Where do You Even Begin?
Are you lost in the sea that is Google in your online real estate business? How about I demonstrate how to get specific and win? Target your Micro-Market!
Building Real Estate Online Micro-Markets – the primer
I’ve had many conversations on and offline about the overwhelming nature of entering a real estate practice into main social media streams- looking at everything as a whole could give one a small heart attack, so I propose a different approach. Close your web browser, and close your eyes (after reading this post) and do the following:
- Picture in your mind your target area you wish to promote
- Narrow that down to streets
- Narrow that down to a neighborhood name
- Narrow down folks in that neighborhood that know you personally
Got it? Good. Hang on to that, let’s move forward.
Now Lets Get Googleized
Competing for ‘search ____ homes’ as keywords in Google will be next to impossible, so let’s micro-focus to beat your competition in Google. I’m going to use 6th and Broadway as my example and I’ll call the neighborhood ‘Soco.’ My next steps will break down for you how to make micro-communities very easily without the fear of the ‘big picture.’
- I’ll create a blog called ‘6thandbroadway,’ purchase the domain, load wordpress, and pick a nice easy theme
- Next, I’ll add blog categories beginning with ‘Soco’, and create others such as restaurants, etc…
- I will drive the neighborhood and make a list of everything in and around the neighborhood
- I will begin writing up featured articles on the local businesses (small business preferred)
- I will create (using vista prints) inexpensive cards with my website address and have them delivered door-to-door
- I will contact the schools and gather calendars, report the daily lunches, school closings, PTA
- Don’t forget to get snapshots of the neighborhood beauty, and featured spots for later
Now, you’ve done the physical work, here is the easy part:
- You can blog into the future using the time stamp feature in wordpress
- Blog the information you know will not change, do this daily, and weekly
- Set up a Twitter account, install it into your sidebar, also facebook, and linkedin
- Update your status daily, especially those moments when you’re ‘not busy’
- Post your article titles to your readers via Facebook & Twitter
- Linkedin gives site readers instant access to your qualifications
In Summary
Now, I’m sure I may have missed a thing or two, but it isn’t the end of the world, nor the point. The bottom line is that in a Google world, folks doing anything and everything in and around this neighborhood will probably stumble across this site. Imagine a mom who Googles ‘name of school lunches this week’ and you appear. Imagine a person looking for a great restaurant at ‘corner of 6th and broadway’ and you appear. Imagine a buyer searching ‘homes 6th and broadway’ and they find your site with updated homes just listed and just solds? You are 6th and Broadway (indexed in one minute)! Multiply the information and see what happens. There are just less folks competing for a Micro-Brand, why not exploit it?
Socially, you’re making yourself available to be found on Twitter & Facebook, and available to talk. Especially because you’ve thought enough in advance to say you’re just reading an article, or relaxing with coffee at the Starbucks- all can be done over the SMS function of your phone. This is just one basic function of using social networking, but it is one that is easy, and does not require you to be social in a million places at once.
I hope this simple format helps give you some ideas on where to begin and hope you’ll share your social micro-blog with us! I’ll be taking this further in the coming days, but for now, start simple, let it grow, and then take the next step…
