Finding Your Niche Market
You have to market what you know.
If you don't know it, you should either learn it or find something you do know about. For the sake of this article I'm going to talk about real estate. Most real estate agents can sell you any home that they are licensed to sell but really prefer working with a particular niche and if you are one of those agents and you don't know your niche, this article may be for you and I'll tell you why.
Too Much Competition
There are thousands of real estate agents, and literally there are thousands in your area. How are you to compete? Why should you get the client and someone else not? Well, you're probably saying things like, "I'm a great agent, I know my market, I know how to treat a customer well, blah blah blah." And I get it... but there are other agents that probably think the same thing. While you CAN sell any home, what do you really want to sell? Let's start with the basics.
Buyers or Sellers?
Most agents prefer to work with either buyers or agents. They prefer working with those looking for home because there is usually a guaranteed commission. Eventually that buyer will find a home and you'll get the commission. Now, that doesn't always happen because buyers can be tricky and either stop looking altogether or choose a different agent at the 11th hour. Totally annoying! But working with buyers takes a lot of work. You're constantly driving around to different house and researching, often for months before finding a home. Then the negotiations, hand-holding, etc.. and maybe you love that, and that's GREAT!
But maybe you prefer the listing side of things. You like taking listings then sitting at your deck marketing the heck out of it, waiting for the buyer to come to you. It may be a lot less work (maybe) and that might appeal to you.
We've worked with agents on both sides of the coin and they both love what they do, so we market that.
We use key phrases and then link back and forth from reputable sources, pages, and posts to reiterate the targeted market. Such as this" Sunset Beach Buyer's Agent". They worked for decades with just buyers and referred sellers elsewhere (until recently that is) but that's the market we went after and they do very well for the buyer's side of the business.
But maybe it's something else. For instance, If you prefer to work solely in a community or neighborhood. That's what you focus on until you get there. Sure, you can probably sell a home anywhere in the area, but you want to be the "go-to" agent for that community, so not only do you have an outstanding and authoritative page for your main landing page, but blog posts and social links all direct back to it and if you create more information elsewhere that would make the page all that more valuable, then add it. Keep honing and perfecting the main page so that when someone searches for McCormick Ranch homes for sale, there is no doubt that YOU are the one they see ... (or whatever your community is)
Let's talk buyer types
Areas, markets, and then there are types of people. Perhaps you want to go after older adults buying a home or looking to downsize or find a home in a 55+ community. That's what you focus on until you are THE PERSON for that niche. Long tail key phrases work great here such as 55+ communities in Mesa AZ for the retired. By focusing on this phrase, you can write a whole slew of information such as restaurants, how to downsize, keys to finding the best home for handicapped individuals, where to have fun, golfing, etc.. the ideas are endless but they all link back to the main page that talks about your niche market. Keep building it out... they will come.
Maybe it's the luxury market.
This is a tricky one because just about every agent WANTS a luxury listing or sale, I mean, why not? A 6% commission on a million dollar property? Who wouldn't want that? But, this too is not above general marketing; you just have to know where to market.
To appeal to the luxury real estate market you must have a luxury website and killer reviews. No luxury owner is going to trust you with their sale if you can't prove your worth. They want to know you know what you're talking about and have the sales to back it up. This is where a review page is your key. Make a killer testimonial page or include testimonials and reviews on a landing page about your market. Provide results such a "so many homes sold last year alone" type of thing. Maybe it's your home page like Kelli Howison's Luxury Homes on Mercer Island page. Not only is this her niche and her main page but she has past listings, current sales, reviews, local news, blog posts and of course, a way to contact this rock star agent.
Maybe you have a secret or experience in one thing over another?
Maybe you know land. You know business real estate or commercial real estate. That's a more specific field. Residential and commercial real estate are quite different and usually require different licenses. If that's your thing, own it! Write about it, find websites and content sharing sites just for investors like BiggerPockets.com, which allows you to blog on their site. This is a great back link and another resource to share your experience. People will be searching for this, make sure they find you.
Maybe it's one type of home.
Maybe it's condos. Are you a condo buying specialist? Single family homes and condos are different and take a little different finesse when it comes to buying or selling.
Maybe it's island homes? Whether you're in Hawaii or just on a local island like our own Camano Island, buying on an island is slightly different and you have to know it to tell it properly.
So whatever you do, find it and then market it. Be THAT PERSON for whatever it is you sell or are good at. Not too sure what your market is? Look back on how you sold homes in the past. What did you focus on? What did you like best? You might need to dig deep and really find the passion in your business. But whatever it is, go after it with a vengeance.
