How to Position Yourself as an Industry Expert

These days, if you really want to make a name for yourself in real estate, you need to position yourself as an industry expert. An industry expert is another term for an authority figure, someone who buyers and sellers go to for advice.

With that in mind, here’s our best advice on how to position yourself as an industry expert. Use these tips to start growing your following and before you know it, you’ll be a household name in your area.

Become the real estate expert in your area

1. Earn your designations

The first step to making yourself stand out from the crowd is earning designations.

Ultimately, this may not be the thing that really helps you stand out from the crowd. However, having professional designations after your name will lend weight to what you end up saying and give you credence.

That said, it’s up to you to decide which designations will be of the most benefit to you. If your dream is to someday open up your own office and start your own brand, it makes sense to get a brokers license.

On the other hand, if you want to specialize in assisting international buyers, it may make sense to get your Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation.

2. Start creating content

Next, you’ll want to focus on creating content. Put simply, creating content positions you as a voice of authority in the real estate industry. Not only that, but it can also act as a lead generation tool that helps funnel buyers and sellers back to your website.

As for what type of content you can create, the options are honestly endless. If you’re a good writer, you may want to consider creating blog posts. However, if you’re better in front of a camera, maybe creating YouTube videos would be a better fit.

When creating content, it’s important to focus on helping or educating your intended audience. You’ll want to focus on creating specific, topic-driven posts or videos that break down the information you’re providing into digestible chunks.

3. Get active on social media

It’s important to note that, in today’s world, industry experts are almost always very active on social media. You don’t have to be on every platform. However, you should have a regular presence on at least one platform where your target audience is likely to hang out.

Keep in mind that maintaining a great social media presence isn’t just about promoting your own content. In addition, you will want to post about relevant industry news, helpful tips, and information about what’s going on in your local community.

Still, it isn’t enough to just post into the void. You also want to engage with your followers. By this, we mean liking and replying to post that show up on your timeline, as well as occasionally asking for feedback from your audience on specific topics.

4. Offer to do interviews

Once you have a bit of a following, the next step is to start doing interviews and other media appearances. Again, the goal of this is to establish yourself as someone who others look to for advice on the real estate industry. While you may have to start out small, the goal is to eventually connect with progressively bigger media outlets.

If you’re unsure of where to start with this task, consider HARO. HARO, short for Help A Reporter Out, is a paid site where journalists can go if they are looking to connect with interview sources. If you have a relevant answer to a reporter’s question, you can submit a response, and they may follow up with you for further comment.

In time, you’ll find that, if you put your content out there and maintain a regular social media presence, media figures will start coming to you. At this point, the key is to say yes to every opportunity. The more media appearances that you can get under your belt, the closer you are to becoming a true industry expert.

5. Engage with your local community

Finally, it’s important to remember to engage with your local community. By this, we mean going to regular events to get your name out there, and sponsoring charity opportunities. Honestly, the bigger presence that you can have in your local market, the better.

To that end, start to brainstorm ways in which that you can get involved. Think about volunteering at local community events like 5Ks or other walk-runs. Consider having your real estate team sponsor a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop in the area.

Then, although it is not the most genuine of activities, be sure to post about your involvement on social media. Your goal here should be to share that you care about the community beyond just selling real estate to your friends and neighbors.

It should be to show that you care about making your community a better place.