Imagine yourself as a third or fourth grade kid. You’re in your school gymnasium for an end-of-year assembly, and there’s a special guest of some kind—maybe it’s a magician or one of those guys who bring snakes and tarantulas to kids’ birthday parties. Whoever it is, you are entranced. It’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen, and you’re having the best day ever. And then you hear the magic words: “Can I get a volunteer?”
The room erupts into chaos. You and every one of your classmates begin jumping up and down, a sea of hands waves in the air. “Pick me! Pick me!” The magician/snake guy points his finger in your general direction: “You! Come on up!” You can’t believe your luck!
You start for the stage… but so does the kid next to you. You look up, point to yourself and mouth, “Me?”
“No, no. The one next to you,” says magician/snake guy. “In the blue shirt.”
Sigh. Remember that feeling? As a real estate professional, you run the risk of having that same experience over and over again throughout your career. Why? Because there are two million people with active real estate licenses in the United States. Two million.
That’s a lot of competition—and jumping up and down shouting, “Pick me!” isn’t a particularly great marketing strategy. If you’re thinking, “Of course it’s not. You have to have a logo and a website and a strong social media presence and business cards and billboards,” you’re right. But first, you need a brand.
REAL ESTATE BRAND BASICS
A logo is great. A professionally designed logo is even better. But it’s important to recognize that your logo is not your brand. Your logo is only a visual reminder of your brand.
As marketing guru Seth Godin explains, your brand is “the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” In other words, when people see your logo or hear your name, they’re going to have intellectual and emotional responses. Those responses are your brand.
Building your brand takes a lot of time and work, but knowing the answer to some questions can make it easier.
QUESTIONS THAT CAN HELP YOU DISCOVER YOUR REAL ESTATE BRAND
Who are your ideal clients?
To be a successful real estate professional, you’ll need to determine your niche market. Sure, we’d all love to be able to sell any home to any buyer—but unless you’re aiming for something, you’ll hit nothing. So, spend some time thinking about your target audience:
- Who are you most likely to connect with?
- What motivates that group of people?
- What do they value?
- How can you build relationships with them?
- What problems are you good at solving, and who’s experiencing those challenges?
How are you different from those other 1,999,999 real estate professionals?
To stand out from your competitors, you’ll have to be known for something. Maybe it’s your expertise in a particular area, such as foreclosures. Maybe it’s your authenticity and work ethic. Ask yourself some questions to discover what sets you apart:
- What are you passionate about?
- Why did past clients choose you over someone else?
- What words or phrases do your friends, family, and colleagues use to describe you?
- About what topics are you exceptionally knowledgeable?
- What do you value?
- Who is your competition, and what can you do better than they can?
How can people find out about you?
Once you have a handle on who you are and whom you’re trying to reach, then you can start thinking about marketing strategies. How will all of those potential clients find out about you? And how will they know they should choose you for their real estate needs?
- Does your current visual identity (logo, colors, and so on) accurately represent your brand?
- Is your website current and attractive?
- Are you offering meaningful, helpful content on your website and through social media?
- Do you consistently engage with people, both online and in person?
- Do you know what’s already being said about you?
The bottom line is there are no shortcuts to building your personal brand, but it’s worth the effort to clearly define your target clientele and what sets you apart. And by building intentional marketing strategies based on that knowledge, you’ll feel like that kid in the blue shirt at the assembly—the one who gets picked for everything.
For more, check out The Complete Guide to Building Your Personal Brand from Neil Patel and Aaron Agius.
Interested in joining a successful group of real estate agents with the highest level of integrity? We’d love to chat. Learn more about Vegas One Realty and our excellent agents!
