Real estate has become a highly competitive field and carving out a successful career is a challenge for realtors, regardless of their experience. With over 1.4 million realtors working in the United States, it can be a struggle to stand out to clients. Many realtors have stood out from the crowd by developing a brand identity that differentiates themselves from their competition.

Branding often works hand in hand with successful targeting of clients.  Successful realtors often target a specific niche in the industry, becoming the go-to agent for particular buyers or sellers.

Define Your Real Estate Brand

How do you brand your real estate business? One top realtor who suggests you consider the clients you’ve worked with over the past year. Ask yourself:

• Who are these clients?
• Did you like working with them?
• Did you focus on a specific area with these clients, for example: first-time buyer or empty nesters?

Patterns will develop as you find similarities among your clients. Use these patterns to create a composite persona of prospective clients.  With these personas in hand, you can develop marketing materials catered to speak to these prospective clients.  The commonalities in these clients will also reveal the real estate niche in which you are working.

Once you’ve determined your target audience, you can begin creating a marketing strategy that helps define your brand identity. Your strategy should focus on creating easily recognizable look to your marketing materials and a coherent voice to your content. Create a consistent look with colors, logo, and design; and be consistent with your content as well as your publication schedule.  You should publish your content on the same platforms, at set times of the day and week.  Because many real estate agents are not marketing specialists, we recommend working with an experienced marketing team who can help you help you develop your real estate brand.

Create an online presence

Your next client is already online looking up market information, browsing listings, and possibly searching for a realtor. Online platforms are where you showcase your expertise, build trust with clients and help them navigate their real estate journey. An online presence needs to be a significant part of your marketing strategy.

You don’t need to be on every channel or post 24/7 to get noticed, but you do need to have enough of an online presence and be in the places your potential clients can find you.

Your Website Is Your Digital Hub

Think of your online presence like a bicycle wheel. Your website is the hub where marketing extends to all your digital platforms. It allows potential clients to find you on social media and subscribe to your email marketing campaigns.  It’s a place where potential clients can learn all about you and check your current listings. Your website sets your brand tone your other channels should copy. Make sure your web designer optimizes every page, so you rank high in key searches and capture data about website visits.

Social Media Is Your Friend

Nearly everyone uses social media. As a realtor, it is one of the most effective tools you can use to communicate with current and potential clients. It is a platform designed to encourage engagement. The key to social media is to create engaging and shareable content. Engaging content can include polls, images and videos about the neighborhoods in which you are active, and answers to questions that potential clients have. Social media is a great place to show your authentic personality while building a more robust real estate brand.

Email Is More Relevant Than You Think

Email remains a key business-building platform.  Email is a permission-based platform, making it a great tool to build long-term relationships. People ask you to email them, whether signing up for newsletters on your website or giving you their email addresses at an open house. Remember, with email marketing less is more. Provide relevant, timely information to your audience and don’t overwhelm their inbox.

Create a Content Strategy

When marketing online be sure to develop a content strategy to ensure your content provides a return on your investment. Start by aligning your content with your brand. For example, if you sell homes to first-time buyers, don’t use generic graphics of older individuals in business suits.  Your clients are likely younger and expect a less formal message.  Be authentic rather than conforming to an abstract idea of professionalism.  If you’re selling homes to families, posting photos of yourself and your kids at a local fair may emphasize that you are a member of the community in which your clients want to purchase a home.  Be consistent when you publish on each platform. Your design should have a similar feel across each platform, so audiences will recognize it as your content, lending to its credibility.

If you’re looking for help creating a marketing strategy and developing content that will grow your brand, let us know!