It's crowded. There's a lot going on in the online world, with a lot of voices trying to carve out their slice of the territory. It's easy to get swallowed up by all the websites, advertisements, offers, and noise. Yet, there are real estate agents who stand out from the crowd. They don't blend in. People know who they are and want to do business with them.
Let's talk about how this can be you too. In today's post, we're going to share 5 tactics you can use to stand out online.
5. Invest in a mobile app for real estate
If you really want to find a way to stand out from the competition, it's time to start thinking about mobile apps. This topic is a whole blog post in itself (literally), but it's worth mentioning again. When you get people onto your real estate app, they become addicted. You create a direct line to their phone and provide an amazing experience that they can't get from other agencies. In a few years, having an app will be standard protocol. For now, it's a huge differentiator and agents who get in now have the opportunity to squeeze out the competition by becoming the biggest local app before their fellow agents even know what hit them.
4. Put time & effort into your content
One of the fastest ways to stand out in any real estate community is to put together unique information about your community. We talk a lot about content, and may even sound like a bit of a broken record, but the truth is that most Realtors aren't actually putting time into creating great content. They try to find shortcuts like auto-generated text and, at the end of the day, they aren't bringing new information to the table.
Great content is informative, unique, and easy to read. It provides insight that readers wouldn't otherwise have and putting together that type of content takes effort. Imagine interviewing someone from a neighborhood you're writing about and asking them all about living there. Or doing hours of research to ensure the info is comprehensive. That's genuine effort. You can't fake it and, when you don't fake it, you're going to stand out from your competition.
(PS: You can't fake it, but you can hire someone else to do the work...)
3. Share your story, front & center
Websites, by their very nature, are empty and unfeeling. But the people who run those websites all have stories. When you put those stories front and center, you give people the opportunity to see the person behind the website. It creates a connection with your audience and, if they can relate to your values or story, you'll stay in their mind. Feeling connected is particularly important to the current generation of first-time buyers, who crave meaningful connection with the brands they promote.
Here's a simple example of one of these stories in action. It's relatable, builds a persona, and takes maybe 30 minutes tops to write.
2. Find a niche your community wants
Some of the most successful real estate sites we've seen have focused on a specific niche. This specialization allows them to tailor their entire user experience around best serving their audience, setting themselves up as the experts and obvious partner for anyone interested in that niche. In addition to creating a superior user experience that will draw clients in, niches tend to have an SEO advantage for their relevant keywords.
1. Leverage your successes
Social proof is a powerful psychological phenomenon in which people look to their peers when determining their actions. The more we see someone doing something, the more we think we should be doing it too. It's why we trust a product more after we've read the Amazon reviews, think someone with 5,000 Facebook followers is a big deal, and how Instagram influencers sustain their existences. When you get people talking about your business and put that conversation in front of other people, they're more likely to want to work with you too.
To take advantage of social proof online, you need to start gathering testimonials and taking pictures of the people that you've bought or sold a home with. Put their stories front and center on your site and social media and people will start to take notice. (Don't forget to ask for an online review too!)
Awards and recognition is another form of social proof, so be sure to share your successes publicly too. Just don't forget to say thank you and be gracious when you do so! You can also share your unsung successes, like number of transactions, by including the stats in your bios and throughout your marketing.
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One of the most challenging things about standing out online, no matter how you go about it, is that it takes effort. You have to give a lot to get a little, but isn't your success worth it?