Think Outside The Blog

Writing a healthy blog post about your listing, which is distributed to the whole world and beyond, is a great way to market you.

This healthy blog post would include items as presented in my prior post. There are discussions — “who is going to read all that???” — however, if my understanding of google is correct — google is the content police.  The more you write and the more you link, the higher you are boosted in the search engines.  So, who cares that brevity is not your strong suit?  In Google-ville, that will make you a star.

Once your healthy post is written, your copy could be used as follows:

• Your professional brochure (which could be a four-page luxury brochure) produced in Max;
• An unbranded attachment for the MLXchange; and
• A coffee table book (or ultra-luxury brochure).

Your Professional Brochure

Your narrative can easily be copied and pasted into the four-page “luxury” brochure in Max. You may have to extend the text boxes and rearrange the photos, but there is certainly enough room in these four pages to display your blog post. These can be printed inhouse on tabloid sized (17×11) paper; however, Shutterfly may produce a better product without the white borders which are formed by our laser printers so that your brochure bleeds to the edge.

MLX Attachment

Let’s face it — how do you really give a luxury property the respect it deserves in the REMARKS section of the MLS?

By turning your healthy blog post into an unbranded attachment which can be downloaded by the buyer’s agent and forwarded to his client without fear of losing him, is an asset to you — and a great listing tool.  Now, who are the agents doing that?

Access this sample of a blog post turned into an unbranded attachment.

Instructions: Once your blog post is published, you can copy and paste it into Word.  You may have to rearrange your photos. Print it IN COLOR and scan it IN COLOR  as a pdf which will be e-mailed to you.  Using the attachment utility in MLXchange, upload the unbranded blog post into MLX. E-mail our MLXchange office personnel to have them type into the Broker’s Remarks:  “See attachments for Unbranded Brochure for downloading and forwarding to your buyers.”

Remember — it is a good idea for you to upload (as an MLXchange attachment): The Owners’ Disclosure, Survey, Elevation Certificate, any HOA or Condo Association Disclosures as well as the Affiliated Company Business Disclosure to make your life easier when it comes to an agent preparing an offer on your listing.

Coffee Table (Blurb) Book

Once you have professional photographs and your blog post written, a third way to use your narrative is to publish a coffee table book. This would not only be an outstanding listing tool, it would serve your buyers well in that you will have plenty of your published books in the magazine pocket of your back seat for their perusal.

Sample blurb book online.  Click on the book cover to see inside. This is not the entire book.  (The entire publication (two hard copies and a softcover)  are floating around the company. I may order more if you are interested in seeing “the real thing.” Once I get enough folks interested in book publishing, I will hold a class/webinar on becoming a Blurberati.  Check out the BLURB WEBSITE to see samples of other books written by people such as yourselves. Creating this book  is just good ol’ fashion fun.

The prices of the books range anywhere from $12.95 to $75 depending upon the number of your pages, your use of premium paper, the size of the book and whether the book is softcover, hardcover with dust jacket (my fave), or image-wrapped hard cover. Once your book has been written and submitted for publishing, you will receive it in fairly short order — just in time for your open house, broker’s open or soiree.

When you publish, you also are given a special e-mail with a  link to send out as your announcement.

This becomes a thoughtful gift for your sellers. This becomes an exciting read for your potential buyers!  

Since the book is online, it can be ordered and shipped to any interested party. Can you imagine your seller sending the book link to all his friends and family — “look what my agent did for me?”

Think Outside The Listing

What if you put together a book about restaurants you recommend?  cultural events or attractions to attend? and put those in your back seat for your customers?  What does this say about your knowledge and love of South Florida?

What if you took all the blogs you wrote thus far and slurped them into a blurb book? 

A blog post, if done thoroughly, takes time, energy and thought.  Hopefully, these ideas will give you  more bang for your hard work and kick your business up a notch or two . . . or three!