What's Your Blogging Niche for 2016?

My esteemed friend Chad Hyams  recently asked me about some of the trends I see emerging in 2016 from a blogging perspective. My response to him forced me to write this blog post.

(By the way, I plan to make 2016 the year of the blog! Expect at least one, if not multiple posts from me every week this year! It's not my NY resolution, it's my goal, which I will accomplish by stating it publicly, and then putting a sign in front of my face every day to help me accomplish it)

2016 is going to be the year of the Niche blog.

I believe that the people that identify, and then dive into a niche market with their blogging are going to garner the most results from their content. My poster child for 2016 will be long time ActiveRainer, and friend of mine, Courtney Cooper. No pressure Courtney! haha.

What Courtney has done over the last 5 years is completely dominate her niche, Houseboats in Seattle (or floating homes, or whatever else you call them, she is there online when you go looking). So this isn't a new strategy, but as I read the Google tea leaves, I believe this strategy has the most room to make an impact in 2016. Here is why. 

The Shotgun Approach - Lots of Great Content, No Focus

Let's say I create 100 pieces of content in 2016. I could do it via the shotgun approach, or I could go the niche route. Here's what the shotgun approach looks like. Today I write about a condo building in Seattle, then tomorrow I write about a subdivision in Shoreline, a neighboring city. Then I do a few market reports about different areas, and maybe I write about my listings in a few different cities, and then some community events in this city or that city. As I continue throughout the year, I'm creating good content, at a hyper local level, but I'm not really focused on any one thing. At the end of the year I might end up with content about 75 different topics, even though I've only written 100 posts. That thin approach to creating content, with no central focus, puts me at a disadvantage over someone else who takes the niche approach.

The Niche Approach - Completely Blanketing a Segment of the Market, Laser Focus

Let's say I take those same 100 blog posts for 2016 and I decide to focus on One Thing (hat tip to Gary Keller and Jay Papasan  on this one). So today I write about some restrictions on houseboat owners on Lake Union. Then tomorrow I write about restrictions on Montlake floating homes. Next week I do a market report on each area (and I continue with these reports throughout the year focused on my specific target). Every time I have a houseboat listing, you can bet I'm going to write about that. I'd write about the special permits required for owning a houseboat. I'd create links to their permits on the city website. I'd interview people who purchased houseboats from me in the past and share their unique stories of what it's like living in a Sleepless in Seattle movie every day. I'd talk about the inventory (or shortage of), I'd talk about the events happening that impact those specific homeowners, like the opening of boating season, or some of the floating parades or firework shows that happen on the lakes. I'd write about some of the historical aspects of those homes, or share a blog post about the actual house featured in Sleepless in Seattle. 

But it doesn't just stop with writing the blog. I'd leverage all of that great content to present myself as the absolute expert on that niche. Courtney's been written about in Seattle Home and Lifestyles magazine and even put became a sponsor of a floating homes tour that was put together in Seattle. 

She COMPLETELY dove into her niche. Today, she is THE expert on floating homes in Seattle.

Why Is This The Future?

Every day, your peers are creating content to market their real estate businesses. But it's not just your peers. Zillow, REALTOR.com, Trulia, Redfin, etc, are also creating content and enhanching their search engine optimization to continue to clamp down on the top of the search results. As more and more content gets created, it becomes increasingly hard to break through the noise with a laser focus on One Thing. You could end 2016 with a mediocre blog that has sporadic coverage of 50 different things, or you could have an amazing blog with in depth coverage of one thing you choose to specialize in.

Courtney didn't stop selling other kinds of homes. In fact, she ends up with lots of people in her business who might have started out wanting a houseboat, but end up buying something different. I don't want to put words in her mouth, but she's told me more than once that finding a laser focus was her best online marketing decision ever. 

How Do You Get Started?

You pick a niche and then you write down 20 ideas for blog posts in that niche. You put it in a member's only blog post (or it can be public if you want, I don't care) declaring what your niche for 2016 is going to be, and the kinds of posts you are going to write, and then you share that link in the comment section here (1000 points for everyone that does) and then you get started!

It's the old Ben Kinney method of cleaning out the garage. You take one box per day and you clean it up. You don't do it all at once. You take steps every day toward your goal of a clean garage.

At the end of the year, you have a blog with real teeth, and you start to transform your online presence and your business. 

Some Other Good Examples

Liz and Bill Spear have been doing this for a few years with Patio homes in their area of Ohio. Bill and I communicate from time to time and he's always talking about how he's working with a client or getting ready to close on someone that found one of his patio homes posts. 

Debbie Gartner does a great job with her Flooring Girl blog in Westchester County NY. Her business has taken off since she found her laser focus. Every time I speak to her on the phone she's running off to another appointment.

Cindy Jones immediately comes to mind when I think of military relocation in Virginia. 

I'm positive for many of you, when you think about certain niches in different parts of the country, someone immediately pops to mind. I haven't had the chance to talk to Liz and Bill, or Debbie or Cindy in a ton of depth to what lead them to their niche, or if they even made a conscious decision to focus on it. I do, however, know that Courtney's decision was planned. She set out to dominate that niche. She's well on her way (although there is no letting up now Courtney! haha). Now it's your turn to make a decision.

Ready......Set.....Go.......!

Bob Stewart
ActiveRain

 

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