Hi everyone! Glad to be a part of this community and to learn from other professionals who are trying to find their path. As I saw in the last few posts, I also have had a strong focus on social media here on the coast in North Carolina. We live in an area where there's lots of ways to niche down. We have a large marine base nearby, so even in a slow market we have people moving in and out. Investors can invest in long-term rentals around the marine base or short-term rentals on the beaches like Topsail Island. Then there's a lot of families who choose to live in our area due to the pace of life, proximity to Wilmington (commute) and schools. I've noticed many agents in my area try to niche down on the beach market (I can't blame them), but everyone is trying to do it. So although I'd love to sell beachfront properties all day long and maybe one day I will, I am currently focusing on reaching families looking to move to the area or that need to upsize/downsize. I've been trying to do this by utilizing Instagram and Tik Tok to grow a local follower base. The idea is to post hyperlocal content that reaches new faces and then supplement that with professional content, so I'm the trusted agent they think when they hear of someone looking to buy or sell. I made a commitment to a 12-18 month content spree back in March because I believe it's about the consistency over time that will help not only find your niche but to build trust with your following. In my next post, I'll share how this has helped so far.

When it comes to content, I believe in producing something that represents you well. That way when people meet you, you're the same person they came to like/trust on social. For me, I'm passionate about helping families (think a growing family who needs more space or a young couple looking to buy their first home that is worried about prices and interest rates), so I try to curate my content to that. I do some relatable content through my stories because I think that's where it comes across more personal and it's easier to create conversations. People have fears about this current market, so I try to share real facts, stories and scenarios that I've personally seen that someone may relate to. Then for reels/tik toks, I like to highlight local neighborhoods with great amenities or locations, so people can start to get to know what's out there before they even start their home search. My goal is to consistently provide value and education on the local area, so when people are ready to buy, they see me as the local expert that can help find them the right home in the right area. As a younger agent, I haven't had many listings, so the extra benefit of these videos is that it shows my marketing ability as an agent. I've had local builders tell me that my marketing of their community is better than what their marketing department produces, which is essentially my long-term goal. When it comes to listing homes, I want to be a top tier marketer for my clients. Just in the past month, I've had way more conversations started on social by my followers instead of me trying to prospect. Just this morning someone messaged me about the lot prices in a new neighborhood I posted. A few days ago someone reached out about their friend looking to move to the area considering the same neighborhood. Another follower asked if they could tour a different new community a couple days before that. I can finally see that consistency is working. And although I'd love to break into the luxury beachfront market, I want to create a consistent business built on referrals. The folks who own many of the beach homes live in Raleigh, Charlotte, Virginia, Philadelphia, NY, etc, so building a referral based business is harder to do. If I build trust with the families in this area, they can refer me to their friends, family, neighbors, etc. Starting with the end in mind, this is where I see my path to success. I look forward to updating you all with the progress at the 12 month mark to see if the consistency truly paid off.