A strong brand identity is a prominent feature of any successful business. This is especially true during changing times and a fluctuating economic climate. It is important during these times to provide assurance to your potential clients about your brand’s offerings and value. In the real estate industry, establishing trust and loyalty among customers is essential when setting your real estate business apart from the competition.
Having a creative, effective real estate branding strategy is more important than ever if you want to stand out from the crowd. This is why we have put together this comprehensive real estate branding guide for all realtors out there.
To learn some of our favorite tips for creating a strong real estate brand identity, watch the video below and read on.
1. Create an Email Newsletter
Newsletters are a simple way to provide recurring value to your target audience. Sharing market insights, architecture, finance, or other related news allows you to get in front of potential customers in a mutually beneficial way. Email newsletters provide the opportunity to cement yourself as a subject matter expert and thought leader in your industry.
It’s an added benefit that a recurring email will keep your business at the top of your subscribers’ minds.
2. Get Active on Social Media
It should go without saying that having a presence on social media is no longer an option, even in real estate. The internet has changed the way people interact within the industry and creativity is necessary. For most prospective buyers, the first step in the home buying process is a quick google search. In order to set yourself apart from competitors, you’ll have to be innovative online. Because great real estate branding starts with a strong online presence.
A major aspect of being a real estate agent, whether you’re a solo operator or working for a larger organization who is selling homes, is your personal branding. Now, anyone with access to the internet can promote their personal brands online. To stay ahead of the curve, regularly update your Instagram feed with engaging graphics for real estate, live video tours of properties you’re representing, and video clips congratulating clients on becoming property owners. The more your voice is heard and your content is seen, the more opportunity people will have to build rapport with your brand and ultimately gravitate towards you when it’s time for them to buy a home. Look for inspiration to other agents or top real estate agencies you admire. You can always adapt some of their branding tactics while staying true to your brand.
3. Maximize Your Referrals
There are a lot of opportunities to rethink and reinvent how you generate referrals. Get your wheels turning by asking yourself a couple of questions:
- Do you offer consistent referral gifts to your real estate clients?
- Do you have an automated process or system in place to solicit referrals from your network?
- Are you engaging your referrals in the most effective way?
Take a look at your list of clients, the processes you have in place, and your incentives. What improvements can be made to your marketing strategy? How can you be more creative with your gifts, automation, and agency’s brand to generate the trust and emotional connection that encourages consumers to refer your business?
Maybe you can gift clients with custom illustrated canvases of their new homes. Or you can create custom labels to place on wine bottle gifts. Even something as simple as a well-designed referral invitation might help you stand out against traditional efforts.
4. Create More Content
While creating additional content may sound like extra work, it’s worthwhile for generating new leads. All good real estate branding experts could tell you that informative videos and downloadables can be a valuable lead magnet on your website. E-learning content for example will help establish your business as an industry leader, and also provides an opportunity for other real estate brands to buy and/or share your information.
Creating content that is valuable to your peers and your clients is one of the best ways to become a trusted brand and will help you build a pipeline for future referrals and clients. If you’re asking yourself how the best real estate agents are getting ahead of their competition, you can download our guide to building a content machine for your business.
Find out more about how to mobilize your creativity to create powerful visual elements that express your core values — and profit — with Design Pickle’s solutions for entrepreneurs.
