Back in 2008, I was introduced to ActiveRain. Unfortunately like so many, I didn't actually start posting here until August 2009. It was very slow going for me. I didn't really understand the whole concept of blogging and didn't really reach out for help. ActiveRain University didn't exist back then so there wasn't an opportunity for me to attend a webinar to learn.
Much of my early posting was useless. I posted market reports without any written explanation, just a chart showing recent sales. No wonder I wasn't ranking in the Google Serps. It wasn't until I took an online webinar offered by Katerina Gasset that I really started to understand blogging and it's relationship to my local market.
When I recently read the Weltenschauung for ActiveRain, it occurred to me that guideline #2 has become the cornerstone of my success in the real estate business. It reads:
We believe that real estate professionals will thrive if they demonstrate their local market expertise. With ever greater access to listings, local knowledge is not the key differentiator.
Thrive is exactly what I did. At a time when other real estate agents were leaving the business, I decided to focus on the things I thought would make me successful.
I started by changing brokerages to keep more of my hard earned commission. Then I got my own website. Up until that time, I had relied on the website that my big box brokerage had provided. Is it any wonder that I was struggling? Lastly, I decided to focus on my local market of Franklin TN. No more trying to appeal to the masses like other agents in the Nashville real estate market.
Those changes made the difference in my business. In 2012, I saw a big jump in my business. For the first time ever, I made a six-figure income. The following year, I topped 2012's income for my best year to date. As a result of applying the above principle, 65% of my business last year was derived from internet marketing and 100% of that came from Franklin.
My story isn't unique. I see agents everyday here who have applied this same principle to grow their business. If we hone in on the principles and guidelines outlined here, we can't help but succeed.
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