It’s all good…every blogger (aka “Content Creator”) has glared at the computer monitor trying to recall a post idea only to allow yourself to be distracted by the dog, the kids, the glass of wine. Becoming a content creator is tough (at first), so here are a few tips that may make the process of writing your next community-focused post much easier.

Create a Blog Topic List

First, if you don’t already have a blog topic list now’s the time to start one. This is a list of topics you are passionate about and that your audience can benefit from. And when it comes to writing hyperlocal content your list could include:

• Arts (theatre, gallery, performance)
• Business (newly opened, changed locations, bargains, specials)
• Charity (fundraisers, causes, events)
• Dance (events, lessons, instructors)
• Dog Fun (parks, trails, grooming, stores)
• Educational (school scores, events,
• Entertainment (kids, families, date night)
• Exhibit (art, wine, cars, etc)
• Family Fun (best activities & restaurants)
• Farmers Market (locations, produce, unique finds)
• Fresh Produce (what’s in season, recipes)
• Gardening (native planting, nurseries, tips)
• Gift Ideas (holidays, stores, tips, homemade)
• History (stories, points of interest, landmarks)
• Movies (new release, reviews)
• Museum (hours, exhibits, experience)
• Music (new release, reviews, shows)
• Parks (descriptions, maps, trails, dog friendly, kid friendly)
• People (clients, residents, business owners, volunteers, advisors)
• Real Estate (your listings, neighborhood spotlight, new building, laws affecting)
• Recreation (activities, suggestions)
• Restaurants (reviews, favorites, suggestions)
• Science (events, ideas)
• Seasonal (fun found in your area: winter, spring, summer, fall)
• Special Notices (new laws, meetings, chamber of commerce)
• Sports (events, clubs, gyms, races, games, tips)
• Transportation (options, schedules, changes)
• Uniqueness (What’s special about where you live & work?)

In order to write good posts that truly hit home with your audience, you need to clearly pinpoint WHO it is you’re trying to reach (demographic & geographic criteria). If you’re focused on first time buyers and young families…think like them. What info do they ask you for, how do they spend their time, what concerns them, etc.  Also, don’t be afraid to narrow the gap…or widen it! If there are 12 agents in your market already writing about your city, consider getting uber-focused on a particular neighborhood(s) or expand your emphasis to a region (i.e. Silicon Valley). But whatever you decide…carve that niche and stay consistent!

Anatomy of a GOOD Post

Alright, you’ve decided on the topic for your post…let’s say it’s an upcoming fundraiser held by the local high school.  Here’s what you should include:

MUST HAVE:

1. Post title (include location or topic)
2. Topic details (when is the event, where is it, why should I check it out)
3. Keep it short (200 words, no more than 300)
4. Link to original details (Website, Facebook Page, etc)
5. Include an image with your post (photo of location or topic)

WHEN POSSIBLE:

1. Provide a personal experience or story related to what you share (been there, done that?)
2. Interview someone involved (event chair, business owner, volunteer, etc.) & include the video in your post
3. Facilitate connecting (provide Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, other social channels for topic being shared)

Getting the word out!

Once you’ve posted your hyperlocal article on your blog…it’s time to get the word out! Do any or all of the following:

1. Post your article as an update on Facebook. Use the link feature to pull in the article image and description. Include commentary to frame your update with a reason for reading your article. Don’t tell us what your post is about, ask us if we’ve heard of the topic or share a related tip that sparks our interest.
2. Tweet your blog post title with a short (& trackable) URL back to your site.
3. If you’re using WordPress (you’re extremely smart) you can add the WordPress app to your Linkedin profile which will aggregate your most recent WP blog posts on your professional profile.
4. Share your post via email newsletter with your sphere list.
5. Create a print version of your article and use it as a targeted farm piece.
6. Turn on your Web cam and talk about this great event or interview someone involved, upload to YouTube (and share elsewhere).

What are you waiting for?

You’ve got ideas, you know what to include in your post, and you’ve got skillz for promoting your hyperlocal content….so, what are you waiting for? There’s no better time to position yourself as the Trusted Advisor, the Super Agent….the AUTHORITY in your local market area!

On the 11^th day of iPhone apps,

About Yelp:

Search for and receive reviews for local business and service providers while on the go. View nearby restaurants, stores, banks, etc. based on your location. Obtain a quick rating, reviews, contact info and directions. Filter your results via distance from, affordability, and what’s actually open. You can also bookmark your favorites and/or email them to friends. View the feed of real-time results for local reviews, quick tips, and added photos.

Why we like Yelp:

Yelp is clearly a valuable tool for finding and sharing information about local businesses….not only for locals but also when visiting new places. However, when it comes to learning more about your own backyard, Yelp’s monocle view provides you a new perspective via augmented reality. Yelp was actually the very first app to go augmented! And it will definitely be exciting to see how augmented reality will undoubtedly be taking center stage in the real estate industry very soon! So starting get familiar with it now, if you haven’t already!

Cost: FREE!

NOTE: For those of us that would occasionally like to leave our dinner choices to chance and spontaneity…there’s always Urbanspoon!

I love pretty things and sometimes crap content can be made to look so nice you actually stick around. But watch out, because shiny objects can mislead you and even hypnotize you into monthly payments in some cases! It’s happened to me! I love me some bling!

So while I think it’s crucial to consider blog layout, design, and user interface…we can’t forget our friends at Google or the readers placing trust in your guidance. The bling will always entice, but it’s the thought provoking, helpful, resourceful, and relevant content that keeps your readers coming back for more, or even subscribe! With all the rockin’ blog themes available, a nice blog design is the easy part. It’s coming up with content and being consistent that is the real task at hand.

I’ve found the best way to maintain regular blog posts and fight “blogger’s block” is by creating a content posting plan. This is really nothing more than making an on-going list of content or story ideas from which you can pick and choose to create posts from. If you want to take it a step further, you could schedule time to write, as well as “read & research”. But don’t plan too far ahead, because some posts may be timely depending on whether they are events or breaking news.

Here are some ideas to kickstart your own content posting plan, or just melt your “blogger’s block”!

1. Write a Series of Posts: Take a big idea and break it up into several smaller posts. Be sure to link back to all the posts within your series.
2. Client Q&A: Create a submission form for your blog. Pick a day that you regularly answer clients questions via your blog.
3. Get Busy: Get involved with local businesses, interview business owners, share helpful businesses that are giving back to the community or can assist new homeowners with their services. Be sure to archive these posts in the form of a relocation landing page.
4. Community Events: Post a monthly event calendar or list of events with all the local information and links. Check out 4 Ways to Add an Event Calendar to Your WordPress Blog.
5. Seasonal Homeowner How-to: Post informative guides on how to clean out the gutters, winter prep your pool, holiday décor, spring cleaning, etc.
6. Breaking News: Whether it’s local or national, twitter and other news sources can keep you up to speed with all the latest happenings.
7. Know your niche & drip the tips: Whatever it may be (women homeownership, short sales, green building), drip your expertise out by expanding upon single tidbits of advice.
8. Local Bargains & Coupons: Share discounts offered by local restaurants/businesses, online coupons for products & services, etc.
9. Local Market Update: Give us your forecast, graph the changes, share local statistics, and provide some tips for adapting to this changing market. Check out Cyberhomes’ Market Forecast report – great resource!
10. Interviews: Post short interviews with industry professionals, local business leaders, local heroes, etc. Include testimonials from past clients.
11. School scores & more: Post recent test scores, school achievements (ex: Distinguished School), school events, etc. for high schools and colleges in your area.
12. Neighborhood Spotlight: Showcase a specific neighborhood…the homes, parks, schools, stores…oh, and your listings too. Give us your top 10 reasons for living in each neighborhood. Interview local neighbors and connect with your farm at the same time.
13. New laws affecting real estate: Each year share the new laws for your state/county, and/or provide updates as they occur in real time.
14. Buyer/Seller Tips: Talk about the home buying process, share your best tips in post form.
15. Fundraisers/Non-Profits: Support or share info regarding local fundraisers.
16. Rate & loan updates: Get the latest info from your lenders and provide tips for buyers on finding the best rates, as well as the process for securing a loan.
17. Favorites: Whether it’s a recipe share, book review, or new movie release…it’s okay to have an opinion!
18. Photo posts: Show off the beauty and uniqueness of your area with photos. A single photo and a simple comment will suffice. Or get creative with a collage of photos taken in your market area or make a slideshow using Animoto.
19. Video posts: Follow your home stager as she/he prepares a home, interview your local lender, tour local neighborhoods, or just share your real estate expertise.
20. Investment insights: Post informational articles on how to select an investment property, interview of an analyst, local suggestions from your tax professional, etc.
21. Friday fun: Put a smile on your reader’s face or just wish them a fantastic Friday with funny articles or YouTube videos, interesting signs, wacky but tasteful jokes, etc.
22. Holiday hype: Share what’s happening in your area during holidays, give ideas for parties, recipes, fun traditions, tell a holiday story about your family, etc.
23. Community callout: Whether you have Facebook Connect on your blog, a Facebook Business Page, or use Twitter. Create a post announcing your new page or group, and let people know where/how they can connect further with you.
24. Consumer alerts: Clue your clients in to the latest information regarding FHA financing, loan modification rules, tax credits, etc.
25. Polls: Pose a question, collect the responses and share the results!
26. Storytelling: Explain a scenario whether real or hypothetical and how you would assist the situation with your expertise.
27. Re-post: Think of it like a “retweet”, but for a blog post! If you find a post written by someone else that you love, cite them and build upon it by offering your own perspective.
28. Invite a guest: Is there a lender you work with, home stager, local business owner that has something to say. Give them the opportunity on your blog!
29. The Spin-off: Take your best blog posts a little further, by building upon them, updating them or taking one concept mentioned to the next level. You can even make a list of all your best posts on a particular subject.
30. Liveblog: Going to an event? Share your experience as it happens (people you meet, products/services you encounter, interesting tips, etc.).

MyTechOpinion

Let’s face it. For most of us it’s not really possible to write and post every single day. But it does become easier, the more you write. Try setting a goal to post every other day or at least twice a week. From my standpoint, I’d focus more on quality than quantity.

You don’t really require all that data to forecast where your local market is going. But now you do have access to the crucial data that affects and shapes where your real estate market is headed.

Cyberhomes Real Estate Market Forecast, the first report that gives you a comprehensive tool to help predict future real estate trends in a local market by analyzing key information – including credit information, loan repayment data, delinquencies and foreclosures.

Marketing Advertising Blog — VuManhThang.Com

Market Forecast is available for millions of properties and thousands of neighborhoods around the United States. Anyone can simply search for a property address or neighborhood on the Cyberhomes Web site, and Cyberhomes will show them whether their market is expected to increase in value, decline in value or remain neutral over the next year, based on the data used.

This type of predictory report can help YOU (the real estate pro) by providing you with information about bank discount rates, loan performance over time, and future inventory. It can also help you to better assist your clients, as well as guide you in making crucial business decisions.

To get started, visit Cyberhomes and enter the property address that you’d like a Market Forecast for. There are 2 types of Market Forecast Reports available:

(1) Summary Report for a special introductory price of only $3.99, and includes:

• Overview of the local market direction
• Historical and future projections of distressed, foreclosure and REO properties in the area
• Estimated change in value for the neighborhood and the subject property over 12 months
• Detailed loan and assessment information, including assessor market value, the loan-to-value ratio, tax delinquency status and more

(2) Full Report for those seeking professional-level, rich analysis, a full-scale report showing all of the details will be available for an introductory price of $9.99, and includes:

• A 24-month value forecast
• Local foreclosure trends and timelines
• Mortgage delinquency and loan deterioration trends
• Historical median sales price vs. volume trends
• Neighborhood lending and sales statistics
• Average area credit scores
• Local percentages of distressed homes compared to state and national levels
• Average local discounts on bank-owned properties
• Risk from exotic loan types in the neighborhood and more

FusionCharts Free supports popular chart types including bar, column, line, pie and more. Also note that FusionCharts is a cross-browser and cross-platform solution that can be used with PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, ASP, ASP.NET, JSP, ColdFusion, HTML and even PowerPoint Presentations.

So rather than including stale, boring image-based charts on your website, blog or PowerPoint, produce something with an edge, something visually appealing to stand out.  Also check back next week for directions on incorporating these charts in your WordPress blog.

A few FusionChart Resources:

• Differences are between Fusion Charts Free and Fusion Charts v3.
• Fusion Free Licensing Policy
• Download FusionCharts Free

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Q. In your words, what is Zolve?

A. Zolve is a business exchange platform for industry professionals built to simplify the inefficient, time consuming process of referral tracking, its paperwork and locating like minded professionals to work with. It is a marketplace of real estate professionals where people can objectively evaluate and select a local expert in their market.

Q. How do you see Zolve benefiting real estate professionals?

A. Several ways. First and foremost, Zolve’s platform completely systematizes the entire referral process so it can be executed and tracked online. Secondly, the Zolve network will be comprised of members with online profiles and consumer ratings that simplify the process of choosing referral partners. Of high importance, it helps real estate professional to “be found online” which is no small challenge. There needs to be some reasonable alternatives to every web-based real estate professional in a market all competing for the first 10 search results on the search engine. Zolve provides a technology economy of scales that allows members to be found in an objective marketplace.

Q. How do you see Zolve streamlining the referral process?

A. Zolve provides binding referral contracts in an easy to use “referral wizard.” I can send a digital referral agreement in a few minutes and the member on the other end will get an email alert which will allow him/her to accept, decline or discuss it. Once a referral in place, the receiving member is automatically prompted for regular progress reports and all communications between the cooperating members are stored in a permanent transaction log. Zolve also provides members with a host of exclusive online social and marketing tools to handle inbound and outbound referrals and interview requests.

Q. How will Zolve differ from ActiveRain and other social networks?

A. Zolve is a platform built to process referral transactions. That’s its primary function – to serve as a business tool. All of its social features are designed to support the business center within the platform. Active Rain and other social networks work completely the other way. Their business tools are designed to support the social network. We have designed this network so the time spent on it results in business and is thus productive time. Every decision we make in continuing to evolve Zolve and add features answers the question, “How can we directly help the agent on the street grow his/her business?”

Q. What social tools does Zolve provide real estate professionals?

A. They are considerable. To begin with, Zolve is also an online community – a group of like-minded professionals gathered for mutual benefit. Zolve members create a virtual sphere of influence comprised of other members with whom they have or would like to do business. Each receives a personal blog that allows them to leverage their expertise and local market knowledge. We have built this blog and are continuing to improve this blog so that it can be used as a truly consumer-facing tool. In fact, we are currently developing an option that members can have their profile look one way to non-logged in viewers and differently to fellow members. Thus, the agent who has a static website that is not producing business for them could use their Zolve profile both as a network profile page to interact with other professionals and as their consumer facing website/blog. This will enable them to focus their marketing investment and time into one online brand rather than managing several. Zolve also provides a rating and feedback system that will serve to police the activities as it does on eBay, creating an accountability system that helps ensure that the customer willg et the best possible service.

Q. How can a real estate professional expand their sphere through Zolve?

A. They very same way professionals expand their sphere through a network like LinkedIn. At its core, Zolve provides its members with a new source of business by granting members access to inbound referrals from across the country and globe and connecting them with a community of reliable practitioners to whom they can confidently refer business. A big difference in Zolve is that our members grow their sphere visually. We created a Google Map mashup for each of our members that shows visually where they are connected. With one click of a mouse, they can look beyond their own sphere of influence and view their “sphere network” which shows their network’s sphere of influence as well. Thus, a member with 15 members in his/her sphere can now be connected within one degree of association to thousands of people worldwide, graphically.

Q. Is Zolve only for Real Estate agents? Who else should join?

A. Zolve is absolutely not just for agents. We have members who practice in many real estate service areas and actively encourage them to participate in the platform.

If I am real estate professional like a lender or inspector and I generate most of my business by building relationships with REALTORS®, I want to be on a referral network where top professionals from markets across the country are building out their networks.

If I am selling vacation property in St. Thomas, I want to be on a network where real estate professionals who have clients with 1031 funds or 2nd home aspirations can find me as a trusted, proven professional off-shore.

If I am a real estate technology provider, I want to be on a network where real estate professionals who are willing to pay for an online service are actively trying to build their online brand. I could probably fill a need that they are experiencing.

I want Zolve to become the answer to this problem… if my mom in Bloomington, Indiana wants to refinance her home and asks me for help, I would love to be able to go to Zolve and screen the 5-6 lenders on the network for that market and be able to read 3-5 customer and real estate professional feedbacks on each of them to determine who would be the best fit and take the best care of my mom. I would like the fact that the person that we choose for the job would know that when the refinance closes, my mom as the customer and me as the referring member will both rate him/her on objective criteria that will “stick” to him forever. This is a layer of accountability that does not currently exist. As it is now, if this lender takes advantage of mom or does a terrible job, he has lost nothing in terms of future business since I am an out of state REALTOR® who never sends referrals to his market anyway. Zolve solves that problem.

Q. How should an interested party get started?

A. Go right to Zolve.com and sign up for a 30-day free trial. If you like it, then on day 31, you will be charged $34.95 for the whole year. At this membership you can do everything on Zolve to include sending referrals, except receiving referrals. To accept a referral on Zolve, you must upgrade to our regular membership rate of $40 per month or save 20% by prepaying the year.

Q. Why join now?

A. I think for those early adapters who understand the need to use systems to save time, save money, and expose themselves to new opportunities during a slow market, then Zolve can be an important component of their business. Zolve is a solution that enables its users to take part in a global real estate market that they would otherwise never get exposed to. For the cost of one business lunch, you can be found online by real estate professionals across the country looking to do business with someone in your market.

For those who tend to procrastinate, I say put off your procrastinations. Get started now. Build your profile and send some referrals whether they be customers across state lines or to the lender you are already using in your market. The advantage is that you and your network can begin earning valuable ratings & feedback that will translate into business you would have not otherwise have in the future. Take advantage of our offers to elevate your current network online and to build a new book of business.

If you would like to check out the Cyberhomes PDF report, simply visit Cyberhomes and search a property. Once you see the neighborhood mashup, click the link titled Detail Page on the balloon. Make any refinements first, and then click PDF Report.

To get started, visit Trulia online. Click on the “Trulia Voices” tab up top, then type your real estate question in the provided field. Update with your area info and submit. You will be prompted to register, if you haven’t already. Within seconds, your question is submitted to their online question/answer forum. You can view questions/answers that may be similar to your inquiries. If there are no like answers found, then just sit back, relax, and soon other community members from your area will begin commenting and answering your specific real estate question.

I asked the question, “Where do you find the school scores for your area?” Now, I already have a few favorite resources when it comes to that question (see past article: School Scores & More), but I wanted to test the Trulia forum to see if I would really get some quality answers. And within 10 minutes of submitting my question, I had some fabulous results. The first real estate pro who answered my question provided me with list a great list of websites. Two of which, I use and recommend frequently (GreatSchools.net & NeighborhoodScout.com). And the following 3 real estate pros also recommended GreatSchools.net, among others.

Trulia Voices makes it easy for anyone with almost any kind of real estate question get knowledgeable answers quickly. It’s quite a helpful forum, really. And, it was nice to see some familiar Trulia Voices: Pat Kitano, Kevin Boer, Brian Brady, Tyler Moxley, Maureen Francis, Trang Nguyen.

Self Production
If you are on a tight budget, and would like to try producing your own Podcast you will need a few things. To start you’ll need a USB Headset Microphone, MP3 recorder, Web host & RSS Feed.

1. Start by connecting your USB Headset microphone to your computer.
2. Install a MP3 recorder. If you need one, try Audacity, a free software for recording and editing sounds. Use Audacity to record and save your message. Remember to make sure your audio adds value. For example, in Real Estate you may want to cover broad aspects of real estate and the economy, home buying and selling tips, and most importantly local market conditions.
3. Upload your newly created MP3 to your Web host. (Try Podblaze if you need a free host)
4. Now create a RSS feed. If you’re not sure how, try TD Scripts RSS Feed Generator or FeedForAll.

Professional Quality Production
To maximize the quality of your messaging I recommend the following route. One company that I’ve been watching is Real Pro Systems. They feature a product called “The Agent Webcast” that enables real estate agents to have a high quality audio production for their website. Real Pro Systems provides questions that emphasize the agent and their market. The agent simply answers the questions they’ve received from Real Pro Systems over the phone. The call is recorded and converted into a high quality production that has the feel for a live radio show. Click here to listen to a demo of “The Agent Webcast”.