It’s on the top of many real estate agents’ minds; How do you sell yourself and your brand to the world as a real estate agent? There are several avenues, and all of them are important to consider, because you never know where your next sale will come from. In this article, we will cover the best branding practices for real estate agents, and steps you can take to better establish yourself in your career & brand.
Defining Your Brand
Before you try to promote your brand, you need to strictly define your brand, who you are, and what you do. Are you informative, educated on the local market, honest, unique, precise, or action-oriented? Let people know, and let your characteristics shape your brand and people’s perception of you.
Here is an example; Lucy is a seasoned real estate agent who has been in the business for 20+ years, she uses a very “tried and tested” approach when selling her clients homes, it’s not very exciting but her clients love her for her straightforward and efficient execution. On the other hand, Harry is an agent who has just recently begun his career in real estate. He has lived in his city for the entirety of his life and knows it like the back of his hand. Harry prefers to highlight the unique features of the property that he is selling, and uses staging techniques that draw attention to the best parts of a property. Each of these real estate agents may get you the same results, however, each of them has a specific audience that they will mesh with the best!
Do you have a real estate brand you look up to or admire? Consider mimicking what they do as a brand, only make it your own. Do they have photos of real estate agents in suits and ties, or do they have family photos with their kids?
Setting Your Goals
Once you have decided how you’d like to brand yourself in your career, it’s important to consider what your branding goals are going to be. Ensure that you make them SMART goals, which are;
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Timely
If you follow this structure and think deeply about your branding goals and strategy, you will be ahead of your peers by many years. A few ways that you can help grow your brand and your audience is by doing things such as; developing a website, starting social media channels across multiple platforms, or aiming to grow your professional network by 50-100 people over the course of the next year.
Ask yourself why you want to achieve these goals, what the benefits of these goals are, and how hard you’re willing to work to meet these goals.
Branding Avenues for Real Estate Agents
In this modern world, you have many incredible options for branding yourself in real estate. Here are a few of the most common and most effective.
1. Print Media
Traditional print media includes mailers, real estate brochures, flyers, signage, and purchasing advertisement space in local print magazines. Another more dated option is phone books. However, you must see if there are any in your city. If there are, this can provide another way to get your name out there locally to an older demographic.
Believe it or not, mailers are still very effective forms of print media that are still widely used today. When someone sees your flyer in their mailbox, it lets them see your local listings, and gives you widespread name recognition within your community. Print media is still a practical way to gain brand recognition and attract new leads.
2. Branding Items
A more unique approach is branded merchandise. Pens. Canvas tote bags. Notepads. Coffee mugs. Dog leashes. You can print your brand name on just about anything and add your custom logo. Invest in these for use in free giveaways, open houses, meeting new clients, and attending networking events.
3. Digital Media
In today’s marketing landscape, digital media is probably the best form of branding for real estate agents because it lets you target your ideal audience and track conversion metrics. Building a digital presence online and on social media is important because it offers the widest reach and allows you to tap into your target audience.
When developing your branding and messaging, start by identifying your target audience, then determine how you can solve the problems of your chosen audience. Knowing these things will help you define and refine messaging on your digital media.
Don’t forget that digital media includes billboards, since many of those are in an electronic format. No matter what, create a website as your digital headquarters. That’s the space that will let you grow your audience and awareness the most.
Takeaway
The Indiana Real Estate Institute can help you become a better real estate agent through our industry leading continuing education courses, and expert leadership. Contact us today to see how we can assist you in your real estate journey, whether you’re a seasoned agent, or have just begun!
