Every realtor needs a specialty. If you try to do it all, you'll be lackluster at everything. You'll never be seen as an authority.
Have you decided on your real estate niche, the one area of expertise you'd like to go all-in on? If you have, you can take steps to become the absolute authority in that niche within your local area.
Would you like to dominate this niche? Want to become the real estate authority for your city?
If you were the first person who came to mind when someone wanted to buy a luxury home, a commercial office building, or a multi-family property, you would have an endless stream of clients.
Wondering how to become an authority in real estate? Continue reading this guide to find out.
1. Define Your Real Estate Niche
Want to know how to become a real estate authority? The first step is choosing your niche.
What is the area of real estate you want to be known for?
You'll get buried in the sea of competition. The only way to truly set yourself apart in your area is by becoming the go-to person in one niche.
Do you want to focus on first-time homebuyers getting their starter homes? Or how about becoming the expert on your cities top-trending neighborhoods?
Do you want to focus on luxury homes only? Or do you want to get into commercial real estate? If so, what type of commercial; retail, office, industrial, or other?
When people want to buy a luxury home, they want a realtor specializing in luxury homes. They want someone with authority, someone who they can trust. Figure out what your niche is and advertise that.
2. Professional Website
Wondering how to generate real estate leads? There are many ways, but the first and most important is a professionally designed website.
You can't rely on your social media accounts and your business cards in the 21st century. Customers want to see a professional website that answers all their questions.
It needs to clearly articulate who you are and your focus so that customers know they are in the right place. If your focus is high-end, luxury homes, don't also have images of commercial buildings or small homes.
Design your site around your niche. If you want more real estate leads than your competitors, make sure your website is professionally designed.
If it is, you'll be far ahead of most realtors in your town.
3. Relevant Social Media Channels
Most of your potential clients spend time on social media. Because of that, you need to as well.
However, social media marketing for your real estate business isn't about growing a big following. It's about being consistent so you can show up in the right place at the right time.
You don't need thousands of followers to be successful. Really, you only need a handful of clients.
If you sell homes, you can post your listings. Many people will likely share your listing with their friends if it's in a relevant neighborhood.
Some people won't follow you on social media but might check your profiles to see if you post regularly. If you haven't posted in two years, they might think you aren't an active real estate agent and may not even try calling you.
You don't have to post a ton, but make sure you do so regularly.
4. Dominate SEO
Wondering how to generate real estate leads? SEO is one of the best strategies to focus on.
When people are looking to buy a new house or commercial property, they might start by searching Google for keywords like the following:
- “homes for sale in…”
- “realtors in…”
- “commercial real estate agents in…”
- “buy a house in…”
Wouldn't it be nice if your website showed up on the first page of these search results? You'd have a steady stream of leads every single week.
The process of having your website show up during relevant searches is search engine optimization (SEO). As a realtor, you probably don't have time to learn about and implement best SEO practices.
However, you can hire a company to run an effective SEO campaign on your behalf to help you get more leads than ever before.
5. Meet Customers Where They Are
Figure out the other places your potential clients are hanging out. Are there locally-based podcasts you can be interviewed on or advertise on? Are there blogs about your city that you can write a guest post for?
Or are there other keywords you can target with blog posts or YouTube videos? These indirect keywords could include things like:
- “best family-friendly neighborhoods in…”
- “walkable neighborhoods in…”
- “neighborhoods near the water…”
Your potential customers are out there. You need to make sure they have every opportunity to find you.
6. Master the Art of Referrals
Wondering how to master real estate leads? Then you need to master the art of referral marketing.
This could mean partnering with relevant, non-competing companies in your area, such as mortgage brokers or large companies that hire people from all over the country.
If they send you a client, you can pay them a set percentage of your commission.
Referral marketing could also mean incentivizing satisfied customers to refer their friends and family. You could offer $100 or even $500 when they refer a new client to you.
7. Build an Email List
No matter what industry you are in, building an email list is one of the most effective strategies for weeding out prospects, nurturing potential clients, and converting them into actual clients when they are ready.
You can develop a free report detailing everything clients need to know about your niche in your city. For example, a report called “Everything You Need to Know About Raleigh Before Buying a Home.”
Inside the report, you can detail all of the best neighborhoods, best school districts, best parks and recreation areas, and more. You can offer this as a free download when people sign up for your email newsletter.
Now you can send weekly emails to all potential clients, building trust until they are ready to work with you.
Becoming a Real Estate Authority
Wondering how to get better at generating real estate leads? The first step is deciding on a real estate niche. But the key to long-term success is determination.
Developing a constant stream of leads takes time. You need to invest in individual strategies regularly to ever see a return on investment.
Marketing is not a one-time event. It's what you do every single day to become a real estate authority.
Looking to take your marketing to the next level? Contact The Website Marketing Pro for help growing your authority and getting new clients.
Need more local marketing tips? Check out The Essential Marketing Guide for Real Estate Professionals
