A Charming and Effective Real Estate Blog From the Frozen North
We all have had our share of positive and negative experiences with real estate agents. This certainly applies to their various attempts at marketing. We may welcome the note from a favorite agent, but toss stuff that we get from agents that we have never met and wouldn’t want to meet.
Traditionally, the very best agents have done a great job of keeping in touch by phone, by postcard or by newsletter. This requires a lot of organization and persistence from the agent because their customers will use them infrequently. After all, it might be five or 10 years between transactions.
As the Real Estate Snippets blog illustrates, there is now a much more effective way to market yourself. Bonnie Erickson, who writes the blog, effectively blows all those traditional ways of keeping in touch out of the water.
Bonnie is from Minnesota and her blog exhibits the kind of low-key friendly charm exhibited by so many Minnesotans. There is no hard sell. In fact, there is no sell at all.
Her February 11 post illustrates her style. She tells the story of taking two clients to a house that would be charming except for a horrible look of a neighbor’s house:
We stand there, the three of us, each taking in the view. What does that yard tell us about the neighbors? Is it an abandoned mom with lots of kids who’s overwhelmed with all the work? Is it the Beverly Hillbillies, only messy? As our thoughts are given voice, my clients decide the risk is too great. That view . . . well, that view is what they’d see every night from their dining room table. It didn’t seem hopeful that their standards of driveway upkeep would be similar to the ones next door. Nope, this St. Paul house wasn’t going to be the one.
What Bonnie accomplishes with this post and with many others is to convey her personality, her empathy, and her understanding of real estate issues that are very important to buyers and sellers.
She doesn’t lecture. She doesn’t brag. She just tells a story. It’s a cautionary tale for sellers who need to be aware of the effect of their neighbors on the salability of their home. But it also shows that she understands immediately why her customers would be uncomfortable buying a home in that particular neighborhood.
I don’t have any interest in buying a home in Minnesota. But if I did, I would certainly give Bonnie a call.
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Comments [5]
Excellent example, Newt. Thanks. As we have discussed, not everyone understands how to do what you describe in this article. I have seen Real Estate agents who only use their blog posts to describe property in a dry, “listing” style. Some people will understand how to convey, in their content, reasons to work with them by being personable. Others may value that, but lack the skill to pull it off. And, some just don’t “get it.” So, more power to you in this educational process called “Content Marketing.”
Newt, It’s funny that you would point out my soft sell style because I have had a great deal of pressure from more “powerful” people about putting a “call to action” in every post. There are plenty of clients out there and the ones that like my style are the ones I want to work with. I enjoy my writing as well as using it for marketing. When I experienced pressure to make my blog a “business” blog, I found my muse left and it wasn’t fun anymore. I NEVER pressure clients, but I work like a tiger to negotiate the best deal FOR them when the time comes. I give advice. I remind them of what THEIR criteria for a house was when they get emotionally overboard, but I never do the hard sell on clients. They have to choose to work with me. No strong arming involved on that choice!
Thanks for the encouragement, Newt! And, if you ever want to move to the cold north, give me a call! (How about that for a call to action?)
Bonnie is someone whose muse I have admired for almost two years now. She is an inspiration to me and a joy to read. It’s so cool to see your post about her, and nice to meet you as well!
Bonnie,
My wife and I have bought and sold about a dozen homes in 33 years of marriage. So we know great real estate agents when we find them. I think that your blog is so personal that it enables your customers to know you before they meet you. That’s really important.
Newt
Thanks, Newt. That’s the joy of blogging. People know me long before I ever meet them! Kind of puts me at a disadvantage!