You Can Also Catch The Zebra on the REALTOR Magazine Blog
April 17, 2008 | 3 Comments
Just this week, I started a series of posts over on VARBuzz that will focus on the history of the National Association of REALTORS. Specifically, I’ll be writing posts as I make my way through the new Centennial book that was published by NAR.
When I first pitched this idea to the good folks at VARBuzz, they were very receptive. Around that same time, I attended the VAR BloggerCon 2.0, where I happened to meet Pamela Geurds Kabati, the Editorial Director of REALTOR Magazine, and NAR Vice President. We had a very good discussion about the magazine as a result of what I had written over on AgentGenius. One of the things I said at the BloggerCon was that I really want to like REALTOR Magazine, but I just don’t. Pamela asked me for some feedback, and we had a very good conversation.
During that conversation, I mentioned to her my idea of writing posts about the book for VARBuzz. She thought that was a great idea, and wondered if I would mind posting them on the REALTOR Magazine Blog. First of all, I was surprised to find REALTOR Magazine had a blog (I had no idea); second of all, I was honored.
Later the next week, I received a call from Stacey Moncrieff, the Editor-in-Chief of REALTOR Magazine. She also asked me for some feedback about the book and the magazine, and we worked out some logistics of getting my posts on the blog.
So, today was the first appearance of the Zebra on the REALTOR Magazine “Speaking of Real Estate” blog. So if you are not a Virginian, or you don’t happen to check VARBuzz very often (why not?), or you know others who might like to read the posts at REALTOR Magazine instead, there you go.
There are some little formatting issues that we will have to work out to get the posts in both places exactly right, and I think the good folks at REALTOR Mag are going to look into setting up a separate category to archive the posts. That would be cool.
Oh, the comments on the posts are OPEN in both places, so if you see something interesting, or want to make your voice heard– do it! The REALTOR Magazine blogs are pretty cool, but they are definitely lacking in the conversation department.
While I’ve got your attention, what questions do YOU have about REALTOR history? I would love to be able to answer them with future posts in the series. . .
Why Blog?
December 4, 2007 | 5 Comments
The video above I recorded yesterday from the open house I was holding. The comments and the blog post on AgentGenius that I mentioned can be found here.
While I was at the NAR convention at the blogger Q&A booth, the most popular question I heard from non-bloggers was, “how much business do you get from your blog?” The honest answer is, “I don’t really know.” As a direct result of the blog, I know I have had at least one listing, and one buyer contacted me through the blog. That is in almost 2 years of blogging. Some of you are looking at that and thinking, “man, what a crappy ROI.” If that is your attitude, than blogging is not for you. This is not to say that you can’t use blogging as a lead generation tool, there are certainly good ways of doing that, but as with any business tool, if you are looking for instant success, you may want to keep on looking.
I do not look at my blog merely as a lead generation tool. If it does generate leads for me, that is just wonderful. The fact of the matter is that I have derived plenty of benefit from blogging that has more to do with enhancing and strengthening my business than it does with generating business.
I know that blogging has made me a better agent. It has forced me to stay in tune with issues and find resources that I might otherwise have ignored or simply been unaware of. It has helped me form relationships with people who have deeply affected me and the way that I practice real estate. All of this has also been a benefit to my clients.
Of course I blog for me, but I blog more for YOU. I blog for you whether you are a Realtor or a consumer; a customer or a client. I want everyone to have as much access to as many valuable resources as possible, and blogging is a way for me to do that. Blogging also allows me to start and hold conversations with clients and customers. It allows me to establish rapport with them, and it allows them to get to know be a little bit before we ever work together.
The benefits of blogging is something that I have been thinking about more and more in the last few days. It is a topic that you will read and hear a lot more about as I try to explain to you something that might not be obvious, but is powerful once it is realized.
The benefits to blogging are numerous and real, even if they might be virtually impossible to quantify. That’s the funny thing about passion– it can be like that sometimes.
Learn About Social Media For Real Estate
October 24, 2007 | 1 Comment
I just posted the first in what will be a series of posts about social media and real estate. You can read it over at AgentGenius. Here’s an excerpt:
Welcome to the first day of Social Media for Real Estate 101. Attendance is completely voluntary (although highly encouraged). There will be homework (although no one will grade it). There will be no tests (sweet!).
This first post covers Twitter. I hope you enjoy!
So You Want to Know How to Take Advantage of Social Media?
October 14, 2007 | 1 Comment
Just finished a post on AgentGenius entitled, “How Your Business Can Benefit From Social Media RIGHT NOW.”
Here’s an exerpt:
Did you ever go to a school dance? Was it awkward for you? Were you paralyzed by the fear of having to dance with a classmate, the fear of being rejected, the fear of embarrassment?
The current Internet environment can be a lot like that sometimes.
Let’s face it, if you are a real estate agent who is surveying the current Internet landscape and trying to figure out what your next step is going to be, it is very easy to get confused and to suffer paralysis.
The Internet provides so many marketing opportunities that the choices can sometimes seem overwhelming. Sure, you may have your own personal website, complete with all the bells and whistles (content management, SEO optimization, user registration, customized property search, lead generation, etc.) but you want more. You want to be on the bleeding edge of technology, innovating and moving your business forward. In short, you want to dance, but choosing the right partner can be difficult.
Now what?
If you want to discover the answer to that question, you can read the rest of the post by clicking here.
Real Estate Bloggers Are Missing Out on Twitter
October 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I wrote my first post over at AgentGenius.com. It’s about Twitter.
You can read the post by clicking here.
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Disclaimer
My name is Daniel Rothamel. I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the National Association of REALTORS. As such, I adhere to a strict code of ethics and all laws with regard to equal housing, which is reflected in the content of this blog. My broker is Strong Team REALTORS, 86 Joshua Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963; (434) 589-5800. My VA Real Estate License number is 0225 077325. All of the opinions in this blog are mine, unless otherwise noted.
