How do you define "effective"?   While it's certainly nice to receive a lot of views, comments or a gold star, the posts I have found "effective" are the ones where I have received a "lead" who states "I found you online" and you know ActiveRain is the source.  

Regardless of the outcome, it tells me blogging works.   Of course, it's best when they are referring to something that is real estate related and where I can help most.    

I thnk there are several that are effective - market reports, community/neighborhood profiles and buyer/seller informational posts

Steven Nickens - community events, perhaps. Though my market reports do have lots of views.

How To's and Neighborhood profiles both seem to work well for me.

My trivia questions work for me! Not actively seeking business though. Thoughts would change if I were!

Well I think if you go back to a recent Q&A where people posted their views you can see that's it's a wierd variety. Way back when, I looked/emulated what was getting views for others & then wrote about that.

I would say it's community centric 1st or home maintenance related. I did a post on how to tell if your roof is ruined & that was pretty popular & then something else took it's place eventually.

Think helpful info.

Michael Jacobs nailed this one!

Depends on the target audience.

Depends on your definition of effective.

We've had the most client  response from market reports, but we've enjoyed and gotten the most community response (which lead to referrals) from more personal narratives. 

For me, effectivity is based on prospects/clients received not likes, comments, views, shares, etc. With that in mind...

By far, subdivision/community articles have brought me the most prospects and clients. An educated guess on the next 2 but I would say #2 is general buyer/seller information followed by market reports at #3. 

I love to write narratives about my thoughts, at any one moment WHEN I HAVE A THOUGHT!!!!!!!!!!

Events do very well

General real estate information seems to get the most views.

My jokes get the most comments.

Targeting your core constituency with information that is valuable.

Community events, community information (neighborhoods, schools, local fare, etc.) and market reports...in that order!

Effective?  Hum.  I see blogging effectiveness as the sum total of all efforts. 

Community events and buyer/seller informational posts seem to attract a lot of attention for me.

Here?  Stuff about using AR more efficiently.  On my site, they're all about equal.

Steven,

First, you have to define who you are trying to reach.  Then you have to study what they want to hear about and go from there.  A

News items are good to piggy-back on. Real Estate tips & life issues as well as common ground subjects of all kinds

real life stories

Depends on the goal.

List building? Events and a calendar of events are great list builders.

Buyers list? Of course new listing AND addressing the 2 biggest question a buyer has.

Authority building? Market reports are good but ONLY if you include YOUR PERSONAL perspective and it really needs to be PERSONAL. Most market reports are  digital cat box material.

If just looking for views the market report seems to win out every time.

All of the above. I don't know how you'd really measure it.

Depends.

Market reports have the Number 1 ranking

The market reports and some localism posts garner the post views.

IMHO - Michael Jacobs has the best answer. My definition of effective is to rank ahead of my competition on google for key words and long-tail searches.  So, blogging about a combination of subjects that include long tail key words is how I go about it. If your name keeps popping up on page 1 google searches you will get leads.

Depends on your purpose. My most viewed posts are listings. I have gotten most calls (but not necessarily from buyers) off of community events posts. I have gotten most comments on picture posts or relatable posts (like the challenge posts).-Kasey

Any informational post with a touch of light-hearted humor always works.

Community posts about events, happenings and the market get the most attention.

Steven Nickens I like to blog about market report.

I just don't track this stuff.

The ones with real video of properties, local events score high.

All of the above, consistently, over time.

I do not have an effective blog type.