Yes, yes, I’m late to the SiriusXm party I admit it, but we recently got rid of a car with a cassette player, so that should tell you a lot. Honestly, the only thing I knew about satellite radio was Howard Stern so you can’t really blame me, can you? But that’s the past. Now that I’m here, can I tell you how much I love it? I do! I love it! A channel of nothing but Broadway show tunes? What, are you kidding me? My gay clients and I have sing-alongs, but that’s not why I love it. Here’s why I love it: It’s specialized. I don’t know how many channels there are altogether because I only listen to two. I flip between OnBroadway and Willie’s Roadhouse. I’m not interested in Spa, POTUS, or Hair Nation (If you’ve ever met me you know I live in my own private Hair Nation, thanksanyway), or any other of the bazillion channels available, each so freaking specialized and focused that it blows my mind! On the way from OnBroadway to Roadhouse, I have to pass Prime Country, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass Junction, and The Highway. No thank you, I’m not interested. I want my Roadhouse. I want my George and Tammy, my Johnny and June, and a little lite Texas Swing thrown in to mix it up. I’ve been laboring under the false impression that C&W was C&W but no, not even close. And each radio station taps into one tiny segment of the entire car-driving radio-listening population, each driver getting their own unique radio itch scratched in just the right place- it’s ecstasy. Pure unadulterated radio ecstasy. But this is a real estate blog so let’s talk Realtor talk.
Last week I was referring a lead to a Realtor and she informed me that I’m too quick to limit myself to one area. Not really true, but I remembered Ryan Hartman’s post that gave away the blue print for a broker’s market domination plan. You should go read it, I’ll wait. Done? Okay, see where I’m going with this?
You know how much you love satellite radio? Because it’s so damn focused on one little segment of the entire listening audience and it scratches your itch in just the right way? You could be doing that with your blog. Focused on one little area, or one unique niche, biche, or one long tail search, giving a potential client just the right information, just the perfect combination of insight and expertise so that you’ve scratched a real estate itch that only you can scratch. Satisfaction. The IDX can only do so much, just like the music can only do so much, it’s you putting the whole package together: Restaurants, retail, Little League, market reports, and houses for sale, to create one unique and highly and perfectly specialized niche.
The area that I was told I shouldn’t limit myself to? 438 homes were sold in that area last year. It’s just me right now. I could sell 5% of those homes and have an okay year. Specialize? Limit myself? I believe I’ll take a cue from satellite radio and follow Ryan’s advice, because that’s an itch I know how to scratch.
Wayne says:
Very well written Teri… It made me want to go dig up more info for my buyers!!
August 31, 2011 — 3:40 am
Teri Lussier says:
Thanks, Wayne.
When I started my blog it was very localized, but that was 4 years ago and there just were not that many people looking online in that hyperlocal market, not in my area at any rate, so after about 2 years I broadened the focus. Now I think it’s time to switch back to a hyperlocal blog. I could dominate for a localized area, instead of getting lost in the bigger, and muddied, one-size-fits-all river of websites that most Realtors have.
August 31, 2011 — 4:34 am
Ryan Hartman says:
XMU … Channel 35 all the way… keeps you in touch with what all the crazy kids are listening to these days.
Thanks for all the linkage, I’m blushing a little.
A brokerage set up like sirius, with a bunch of different niche channels meant to serve a larger audience really well… that would be cool.
Even cooler would be figuring out a way to get 12.95/month out of everyone in the brokerage’s audience 🙂
August 31, 2011 — 4:51 am
Teri Lussier says:
>I’m blushing a little.
I find that hard to believe. Aren’t you the same guy who sticks dead baby doll heads in his mouth and tells fart jokes? 😀
>Even cooler would be figuring out a way to get 12.95/month out of everyone in the brokerage’s audience
Let me know when you figure that out, will ya?
August 31, 2011 — 6:42 am
Scott Cowan says:
Most brokerages have figured out how to get the $12.95 out of most agents already! Just think about the song and dance most brokerages tell their agents to keep them signed up with them. Now if the brokerage had things setup like sirius then they could make even more money. Heck, I bet the agents would even think they were getting a good deal.
August 31, 2011 — 7:24 am
Teri Lussier says:
>Most brokerages have figured out how to get the $12.95 out of most agents already!
True. And true.
But they’ve not figured out how to get it from each ‘visitor’ to the website. Probably a good thing, come to think of it…
August 31, 2011 — 7:33 am
JBond says:
I’m more into the finance side of things, and this explains why SiriusXM stock has been doing so well over the past year and a half. The growth has been consistent and substantial. Love it when that happens.
August 31, 2011 — 8:59 am
Jeff Brown says:
Excellent on every level, Teri.
September 1, 2011 — 5:53 pm
Teyona says:
Impressive blog. well written and useful. I really need to read more blogs about real estate. Thanks!
September 2, 2011 — 6:48 am