Final Post before my book launch!
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post...I want to thank all the folks who accepted my connection request..they are all truly appreciated. So before we look at how and where to start looking for a niche I just want to say that I have a lot of great ideas for posts coming upon topics that will help you with social media, blogging and more..so now on to the topic at hand..BUILDING a Niche Market.
Below are few examples....
On my Linkedin page it lists all the brokerages I have worked for. All my achievements and past experience. I have real estate knowledge....As my products are designed solely for Realtor's then this would be my target market...or my niche. However, instead writing my profile in the third person I have written in a client facing way...more of what I can do for you..
Another example of past job related would be..
you worked in law enforcement of some kind prior to becoming a Realtor. You know what a tough job they have...now think of the things you could write about for a blog, or when you invite someone to become a connection on Linkedin. When they look at your profile and see your past employment...wouldn't it be more likely they would trust you and be more willing to connect with you?
What you can not do is to say “ I want to sell million dollar homes” and expect prospects to trust you...why they have no connection to you...so find the connection.
Hobbies..maybe you are an avid golfer.
You could certainly write a blog on golfing, or posts on Linkedin, easily set up a fan page or tweet. Or perhaps you like to ride horses or own horses... Folks who own horses will want to find property where they can keep their horses. If a prospect comes to your fan page with pictures and video's about horses, don't you think they will stay a while..look at your posts...maybe even comment on one or two.
Most of us have an interest or hobby of some kind and there are plenty of folks out there with the same hobbies or interests. This is your first step in finding a niche market.
Next do some homework on that niche....find out where these folks hang out and what they look at, like and share on social media.
Social media is a great tool but if you are looking in the wrong type of social media (fishing in the wrong pond)..meaning your target market is not hanging out there, you will be wasting your time.
If your niche is an image or female orientated niche start with Pinterest .
Why? Pinterest has more women than men that use Pinterest....and folks who spend time on Pinterest spend more money on bigger ticket items...
For example if you like home décor, Pinterest would be a great option for your niche. There is certain way to set up your boards and I will cover this in another eBook when I talk about setting up your social media accounts.
You can have more than one Pinterest account...never use your personal Pinterest account for business. All you need is another email address to set up a different Pinterest account and you can link it to your website or blog.
Again...If your niche is more career or work related...Doctor, Lawyer, Teacher etc then look on Linkedin..this is where the professional people hang out – Now before you head over and start trying to connect on Linkedin make sure you have a connection...and by that I mean you were or have some connection to a Doctor, Nurse, Lawyer, Plumber..etc
In another eBook I will talk about how to set up a great looking Linkedin profile that will make you stand out. Keep everything entirely professional...I mean everything....no posting of little Tim's birthday party on
Linkedin.
Did you know you can post to Linkedin and Twitter at the same time right from Linkedin this will help save you time. Another way to save time on social media is get a social media planner...this I will cover in my eBook setting up your social media for success
FaceBook...
I love my personal FaceBook, it allows me to see what me friends and family are doing in the US. However, although I do have a business fan page and have some “likes” it is not my personal choice of social media for business. I think that FaceBook has been over used in the past and they keep changing their algorithms...as of writing this eBook FaceBook kindly changed how the header shows up on my fanpage. Not that I don't like the change, I think it actually looks better but I will have to do a little re-design of my header now.
Twitter...
Twitter is great for short posts that you can link back to your other social media, blog or website. I have found my Twitter followers share more often than my fans on my FaceBook fan page.
Here's a little tip for using Twitter and it is FREE Crowdfire - Once you sign up for crowdfire you can see the number of people you follow and who is not following you back. You can set up your account in Crowdfire with a message or multiple messages encouraging new followers to like your fan page, connect with you on Linkedin or visit your website or blog.
Crowdfire will also allow you to remove 100 non followers every 24 hours. This way you know your tweets are going to only people who follow you. A quick word about social media and your website. Please if you add links to your website and link to your social media make sure they work...When someone lands on your website or blog not everyone is going to give you their information straight away...trust is key. They may want to look at your social media just see what you have to say first.
TRUST..It's so important to social media
We have talked about trust and how important trust is to your business. If someone goes to your website and clicks on the social media buttons and they go nowhere...you are not building trust and folks see this as a job half done and could be a reflection on your business...So if you change social media accounts...close one down please make sure you change this on your website.
Below is a list of ideas for a niche
As an example...
Did you know that 43 million people go bowling at least once a year in the US...if you bowl this maybe a great niche to get into.
Outdoor Or Sport Niches
Hunting - Fishing - Golfing - Sailing -Skiing - Snowboarding - Ice hockey -Swimming -Baseball -Football - Basketball -College Sports - Motor Sports - Rodeo - Hiking - horse riding -Kayaking - Bowling - Biking - Surfing
Home And Garden
You can break anyone of these ideas into mini or micro niches...Home improvement could be just that or you could market it to investors as well.
Gardening - Home Decor - Woodworking -Crafting -Sewing - Knitting - Recycling Home Improvement -Quilting - Scrap Booking - Painting - Cooking
Job or Career
What did you do before becoming a Realtor... Many agents who have left the Marines or the Army have gone on to market to the men and women in the armed forces as they know the life style and the hardships the families face moving all the time...they can relate and connect.
Teacher - Plumber - Insurance - Law Enforcement -Technology - Doctor - Nurse - Armed Forces - FBI - Electrician - Dentist - Paramedic
Languages & Lifestyles
If you speak a foreign language...Or have connections to foreign investors...these would be great niches. Lifestyle choices is another....
There are so many different niches and I have only touched on a few of them in this eBook...imagine the possibilities! If all your Linkedin connections or fan page consists of other agents in your area...you are not going to succeed with turning them into uyers.
Even if you have folks connect from other areas of the US or around the world..once you have built a relationship with them...they may ask for help finding an agent in the place they are looking to buy a home
Final thoughts...
I hope you have got a good idea of how to get started with finding a niche, building a brand and marketing on social media. Really once you get everything in place the amount of time you now spend on social media will go down significantly or if you have given up on social media entirely as time consuming pointless project you now will be able to start over and build your marketing online to a whole new level.
Building an online presence (brand) will only get more and more important as time goes on. There are 1.7 million (give or take a few thousand) realtor's in the US reported by the National Association Of Realtor's. When you break that down to each market area that is still a lot of competition. More importantly more buyers and to some extent, sellers are using their cell phone or mobile devices to purchase or search for information on the internet and social media is easier to check out on mobile devices than a website.
Just look at the giants Amazon and the vast array of products they sell not just in the US but all over the world. The usage of mobile devices is a phenomenon that is global...and predicted to gain at an alarming rate over the next few years....people are using their mobile devices to shop on places like Amazon...Amazon makes it easy to share on social media...
Building a brand is the next step to marketing yourself online after finding a niche. A brand is how people will see you on the internet. Consistency in your social media, your blog and website. To help you with this my next eBook will be all about branding and it will cover topics such as:
? choosing a brand name within your niche
? How use the branding on your blog & social media
? How to choose a name for your brand & SEO
? Setting up social media
? Free tools to create headers or images for social media or blog
? Post planners that will save you time in social media
? And more...
If you have questions please feel free to send me a message, I will be happy to help. In this eBook I have covered the basic social media that most people have lready...however there is one other that I don't see many realtor's using and that is Youtube...
Youtube is certainly an excellent social media platform and you can create short video's right from your own channel or use one the FREE video creators like Powtoons. Although Powtoons is designed to use the animated characters, doesn't mean you have to though. Instead you can use the white boards...or simply upload your own pictures...these can be marketing pictures or pictures of your listing. With Powtoons you can add a voice over as well...With one click in Powtoons your video can go live on YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter or any other social media site and your website/blog.
The other way to use a video you have made is in my software for building Single Property Websites... The software gives you 3 options on which to build your Single Property Websites.
? A single picture – usually the front or best picture of the home
? 5 Pictures – the best features of the home
? YouTube video – voice over video about your listing.
Imagine how impressed your sellers would be with you as their agent. First of all their home has its own website....then the video the buyers can watch right from the property has a lovely voice over of the best features of their home. The Single Property Websites only take about 20-30 minutes to make...super easy just like filling in the details on the mls. Then you put the website address of the property on a sign rider hanging from the broker sign.
Single Property Websites are designed for mobile devices...Smartphones or Iphones...When the buyer looks at the Single Property Website they can view the video then use the unique tap to text or call right from their smartphone and reach you the agent. As the agent you now have captured the buyers contact information and text, email or call them back straight away....And you will never need to make or deliver flyers again..fix broken flyer boxes...or have to purchase a flyer box.
Need to make changes..price reductions..open houses etc..all this can be done from your computer at anytime. No more printing off copies of flyers to realise you have made a mistake...only to start all over, saving you time for more important things...like showing and selling property!
If you would a demo Single Property Website built for one of your listings, please send me a message...There is no charge and I will host the website until the property is sold for you.