What does the general public think of those in the real estate profession? Ask 50 different people this question, and you'll probably get 50 different answers. In truth, it's hard to roll the perceptions of so many into such a simple assessment.
Here are some bits of insight that help paint a picture:
John Tuccillo, former chief economist for the National Association of Realtors(r), was quoted as saying: "With the expansion of the number of Realtors, the level of competence has fallen to its lowest point ever."
In 2006, a consumer poll by the global research company Harris Interactive ranked various occupations by how prestigious consumers thought they were. Real estate agents were at the bottom of the "prestige scale."
I could go on citing polls and quotes, but that's not the point of this article. So for the sake of this article, let us simply agree that many people have a negative perception of real estate agents -- and that individual agents would do well to improve their professional appearance in the eyes of consumers.
Boldly Blogging for a Better Image
I would like to offer a suggestion toward the above-stated goal. Blogging. That's right, publishing a blog. Based on my experience over the years, real estate agents can build trust and improve consumer perception by doing the following:
- Publishing quality information online
- Doing it on a regular basis
- Engaging in a dialogue with their readers
- Showing some personality
- Demonstrating their professional skills and talents
And what better tool to accomplish these things than a blog? Now, I'm not going to tell you that a real estate blog will perform some act of magic and transform the public's perception of you overnight. In fact, I'm not even saying you need to change public perception at all. I don't know anything about you. As an agent, you could be doing just fine in this department.
But I will tell you this. Any real estate professional can benefit from demonstrating knowledge, skills and competence, and a real estate blog can help you do exactly that.
Think about it from a consumer's perspective. If somebody visits your website only to find the standard resume or bio page, they really haven't gotten to know you at all. But if they find your blog -- and you've done a good job blogging in your natural voice, and on a regular basis -- then the reader will feel almost as if they know you. As a result, they'll also be more likely to contact you about your services.
Of course, there are many other advantages to publishing a real estate blog. You can use it to start a dialogue with your visitors (through the comment feature). You can use it to keep people informed about your local housing market. You can use it to boost your search engine traffic by publishing keyword-rich content on a regular basis. The benefits of blogging are nearly endless. So why not start one today?
About the Author
Brandon Cornett publishes a blogging website that offers hundreds of tips on this subject. Real estate agents can also submit their blogs to the website's directory, as a way of boosting their traffic and search engine visibility. Learn more or contact the author by visiting http://www.ceoblogwatch.com
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