Just ask Jay Thompson, otherwise known as the Phoenix Real Estate Guy, and he’ll tell ya it absolutely DOES make sense!

WHY BE ON THE WEB?
In business (in sales), you either:

• have a brand name and reputation that precedes you in which case you’ve already broken down several (not all, but several) barriers to the “selling” process or,
• you are a “no name” brand in which case you have to start from scratch in building your brand name and reputation hitting every possible objection along the way with every prospect and every client.

The web gives you the ability to create and market your brand name in a very cost effective way. With enough time and with a little strategy, you build brand recognition and that’s one way the little guy competes with the big guy. Jay Thompson understood this all too well when he jumped into social media several years ago. Now, social media “is” his business and any time anyone talks about “Phoenix Real Estate,” people are thinking “hey, that’s Jay Thompson! The Phoenix Real Estate Guy (and the man with a blogging problem).”

BLOG VS. WEBSITE:
A website is nice. If you have no other online presence, it’s a start. But a blog can serve as your online website/bio just the same AND it’s SEO friendly! In Real Estate (or mortgages), where data is ever changing, a blog is your best delivery tool for consistent and up-to-date information. And for all constructive purposes, a web browser (your targeted consumer) isn’t really going to differentiate between either a “website” or a “blog” (unless they already know what a blog is). What’s going to happen is they’re going to Google a term or phrase, and they’re going to land wherever the web takes them (hopefully to your post on current marketing statistics in your area. The point being, if you answer what they’re looking for, if you fulfill whatever need they have…bingo, your site delivered! You’ve made a new contact.).

But enough said, here’s a chat with Jay Thompson himself…

My Questions for You: If you have a blog, why do you like blogging? Is it a useful utility for marketing your businesses? What areas are you having the most trouble with (whether in writing or marketing your blog)? What other social media tools are you using to market yourself online? What are you having trouble with? If you’re not blogging yet, what reservations do you have about getting started?