Getting articles written doesn't have to be a full time endeavor. You can find a local to help you write a few articles a month. This alone will be great for your marketing and branding efforts.
Hyperlocal Strategies
You’re a real estate agent who desperately wants an online reputation. You know blogging could be huge for your business. The only problem? You don’t have time.
Releasing high quality, well-researched articles can be extremely time-consuming. I know. I write. You could get great results releasing content… But you are so busy with everything that comes along with being an agent that you can’t in good conscience set aside time for writing.
The solution? Find a local writer.
You need someone who can research and write articles, as well as interview you and translate your knowledge into writing. Getting articles written doesn’t have to be a full-time endeavor. You can find a local to help you write a few articles a month. This alone will be great for your marketing and branding efforts.
How To Find a Local Writer
You’ve decided to find a local writer to help you produce real estate content for your blog. You don’t necessarily need someone who knows the real estate market. Although market knowledge would be a big plus. With this in mind, where do you look?
- Craigslist
- Your Social Circle
- Students
- Local Bloggers
Each of the above are viable options for finding a writer. Choose one (or all) of the options and follow the instructions below.
Writers on Craigslist
Go to Craigslist and post under “Gigs” or “Jobs” offered. I’ll include a template below.
Title: Talented Writer Needed For Real Estate Blog
“Hey there!
I’m a busy real estate agent with too much on my plate and looking to bring a writer onto our team to help produce content for our blog. Some articles will require market research while at other times we may just sit down and talk for a bit. I need someone to be able to interview me and translate my information/knowledge into articles.
Students and local bloggers welcome. Real estate knowledge not necessary but an asset. If you have any sample pieces you can send or link me to when you reply to this email that would be great.
Thanks!”
Your post doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Simple, to the point. State your requirements and/or specific niche if that applies.
Depending on your area, you may get a large number of applicants. In order to streamline the process, you may want to throw an “easter egg” into the post. This basically just means you ask applicants to answer a question or title their reply something specific.
Using an easter egg can help you screen out applicants who are not serious and just spamming. If they don’t answer your question or title the email correctly, you can delete them right away. That makes your screening easier.
Writers in Your Social Circle
Contact your friends or other agents. Post on Facebook that you’re looking for a writer.
Ask around your brokerage to see if any other agents have successfully used a writer to produce real estate-related content. You can also go the route of asking people to write for you simply because they know about the industry and/or community.
Everyone knows someone who invests into real estate. We also usually know someone who is involved in the community. Being either of those things makes for great knowledge that homeowners are looking for.
Even if the person you get in touch with has never written, see if they’d be open to it. You’d be surprised how many people are open to trying new things and making some extra cash.
Student Writers
Writing is one thing students usually do well. You have two clear options here:
- A student with a journalism or writing major.
- A student working towards their real estate license.
Either would be fine. A business or marketing student may also be a good option. Content marketing is beginning to become a mainstay in business and marketing. Business students will probably understand how to create content and promote it.
As for finding students open to the opportunity, you have a few different routes you can take.
1) Post on the local college/university Facebook page.
Most colleges and universities have a Facebook page where students come to discuss events, schedules etc. Join the group and make a post advertising the opportunity. Some pages don’t allow regular users to post. In that case, reach out to the page admin and ask for them to share for you.
2) Reach out to schools directly.
Find out which school department deals with work and internship placements. They’ll have a roster of students looking for work experience. They’ll also be able to narrow down which students are qualified for the opportunity. This helps make your job easier.
You may even be able to get a student to write content for you for free through an internship. It may be best to pay them, at least a little bit. However, more often than ever, students are taking unpaid positions to buff up their resume.
3) Talk with your kids or relatives in school.
Do you have kids or family at university age? Ask them to market the opportunity around. You can leverage their social circle without having to put in much work.
Hiring Local Bloggers
Know anyone in your community who blogs regularly? In bigger cities there are sure to be bloggers talking about what’s going on, cool restaurants, events etc. If you do not know of any bloggers in your community, you can always make a Google search. Here are a few search examples:
- real estate + your city name
- events in + your city name
- what to do in + your city name
Keep a lookout for any domains that sound personal, have “.wordpress” or your community name in them. These are some clues that will tell you who is a local independent blogger. Once you have a couple prospects lined up, reach out! Send them a message and see if they’d be open to working with you.
In Conclusion
Creating an online presence through local content creation such as writing should be priority number one for many agents in 2016 and beyond. Why? It’s great for branding and marketing.
Content positions you as the local expert while simultaneously getting people to your site. You can get these people into your sales funnel.
The problem is, as an agent you’re busy. You have to generate leads, follow up on them, go on listing presentations, do open houses (and market them). It’s a full plate, to say the least. Get someone you trust or like to help you produce content. Having other people you can rely on will lighten the burden tremendously. Unless you like and want to do the writing of course.
Have any other ideas? Do you use a local writer to write your real estate articles? Let us know in the comments.
