When I ask other Realtors to tell me about their brands, I am told, “I don’t have a logo yet.” It seems everyone thinks their brand is their logo. If that is true, what about our broker’s logo we have to put on everything? Is that our brand? Real estate professionals have an identity crisis.
Let me put your mind at ease. Your brand is not your logo. It is simply your vibe, your image. It is the projection of who you are.
Who people think you are right now is your brand. Think about it. The moment you printed your first business card or sent out your first flier, you formalized and started marketing yourself and your vibe.
So let’s discover your brand together. Here are four questions you can ask yourself to begin the branding journey.
- Why am I in real estate?
- What is special about my services? Include the value added by your broker.
- What do people already think of me? Include what they think of your broker.
- What qualities do I want to be associated with me?
Your answers will not be one-dimensional or simple. And that is good. Don’t be discouraged if the answers sound more like a psychological profile than a brand.
Also keep in mind that as a real estate professional, your broker is part of who you are now. Your brand and your broker’s brand must be complementary. A successful real estate agent’s brand will incorporate a broker’s brand, but not be overwhelmed by it.
Now you must take all of this information and distill it into a brand. Let’s go step by step.
- Write down what your brand “says” about you. Are you witty? Empathetic? Is your demeanor casual or serious? Think about what you are already projecting as your brand and decide what you want to project. Even the cologne you wear, where you like to eat, the car your drive, and the beverages you consume contribute to your unique brand. Deciding what you want to project is just as important as discovering what you are already projecting as your brand. If there is a disconnect between the two, now is a good time to make changes.
- Determine who your target audience is. Who do they want you to be? What services do they want you to provide? Give yourself some leeway here. You can start with something as broad as “buyers” and later refine that to “new-home buyers” or “luxury buyers” or “investors.” You can further define your audience geographically and demographically.
- Get the word out about your brand. This is brand messaging. Messaging is how you communicate your vibe, your image. It’s the car your vibe drives in or the clothes your vibe wears. Simply put, your brand is the vibe each of your messages evokes. Website, business cards and voice-mail messages: Each of these things communicates your brand. Communicate well.
Developing your own personal brand as a real estate agent will seem difficult at first, but it will get easier as you go!
Realtor and speaker Christoper Williams co-markets his unique brand, ntxrealtychris, with Coldwell Banker Apex.
