In May, I interviewed a series of real estate bloggers on their methods, successes, failures and advice to up-and-coming real estate bloggers. I compiled the interviews into a free ebook titled: Real Estate Blog Blazers.

Here’s a sample interview with Broker Associate, Irina Netchaev. Irina’s with Keller Williams Realty in Pasadena, CA and has done a fabulous job of establishing her blog as the local resource for not only real estate, but the lifestyle and culture that is Pasadena. She’s authors multiple blogs and is very savvy not just about real estate, but how the social web plays into marketing and her bottom line.

Interview with Real Estate Blog Blazer, Irina Netchaev

@Ribeezie: what defines a successful blog for you? Is it site traffic, number of subscribers, number of comments, revenue, etc.?

@PasadenaViews: A successful real estate blog is one that generates leads.

@Ribeezie: When did you decide you finally reached success with your real estate blog?

@PasadenaViews: I am still working on the success part. However, I think my blog is moderately successful – it’s increasing in readership and the number of leads that I’m getting. For me, a minimum of 5 to 8 leads a day is a successful blog.

@Ribeezie: What do you consider to be your most successful blog post ever?

@PasadenaViews: My annual state of the city post seems to always get a ton of hits: http://www.pasadenaviews.com/state-of-the-pasadena-housing-market-and-california-real-estate-forecast-for-2010 This year, as of April 15, it had over 1,000 unique visitors – on average 10 per day.

@Ribeezie: What’s your best advice on writing a successful blog post?

@PasadenaViews: It has to be a combination of what consumers want and calls to action.

@Ribeezie: What’s your best advice on developing content and writing consistently on your blog?

@PasadenaViews: It finally dawned on me that I had to look at developing content as prospecting time. I made a decision to allocate an hour a day for research and writing. My goal was to have 3 to 5 posts a week, especially when my blog was still a baby.

@Ribeezie: How important do you think headlines are when writing content for your blog?

@PasadenaViews: Critical… Titles or headlines can make or break your post. You have to write for SEO and readers. Tough combination, but a skill that you need to acquire.

@Ribeezie: Do you spend any time and money marketing your blog?

@PasadenaViews: I spend time by marketing my blog on social media networks. I have not spent any dollars yet for PPC or other types of advertising. However, I also use my blog’s domain in my email signature, business cards, flyers, and every piece of marketing material that I produce.

@Ribeezie: How do you measure results (if at all)?

@PasadenaViews: I look at site stats and the number of leads that I get. My leads are separated into Home Search memberships, phone calls and emails. I then track the number of leads converted to appointments and the number of closings that I get from those leads. For example, 17 of the 21 2009 transactions were internet produced leads. I had close to 59,000 unique visitors on my sites last year. For every 57 unique visitors, I had a registered home search user. I generated 1 sale for every 48 registered users. My goals this year is to continue to maintain and increase registered home search users and to convert more of them into sales.

@Ribeezie: What’s your best success story or experience that happened as a result of the blog?

@PasadenaVeiws: I can’t think of one particular experience, but my blog certainly exploded my production levels and changed my approach to prospecting and marketing.

@Ribeezie: In your opinion, what are the elements of a successful blog design?

@PasadenaViews: Keep it clean and crisp.

@Ribeezie: What are your best Top Five tips for better blogging? (In 140 characters or less).

@PasadenaViews: 1. Be consistent. 2. Be timely… Write about topics of interest today. 3. Don’t get off on too many tangents. It’s okay to have fun with your blog once in a while, but if you’re in real estate, write about homes, real estate statistics, community, etc. 4. Stay positive. 5. Don’t give up.

@Ribeezie: What do you think are the most common mistakes newbie bloggers make?

@PasadenaViews: Expect to see immediate results and give up too early.

@Ribeezie: If you knew then, what you know now, what would you have done differently?

@PasadenaViews: I’d reach out to more experienced bloggers earlier and ask questions.

@Ribeezie: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their first blog?

@PasadenaViews: Just do it… start on a free platform like WordPress. Attend REBarCamps. Join ActiveRain. Explore and read other bloggers sites to get a feel for what you like and do not like.

@Ribeezie: What are some of your favorite blogs? (“Must Reads” that you visit daily).

@PasadenaViews: Honestly, I don’t have time to visit blogs daily… I like www.bubbleinfo.com, problogger, and Inman.

@Ribeezie: What are some of your favorite books that you recommend to other (especially newbie) bloggers?

@PasadenaViews: Books get outdated too quickly… I just read lots of articles and follow links on twitter and facebook.

Download your free copy of Real Estate Blog Blazers here to read interviews with 7 other top real estate bloggers…