10 Questions to Making a Name in Real Estate

With an excerpt from Plan to Win: Transform Your Real Estate Sales Game Plan

As Featured in REALTOR Mag YPN Lounge

You are in the real estate sales business but do you feel like no one knows it?  If so, you likely have a branding problem, my friend!  

The marketing maven, Alexandra Radford of Edge Marketing Company, has a critical vocabulary word that every real estate pro should respect and prioritize to get the desired business buzz:

In the past, branding was used as “a mark put upon criminals with a hot iron”. Yikes! Criminals were “branded” and set apart so that they could be recognized by the public. It was a stamp, a Scarlett letter if you will, that sent a message about who that person was without saying a single word.

Today, my message has nothing to do with criminals – the branding I’m referring to is about creating a strong brand for yourself and your business. So, how do you develop a brand SO POWERFUL it is received, liked and trusted at first glimpse?
Let’s say you have a well branded logo and business card that are an eye catching representation of your business. It encourages your potential customer to visit your website for more information.

And then BAM!

You have a terrible website. It’s not customized and eye catching. It’s not easy to navigate. It doesn’t portray the same message as your business card. And it doesn’t align with the rest of your message.  

BRANDING FAIL.

Consistency builds trust. Inconsistency and mixed messages confuse your customer, breaks trust and leaves them open to other vendors.  

Did you catch that vital word from Alexandra? What can you do today to demonstrate it?  

In essence, every contact you make with a person can either help or hinder your brand, thus, consistency in what you project and portray is key.  For real estate sales agents, this is critical when dealing with the buying and selling public.  As real estate brokers, consistency must extend to the consumer but also to the prospective sales agent.  Here are 10 key reflections to make today about the state of your real estate business (as excerpted from Plan to Win: Transform Your Real Estate Sales Game Plan):

• 1. What is the current impression my business makes?

• A. In other words, what is my current brand identity (i.e. your distinguished name, logo, package design, or trademark that identifies and distinguishes your services from other real estate service providers)? 
• B. Is it consistently portrayed every time I touch a prospective, current, or past client across all channels (i.e. in every email, voicemail, text, social media post and the like)? 
• C. Why or why not (i.e. do I need a style guide, a team meeting, etc.)?

• 2. Where do I want to be seen?  

• A. In other words, on what specific channels and touch points do I need to portray my brand?
• B. Should I be on Facebook, how's my website, what's my email signature, and so forth?

• 3. What REALTORS and companies do I currently admire?

• Review brands that you like and list them as they can help guide you or a contractor to creating your uniform brand.
• A. What is the difference between the brands you admire and your business' public impression?
• B. What improvements can you make? Be sure to avoid copyright infringements!

By the way, if you have questions on designing your brand identity (including logo and website), Alexandra at Edge Marketing Company is happy to help.