Appraiser Talkback Blog

Editor’s Note: Bill Cobb is a wizard at using blogging, social media and other “new stuff” to increase business. Here, he generously shares his expertise.

Using Blogs to Grow Your Business
By Bill Cobb

This may seem shocking to you but I don’t own an appraiser “website.” I don’t need one.

I am not an expert in SEO (search engine optimization). My sites are not “PR5”s to “PR8”s (Google page rank) but I have figured out how to grab the attention of Google for those searching for local appraisers. You may ask, “Why appraiser blogging?” and, “Is it worth my time?” These are excellent questions- the same ones I asked. Here are the answers.

In early 2006, my experience with appraiser blogging began out of major frustration. I was spending almost $1,000 a year for a fancy website with all the bells and whistles and around $1,500 a year for online appraiser directories that weren’t producing many appraisal orders.

About that same time, my friend, Wayne Pugh, MAI, owner of SFREP appraiser software, taught me how to set alerts for Google content. So on the particular website with which I was working, I spent time adding content and updating it. Still, not many additional orders were produced nor was there an increase in Google attention. Then, when a blogging feature was added to that website, I began adding my local content but still, no attention from Google.

Fortunately, a relative sent us a link to his new Blogger Blog (Blogger.com), a free blog from Google, with photos from his missionary trip to Russia. So I started my own free appraiser blog that weekend. I took content from my website blog and posted it to my Blogger Blog and within one week I began receiving alerts of my published content called “posts.” Shortly afterward, I began receiving calls from national lenders needing appraisals. When I asked them how they found me, they said they Googled my area and I appeared at the top of the list. Cha-ching! So, I setup a free Wordpress Blog as well as blogging on two other free blogs.

Unfortunately, within two months, both blogs were shutdown because they were about the self-promotion of my business- a violation of their Terms of Service (TOS). All of those hours invested into my blog posts just evaporated instantly. Gone.

I learned two lessons early on: Blogs built into websites do not generally index well and free blogs generally do not allow appraisers to promote their services due to violations of TOS.

High Returns
By mid 2006, I learned how to self-host Wordpress blogs for my appraisal business ($8/month) while using free Wordpress themes. I adopted my own TOS and self-promoted my appraisal business 24/7. Then I learned that Wordpress was evolving from just a blog to a very easy-to-use CMS (Content Management System). Today, many are choosing Wordpress verses traditional websites because a blog has a built in pinging feature which indexes in Google within minutes or hours of clicking the submit button. Traditional websites don’t have this feature and Google gets around to them only every so often. Everything I do online is built in Wordpress- i.e. the appraiser blog setups that I build nationally with online appraisal ordering, online video business cards, video landing pages. No websites!

Why do Properly Setup “Appraiser Blogs” Trump Traditional Websites?
When I take the market data from a recently completed appraisal report and publish it as a blog post, a chain of events takes place. Note that I set these features up in advance. First, the pinging feature alerts 25+ top directories, including Google and Yahoo, which indexes my content. Second, my blog post is automatically sent out as a tweet on Twitter which is a very powerful Google indexing free service. Third, my post becomes an online podcast into iTunes, which is indexed by Google. Fourth, with a few clicks, my post is bookmarked onto my Facebook plus 20 other social media pages, all indexed by Google. Fifth, my post automatically get posted to “My Page” on Appraiser’s Water Cooler (Appraiserswatercooler.com) and any other directory I feed the content to. Doing all of this might take five to 10 minutes after the proper setup.

Because my posts are syndicated as podcasts, the reader can listen to the post or article being read to them with a click of a button.

Becoming a Trust Agent
Another appraiser experiencing success with Wordpress is Ryan Lundquist in Sacramento, California (Lundquist Appraisal Blog and Twitter@SacAppraiser). Ryan has come a long way in a short period of time generating 8,391 visitors in 2009 based on his “hit counter.” His is a testimony to how easy Wordpress is to use. Ryan has incorporated both local photos and short videos to make his posts very interesting. The philosophy that Ryan and I share is that our sites are where locals find out what’s really taking place in their uncertain housing market. Where else are locals going to get trustworthy news about their housing market? This is an appraiser’s opportunity to shine and become a “trust agent” within their local community. Has this effort paid off for Ryan? Yes, in the form of multiple tax appeal appraisal assignments (non-HVCC compliant appraising).

What is Appraiser Blogging?
Appraiser blogging is simply taking information or 1004MC research data from your local market and quickly publishing it to your blog and adding a photo, aerial image or charting to make it appealing to your local and national readers. An appraiser can also take a published article from his local news or business report, tell his public about this news article and offer his expert commentary on what’s been reported. An appraiser can also engage his readers with polls about their market. Appraiser Blogging has replaced my traditional appraiser websites.

Why do Appraiser Blogs get Google’s Attention for Online Searches?
Google loves to index blogs with fresh content, images and video. Wordpress Blogs have superior built-in pinging features that automatically syndicate your post to the search engines. In other words, when an appraiser in Birmingham, Alabama adds a blog post with the title, “Birmingham Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Offer Pre-Listing Appraisals,” that appraiser will be indexed in Google for national online search for those keywords. When a local homeowner wants to sell a For Sale by Owner (FSBO) and needs an appraiser to price their home, they Google similar keywords and that appraiser is found and gets the assignment. This works similarly for FHA work. Properly tagged images also help you get found– just do a Google image search for “Baton Rouge Real Estate Appraisers” and see what I’m talking about. Adding your own YouTube appraiser channel helps one dominate their markets for local real estate video search. Then, adding video content to your blogs further engages your visitors. Offering an email update allows your readers to receive emails when you post updates to your blog.

Measuring Time and Effort
I take my 1004MC research data, a photo of the subdivision entrance sign and a trends graph and report that information on my blog. Since I’m already doing the work for my appraisal research, I’m not adding much time. Using free software, it might take me five extra minutes to format the post and click submit. At a minimum, two blog post per week are optimal, which adds about 10 minutes a week. And, when one begins to see how effective this is for Google Searches, it won’t take long to realize the reward for your time.

Michael Gerber, in his now famous “E-Myth” philosophy, spoke of working harder on your business rather than in your business. Gerber reminded us that “technicians,” like appraisers, especially have this challenge because we are so busy “doing it, doing it, doing it” or getting out appraisals. Consequently, we often fail to work on our businesses. For me, appraiser blogging has been my opportunity to work on my business and reap the rewards of being found online.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
I didn’t start this appraiser blogging trend and I acknowledge that appraiser Brian Davis, with Appraisal Scoop, was very inspirational and helpful in my start. Brian was the first to publish my “Appraiser Liability – Dodging The Bullet!” content nationally and took the time to professionally format the article in Typepad. Other inspirational appraiser bloggers are: OREP/Working RE Magazine’s Appraiser Talkback Blog, Jonathan Miller’s Matrix Blog and Frank Gregoire’s Appraiser Active Blog. And, to Danny Wiley in Tennesse, for introducing me to “Snagit” screen capture, which has changed the professional side of my life.

It’s 2010. Blogs, video, and the “Big 3” in social media (Facebook , YouTube and Twitter) are making it very easy to be indexed by Google. With 76% of real estate agents on Facebook, as per the National Association of Realtors, it’s time for appraisers to catch up! Appraisers who are taking control of their online marketing are seeing the fruits of their marketing labor and are saving time and money by spending more effort on their businesses instead of in them.

About the Author
Bill Cobb is a full-time residential appraiser in Baton Rouge. You can find him on Twitter@appraiservideos. Bill builds “appraiser video blogs” with online ordering capability, teaches appraisers how to “blog to be found” on local online searches, how to use the new social media and video marketing to increase business. Visit: Appraisersblogsample.info. Bill also teaches “Appraiser Video Marketing” at AppraiserVideoMarketing.com.