Building a Solid Social Media Foundation - Chicago Agent Magazine

Mitch Levinson is managing partner with Marketing RELEVANCE and the author of ?Internet Marketing: The Key to New Home Sales.?

By Mitch Levinson

In my last post, I talked about what Chicago real estate agents and homebuilders should be incorporating into their social media program. Today, I?m going to share more on the foundation to this program ? your blog.

Whether you are an agent or a homebuilder, creating and regularly updating a blog devoted to your content is essential. Just like you wouldn?t build a home without having a blueprint and building a solid foundation, you shouldn?t build a social media program without a plan for content and a blog. Your blog will act as the syndication hub from which everything else will flow.

Here?s a list of the top 10 considerations for building your foundation:

• Platform: Self-hosted WordPress gives the most control over search engine optimization. Give yourself an advantage over the competition by setting your site up right to begin with.
• Name: Purchase a domain name for your blog such as www.YourName.com or www.NameofComapny.com from any domain reseller.
• Hosting: Realtors and builders can choose to host their blog as part of their main website or on an external site. While there are many free and affordable options out there, premium sites will allow you to have more control.
• Theme: Whether you use a free or inexpensive template or a custom created design, be sure to integrate your personal or company branding.
• Keywords: When customers search for you online, what will they type in to find you or your company? Plan on using specific keywords, such as ?Arlington Heights real estate agent? or ?Chicago homebuilder,? throughout your blog and have a comprehensive strategy for search engine optimization.
• Calendar: Set a schedule for posting on your blog. Aim for around eight posts a month, and post on varying days of the work week.
• Blog policy: This should address how you will handle and moderate all blog comments and content submissions.
• Team: If you?re a company, blogging shouldn?t be left up to just one person. Include representatives from your social media team, sales team and design center, as well as your company CEO. Find out who has fresh content ideas or is great at taking pictures and videos, and include them as well!
• Promote: Connect and share your blog via RSS, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Remember to email your customers, prospects, team members and more to ask them to follow your blog.
• Measure: Use Google Analytics reports to track your performance and make improvements! Find a step-by-step guide for adding Google Analytics to your site here.

Building your blog the right way can be hard work and will be time consuming, but without it, your program, like a house without a foundation, will not stand strong.

Mitch Levinson, MIRM, CAPS, CGP, CSP is managing partner with Marketing RELEVANCE and the author of ?Internet Marketing: The Key to New Home Sales? published by BuilderBooks. He is an Internet marketing expert with expertise in search engine optimization, website development, email marketing, social media and CRM consulting services. If you?re looking to improve your online presence through website development or mobile website design, contact Marketing RELEVANCE or connect with Mitch Levinson on Google+.

Source: http://chicagoagentmagazine.com/building-a-solid-social-media-foundation/

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