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Ask An Ambassador: How To Beat The 800 Pound Gorilla

By
Real Estate Agent with Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com SAL.2002007747

The big portals make a lot of agents anxious. Z/T/R.com & the big brokers all have WAY more money then we'll ever hope to have.  They can out advertise us pretty easily. They make an announcement and the whole industry quivers.

They're 800 pound gorillas and we're chipmunks.

 Seriously, how can we as single agents or small teams take on that kind of ferocious opponent?

The answers are right in front of you!  And they're actually easy if you're willing to put in the effort!

First, KNOW your market.  I mean REALLY, REALLY know your market.  Computer algorithms and automated this and that are all fine for a purpose, but computers are guessing and what you live and breathe every day!  You can't allow server ZEST_HAL2000 to beat you at what YOU do!  You know that every 2000 sq ft home with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths is NOT the same.  That crossing the street, changing the view, lots of not so tangible things can seriously alter a home's value.

Second, Identify the opportunity.  The big sites are GENERIC.  Sure they're going to win the Google wars for the big search terms, and what they can't win organically they'll pay for placement.  So I'm NOT going to win "Cincinnati Homes For Sale" and that doesn't bother me a bit.  This chipmunk figured out niches and long tail results are giving the consumer what they want and DO NOT FIND on the big sites.  So what am I doing next?

Third, Exploit the opportunity! This is where you've got to get to work and stay disciplined.  You've got to research and create the content that turns the identification of an opportunity into something real that gives the consumers what they want.  It might be blog posts, it might be IDX search pages, it might be Pinterest or Facebook or Instagram or pick your poison, but get to work at it!  And what you don't want to be doing is chasing comments or the wave of the wand from ActiveRain's Feature Fairies!  Consumers don't comment, they contact.  And the posts that get Featured are NOT the posts that are highly likely to make your phone ring.  Phone ringers are the "boring" posts about subdivisions, homes with barns, new construction opportunities, market reports and the like.

Fourth, Don't Stop!  Keep on it.  Keep on it.  Keep on it.  It's easy to get distracted, waver off the path, want more visible engagement & comments, but again, this is a LONG TERM game.  Keep working at it with high quality content the consumers can use, and the more specific about houses the better.  A post about a condo community got us a listing recently.  Posts about patio home communities have provided me quite a few patio home buyers.  I'll keep adding fuel to that fire as new opportunities present.

And that's how a chipmunk takes out the 800 pound gorillas.

Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help!

Bill of Liz and Bill aka BLiz

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Serving Warren County Ohio & Adjacent Areas

The Liz Spear Team of Transaction Alliance
Elizabeth Spear, ABR, Ohio License SAL.2002007747

William (Bill) Spear, Ohio License SAL.2004011109  Kentucky 77938
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EHO
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Comments (57)

Dick Greenberg
New Paradigm Partners LLC - Fort Collins, CO
Northern Colorado Residential Real Estate

Hi Bill - Excellent advice for an effective on-line strategy. Mastering the small nooks and crannies with excellent content takes us to places that are where our potential clients are focused.

May 24, 2017 11:16 AM
Marti Steele Kilby, CRS
Steele Group Realty - La Mesa, CA
Broker/Owner, San Diego, CA

Great post and right in line with the 3 "Cs" that I have posted across the top of my desktop monitor:  Clarity - Commitment - Consistency.  I think the toughest one for a lot of people is identifying the opportunity and being clear about their focus.

May 24, 2017 12:09 PM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Great advice Liz and Bill Spear! That 800 pound gorilla isn't going anywhere anytime soon. We have so much to offer they can't possibly match. They will never be the local experts, best thing we could do is be persistent.

May 24, 2017 01:44 PM
Bandele Oguntomilade, Top REALTOR
Bogun Realty and Luxury Homes - Woodland Hills, CA
Your Woodland Hills Real Estate Agent 818-825-6996

Great post. Congratulations.

May 24, 2017 07:10 PM
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Dick, We find those nooks and crannies get us found and help us connect with consumers that are usually close to doing something soon.

Marti, Keeping focus can be tough.  It's so attractive to write posts that collect comments rather than evergreen posts that attract clients.

Beth, That's our edge, establishing local expertise and providing the web content that proves it.

Bandele, Thanks!

May 24, 2017 07:36 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Congratulations on the featured post. Thank you for sharing the great tips 

May 25, 2017 02:46 AM
Donna & Larry Johnson
Keller Williams Real Estate - West Chester, PA
Chester & Delaware County

Knowing your market is key. Presentation, hard work and integrity has always been part of our marketing plan.

May 25, 2017 05:24 AM
Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty
Front Gate Real Estate - Brandon, MS
601-991-2900 Office; 601-278-4513 Cell

Applause! You are so right. My favorite paragraph is the third point, EXPLOIT THE OPPORTUNITY. The "boring" posts are the ones that make our phone ring, so don't get discouraged and keep putting them out there. I have several subdivision posts I need to get out there, because that's the info consumers want.

May 25, 2017 07:48 AM
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Gita, You're welcome!

Donna & Larry, Putting in the effort to know the market can really pay off.  When you can see the trends (up or down) ahead of your competition, it's a win for your clients.

Pat, My most productive posts (for business purposes) will always have the fewest comments.

May 25, 2017 07:51 AM
John Marshall - FORE!
LoKation Real Estate - Cherry Hills Village, CO
Specializing in Golf Course Properties

Liz and Bill Spear you always have the best, info, week in and week out, I always look forward to your "Ask an Ambassador" posts, thank you once again

May 25, 2017 11:01 AM
Elyse Berman, PA
LoKation Real Estate - Boca Raton, FL
Boca Raton FL (561) 716-7824

Bill and Liz,  You are so right!  What a great post and oh, so true.  I recently got a buyer from an old post I'd written on a housing subdivision.  I used to write those type of posts all the time.  Thanks for the reminder - think I'll go back to it again. 

May 25, 2017 01:49 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

Thank you for this post. It's true - we have to know our market, inside and out, and be consistent with our marketing. It IS easy to get distracted.

May 26, 2017 03:43 AM
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

John, I try to make those Tuesday posts useful to the community.  Some do better than others :)

Elyse, I need to write more of them too.  Time to do some more driving and photo taking to provide what I need for them.  For here, it's definitely something I want to do during Spring/Summer season when everything looks the best.

Kat, It certainly is.  The nature of the community encourages interaction, and that leads to a lot of posts that have no chance of making the phone ring.  They're good for building relationships though, so they do serve their purpose.

May 26, 2017 07:24 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Liz and Bill

Within every challenge is an opportunity . . . . Exploit the opportunity and neutralize the 800 pound gorilla.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

May 26, 2017 06:32 PM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Liz and Bill

Your post nailed it . . . . congratulations on being awarded the feature for your post.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

May 26, 2017 06:34 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Liz & Bill  I agree with you that is the only way to beat these Gorillas:)) on a side note love the public is finally learning that they are not as good as they claim to be.... Endre

p.s.: did you go to USNA graduation today??

May 26, 2017 07:31 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Liz and Bill - You guys are definitely smarter than the average(or even median) chipmunk.   

May 27, 2017 06:24 AM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

I think we all get it.  I hope some new members reading this will understand what it takes.

May 28, 2017 06:09 PM
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

Lou, It's just a matter of identifying that opportunity.

Endre, No relatives there and a long drive, so I didn't make it.

Michael, But not as fast :)

Georgie, I think you're right, the veteran bloggers know what to do.

May 30, 2017 03:33 PM
Travis "the SOLD man" Parker; Broker/Owner
Travis Realty - Enterprise, AL
email: Travis@theSOLDman.me / cell: 334-494-7846

I've laid off blogging for a couple of years due to family issues, but this inspires me to start back. THANKS!

Jul 03, 2017 12:58 PM