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Real estate is a local business, and building yourself into the go-to local expert is an unbeatable strategy for attracting new listings and enquiries. Even if you are part of a respected national brand or network, customers are drawn to agents display strong local knowledge.

It’s about much more than the occasional Just Sold drop or random tweet. Securing expert status requires time and effort; you want to demonstrate that you have a genuine understanding of the forces at play in the local market, a real grasp on wider industry trends, and, thanks to those things, a track record for securing outstanding results.

Give them what they want

Find out what the concerns of local vendors and buyers are, and then provide relevant content that addresses those head on. People want to know about buyer behaviour and how they can maximise their property’s value; simply advertising new listings and recent sales results isn’t enough to really command attention. Avoid shameless self promotion and instead focus on assisting and informing. Look for the gaps that your competitors are failing to fill and then take advantage of their blind spots. 

Create jaw dropping content

The aim isn’t simply to fill space on a newsletter or in an email with words and statistics; provide the kind of information that the marketplace can’t get enough of. This is where investing in the services of professional copywriters and designers is worthwhile, because they can help you create marketing pieces that are truly readable and engaging. Ensure that all your content is unique and useful. 

Think about timing 

It’s important to provide regular communication. Haphazard drops or occasional newsletters create an impression of disorganisation and sloppiness, so set up a marketing plan and stick to it, whether it involves quarterly newsletters, a monthly magazine or a weekly blog post. That way, your messages become something that people expect and look forward to. Regular, informative communication looks professional and reliable.

Creating high quality marketing on a regular basis is time consuming; again, professional designers and copywriters are useful. Agents are often too busy to organise every marketing piece by themselves, and something that sits on your desk for weeks or even months does nothing to boost your reputation as an expert. Focus on selling real estate and outsource the extra labour. 

Master social media

Social media is to be used with caution, so think carefully about whether it’s necessary for you. Managing and monitoring it properly can require a lot of effort; you need to respond to comments and complaints fast, update it often, provide a steady stream of content and share other people’s content to build an engaged community. If you do choose to go down the social media route, choose one platform and then do it really, really well. A neglected social media site contributes nothing to your reputation.

Choose your channels

Decide what advertising mediums will be the most effective and then dedicate your energies to exploiting those to their fullest advantage. It’s far better to produce an outstanding two page newsletter than a weak 60 page magazine, or one beautifully written, detailed blog post every month then a few rushed sentences three times a week.  Think quality, not quantity.

When it comes to being the real estate agent of choice in your area, regular, informative, high-quality marketing is the key.

What are your tips for building an expert reputation?