Whether you sell real estate in a small suburb or in a major city, it may be easier than you think to successfully position yourself as a local expert. You can start by doing two things:
- Find a way to offer potential clients a little something extra
- Find the most effective ways to promote it
Developing an effective relocation resource list is one way to meet the first objective. People who move across town or across the country need to locate courteous, reputable, affordable providers for goods and services ranging from storage facilities and pediatric dentists to dog sitters and fresh croissants. Taking the time and effort to provide them with a viable list of local resources can win you lifelong clients. Three simple steps can get you started:
- Gather the content – Most Chambers of Commerce produce lists of business resources available to the public. Start there and expand your list with recommendations from friends and family as well as from your own experience. While it won’t be practical to include providers in every possible category, decide for yourself which kinds of resources newcomers will most appreciate.
- Create a homepage – If you can’t do it yourself, a web page designer can help you create an attractive, well-organized homepage for your guide, including a few links consumers can click on for more information in various categories.
- Promote your free resource guide – Begin with a link to your resource homepage posted prominently on your real estate website. You can further promote your guide via blogs, newsletters, and social media outlets, on your ‘Just Listed’ or ‘Just Sold’ postcards, and in service club publications. Inviting consumer input online can result in additional readership. Who doesn’t want to know – or share their opinions – about the best burgers or pizza in town, the best entertainment venues and more?
One broker in a small but industry-heavy region visited the human resources director of every major employer in town, offering her relocation resource guide free of charge in return for having it included in the information packets the company provides to relocating employees. Another broker in a major city paid for ads on a couple of real estate search sites, promising his free resource guide.
Yes, there are relocation specialists providing formal assistance programs to relocating families everywhere. But there are also vast numbers of relocating families who make such moves on their own. An informative website, a timely outreach, and a comprehensive guide to local resources – not to mention that welcoming first-night dinner – may be just what you need to make some lucrative connections.
Barbara Pronin is an award-winning writer based in Orange County, Calif. A former news editor with more than 30 years of experience in journalism and corporate communications, she has specialized in real estate topics for over a decade.