“I didn’t know the pay structure, I didn’t know the day-to-day, I didn’t know anything,” she says. “I wasn’t one of those people who got into real estate thinking it was easy money. I just… didn’t know.”

Her first deal came quickly, a Kensington Market investment property owned by her mother, but it wasn’t a handout.

“They treated me like any other agent,” she says. “I had to know the answers, handle the tenants, manage PPE showings in peak COVID. And then my first actual deal came off a sign call on that property.”

That early start was followed by a long, quiet stretch. Six months passed before she closed another transaction.

Cold calls, clause manuals and a team

To fill the gap, Ettinger pulled up her LinkedIn and cold-messaged every single connection. She ran Facebook ads and called the leads herself. Without support at her first brokerage, she learned the paperwork by reading through the clause manual and piecing offers together line by line.

It was exhausting and not especially fruitful. “I was 20. None of my friends were buying or selling. I didn’t have anyone feeding me business.”

The answer, at the time, was joining a team. “I wanted business, but I also needed mentorship,” she says. 

For nearly a year, she learned from watching listing appointments and buyer consultations. It gave her experience she wouldn’t have had otherwise, but eventually the numbers didn’t make sense. Her own business was starting to grow, and she found herself giving away half of what she earned.

By late 2021, she was ready to move on.

Three TikToks a day

Around that same time, Ettinger’s fiancé pushed her to try TikTok. “I thought it was silly. I didn’t want to dance on camera. But he kept telling me it was important, so I started posting.”

For nearly a year, she posted three videos a day. “It was very basic at first; down payments, land transfer tax, what Humber courses cost. I tried everything to see what would stick.”

It worked. Within six months, she was getting clients from social media.

“Viral videos don’t convert. They boost engagement, sure, but business comes from value. Every piece of content I put out has to teach something…something you didn’t know before.”

Live videos were especially effective. “I’d go live for an hour almost every day. Most of the comments weren’t useful, but every so often, someone would ask about buying in a specific neighbourhood. I’d talk to them, screenshot their username, and follow up afterwards. That’s how I started to really convert business.”

The viral snowfort

Her most widely shared video, a mock listing for a snowfort during Toronto’s overheated 2022 market, reached nearly two million views on TikTok and was picked up by outlets like BlogTO.

“It didn’t bring me clients,” she says plainly. “But it catapulted my engagement for future videos and expanded my reach. The people who hire me come from the stories, the value, the proof that I’ll fight for them.”

‘I’m not a creator’

One line Ettinger repeats often is that she doesn’t see herself as a content creator.

“Where some Realtors get mixed up is that they go from being Realtors to being content creators. I’m not that. I’m a Realtor. I create content to get clients. If the apps went away tomorrow, I’d still be a Realtor. I’d just adapt.”

That mindset has shaped her approach. She treats her TikTok and Instagram accounts as ways to meet people, but pushes them toward her website, where contact forms feed into her CRM. She writes a weekly newsletter that mixes market updates with anecdotes from her life.

“By the time people reach out, they’ve already decided they want to work with me,” she says. Her conversion rate is much higher than most agents report – in her words, “substantially higher, probably like 75 per cent.”

Systems and consistency

By 2023, the challenge wasn’t getting attention – it was keeping up. “I was busy with clients and didn’t have time to film. My pipeline dried out.”

Her solution was hiring a content manager to edit, post, and help her batch-produce clips from a podcast she records in her home studio. About three-quarters of her current content comes from those podcast clips; the rest are real-time updates and short advice videos.

It’s a system designed to keep her business steady, even when she’s busy.

Looking ahead

Now five years into the business, Ettinger says she still enjoys creating content but only because it connects her with clients.

“I’ve always been open with sharing parts of my life. People feel like they know me before they meet me, and that makes it easier to work together.”

The consistency shows. Nearly half of her clients today come directly from her online presence. The rest come through referrals and her growing sphere.

She has no plans to stop posting, but she makes it clear she’d still be fine if the platforms disappeared tomorrow.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Realtor first, creator second: Anya Ettinger talks winning business online appeared first on REM.

It gave me a list of names. Only one of them I recognized and I’ve been around long enough to know the serious players where I live.

That moment stuck with me.

Not because the results were wrong, but because I started asking:

• Why those agents?
• What signals is AI actually using to recommend people?
• And could those signals be influenced?

So I started testing. I ran prompt variations across different cities. I researched how AI language models pull answers. I studied which reviews, platforms, and patterns they trust.

And what I discovered was this: It rewards consistency, credibility, and structured visibility.

That insight became the foundation of what I’m calling:

The AI trust agent framework

It’s a clear, tactical playbook for real estate agents who want to become the kind of local professional AI tools trust enough to recommend.

This isn’t SEO or “hacking” ChatGPT.

It’s about becoming verifiably credible across the right platforms, with the right signals so that you’re impossible to ignore by AI.

Phase 1: Anchor your authority

AI tools don’t rely on just one platform. They cross-reference your digital presence across the web.

That means if your information is scattered, inconsistent, or missing altogether, AI won’t recommend you.

What to do:

Pick one version of your name and stick with it.  If you’re “Sarah Taylor, Realtor®” on one site, don’t be “The Taylor Group” or “Sarah T. Homes” on another.

Keep your business info consistent everywhere:

• • Name
  • Brokerage
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Website
  • Service area

Update your presence on these key platforms:

• • Google Business Profile
  • RateMyAgent
  • LinkedIn
  • Realtor.ca
  • Facebook & Instagram (business profiles)
  • Your personal website

Build your Digital Identity Kit. A one-pager with:

• • Name, title, brokerage, license
  • Top give public links
  • Short bio
  • High-resolution headshot
  • Brand colors or design notes
  • Review links

Pro tip: Use this as the single source of truth for you, your team, VA, or any other person creating content on your behalf.

Phase 2: Influence AI signals

AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini reference third-party proof. Especially reviews, rankings, and local credibility markers. If your clients love you, but no one is saying so in places AI trusts, you’re not visible.

What to do:

Focus your reviews where AI looks first:

• • Google Business: aim for 50+
  • RateMyAgent: aim for 30+
  • Bonus: Facebook Business, Yelp, Trustpilot

Coach your clients on how to leave smart reviews:

• • Ask them to mention your city, neighbourhood, or role
  • Example: “Sarah helped us buy our first home in Port Credit. She’s hands down the best realtor in Mississauga.”

Repetition of phrases like “top realtor in [City]” matters. AI notices patterns.

Get included in local roundups and directories:

• • “Top Realtors in [City]” blog posts
  • Chamber of commerce lists
  • Local business directories
  • Neighbourhood newsletters

Outreach script you can use:

“Hi, I saw your article on top agents in [City]. I’ve helped over [X] families buy or sell locally, with [Y] five-star reviews. Happy to contribute market insights if you ever update the piece.”

Create a repeatable Review Capture System:

• • Pre-written email + text templates
  • Direct review links
  • Follow-up reminder three to five days later

Phase 3: Replicate and rank content

AI tools prioritize content that answers real-world questions, especially if it’s:

• Location-specific
• Structured clearly
• Published consistently
• Backed by readable, crawlable data

But let’s be clear: AI doesn’t watch your videos. It reads what surrounds them. The titles, transcripts, blog posts, and metadata. That’s why you want to start with a fast, human approach to content… then turn it into a format AI actually uses.

What to do:

Begin with a one to three-minute video answering a local question. Don’t overthink it. Pick a topic like:

• “Is now a good time to sell in [City]?”
• “Top three family-friendly neighborhoods in [City]”
• “What $800K buys you in [City] in 2025”

Talk naturally. You’re not recording for AI, you’re recording for people. Then turn that video into structured, AI-friendly content. Use the transcript to create a short blog post. Break it into clear H2s and bullet points. Include FAQs with geo-specific phrasing. Publish it on your site and on social.

Use a three-layer content flywheel:

1. Video → record your insight (one to three minutes)
2. Blog or article → publish a written version with structure
3. Social post → create a short text or clip for visibility

Don’t forget the metadata. AI tools index page titles, alt-text on images, file names of uploaded content, and transcripts/captions embedded.

AI can’t “watch” your content, but it can read everything surrounding it. So create once, repurpose with structure, and publish where AI listens.

Phase 4: Engage and automate

Once AI starts surfacing your name, the question is are you ready to capture that traffic and convert it?

Turn your website into a lead magnet:

• “Download the 2025 market report for [your city]”
• “Seven mistakes first-time sellers make in [your city]”
• “Get my weekly list of off-market listings”

Use a three to five-email follow-up sequence:

• Email 1: Quick intro + what to expect
• Email 2: Client story or testimonial
• Email 3: Free resource or CTA to book a consultation

Automate your review requests:

• Use Zapier, Mailchimp, Follow Up Boss, etc…
• Trigger email/SMS after a deal closes
• Schedule follow-ups automatically

Track your AI visibility monthly:

• # of new reviews
• Local media mentions
• RateMyAgent ranking
• Run prompt in temporary chats with no memory “Who is the best real estate agent in [City]?

Trust is the new SEO

The AI Trust Agent framework isn’t about chasing hacks. It’s about building real digital authority. AI tools don’t guess. They recognize structured credibility. They recommend the agent who looks aligned, reviewed, respected, and consistent across the web.

So if that’s not you yet, this is how you fix it. Become the name AI recommends… and the agent people remember.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Build to be found: The AI trust agent framework appeared first on REM.

I didn’t have a master plan. I had just been fired from a job, and bills were due. I was in talks with another company that was more “industry-adjacent” than in the industry. 

I had bills to pay in the meantime, and so I figured I’d help agents with their marketing. I thought it might just be temporary until the new job happened. Then, in a couple of weeks, I had already started making more than I did at the job I had been at. I never looked back.

The company, Just Sell Homes, took on a life of its own. It grew fast and had a lot of stumbles along the way. Over the years, it became a test lab for real estate marketing. Serving agents, teams, and vendors across the country. It taught me the patterns. The pain points. The stuff no one talks about on stages.

Then it led me to a new chapter: taking the reins at Real Estate Magazine. I still think about marketing every day, we still serve clients at Just Sell Homes, but now I get to zoom out and look at how we move the whole industry forward, too.

I sat down to write “10 Lessons from 10 Years,” but I couldn’t stop at 10. These are the ideas that Just Sell Homes has been built on and now shape what we’re doing at REM.

Marketing Truths

Attention ≠ Authority

Getting a lot of views doesn’t mean you’re building a business. I’ve had videos with six-figure views and bring in zero business. I’ve also had videos with 500 views bring in six figures in revenue. Building trust with the right people is the goal, not the biggest number of people. 

Clear beats clever

People get too cute with their ads and copy. Most of the time, clarity wins. Show people who you help, what you do, and how they can work with you. No riddles. 

Simplify the idea

If your ad/email/post makes people think too hard, it won’t convert. Simple scales. 

Help people (without expecting a return)

Some of the biggest opportunities have come from helping someone when it didn’t make sense on paper. The five minutes that helped someone five years ago might turn into a big chunk of business today.

A lot of people quit too soon

Run one Facebook ad and didn’t get a client? Facebook ads don’t work. One run of postcards to a farm area? Farming doesn’t work. I’ve seen this trend over and over. People quit too soon. Just Sell Homes had a good first two years, and year three was great. That’s when people saw I was sticking around. The time in the business mattered to people. Consistency and showing up over time are powerful business tools.

Mindset Shifts

There’s no silver bullet

There’s no single tactic that fixes everything. You already know most of what you need to do; you just need to do it consistently and improve each time.

Let things go

People will treat you poorly when it’s really about something in their own life. They’ll assign intent that doesn’t exist. They’ll assume the worst, then build a narrative to match. It’s not worth the effort to worry about. Just let it go and focus on you and the people that matter.

Ideas won’t work out. Things you try, you’ll fail at. People get worried about how they’re perceived because of that. I’ve tried and killed lots of things, multiple things every year since I started Just Sell Homes. 

How many of them do you remember? People forget faster than most people realize.

That being said, that fear still exists. I was excited to buy REM. I was also scared. I knew the legacy it had, the attention it would get, and what it would mean if I failed. Do things that scare you. It’s worth it.

And don’t think that just because someone looks successful online, it means everything’s amazing behind the scenes. Years ago, someone told me, “Man, you must be rolling in it.” And I remember thinking, “I don’t even know how I’m going to pay my bills this month”. 

We all carry things no one sees. Stay focused on the work and don’t confuse what you see in your feed for the full story. Social media success is the ultimate house of cards.

Have fun (or walk away)

Early on, it’s hard to say no to money. But I’ve made a rule: If someone calls or a name pops up in my notifications, and I roll my eyes just seeing their name? They shouldn’t be a client or partner anymore. You should enjoy what you do and who you work with. There’s more than enough business to be done with people you enjoy.

Nothing is mandatory

You don’t have to do video. You don’t have to be on social. They can absolutely help. You can also do 100+ deals a year with neither. All you need is a clear strategy, consistent execution, and a commitment to getting better over time. That’s it.

Not all experience is created equal

Ten years in business doesn’t mean 10 years of business experience. It could mean one year of experience repeated ten times. Learn from what you’re doing, don’t just live through it.

Execution Lessons

Remove the roadblocks

Most things don’t fail because they can’t work. They fail because there’s a roadblock in the way. Identify the roadblock, decide if it’s worth clearing. If it is, clear it. If it isn’t, find another route. 

Skin in the game

If someone wants to work with you, learn from you, or collaborate but won’t put up any money, effort, or risk…they’re not serious. This applies to clients, partners, and projects. 

“That’s how it’s always been done” = Red flag

That phrase almost always hides an inefficiency. The industry is full of people clinging to habits just because they think they have to. Question the default settings. 

Don’t just learn from real estate

Only listening to people who’ve “been in the trenches” keeps you stuck in the same patterns. As someone who’s used “I’ve been a Realtor” as a differentiator, I’ll say this: it’s overrated. Some of my best ideas, the ones that helped clients the most, came from outside the industry. Great ideas are everywhere. Your job is to find them and apply them. 

These lessons shaped how I think about growth, leadership, and longevity. They built Just Sell Homes and now they’re shaping Real Estate Magazine.

A decade in, the tools have changed. But the mission hasn’t: Help serious professionals do meaningful work.

If I had to sum up 10 years into one line?

Be helpful. Be consistent. Be clear.

Thank you to every client, contributor, critic, and collaborator who’s crossed paths with me these past ten years.

I’m more excited than ever about what we’re building next at REM, and across this industry.

Here’s to the next 10.

– Andrew Fogliato

Publisher, Real Estate Magazine

1. One extra lesson because, why not? Ask for what you want. Reach out to people you think are “too big” to say yes. Ask for partnerships, introductions, feedback, and chances.  I’ve been told “no” more than I’ve been told “yes”. Most won’t go anywhere. The ones that do might change your life.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Ten years, no shortcuts: Lessons in earning trust in a transactional industry appeared first on REM.

I could probably retire if I had a dime for every time I heard that pitch for a real estate product.

It’s everywhere. 

Realtors are one of the most targeted groups in business. Easy to find, easy to contact, and their income is public enough to attract everyone with a sales script and a tool to sell.

But the default pitch never changes:

“Just one extra deal pays for it.”

It sounds simple. But here’s the truth:

You’re selling risk, not ROI

That one-deal logic ignores a fundamental truth–opportunity cost.

Yes, your product might get them one extra deal. But what’s the trade-off?

Time to set it up. Time to learn it. Time to manage it. That’s time taken away from real conversations, follow-ups, or better tools that might’ve delivered two or three deals.

So what if your “one extra deal” actually costs them two? That’s not ROI. That’s a loss and a distraction. Realtors don’t need more things to babysit. They need tools that create leverage, not more work.

If it hurts the client experience, it hurts the agent

This is where many vendors miss the mark.

Every message, automation, and system you introduce touches the client, even indirectly. And when something breaks, delays, or confuses? The blame doesn’t fall on the software.

It falls on the agent.

Realtors build their businesses on trust. A clunky experience, a bad email, or a confusing login reflects directly on them. So when your tool underdelivers, they don’t just lose patience. They lose referrals.

If your product doesn’t enhance the client experience, it’s not helping the agent. It’s quietly undermining their relationships and that’s something they won’t risk.

If you want to sell to Realtors, help them win first

You want attention? You want trust? Then earn it the right way–with results.

There’s a better loop:

1. Help your current Realtor clients win. Not with fluff. With tangible outcomes.
2. Document those wins. Use proof, not platitudes. Show the before, the after, and the journey in between.
3. Share those stories. Not in your voice. In theirs. Let agents do the talking.

Then repeat. Again and again. That’s how you build trust. That’s how you get the next agent’s attention. And that’s how you earn a reputation instead of renting it.

The vendors who get it do this naturally

The ones Realtors love (and yes, there are a few) share common traits:

• They know what it’s like to sell homes, even if they haven’t done it themselves.
• They simplify the agent’s day, not complicate it.
• They improve client service behind the scenes.
• They create momentum, not friction. 

Their products don’t become another thing to manage. They become something agents can’t imagine working without.

This isn’t about mocking bad outreach. I’ve even been guilty of doing this myself. I’m now a decade into the switch from being a Realtor to being a vendor myself.

If you want to sell to Realtors, show them you understand what their day looks like and what it costs them to risk their reputation.

Don’t be one more voice in the noise. Be the one who finally gets it right.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post ‘Just one deal pays for it’: Why this pitch doesn’t work anymore (if it ever did) appeared first on REM.

As the owner of a real estate marketing agency, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard it. It comes up on sales calls, in client reports, or in casual conversations with agents frustrated by the follow-up process.

It’s such a common refrain that I even launched a podcast with Taylor Hack called The Leads are Sh*t (you can join us live on Thursdays). Not because we agree with the statement, but because it needs to be unpacked.

Let’s do that here.

What you think you’re getting vs.w what you’re actually getting

The problem usually isn’t the leads. It’s the expectation.

Agents often think they’re buying prospects. They expect people who are ready to move soon, likely to respond and open to working with them.

But most of the time, what they’re actually getting are leads. That might include a name, email and phone number. Sometimes less.

And that’s a big difference.

In the B2B world, they use terms like MQL (marketing qualified lead) and SQL (sales qualified lead). An MQL is someone who downloads a guide or fills out a form. They’ve shown interest, but they’re not ready to buy. An SQL is someone who has been vetted. They have clear intent and are closer to making a decision.

Real estate doesn’t use these terms often, but it should.

Because when an agent says “these leads are garbage,” what they’re really saying is, “I expected SQLs. I got MQLs.”

Leads are cheap. Prospects aren’t.

You can get leads for a dollar or less. That low cost comes with low intent. These kinds of leads are closer in experience to cold calling. They don’t know who you are. They may not remember clicking the ad that captured their info.

Still, those leads can turn into deals. But only if you treat them the right way. That means:

• Following up consistently 
• Building trust over time 
• Figuring out their intent, timeline, and needs 

If you’re skipping those steps, you’re not nurturing leads. You’re just collecting names.

You want prospects? Start sooner

A lead is someone who has given you their contact information. A prospect is someone who is going to move soon. If you want more prospects, your marketing has to work harder. It needs to build trust before someone ever reaches out.

You have to show up in their feed or inbox often enough that they know who you are, what you stand for, and why they can trust you.

When you do that well, the people who reach out are further along in their decision-making process. They’re not cold. They’re warm and ready to take action.

Final thought: Know what game you’re playing

This isn’t a “bad leads” problem. It’s a misalignment problem between your expectations, your marketing, and your follow-up strategy.

Are you playing the lead game or the prospect game?

And are you doing the work before or after you get someone’s contact information?

That’s the difference between chasing names and closing deals.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Are you generating leads or prospects? (Most agents don’t know the difference) appeared first on REM.

I completely disagree with that premise. Kelley and I even sat down for an hour-long video to hash it out. As with most debates like this, we actually agree on the core idea, but not on the surrounding details.

The main argument in his article—which you can read here—is that video is the future and far more engaging than the written word.

Let’s break that down.

Video is great—but overrated

Video is an incredible tool. I use it all the time. But it’s also incredibly overrated by many. When I got into the industry in 2013, I listened to a speaker say, “If you’re not doing video, you’ll be out of the business in the next three to five years.” Now that same speaker is probably saying it about AI.

Neither of those statements are true. What is true? They’re probably selling courses on video and AI.

Both are tools. They can help you grow your business. But they aren’t the only way to grow your business.

Blogging still works—you just have to be good at it

Amateur hour is over. In the early days of online marketing, you could get away with poor form. It’s evolved. There are too many ways to pump out generic content. Yet, I’m still building businesses on blogging. Right now. In 2025. And it works really well.

Real Estate Magazine is essentially a giant blog now since we don’t do print (though our editor would like to clarify that REM is more than just a blog). Just Sell Homes? Outside of speaking on stages, blogging has been one of the most consistent ways I’ve brought in clients. I’ve gotten more views on videos, sure—but I’ve gotten more clients from blogging.

They’re great for different stages of a client acquisition system.

The real issue? Most people just suck at writing. Whether you call it an article or a blog post, the reality is most people don’t write well. They churn out generic, boring content with no real opinion or personality.

The internet doesn’t need another post titled “7 steps to buying your first home.”

When blogging first started, there was an SEO land grab—just pumping out content to rank at the top. That strategy is tough to win now. But that doesn’t mean blogging is dead.

The solution? Make it personal. Add your voice and unique insights. For example, “7 steps to buying your first home,” becomes “7 lessons I’ve learned in 20 years as a Toronto Realtor about buying your first home in 2025.” In the article, you drop Toronto-specific references, trends and real-life examples. Now it’s something valuable. Now it’s something people will actually want to read.

Attention spans aren’t shrinking—consideration spans are

Kelley wrote:

“Consumer attention spans continue to shrink… They’re pushing traditional written blogs, which require sustained attention, to the periphery of how viewers consume content.”

But here’s the thing—no one has the attention span to sit and watch three hours of something, right? Oh wait, Joe Rogan is the most popular podcaster in the world.

People don’t binge long-form content anymore, right? Oh wait, that’s Netflix’s entire business model.

People will go deep into content they find valuable. What’s actually shrinking is their consideration span. You have just a few seconds to capture their attention. But if you deliver? They’ll stay. They’ll read. They’ll come back again and again.

Video vs. blogging? It’s not either/or

Video, writing, audio—it doesn’t matter. If the content is good, people will consume it. If they aren’t engaging, it’s not because blogging is dead. It’s because your content isn’t compelling enough.

Kelley also said:

“Many agents are still blogging today and have a dedicated readership. However, others who are just entering the game are mistakenly thinking that AI will help them grow faster and farther in less time. What I will say is, don’t do that. But that’s an article for another day.”

Here’s a counterpoint—use AI, but use it smartly. If you struggle with writing, record yourself talking about a topic. Have AI transcribe it. Then refine that into a blog post. It’s still your voice, your expertise—just with an assist.

Let’s say you’re doing a monthly market update. Instead of staring at a blank page, record yourself breaking down the stats. Feed that into AI. Tell it to structure a first draft. Then edit and refine it into something polished and uniquely yours.

AI isn’t a shortcut—it’s a tool to make unique content faster.

The “pivot to video” myth

If you’ve followed the media industry over the past decade, you’ve seen this before. There was a huge push for a “pivot to video”—the same argument Kelley is making. Media companies fired journalists, hired video creators, and bet everything on video.

It didn’t work.

They’re back to the written word.

And shortly after Kelley published his article, the perfect tweet popped up on X. Someone asked, “What’s your most millennial complaint?” One of the top answers? “I am not watching a video.”

I am not watching a video https://t.co/NmkMFj5yuB

— andrew sophia (@voellig) January 15, 2025

Here are just a few of the thousands of responses:

• “I’d like a step-by-step article with pictures to show me how to change my oil, not a video.”
• “A five-minute video is so much worse than a two-minute article I could just scan.”
• “If I need a tutorial and I click on a link and it’s a video? I immediately close it and find a written guide.”
• “I can read a lot faster than you can talk.”
• “If you send me a video as a source, I will immediately assume you are illiterate.”
• “95% of the time, I’ll spend seven minutes trying to find written instructions rather than watching a 50-second video.”

I could go on. There were thousands of responses echoing the same frustration.

Where does that leave us?

Video has its place. It can absolutely grow your business.

So can blogging.

In an ideal world, do both. Take a transcript from a video and turn it into a blog post. Or take a blog post and turn it into a video. Give people options to consume your content in the way they prefer.

At the end of the day, the format doesn’t matter. What matters is creating great content—unique to you—in a way your ideal clients will want to consume.

Blogging isn’t dead. If it’s not working, you just suck at it.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Blogging isn’t dead—you just suck at it appeared first on REM.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Marketing trends that matter for Realtors in 2025 (and ones that don’t) appeared first on REM.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Join us for a life-changing event: How you can help Bruce Johnson hit $1 million for SickKids appeared first on REM.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post ‘The Leads are Sh*t’: The weekly live show to help your business appeared first on REM.

Andrew Fogliato

Andrew Fogliato – The G is silent –  is the owner of Real Estate Magazine and Just Sell Homes. He mostly talks about marketing but sometimes ventures into other topics in the real estate world. Sometimes he also writes bios in the 3rd person.

The post Have you Googled the number you call leads from? You might be leaving business on the table appeared first on REM.