I've only been seriously blogging on ActiveRain since December of 2008. (I wrote my first post on ActiveRain in June but it took me 6 months before I wrote another one.) Before that I sent out periodic e-Newsletters via Constant Contact.( and still do) I've never wanted to just send out facts and figures about my "wonderful" Staging efforts. I thought that if I wanted to attract and keep readers or subscribers, I needed to give them something other than figures on how quickly my Staged homes sold.
It's not brain surgery. I receive e-Newsletters daily and the ones that I read and don't auto-delete are the ones that I know will provide me with new information; educate me about my interests; and keep me abreast of anything new.
But after a few years of writing for my e-Letters, I was searching for new topics. Something to offer my readers, whether they were Realtors , Sellers, Buyers , or anyone else for that matter. I wrote about "Why a Realtor Should Use a Stager"(a topic covered ad nauseum in all blogs) as well as "Is Your Listing Representing You in the Right Way?". I shared helpful hintsabout products such as Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or Mirror Mate. The last part of my e-Letter included an Answer to a FAQ, such as why we recommend packing and removing personal photos. But, each month, I searched for some new approach or topic.
Then, back in August, Bob Stewart announced his 1000 Point Series Challenge. Next thing you know I had a 7 part Series on "Preparing Your Home for Sale in Palm Beach County". Well, actually it wasn't as easy as I make it sound. It didn't just appear on my laptop. I worked hard to come up with the theme, then, since I am horrible at writing, I stared endlessly at my screen, trying not to sound too disjointed. I inserted pictures; hunted for copyright-free photos and spell-checked my way through all seven posts. And, then I was done. My Series was there to sit in Cyberspace.
It felt a little like taking several days to prepare a multi-course meal for 12, only to have 6 guests show up. What to do with the leftovers?
Another concern I had was that even with the great exposure I had on ActiveRain, many of those subscribing to my e-Letter never saw any of my ActiveRain posts. These subscribers did not come from a list I'd purchased. They were like my little garden, in which I'd planted seeds gathered from every Chamber and Board of Realtors function I'd ever attended. That garden was growing each month but it needed tending. In fact, I'm sure that many of my subscribers were either non-Rainers or had never heard of it. (Sorry Bob, I do tell every Realtor I meet that they should be on ActiveRain). Since most of my subscribers are Realtors, I thought there must be some way to connect them with my ActiveRain Blog without forcibly dragging them to the site and making them sign up. (just kidding).
So, I decided to recreate my 7 part series in my e-Letter. Part One of the Series was introduced in my Fall 2009 issue. My next issue will feature the Second in my series, and so on. Is this being lazy? No, I think not. It's not being wasteful. It's being efficient. It's trying to reach as many prospects as I can through as many channels as I have available to me.
I know I haven't been making the best use of my posts here and connecting them with my e-letter or my website for that matter. But I'm going to be reading all of the responders to the latest challenge from Bob to get more ideas .
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