I was having lunch with a realtor friend of mine recently and I asked her how her business was going. We live in South Florida where everyone seems to have their real estate license and the real estate market has been in the tank for it seems forever. Plus, I knew that she worked for a small real estate firm. Her reply to me was “The internet is a great equalizer”. She told me that she is leveraging social media to connect with customers through a personal blog, Facebook and Twitter.

What was interesting to me is that she knows that the little agent on the corner is just as capable of selling your house as the large brokerage firm with the big name. She decided to create her own website where she would brand herself as a successful realtor in her niche market, which is waterfront property.

I could see she is completely correct on this approach. The future belongs to the little agent because in a bad economy they are particularly hungry to make commissions and will be more creative and innovative in order to survive. Certainly the large brokers can outspend them, but social media is free advertising especially once their website is created. Large brokers are like most large corporations – it takes a committee to decide anything and forever for an approval to launch a marketing campaign. In the meantime, these smaller real estate agents are finding ways to connect to their prospects and brand themselves as the expert for selling homes.

I read an NAR report that said 76% of people who decide to sell their home with the assistance of a real estate agent will interview only one agent for the job. So, how can you be the one agent that everyone is looking for? If you have succeeded at positioning yourself as the realtor of choice, you will be the person that they think of to call. By branding yourself correctly, you can create that perception that you are their only option – the only agent – that will sell their home.