At some point during your blogging adventure you may have a “hit the wall†moment when you stop blogging because:
- You get totally overwhelmed with your business – remember, you’re an agent first and a blogger
second. It happens – just don’t beat yourself up about it. Get back in the blogging saddle when the time is right and try to be consistent. - You have difficulty with writers block – “What do I post on next???â€
- You experience blogger burn-out. Burn-out usually occurs when you experience exhaustion and fail to remember that blogging is a marathon and not a 100 yard dash. I always say slow and steady wins the day!
- You lose sight of the value of blogging and simply give up
The Blogging Crutch – Throw up a Featured Listing as a Post!
In an effort to keep blogging, many agents even begin to “throw-up†posts that are “listing advertisements†in an effort to keep something fresh on their blog. It’s easy to recognize when bloggers ignore their blogs. I say resist the urge to post just your listings!
How to Avoid Hitting the Wall!
If you haven’t experienced your “hit the wall†moment yet, there are ways to avoid it!
Here are my 5 ways to make blogging easier and avoid hitting the wall:
1.   Mind the media – What does your local press have to say about your real estate market? When the 
local media does say something about your market (and they will), use it as a motivation to offer your opinion especially if you disagree with their take on the situation. Even if you agree with a reporter’s article, write a response to the article and give reasons why you agree (or disagree) and if possible, try to back up what you say with market stats.
2.   Interview your broker/owner and ask him or her how the local real estate market has changed in the last (?) years. To keep it simple, ask 4 solid questions and offer them to your broker in advance so they will be prepared for the interview. Video tape it and make a YouTube video and add it to your blog!
3.   If you have an Active Rain blog, use your AR post to tease your blog post. It reduces the amount of writing you have to do which is a good thing. To maximize both portals, be sure to write unique copy at both locations.
4.   If you have a team or an office mate, ask them to “guest post†on your behalf. I have 3 grandchildren so watching “kiddie†movies is a given at my house. In the movie “RATATOUILLE”, the pencil-thin food critique character orders some “fresh perspective†when asked what he would like to eat. Occasional fresh perspective is a good thing and can breathe new life in your blog. Plus it helps prevent blog burnout.
5.   If you feel you’re all out of post ideas… comment on other blogs – you’ll find commenting helps fuel your blog engine. Take 10 minutes to go read your favorite blogger’s post for inspiration.
Save Post Ideas for a Rainy Day!
To help fuel my Crystal Coast blog, I have setup a folder in my Outlook where I email myself post ideas. That way I know my “blog idea well†will never run dry. If I’m struggling with what to write about, I can always run to my Outlook folder for some fresh perspective! You should think about doing the same!
How do you combat blog burnout and avoid hitting the wall with your blog?
To your blogging success – Bobby
That picture looks just like a feel…overwhelmed with our websites and blogs…and real estate…is there a non-profit organization to study real estate agent stress in up and down markets? Perhaps I should start one. Thanks for the tips
These are all excellent tips for not running dry with blogging ideas. Another things that can help agents avoid that “featured listing” syndrome is to check out the local news, current events, mortgage rates, etc. etc (though seeing mortgage rate posts every week is probably worse than a features listing post!
This has nothing to do with the post:
I hate the grass that is plastered to the bottom of the page. It serves no function, but to make content more difficult to see.
Shame.
Jay – Hang in there brother, better days are ahead!
Upstart Agent – I’m with you. I say be resourceful instead of just throwing up your listings and mortgage rates. Make every post count and deliver real value to your readers.
Greetings E. – We appreciate your feedback and we will take it into consideration. Be sure to check back often for fresh content and updates.
Great ideas! Breaking up the grind is difficult.
Its not the ideas and subjects, it the time to do it all when you get busy making money. I know my photos give me plenty of ideas.