When a small business strives to compete with a corporate giant, it can be tempting to build a strategy around a hyper-local experience.
Big tech may have lots of clients and resources, but you have boots on the ground, and nothing beats first-hand experience. Right?
This may be true if your goal is simply to reclaim market share from bigger companies. But what if your local competitors are using the same tactic? Have you actually solved the problem of cutting through the noise and speaking directly to your client?
Enter Humboldt County realtor Patty Stearns.
Patty has been in real estate in California for nearly 40 years and has developed an intimate knowledge of both her local area and her industry. So when she approached EvenVision with the need for a website redesign, one of her priorities was bringing that experience to bear against real estate behemoth Zillow, whose online database includes more than 100 million homes.
Patty knew she could not keep up with such a large company, so her goal was to offer an exceptional home buying experience. And to do that she just had to look at what she was already doing to stay ahead of other local realtors.
Honing a Competitive Edge
Buying a home isn’t just about finding the right number of bedrooms or the right price. Both the way you’ll feel and the people you’ll meet are significant factors.
Because Patty has in-depth knowledge of the homes and buyers in her market, she knew she could offer this information in a way Zillow and other realtors could not.
Her new site lets users search for the right property using lifestyle categories like ocean view homes, beachfront homes and houses in specific localities. They can also access information for a preview of school districts, cultural hubs and other indicators of the community’s character.
If users find the right home, Patty’s new site goes one step further and encourages potential buyers to visit Humboldt in person, because seeing is believing. To make this easier, she lists local vacation rentals so home buyers can find a place to stay that’s right in the community they might end up moving to.
If everything works out, Patty makes the final steps of home buying simpler by listing information for Humboldt County mortgage brokers, home inspectors, title services and other agencies needed to complete the process.
All of these features tell the user Patty will go farther than a broker across town--much less a big corporation based in Seattle—in helping them find a forever home.
Using What Already Works
Even though many new features were added, Patty’s site was able to keep original elements that made it dependable in the first place.
As an agent with Coldwell Banker, Patty is able to list not only the homes she is personally selling but other properties listed through the company’s Eureka office, so clients get an actual feel for properties available in the area.
Potential buyers can also view testimonials from past clients, who described Patty as experienced, knowledgeable and easy to work with.
Patty said she’s glad to help clients get the most from moving into or out of a home, and credits her many years in the industry for her ability to tackle almost any real estate problem.
