Aaron Hoos

Blogging is a great way for mortgage brokers to build search engine optimized traffic and connect with their target market. If you are a mortgage brokers, here are 10 blog posts that you should write:

1. Write a series of blog posts (perhaps quarterly) talking about current economic conditions.
2. Write a list of answers to the question: “Is now a good time to buy?”. (Back up your answers with proof so that buyers know you aren’t just making it up to get more business).
3. Create a resource blog post that talks about the different factors that go into a lender’s decision to loan money through a mortgage.
4. Write a series of blog posts defining frequent terms in the industry that your clients wouldn’t understand.
5. Write a blog post explaining what happens when someone comes to you for a mortgage. Peel back the curtain so they understand what you do with their information.
6. Remember that your audience isn’t just contacting you for a mortgage. They’re contacting you because ultimately they want to buy a home. So write a series of blog posts about that bigger picture: How to find a home; how to work with a real estate professional, etc.
7. Write a series of blog posts answering the burning questions that you are always asked.
8. List the top reasons that people are denied a mortgage and what they can do about it.
9. Compare the benefits of using a mortgage broker to just going to the bank.
10. Write blog posts about the mortgage needs and challenges for each type of client you serve (i.e. the first time homebuyer, the growing family, the empty nester, the retired person, etc.)

Blogging is a great way for foreclosure specialists to build search engine optimized traffic and connect with their target market. If you are a foreclosure specialist, here are 10 blog posts that you should write:

1. Write about the top warning signs that homeowners can spot before they enter foreclosure.
2. Create a “who’s who” of the foreclosure process so homeowners know who is handling their file and what each person’s role is in the process.
3. Review some of the top resources that someone facing foreclosure might need: Credit counseling, rental resources, moving resources.
4. Write a series of blog posts talking about the emotions that people feel when they are in foreclosure. Discuss each emotion (i.e. anger, feeling of helplessness, etc.) and provide tips to deal with these emotions.
5. Discuss some of the underlying economic causes of foreclosure and what that means for the individual homeowner. (Foreclosure is the obvious outcome but there are economic implications for homeowners who are not in foreclosure).
6. Create a detailed, SEO-friendly introductory resource that someone in foreclosure might read first when they get that “you’re in foreclosure” letter in the mail.
7. Write a series of blogposts for people who are not in foreclosure but are at high risk of it. Discuss pre-emptive mitigation strategies.
8. Write case studies based on success stories you’ve personally been involved with (but don’t give your clients’ real names, of course).
9. Write a blog post about life after foreclosure: How people move forward after their homes have been foreclosed on.
10. Poll your clients to get their most-asked questions and write a blog post addressing each one.

Okay, let’s be honest for a moment here — Not every post on your blog is a nominee for an Academy Award.

Yes, there were great posts that you feel are so good they could spawn their own religion. There were good posts that you’d be proud to bring home to meet mom. But if we were sitting in a Bloggers Anonymous group, you’d reluctantly admit that there were also blog posts that you phoned in. There were times when you settled for “meh” when you should have pushed yourself a bit to get “woohoo”.

I’ve phoned in blogs, too. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. We all have posts that are on the leeward side of mediocre. Sure, it’s not as if those phoned-in posts were scraped off of the bottom of your shoe — they’re not THAT bad — but those posts lack the sparkle that most of your blog posts have. They’re not the link-magnets that some of your other content is.

What should you do about those duds?

I don’t think you should delete them or even overwrite them. Blogs (even business blogs) are richer and more textured with their flaws. And that content can still be put to good use even if a particular post wasn’t your brightest moment.

Here’s what I suggest instead:

KNOW WHY YOU BLOG

First, make sure you know what role your blog plays in your sales funnel and in your business. (Here’s a related blog post you might find useful: A simple tool to solve your blog’s identity crisis). You can spice up your phoned-in blog posts but you first need to know what your blog’s purpose is.

FIND THE BLOGS YOU PHONED IN

Next, identify the posts that you phoned in. Yeah, suck it up and look. Maybe start with your top 3 or top 5 or top 10 or top 5% of most-phoned-in blog posts. (Chances are, you already know what some of them are).

However, if the list seems overwhelmingly large and you’re reluctant to tackle such a big project, maybe just pick a few of the worst — the ones that were phoned in long-distance on a rotary dial phone in a thunderstorm. Fix up your worst few first. Make them your best posts. Then go on to the next worst.

USE THESE IDEAS TO IMPROVE YOUR PHONED-IN BLOG POSTS

Now it’s time to take a look at those blog posts. Use one or more of the ideas listed below, write a totally awesome, bring-a-tear-to-your-eye blog post — the kind of blog post that your grandmother tells her friends at the quilting club. Here are some ideas to inspire you to build great content on a foundation of your so-so content:

1. What would you have written if you had shown up for work that day?
2. What could you have said that would have made this a piece of cornerstone content instead of the lukewarm leftovers that it seems to be?
3. What additional questions might this content raise if someone took the time to read this post?
4. How does this content align with your blog’s focus and, more important to this exercise, what was left unstated that really should have been mentioned?
5. If a potential new client called you up and said that they were intrigued by this post and want to know more, what would you tell them?
6. If two or three industry experts stumbled upon your blog and it started a discussion or debate between then, what would the conversation be about?
7. If your mentor asked you to list for him or her the 5 ways that this wishy-washy post connects with your very best blog post, what would you say?
8. If this blog post was the start of just one chapter in a $397 ebook, what would the ebook be about? And what would the rest of the chapter say?
9. What questions would your target market need to ask in order for you to answer with the following: “Those are great questions. To get a comprehensive answer, you should first read this blog post [link to phoned-in blog post] and when you’re finished, here’s the rest of the answer…”

UPGRADE YOUR POSTS

Now that you’ve got great content based around a phoned-in blog post, it’s time to post it. Open your phoned-in blog post and add a section at the end of the post with something to this effect:

Then say whatever you want to say.

• Make it compelling
• Focus on quality
• Try to write a “bridge” between that mediocre content and some of your better content
• Add tons of extra value — a great, free idea with some step-by-step how-to’s
• Add a link or two to get people clicking elsewhere in your blog
• Update the categories, tags, labels, or whatever you use

Want to see an example? Of course you do. Here’s a post of mine (written back in May 2009) that feels a bit like the runt of the litter. I didn’t exactly “bring it” that day: Virtual business meets real business. Note the mediocre blog post and then a lengthier (and, in my opinion, far superior) blog post below that connects the content of the phoned-in blog to where my blog’s focus is today.

USE THE NEW AND IMPROVED POST

The goal here is to turn your mediocre blog posts into works of art. So be sure to use it. Refer to it. Link to it. If the content isn’t good enough to refer to and link to then go back rewrite your edited part! Make it sing. Turn it into valuable content.

Write related content in more current blog posts and link back to that blog post. Tell your readers (or don’t tell them) that they should be sure to read the initial post and the note you added later. If you want other ways to get people to link to your blog, try some of these blog post defibrillator techniques.

On a map, borders define an area. They help to show what is inside and what is outside of the boundary marked by the border. In a project, scope defines what is to be covered by the project and isn’t to be covered by the project.

If these aren’t rigidly identified early on, they can haunt you later. For example, if my neighbor and I aren’t clear on the border between our properties, his stuff could end up in my yard. Or, if I’m not clear with my client about what I will and won’t do on a project, I could find myself with a lot of extra work that I’m not getting paid for.

YOUR BLOG CAN BENEFIT FROM BOUNDARIES

Blogging is an area that can also benefit from this kind of early-stage definition. I see a lot of business owners setting up blogs with the vague notion of “creating a blog” and then filling it with content.

That might seem fine in the beginning, but what those same business owners define as “acceptable blogging content” can shift over time. Shifting is okay if you’re in control of it, but if you’re not careful, out-of-control shifting can mean your blog gets away from you. Before you know it, your blog is no longer doing what you want it to be doing.

So I’ve put together this little chart – it’s fairly simple to use – and it’s meant to help you create the boundaries or scope of your blog.

UNDERSTANDING THIS CHART

The columns list the spectrum of content you want to cover.

• Anything goes might mean a blog post today about your dog and a blog post tomorrow about your client and a blog post the day after about a rant on what’s wrong with the service at your local supermarket. The blog your cousin started when they were 13 is an example of this.
• To the right of that is Most Topics, in which you limit what you write about just little (maybe you want to keep it family friendly so you skip topics that are too risque). The blog your grandma started is an example of this.
• To the right of that is Related Topics, in which you tend to write about a lot of things but they all can be traced back to some related point (mom blogs are a good example of this).
• To the right of that is Focused Content, in which you write about essentially one thing. Many business blogs fall into this category.
• To the right of that is SEO, in which you write very specific content using very specific SEO phrases. A lot of business blogs fall into this category.

The rows list the spectrum of objectives you have for your blog. I’ve tried to arrange them from “telling” (at the bottom) to “exchanging” (at the top). So as you move up the list of topics, your blog becomes more and more interactive.

• Describe is pretty basic – just a straightforward description of something. An example of this might be a lifestream where you simply describe your day-to-day activities.
• Above that is Explain, which is more in-depth. You’re still telling but you’re telling in greater detail, and probably with a purpose.
• Above that is Discuss, which encourages more interaction, perhaps in the comments section of your blog.
• Convince is like Discuss in that it is a conversation starter. But I would say that Discuss is something you might do with people who are likeminded while Convince is something you would do with people who don’t yet see your point of view.
• Above that is Transact, which is where you actually sell your blog readers something or ask them to take a very specific “costly” action. It’s not just convincing their minds (like in the Convince objective) but actually compelling them to act.

USING THIS CHART

Now it’s just a matter of deciding what topic scope you want to cover on your blog and what purpose you want for your blog. In general, you’ll probably pick one intersection but you might find that there are secondary purposes that your blog will also cover. I’ll give some examples below and then I’ll list some specific ways that you can use this chart for your blog.

EXAMPLES

My blog has transitioned in the past and will transition again in the future so I can give you 3 examples from my blog.

Years ago, I used Blogger.com when I was doing freelance writing. My work was focused around financial and real estate content, but I did write about a few other things, too. So my blog was used to display my work and to position me as a freelance writer. As a result, the purpose and scope of my old blog looked basically like this:

The darker red was the main point of my blog and the lighter red were the secondary purposes of my blog.

Then, my business changed to less of a freelance mode and more into consulting and other forms of writing. Around the same time, I switched to WordPress and my blog’s purpose and scope changed. I am still using my blog to position my business but I’m using it as a place to explain and describe my thinking and to explore some of my thinking in various business areas (especially sales funnels).

In the future, I would like to transition my blog into a different role, one in which I am transacting business through it (instead of just using it as a place to share ideas), although I would still like it to be primarily an idea-sharing hub:

WHAT TO DO WITH THIS INFORMATION

So now that you’ve identified your topic scope and the purpose of your blog, what do you do? Here are some ideas:

• When you’re developing your sales funnel strategy, you can use this chart to help you figure out how your blog fits into your sales funnel.
• When you’re planning blog content, you can use this chart to help inspire topics to write about. (For example, answer the question: “I want to convince my readers of…”)
• When you’re writing blog content, you can refer to this chart to make sure that the content is within the scope and purpose of your blog. And you can make sure that you are covering all of the purposes and scopes you want to cover on some kind of rotation.
• If you find yourself wanting to shift the scope and/or purpose of your blog, you can examine what you want to be different, and take a step back to look at your blog’s bigger picture.
• If you are creating a blog to compete with other blogs in your industry, you can do competitive analysis on other blogs to identify the space you can work in, or to identify how the successful bloggers are connecting with their readers.

A friend of mine wants to start blogging — specifically to become an affiliate marketer — and he asked for some tips to successful (monetized) blogging. I started writing an email to him and then realized that I answer this question for people quite frequently so I’m posting the answer here and I’ll link to it whenever I’m asked. (#lazy)

Here’s a list of my top tips for becoming a successful monetized blogger (in no particular order):

1. Pick a niche. If you want to monetize your blog, choose a target market and write for them. It’s okay to weave in other topics (I primarily write about sales funnels and related topics, but I’m also an amateur economist and write occasionally about the economy, which is probably interesting only to me). And it’s okay to share some of your own personal life (I’m sure your kid’s first words are fascinating to every imaginable niche) but try to keep the majority of your posts relevant to your niche. And it *almost* goes without saying that your affiliate offerings should be related to your niche.
2. Add value. If you want people to come to your site, give them a reason. If they can get the same information anywhere else there’s not much reason to read your blog. Add value and have a point of difference compared to your competition. (Oh, which reminds me, you’ll probably want to do some competitive research at some point — get a feel for what other people are doing in the same space and figure out why you’re unique).
3. Add value first. I get that you want to monetize your blog. But add value first. Don’t stuff your blog so full of “monetizationness” that the good content is hard to find because there are too many shimmery, flashy ads. It’s like the seedy side of downtown: There might be a cool little bar, but it’s hard to find because there are so many skanky bars and hotel signs offering rooms for rent by the quarter-hour. Post good content. Make it central. Then integrate your ads and affiliates. Once you’ve build up some credibility as a quality blogger, you can integrate blogs that are specifically about an affiliate product. But it shouldn’t be your first blog post and it shouldn’t be the only thing you blog about. (“That hilarious story about my puppy driving my car reminds me of this fabulous network marketing opportunity that you’ll want to get in on the ground floor right now!”)
4. Be business-minded. Treat your blog like a business. Take it seriously. Be customer-service oriented. Be fair. Offer value. Think strategically. Most importantly, keep focused on why you’re doing this and remember that your up-front time writing good content is an investment into a payoff that will happen later. I say that because you’ll grow tired of blogging in a few months. You might even give it up for a while. And then you’ll write a post that says “I haven’t updated in a while”. Check out this blog post (from waaaay back in the day) about some ideas for a variety of different kinds of blog posts to write. So it’s important that you always keep reminding yourself why you’re doing it. Oh, and this might be helpful: Here are some ideas to monetize your content if you ever want to move beyond affiliates.
5. Write for the long-haul. Monetizing a blog is a long-term effort so don’t start rubbing sun tan lotion on yourself just yet. You can eventually enjoy a drunken week on the beach while your bank account rings like a cash register, but it won’t happen tomorrow.
6. Plan the hell out of your subject matter. I’ve seen want-to-be bloggers with dollar signs in their eyes burn out in a week. They write a bunch of stuff — maybe material for a week or two — then stare blankly at their monitor. It feels like writer’s block but it’s not. It’s horrible planning. Whenever I work with a client to help them develop a sales funnel that includes blogging, I typically create at least 3 months of blog post topics. For myself, I usually have a year’s worth of blog topics on paper, I prefer to have 1-3 months of blog posts scheduled (i.e., I know what I’m going to post 1-3 months in advance) and I try to have 1-4 weeks of blog posts pre-written. Of course, if I need to move them around, I can, but I want a rolling batch of pre-written work. You’ll be amazed at how fast you go through them if you don’t! (How do I know that? I’m writing this the night before I want to publish it… #failtofollowmyownadvice).
7. It’s a sales funnel. It shouldn’t surprise you that I’m mentioning this. Your awesome blog that is stuffed with high-value content and insanely compelling affiliate links will earn you a big fat $0.00 if you don’t get people to visit your site. There isn’t a magical genie that tells people to go to your site. (Well, there is, and his name is Guy Kawasaki but you have to leave more than a measely quarter under your pillow for him to send people to your site). So market your site like crazy: Twitter, articles, press releases, guest blogs. At some point, you might even want to experiment with advertising (like Google AdWords).

There are other things you can do, too: Build a list and send out emails. That’s big, but I think that’s “step 2″. Step 1 should be: Just get your blog up and running and follow these tips to get started.

Oh, and while I’m dishing out free advice like a late-night buffet, here’s another blog post that you might find useful: “The Entrepreneur’s Silver Bullet“.