You've heard it before. Content is king. Sure, you know you're supposed to blog to help your SEO, and we've all heard how social media is a necessity today. It can be hard, though, for busy agents to keep up with their Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/whatever accounts, let alone blog.

That's why we've crafted an easy content strategy plan for you to follow. We simplified it, paring a mix of blog and social media content down to just three posts per week.

Create Your Own Content Blend

Some people love social media, but dread blogging. Others are happy to sit down and write a blog post, but don't understand what the hype over social media is all about, anyway. Both are important, though. With over 50% of Facebook's 500 million active users logging in each day, social media is the way to remain visible to your connections. If you're not using it for your business, your competitors are who your clients and potential clients are seeing instead.

Blogging is the slower and steadier workhorse of this pair, however. While social media keeps you top-of-mind day-to-day, blogging bolsters your reputation as a local real estate (and community) expert and strengthens your site's SEO.

Because you may prefer Twitter's "microblogging" to actual blogging, we've made our plan easy to customize to your particular tastes. The thrice weekly schedule features one blog post, followed by two days of planned social media activity. Prefer two blog posts and one day of social media? Go right ahead. We won't even get mad if you spend three days social networking! The point is to consistently build and maintain your online presence. (We still recommend the blogging, though.)

Monday

Focus: Educational Blog Post

Spend a little time over the weekend preparing your post. This should be an article that teaches readers something valuable, i.e. how to prepare for a final walkthrough, what to expect during a short sale, tips for packing up a household, etc. Think of common questions or issues that your clients may have. This post is a chance to help solve problems and establish your expertise.

While your main goal today should be blogging, don't forget to promote your new post on social media! This gives you an extra chance during the week to provide something of value to your networks and stay top-of-mind.

Wednesday

Focus: Your Listings

Our aim with this plan is to help you create a variety of different types of content. Today it's time to get down to business and focus on your listings. This can be done in multiple ways. You can create a blog post focusing on a single listing, create a post highlighting multiple properties within a certain price range, or more. The possibilities are endless!

If social media is more your thing, make it a point to upload a few photos of a certain property to Facebook (or Pinterest!), post a status update about an upcoming open house, etc.

Friday

Focus: The Community

Are you a community expert? Sure you are, and it's time to show off your knowledge! With the weekend just around the corner, Friday is a great time to talk about local events, or highlight area businesses.

Be sure to follow the Facebook pages or other social media accounts of businesses in your town. That way, if you're ever short on time or inspiration on a Friday, you can simply share or retweet their updates instead of creating your own. Did your favorite bakery post about their weekend cupcake sale? Share that update with your network! This creates goodwill with the business and provides your audience valuable information.

To create community-focused blog posts, interview a local business owner, create a list post of upcoming events, share your favorite restaurants, boutiques, etc. Be creative!

Extra Credit

If you commit to building your online presence three times a week, you're sure to see results. You don't have to stop there, however! During the rest of the week, make an effort to reach out online, whether that's commenting on your clients' status updates, joining a Twitter conversation, or more. Focus on connecting to maintain customer relationships and build your repeat and referral business.