OREA’s 2016 YPN Blog “Contributor of the Year”

Marco Da Silva heads Asima Realty Limited in Mississauga, Ontario, and is OREA’s 2016 YPN Blog “Contributor of the Year”. In the following interview, he discusses how he has made blogging part of his successful business strategy.

 

1. Marco your blog post generated such incredible buzz on social media last year. What is the secret to writing a blog that gets you noticed?

I think it’s important to first focus on the target audience you want to connect with. Second, anticipate their needs. Third, offer them solutions.  Never forget that in the end, you’re reaching out to people just like you, many of whom are looking for guidance and answers. The best way to set up a blog for success is to put a personality to it. Ask yourself: what would be the perfect balance of content to attract and build trust with my followers? If you talk too much about yourself you’ll lose ground, so create a pie chart and divide it into categories that give your followers the perfect balance of content by listening to their needs.

2. How does blogging fit into your broader real estate business strategy?  

I would say blogging plays a collective part of our bigger marketing plan. Alone, blogging may not seem to do much, but when you work it into a great marketing system, it’s golden!

3. How important would you say blogging is compared to the other tools that are out there for marketing and growing your sales funnel?

Blogging on its own is important, but you can make it great when you direct the right audience to the right blog post and you’ll need other tools to do that. Blogging is a great way to take market segments from all different social media platforms and direct them to posts that speak to them most. For example: first time home buyers are usually more focused on posts that inform and educate them about what they feel is a confusing step to take. Use the right platforms to filter your followers by their needs and direct them to the post that solves those needs. Don’t forget to convert your followers into your database through great lead capturing, CRM and email marketing tools. Nurture them over time through great email campaigns and remember follow up is a must in our business.

4. What’s one thing you know now about blogging that you wish you knew before you started?

I would have to say the importance of consistency when blogging. Most people look for short term results when blogging, but the true success comes from the long-term efforts of taking online followers from cold to trust.

5.  If there was one other piece of advice that you could give to current or aspiring bloggers, what would it be?

Don’t stop at blogging alone. Create a connective marketing plan that maximizes your blog efforts. Convert your followers and categorize their needs so your content, whether written, in images, audio or video, will resonate with them. Speak from the heart; people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!