Blog content that inspires, educates and creates client enquiries

The phrase ‘content is king’ was coined by Bill Gates, (then) CEO of Microsoft over 2 decades ago –  it still holds true as long as the content is good. Plenty of websites offer ‘puff’ copy, for example: ‘Buy on the Costa del Sol –  we have great beaches’ – but this is not going to ‘hook’ your readers or generate clicks when you are competing in a very busy online environment.

Your content should be targeted to your buyer market, with well written headlines, relevant copy and updated regularly. Don’t worry if you don’t have a website that has its own blog platform. AIPP members are exclusively invited to submit articles for publication on our own AIPO blog pages, now with over 250 blogs exclusively promoting only AIPP members..

The AIPO (Advice on International Property Ownership) was launched in May 2018 to create a safer space for buyers of a foreign property. It does this by driving awareness of AIPP members and providing Consumer Education & Protection to buyers of a foreign property.

So – how do you go about creating a great blog article for AIPO?

AIPO’s target market is pretty broad – we are appealing to people who want to buy or who already own a property in one of many foreign countries, so we publish a wide range of articles.

Your target market may be looking for a retirement, 2-bed apartment, or folks looking for a luxury villa, front line on an up-market golf resort. It may be adventurers looking for a rural refurbishment project, or investors looking for the next trend and market.

It’s important to understand who your key demographic is and aim your content and tone of voice accordingly. Consumers buy ‘outcomes’ rather than products or services. Good content will tease an issue, then offer a solution. Might they be worried how far their pensions will stretch in France, for example? Tell them your experience of the cost of living – and how to budget and live well.

Are your potential clients keen to ride the next wave of new-build investment opportunities?  Tell them where the smart money is heading next – and why!

80% of people will read your headline but only 20% of people will read the article!! so take your time in creating a great title – write a few possible headlines then choose the best one. If you are not sure then please just ask us! Good headlines have a formula and there a number that routinely do well on AIPO:

• Numbers & lists

Example:

Love Island: 10 things you may not know about Mallorca

• How to…?

Example:

Switching Sides – how do I register my UK bought left-hand drive car in Spain?

• Comparisons

Example:

Costa Blanca or Costa del Sol – where should I buy?

• Scarcity – promising the reader the key to a secret

Example:

The Orange Blossom Coast – the Spanish Costa the locals like to keep for themselves

• The BIG Promise – so labelling something ‘The Definitive Guide to’, or ‘The only guide you’ll ever need’ or ‘ You NEED this..’

Example:

Own in Spain? Thinking of selling up or been trying to sell for a while? You need to read this!

Pay attention to headlines you like, and the ones that make you click on them – and also notice the ones that really don’t or offend or bore you!

We organise the AIPO blog articles via content ‘buckets’ so we get a good mix of subject areas. By listing out some relevant topics you can start to break down areas into articles, rather than either putting all your ideas into one long (and possibly boring story) or sticking with the same tired area the whole time. Your ‘buckets’ could be for example:

• Food and Drink
• Gardening and Landscaping
• Budget and Taxes
• Community and Language
• Geography and History
• Tradition and Culture
• Health and Wellness

Generally speaking – start writing about what interests YOU and move on from there! One of our best performing blogs on the AIPO is Some Like it Hot – Best Plants for Sunny Balconies!! Don’t be tempted to make stuff up that you don’t know about though. If you quote figures make sure you can back them up. Accuracy builds trust – and personal stories are often the best for this.

A picture speaks a thousand words – never underestimate the power of a good image. It’s better to have one good, clear photo than lots of badly focused ones with awful lighting. If you use a picture that you haven’t taken yourself, however, it is imperative that you seek the owners permission before you use it. Don’t be tempted to grab/copy any old image off the internet. There are agencies whose job it is to scan the internet for images used without correct permissions and it could be a costly mistake!

Finally, once all these things are in place -DO NOT FORGET TO TELL YOUR READER WHAT TO DO! Though you don’t want to look like you are overtly selling, you still need to ensure the reader has an action at the end of the article. Tell them clearly where they can find out more, register for further information or contact you directly – this is the goal after all!!

• Don’t state the obvious and try to overtly sell – say something genuinely interesting!

• Posts should ideally be informative, entertaining or persuasive (all 3 if possible!)

• A strong and engaging first paragraph should give an idea of what the post is about

• Pull-quotes should be used when possible to break up text

• Posts should generally end with a further action the readers can take

• Titles should be about 5 words long and hook the reader i.e. a problem you are solving

• Use inclusive words and avoid expressions with prejudiced overtones

For further information about submitting a blog post to the AIPO click on our guidelines here.

If you have some ideas that you wish to run by us, please email them to peter@aipp.org.uk and we will help the best we can – Happy writing!