In a recent guest post, Ryan Hinricher said agents need to define their niche market to stand out in the online marketing game. It’s sound advice when you think about it - finding your niche, and owning it, gives you a much greater chance of becoming the agent who stands out when a buyer hones in on a certain suburb.

So, how do you promote yourself online as the expert in your chosen niche? Plenty of real estate portals offer ready-made platforms encouraging this, from zillow.com’s Local Experts section to realestate.com.au’s Local Voices website. But these are not the only options.

Once you’ve defined your own area of expertise, another strategy is to seek out websites that are focused on the same area. Then, get in touch and see if you can organise an exchange of content for a link back to your website, or even just a by-line including a mention of your business.

Of course, online social networking is another part of the puzzle when it comes to positioning yourself as a local real estate expert. The trick here is to focus on what you love about your niche when tweeting, updating Facebook, or commenting on a blog.

While you can get away with slipping in the occasional listing, it’s important to balance these with updates that show how engaged you are with your local area, to the point where your friends and followers associate your name with the place.

Of course, don’t forget to ensure all your “real-world” advertising - things like window displays, flyers, and your shop front - include all your online contact details. Over time, these three steps should go a long way towards establishing your reputation as the local real estate expert.