You probably answered “lead generation,” of course.
But — you’d be wrong. Branding and lead generation are two distinct pieces of your marketing strategy, and they play an equally crucial role. Lead generation focuses on selling the home or yourself as a top agent. Brand campaigns are designed to capture and retain your customers by reinforcing a message.
Selling a home is great, but it’s not more important than connecting with your audience. Branding supports lead generation. Lead generation increases as a result of good branding.
To propel a business forward, you will need both. Taken alone, branding and lead generation provide only part of the message. Together, the two parts create a complete idea and give your audience a clear understanding of what you offer.
For example, say you place an ad in the paper that is about you as an agent. This ad doesn’t have a picture of a home, and it doesn’t directly talk about any of your homes.
It only showcases the type of lifestyle you sell and why you are the right choice. This ad is as important as the listing for one of your homes with a custom URL that captures information from website visitors. The two work together, and should be integral parts of any marketing plan.
What is the starting point?
It starts with branding and creating awareness. The majority of successful companies don’t rely on one more than the other. By leveraging multiple touch points, companies can generate more sales and create mindfulness with their audience.
Should an agent pick one over the other?
We hope not, but it comes down to budget. Savvy agents know how important it is to invest in both the brand and the listings — and don’t opt for the cheap route when they are looking for success.
However, those who want to invest as little as possible won’t see the same returns. They’ll still sell homes, just not at the same level.
Can agents do all the work alone?
Agents aren’t generally marketing experts. Therefore, they would not excel at putting together a brand campaign or a lead generation program. So the answer is no.
A complete strategy often requires expertise that goes beyond the capabilities of an agent or even a brokerage firm. And it takes more than expertise — it requires ample resources and a lot of time.
We are constantly hearing how little time agents have to market themselves and the homes the are trying to sell.
The solution is simple: infuse more budget into what sustains a business.
Branding must support lead generation and vice versa. There is an absolute need for the two of them to join forces, but it won’t happen by compromising budgets, plans or strategies.
Laura Ure is the CEO of Keenability, a marketing agency specializing in lifestyle marketing that targets the affluent buyer. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
