Your top 5 secret weapons for real estate brand awareness

What do you think of when you hear the word “brand?”

Ford? Amazon? Coca-Cola?

These are massive brands — juggernauts in the world of advertising. And you know their names because of brand awareness.

As a real estate agent or broker, you are a brand, too. And the same awareness marketing tactics can work for you, even if your budgets are very different.

Brand awareness for real estate means that your local home buyers and sellers know who you are. It means you are top of mind when they think of an agent. And since most people start their home search online, building brand awareness with digital advertising is the best bang for your marketing buck.

Most companies have to spend serious time, money and effort creating a brand — a corporate ‘personality’ that conveys its essence. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it falls flat.

But real estate agents have a particular advantage with brand awareness. Here are five secret weapons you already have to help you build brand awareness for your real estate business:

‍

5. Your face can be your real estate brand

Is your photo on your business card? If you said no, you’re among the few real estate agents who don’t have one of these cards. And while logos come and go, and you might even switch brokerages a few times over your career, you’ll always be you.

TIP: Make sure your photo is current! Did you change your hair recently? Lose 50 pounds? Get a new headshot!

‍

4. You are a storyteller

Content marketing one of the most powerful ways to drive traffic to your web site and educate your clients about who you are and what makes you different.

And if you just got nervous at the very idea of writing, take a moment and think of all the phone conversations you’ve had in the last week.

What did you talk about? Can you turn those into stories? Think of the last three clients you have worked with.

What lessons did you learn? What do you wish those clients knew ahead of time? Voila! You have content. It’s all about storytelling.

TIP: For more on this, read our post, “4 myths and 3 tips about content for real estate.”

‍

3. Your business is a service

You aren’t marketing a product. You aren’t trying to shill yet another gadget out there. Your job is to help. Helping is your product. Your time and expertise are your marketable goods. That’s powerful stuff.

Keep it in mind when crafting your marketing messages. Your content shouldn’t be focused on YOU but on what you can do for your clients.

TIP: For more on finding ways to be valuable to your clients, read our post on agent Steven David Elliot.

‍

2. You are an expert

While most agents are proficient in real estate basics, there is most likely something you are especially good at. Maybe it’s finding investment properties. Maybe it’s green construction or second homes. Whatever it might be, it’s brand-building magic.

So play it up. Build it into your marketing, from photography to content. Create a tagline that captures your unique selling position (USP). Let that USP be the cornerstone of all your messaging and guide decisions you make on branding.

TIP: For more on building your brand, read our post “Brand building basics for real estate agents”

‍

1. You know where your customers are

Many big companies try to reach everyone, everywhere. But you get to focus on a specific geographic area.

And chances are, it’s your home town. Maybe in even right in your own neighborhood.

That means you know the exact location of most people who would like to buy or sell in your area, and you can create digital advertising that speaks directly to them. And since you know their location, you can use images and locations they know and love. And you can create targeted digital advertising that shows the right content to the right people at the right time.

TIP: Create a digital brand campaign to reach prospective home buyers and sellers in your ZIP codes.

See? The big brands don’t have what you have. Use these secret weapons and you will be building a solid, powerful brand for your real estate business.