Does Anyone Still use the “Ask the Broker” as an Idea Bank for Blog Content?
Everyone knows generating blog content ideas is hard for most (not all) people. I know a few brokers used to have “Ask the Broker” calls to action on their sites to help with this. Jay Thompson and Doug Heddings both had them back in the day (both still do – Jay here & Doug here).
As an example of this same concept from outside the industry, a high school student in Illinois found my “impact of traveling abroad” post from several years ago, reached out to me on their own and requested some help with a school research project. They sent me 7 questions related to their research project focused on traveling and the effect that experiencing different cultures has on a person. As a result, I wrote 7 blog posts to answer them. I probably wouldn’t have thought to write about them if it weren’t for that email I got. If that student is wondering and went out of their way to ask, undoubtedly someone else in the world is wondering too.
Questions from your readers are still one of the best possible sources of content ideas — and likely an under utilized strategy.
Are you using a “Ask the Broker” (or agent) call to action to generate blog content ideas?
Eric Hempler
Posted at 08:06h, 18 SeptemberDoug’s appears to be disabled, but still a good option to the alternative of “Contact Us”
Jay Thompson
Posted at 04:23h, 19 SeptemberIn the “glory days” of PhoenixRealEstateGuy, I got a couple of inquiries a week from that Ask The Broker call to action (and three times that much spam, but there are ways to combat that) that I could turn into posts.
You nailed it here:
If that student is wondering and went out of their way to ask, undoubtedly someone else in the world is wondering too.
With very rare exception, every question that came through the ATB button was worthy of a post.
Of late, usage has dropped off as traffic has dropped. But that’s not a failure on the part of the call to action. It just demonstrates that like much else in the blogging game, it’s a function of traffic. As Eric mentions in his comment, the “Contact Us” button/form/CTA is everywhere, as it should be, but that ubiquitousness tends to make it invisible, the Ask The Broker CTA stands out.
Brigida Gimbel
Posted at 21:06h, 23 SeptemberI do like the Ask the Broker questions. They lend to some very interesting ideas- things we, otherwise, would never have thought of. Also, Drew, the link from ‘7 blog posts to answer them’ gives me a 404- Page not Found message. Is it broken?
Drew Meyers
Posted at 21:34h, 23 Septembershould be fixed now
Brigida Gimbel
Posted at 23:31h, 28 OctoberIt is fixed, Drew. And thanks! This series is one of the best I’ve read on travelling. Definitely feeling the wanderlust right now!
Drew Meyers
Posted at 09:05h, 29 OctoberGlad you like it!