Well, it was pretty flattering to be in the company of bloggers that I admire so much as panelists at Inman Real Estate Connect. Inman TV posted a clip of the panel discussion. Brad moderated the The Blogging Superstars panel. Superstars as a name is a bit over the top. There are so many great bloggers out there.
All the panelists spent some time together in the green room (it wasn’t green) before going on stage. Even though the audience was 1,000+, cameras, stage, etc. I thought the mood was pretty relaxed. Brad is very engaging as an interviewer. Teresa is a dynamo, Kevin pulls no punches, Ardell is truly innovative and Noah is rentless relentless.
Although technology was being pushed and blogging was seen as a marketing vehicle to all real estate agents, I didn’t really agree (but I was the only non-agent on the panel). I think all agents should consider blogging for marketing their brand, but for the majority, it just won’t work. Given the time constraints, variation in writing ability and the ability to connect with the audience, its hit or miss. In addition, everyone on the stage approached blogging differently, so there is no simple template.
However, passion for our topic was what all of us clearly had in common approach. I’d almost say that there needs to be an underlying desire to put your thoughts out to the public, to the point where your friends and family ask the question: “So tell me again why you are doing this?” I think your blog’s association with your business almost needs to be an afterthought.
Here’s a photo, and yet another, and another, and another.
Guy Kawasaki, formerly of Apple Computer once defined the Internet as:
>”[30] million people interacting with people they don’t know; about topics they don’t understand; for reasons they can’t explain.”
Thats how blogging started for me.
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I thought that the conference panelists over-emphasized the value of a blog (not just your panel, but all the others, too).
For exactly the reasons you mentioned – time constraints, variation in writing ability and the (in)ability to connect with the audience.
During at least one presentation, I had to roll my eyes. “My name is Susan, and I got my first client within 24-hours of creating my blog!”
“Folks can you believe that???”
:: Crowd claps and shouts approval ::
It was like a late-night infomercial.
For many, creating a blog will be an exercise in futility. Not a lot of benefit from what could be a lot of work.
Real estate blogging could very well end up being a short phenomenon.
Yes, there’s room for a couple of blogs in each of the big cities, and yes it may bring (incremental) business, but it’s not going to change things measurably for most.
( ** Okay, having said all that, I have to admit, in my case, it’s worked amazingly well. I get all my business … all of it … from my blog. And, I know that several of the participants in the conference say the same thing. Those are really the exceptions to the rule. **)
Jonathan:
I’m also a none-agent and I agree (for the most part) with your points. But I think it’s important to draw some distinctions between people that want to become “bloggers” and businesses that want to benefit by participating in the blogosphere. Achieving the latter doesn’t necessarily require that you become a blogging superstar. With the right tools and some help, any business can become more visible, support their customers, promote their brand, and find new customers. They don’t have to aspire to be an award-winning blogger – they simply need to be better than their competitors.
Interesting slip to call Noah “rentless”. As a rep for buyers and sellers of homes, I am sure he’d appreciate that — none of his clients “rent”, they own.
Nah, I meant relentless. I just fixed it. Dan, quit being so thorough!