with your blog, these classes will lead to more. If you aren't having any success being found online by clients, these classes will help you. These are FUNDAMENTALS that you need to understand with your blog.

If you've already taken them once......do it again!! It will sink in better the second time.

As always, the classes do get recorded and distributed to anyone that signs up, even if you are unable to attend the live classes. So sign up to make sure you get access to every class. And also, as always, I'd much prefer that you join me live so you can ask the tough questions and join the Boot Camp group to find some other folks in the 'rain to keep you accountable.

Class 1: SEO, Get Your Blog Posts to Rank on the Search Engines

Thursday April 18th, 9am Pacific Time (12pm Eastern Time)

Rescheduled for: Monday April 22nd, 10am Pacific Time (1pm Eastern Time)

Catch the Recording and Action Items for Boot Camp Class One

In this class I'll show you how to get your posts to rank on the first page of the search engines. We'll talk about the fundamentals of a good strong post in terms of SEO and we'll also talk about what kind of things are the most effective for you to write about in order to make sure you land on that first page. We'll also show you a few secrets about what people search for as they get closer to buying. It will be no time before you have a post with thousands of clicks from potential buyers.

Class 2: Target Consumers in Your Market

Thursday April 25th, 9am Pacific Time (12pm Eastern Time)

Catch the Recording and Downloads for Blogging Boot Camp Targeting Consumers Class

In class one we teach you how to get your content to rank in the search engines. But how do you figure out what you are going to write about? This second class shows you some of the ways people search for content online and we dive into the concepts around how we should think about keyword phrases and some of the ways we should target people doing searches online. As a special bonus we give you the chance to download a PDF with 500 keyword phrases that have been searched in the last 30 days. Some simple tweaks for your market and you have enough blog ideas to keep you busy for months.

Class 3: Generate Leads with Your Blogs

Thursday May 2nd, 9am Pacific Time (12pm Eastern Time)

Catch the Recording and Downloads for Blogging BootCamp 'Calls to Action' Class

This class used to be all about links. And sure we'll still hammer down on links, but we will also discuss some of the other ways that you can get the people reading your blog to take action. At the end of the day, your blog should be all about generating leads and contacts for your business. This class will show you how to most effectively create these calls to action in your blog posts.

~Bob Stewart, your host

(I don't know what it is about that picture.......but I like it! Normally I try to make the picture relate to the blog post somehow. Not this time. It's completely random!)

Setting Up Google Authorship for More Traffic

Setting Up Google Authorship for More Traffic

You need to get set up with Google Authorship and in this special ActiveRain University class, ActiveRain Evangelist Bob Stewart will show you why you need to be set up with Google Authorship and also HOW to get your ActiveRain blog set up.

Does getting higher click through rates on your content interest you? Does letting Google know what content you are creating so they can keep track of everything you write sound interesting? You need to get this set up. Just take the 20 minutes to watch the video and do it!

For step by step instructions, visit Setup Google Authorship Through ActiveRain: Super Easy blog post.

Watch Bob Stewart as he walks you through how to setup Google Authorship on ActiveRain and how to make sure it is working!




For upcoming classes like this, visit ActiveRain University Calendar

How to Upload Video

The new Insert/Edit Embedded Media icon makes for a streamlined process.  No longer do you need to grab embed code and paste it into the HTML section of your blog post.

Here's how you use it:

• Find your video on YouTube or wherever it's housed
• Copy the unique url of that video and come back to your blog post
• Click the Insert/Edit Embedded Media icon and a box will appear
• Paste your video's url into the File/Url spot. (The Type and Dimensions will auto populate)
• Click Insert

A square yellow box will appear in your blog post, do not fret.  Once you click 'Post Blog Entry' the yellow box disappears and your video is there for viewing pleasure.

If the video is housed on your own desktop, click the browse button to the right of the File/Url field to browse your computer for the video; just like you do when inserting images.

Check out this quick video to see what the process looks like.

How to Get the Most from Sharing Real Estate News Online

How to Get the Most from Sharing Real Estate News Online

In this class we take a look at the idea of sharing real estate news online. Why should you share real estate news online? What kind of news should you share?

We talk about how you can go about finding real estate news that is worth sharing. We discuss what is the fundamental starting point from which you should be sharing real estate news. And then we give you a few ideas on how you can take the news and share it with your sphere.

There are a couple of nuggets in here that could make you a local real estate star.

Blog Post Review Recordings

Breaking Down Blog Posts

In this ActiveRain University class we take a look at four posts and review them to see what agents have done well and the things they can improve.

If you are going to blog, and your goal is to get in front of interested consumers in your market, it makes sense to do the right thing. We would like to thank these four brave souls for letting Bob break down their posts and give his thoughts on how they may improve the post to make them rank better in the search engines as well as make them more appealing to the real people that end up accessing your content.

Neighborhood Post - Great Example

This post is a great example of a neighborhood or community post. They use links and calls to action very effectively in the post and overall it is a very good representation of what you would want to emulate. A couple of small suggestions to make this one a little more effective but very good.

Writing about Loan Products

In this post, the author does a very good job of targeting a specific loan product to a particular area. In this case, he is focused on VA loans and a certain military base in his area. We make a number of suggestions on this post including the proper number of times to use his keyword phrase as well as a discussion about links and calls to action in a post like this. Once we are done with the post, it's in a better position to rank than before we started.

Missing The Mark on Keywords

I love what the author is trying to do on this post, but they really need to think about exactly what keywords they are trying to target with the blog post. This is a great example of a good idea for a post that probably won't get in front of as many people as it could had the author focused the post on a specific keyword phrase and had a better understanding of what he wanted to target. We make a number of suggestions of ways to improve this post.

What Are You Really Writing About?

For this post, the author is writing about one thing in the body of the post but his blog title (and therefore his page title) is telling the search engines something completely different. The content in the post has a great chance to get seen thousands of times but a swing and a miss on the title has most likely relegated this post to a lonely life. Not to worry, we give the author some suggestions of how to fix this post.

ActiveRain Gives You the Blueprint for Successful Blogs

ActiveRain Gives You the Blueprint for Successful Blogs

No two bloggers are going to have the exact same style. In this regard, bloggers are like snow flakes (lame! Be over already winter!) custom hot rods! Each one with their own unique style and approach. But there are cetain kinds of posts that we believe every blogger should have in their blog.

Our Blogging Blueprint Series is designed to give you a map by which to create some of the most valuable posts for your real estate blog. The idea is, the first time you create a post of this nature, you have something to help guide you. We hope to guide you both the visual layout of the post as well as the content. Our blueprints are designed to help ensure that some of the most important aspects of a blog post are present when you create your posts (think calls to action and things designed to help your blog posts generate leads, prospects and ultimately business for you)

What Does a Blueprint Contain:

Each blueprint comes with a template of some sort that you can follow while creating your own blog posts. There is also a video recording of our Community Evangelist Bob Stewart walking you through the specifics of each type of post including explaining the layout and the type of content you will want to create for each type of post.

Perhaps the most important part of these blueprints is the discussion and placement of your calls to action. These links and images can be the difference between getting leads and not getting leads from your real estate blog.

You can access our Blogging Blueprint Series below.

Generate 1000's of Clicks Blogging about Condo Complexes

Local Events and Local Businesses Blog Templates

Hyper Local Blog Template

Market Report Blog Template

Neighborhoods and Subdivisions

Blog Your Listings

Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions with Your Blogs


For more upcoming classes like this, check out the ActiveRain University Calendar

Generate 1000's of Clicks Blogging about Condo Complexes_Blogging Blueprint

Blogging Blueprint: Generate 1000's of Clicks Blogging about Condo Complexes

This class starts by giving you the reason that you should be writing blog posts about condo complexes.  We go on to discuss the best way to blog about a condo complex in order to generate traffic to your blog posts and also to turn that traffic into leads for your business. We take a look at the best layout for a post like this as well as the best places to include calls to action. 

Watch the video now




Read the Sample Blog Post


Download the Condo Complex HTML Code


















Catch up on the entire Blogging Blueprint series!

Creating Effective Calls to Action for Your Blog in Blogging Boot Camp

Creating Effective Calls to Action for Your Blog.

In this class we discuss the most effective ways to use a call to action in your blog post in order to help you generate leads for your business. We discuss the proper use of links. We talk about where to link people to on your website. We discuss how you can use images to entice someone to take action. We also talk about embedding forms as a means to generate contact info from your readers.

We also discuss what things you might want on your website in order to make sure the pages to which you link are effective at generating leads for your business.

This class assumes that you have already watched the previous classes on Getting your blog to rank as well as picking your keyword phrases.

Watch Class Three Recording Now!

Download the Action Items for Class Three Now!

Using Keywords that Generate Leads

Blogging Boot Camp Class #2

In this class we discuss the strategy for picking keyword phrases the consumers are using when they search for real estate in your area.

If you are wondering how to create blog posts that will rank on the first page of the search engines, it's important that you understand some of the various ways that consumers search for information.

We take a hard look at the different geographical and subject matter keyword strategies that allow you to show up in long tail searches and create content that gets in front of interested consumers.

Watch the video recording now!

(it might be better to watch the expanded version of the video on youtube to get a better view of the content on the screen as opposed to watching in the small video window on the screen)

 Download 500 'Homes for Sale' Keyword Phrases

Make Your Blogs Rank in the Search Engines! Boot Camp Class One

Blogging Boot Camp February 2013 Class One: How to Get Your Blog Posts to Rank in the Search Engines

During the first boot camp class on February 21st, we got into the nuts and bolts of blogging and how to get your content to rank well in the search engines.

Watch the recording now to learn:
1. The basics tenants of writing posts that rank well in the search engines
2. What kind of posts should you be writing to generate business
3. How do you determine what you want to write about
4. Commonly missed SEO opportunities

This is a core class for understanding how to maximize your Rainmaker account and possibly the most important class related to ActiveRain. We want you ranking well in the search engines so people will find the things you've written and our SEO class will give you the tools and the understanding to do that.

Watch the recording now



Class One Action Items

Learn How to Generate Leads with Your Blog! Follow all of the Blogging Boot Camp classes

Hyper Local Blog Video

Here's a video on how you can easily blog about hyper local posts.

Catch up on the entire Blogging Blueprint series!