Home of the REB Top 100 Agents

How agents are setting themselves apart when they’re busier than ever

By David Webb, Head of Industry - Homely
19 November 2021 | 5 minute read
David Webb 1

Promoted by Homely.

At Homely, we see thousands of new listings on our portal every day. There are a renowned few that really stand out for us. These are the listings from agents who are consistently asked for by name, are reviewed positively, and who seem to constantly present their best selves, whatever the state of the market. 

Agents who stand out like this generally also have listings that generate more enquiries, more indirect engagement, such as views and shares, and of course more agent reviews from happy vendors on Homely.

Having been in the industry my whole life, I know how easy it is to get caught up in administrative activities for too much of the day and letting brand building fall by the wayside.

At Homely we’re seeing a trend towards top agents prioritising what we call the one percenters: the little things that, when done often, take your brand from good to great. Here are some of the ways the best agents are standing out from the crowd.

 They are always ‘topping up’ their brand

Our marketing team defines brand as “the sum of all expressions by which you or your business wants to be recognised.” Agents who spend a few minutes each day engaging with their listings and areas on Homely position their brand as helpful experts in the community. This positioning helps them see greater interest from new leads than those who don’t. They also receive SEO benefits, which I’ll go into next.

 They are comfortable playing the SEO long game

The best agents know that Rome wasn’t built in a day - and neither was Google. They regularly use unique content to make the most of Google’s algorithm and ensure they’re building trust, relevance and consistency, three things Google loves. Prompting vendors to leave street reviews on Homely when listing, answering questions in local discussions or writing reviews themselves all helps agents build trusted authority. This can also result in higher search rankings online, especially when it comes to common questions people ask, such as “What’s it like to live in…”

 They aren’t afraid to celebrate their wins

We’re seeing more agents engage with their own reviews on Homely or share their Premier Agent profiles to their own audiences, whether on social media or in email. Social proof like this acts as reinforcement of trust. It is an essential part of marketing, especially in a competitive market like the real estate industry. 

More and more agents are adopting the one percenter mentality

We work with almost all of Australia’s agencies and many more individual agents. It’s great to see a lot of our partners ramping up their one percenters. Whether this means going the extra mile to follow up a lead, making just a few more cold calls or spending five minutes a day answering a few questions about their local communities, a few extra efforts here and there can pay dividends for your brand, generate new leads and drive enquiries on listings. One of our agents and rising star in the industry, Leigh Fletcher, was recently interviewed on how he focuses on these one percenters to propel himself. 

It’s easy. It can take less than five minutes a day.

Work expands to the time you allow it. One thing I’ve noticed amongst the high performers is that as soon as they see an opportunity to build their brand as an expert, they will take it. 

Small actions that can make a big difference include: 

  1. Logging into your Homely profile to check if there are any new questions to answer in your local territory
  2. Leaving a new suburb or street review in the wider area you operate in, adding your title and contact details at the end
  3. Check your Premier Agent profile is up to date and complete for visitors to your page

Remember, chip away and the momentum will follow

Homely’s patented street and suburb review functionality is one of the best ways to create unique content to build your brand, drive more enquiries and generate leads in just a few minutes a day. And as a Premier Agent, it’s right at your fingertips. Wherever you are in building your personal and professional brand as an agent, it’s important to be able to identify the work that has the biggest impact. Focus on this and you’ll find that, as your brand gets noticed and the momentum builds, you’ll have more time in the day to do what you do best.



How agents are setting themselves apart when they’re busier than ever
David Webb 1
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