Tech Expo – Presenter Tara Jaconben
Hi All! This is intended as a reference for today’s class on Active Rain. If you have any additional information or reference materials please add them as a comment! I interviewed Cyndee Haydon (a Fantastic Blogger!) and I include her note after each item – they are paraphrased, any mistakes are mine!
Pinellas County Realtors On Active Rain
As you can see we have 435 Realtors In Pinellas
There are 81 in Clearwater
In 5 Days of Posting I have gotten to position 7! Tara Jacobsen On Active Rain
Recommended cities – Clearwater Beach, Dunedin, Largo, Oldsmar, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs
– Cyndee Haydon – Pick a city you can rank well in. There is nothing to stop you from posting an article about Tampa or Clearwater or St. Petersburg, BUT it is easier to place higher against smaller competition.
How To Get More Points On Active Rain
Jimmy McCall wrote an excellent post on maximizing your points right off the bat by filling out all the areas that Active Rain requires. I cannot agree with him more AND I think that this will help you in all your marketing efforts. For example, I had to contact some of my clients to get additional testimonials – what a great way to get an extra touch in AND they say nice things about you!
– Cyndee Haydon – While getting points allows you to rank higher in Active Rain, I have seen a number of agents who posted non-professional comments and/or posts just to gain points (you get points for up to 10 comments per day and for each blog post over 200 words). This is NOT the point of blogging since you are trying to increase your professional appeal to consumers and also to hopefully generate referrals from other agents. Stay on track and on target, providing relevant LOCAL information.
Writing A Blog Post
Dustin Luthur has written a series of excellent articles on how to succeed at Active Rain. These are used with his permission!
Staring at a blank screen wondering what to write can be daunting! I would go back through your emails and see what you have sent to clients. If you get questions about a particular neighborhood, blog about that. If you have learned some useful information (like how to get rid of oil tanks in Dunedin), blog about that. Basically anything can be a blog post!
– Cyndee Haydon – Remember that time is on your side. Write something and then you can go back and revisit it, expanding on what you have talked about. The search engines like to see that you blog (or site) has been in existance for a while to assure that you are not a scammer, so having your posts around for a while will help you. Also, it can be overwhelming to try and generate enough content for an entire site in one day. Set a timer for 15 minutes and only write for that long. It will take the pressure off of you. Also, blogging has made me a better realtor, when I am asked a question from a reader I research the entire answer and then post it. When you have to know enough about a subject to publish it for the world to see, you better know what you are talking about!
Commenting On Blog Posts
On stand alone blogs, as well as Active Rain Blogs, the VERY best way to generate new visitors to YOUR site to comment on THEIR site! I have a number of blogs that I visit including Cyndee Haydon’s Sandbars To Sunsets, Â Â Kris Berg’s San Diego Blog, The Bloodhound Blog (LOT OF READERS – make sure you know what you are talking about!) What you want to do here is add something meaningful to a conversation (which is what a blog post is) – DO NOT just say “great post” or “I agree”. Basically you are auditioning for a new reader – if you say something like “I enjoyed reading about your position on the cost of gas, did you happen to read the article in The Times Today….” or “While I agree with…”
– Cyndee Haydon – Do not say something on your blog or a comment that you would not like to have published in the newspaper. Remember that the internet remembers EVERYTHING and that before you hit POST you make sure that you blog or response is professional and represents you and how you run your business!
Additional Resources
Commenting On Blog Posts
Inserting Widgets Into Your Blog
Engage In An Active Rain Group
Tara’s “tell it like it is” personality combined with her 100 miles per hour presentations have earned her the title “The Queen of Marketing Ahhh’s” from her raving fans. Check out her marketing courses and products at her Etsy Store, 
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