Differentiation Makes You Special

You would be hard-pressed to find a real estate professional today who doesn't value the business they gain from their website or blog. The average consumer and homebuyer or seller is using the Internet for their research and property searches. Sure, they may hear your radio spot or read your newspaper or homes magazine ad. That's great, but the vast majority will immediately go to your website to check you out.

At the point they become aware of you as a local real estate professional, you're just one of the crowd. So even if they like your ad, you're still just one of many with a cool advertisement. What makes you special? If you get tired of being treated as less than a valued professional, you need to look at how you go to market.

At what point do you stand out from the rest? Is it when they see on your site that you're a "top producer?" If you're not, do you lie and say you are? The bigger question is "do they care?" Sorry, but how many deals you do each year is of little interest to most of your prospects. They only care about THEIR deal. At some point they need to make a decision about who they are going to use as a real estate professional. Will it be you?

Start paying attention to comments like "I called you because..." Those comments will tell you what is most important to your prospects. It's doubtful that you'll hear "I called you because of your cute ad." They may mention it, but they checked you out on your website and something else differentiated you from the real estate crowd to prompt that call.

Sometimes it's obvious, like "I called you because your site said you're a buyer agent only." If that's your niche, then talk about it in your content, as you'll get prospects because people are more aware every year about how representation and loyalty works. However, that's just one narrow niche example.

It doesn't matter what your niche or expertise involves. The point of this article is that you MUST differentiate yourself to rise above the competition. Whatever you decide to make your niche or multiple niches, it is crucial that you develop content for your website/blog that creates the perception that you are the expert in that niche.

Ninety percent of all real estate agents are residential practitioners. So saying you're the "YourTown residential expert" isn't enough. You're telling them, but how are you proving that? Do you have website content that compares and contrasts subdivisions or neighborhoods based on family size or some other criteria? Do you publish area sold property statistics with your comments as to why they are up or down? Do you get a little "edgy" and tell sellers that they should be careful about listing with the agent who gives them the highest value for their home because that's why a high percentage of homes enter the market overpriced?

You see, there are hundreds or more agents out there telling them about listing their home in the MLS, marketing it on the brokerage website, and syndicating the listing to multiple websites. How many of them are giving them truth about overpricing

Sure, it's a little risky, but that's what differentiation is all about. Risky or not, you must decide how you can create and establish a "unique selling proposition" or factor that makes you the better choice. Once you know what it is, then create a website that makes it a priority to market it.

To view the original article, visit the WebsiteBox blog.