Top-producing real estate agents often focus on a particular area and just dominate it. There are several underlying factors that perpetuate this strategy, and it takes discipline to become that local all-star agent. By focusing on a specific area or neighborhood, you are better equipped to target and market effectively to homeowners. Spreading yourself thin by covering a vast area will leave you susceptible to competition and fatigue.
By staying focused on a small area, you can allocate your marketing dollars (and, more importantly, your time) more efficiently. As the cost of advertising online and in print continues to rise in 2015, this mantra must resonate through every aspect of your business. As for your time, you can make better decisions about which clients to take on or refer out. The last thing you want to do is get stuck in traffic while you’re driving all over the place. Remember: Time is money.
So what can you do to focus and build out your brand, staying top of mind with consumers in your niche?
Write for the local newspaper
Writing for your blog is great practice, but writing for the local newsletter, newspaper, or appearing on local TV builds your brand and solidifies you as a trusted voice. Try focusing on writing articles for local real estate sections in your community. By doing this, you can syndicate your article to other publications and, of course, your blog. Not only do you build your brand through third-party media outlets, but you are also getting more exposure. Google loves bumping your site up the search engine results for free!
Live social
The best real estate agents are often the best networkers. The size of an agent’s network directly correlates with how successful that agent is. Staying social in your community and creating a content calendar to post on social media is a strategy destined for success. Getting involved in the community and keeping up with regularly scheduled local content is a sure bet to stay in front of homeowners at all times.
Become a resource
Becoming the de facto neighborhood expert for everything is a great way to leverage your local knowledge. For example, advertising that you grew up in the area sends a powerful message to consumers and gives you instant credibility as someone who knows a thing or two about the area. Here are two quick tips to get your message out:
- Create a short video of yourself explaining why you know the area, and boost it to a targeted Facebook audience.
- Leverage snail mail to consistently hit the neighborhood. Top agents continue to praise the effectiveness of direct mail.
Will Caldwell, a San Diego resident, is the CEO and co-founder at Dizzle, a mobile real estate tech company that helps Realtors generate more word-of-mouth leads.
