What company does the above image immediately conjure up in your mind, if you were to guess? Coke, as you probably figured. Their brand is one of the biggest and most recognizable in the world, and it is simple to identify them by a single letter. In light of this, let's discuss branding for real estate brokers.

Your brand and visual identity are both essential to your business as an agent, but they are two distinct concepts. Both phrases have previously been used imprecisely.

Some of the most typical ways that project requests arrive at our office are as follows:

• "My logo needs to be updated."
• "My brand needs to be updated."
• "My brand identity requires an update."

When real estate agents want to "re-brand," they frequently mention their logo or website after a quick phone conversation. Your website and logo, however, do not represent your brand.‍

 

Your Agent's "Brand": What Is It?

As an agent, your reputation is based on how clients perceive you. It comes from deep within the gut. It is the emotional bond that exists between you and your clientele. A buyer or seller develops an impression of how they feel and think about you as an agent with each interaction with your brand. Do you still trust a brand as much if you consider your most recent unfavorable experience with one? Most likely not. Customers build a set of expectations about how each interaction with you should go and how they should feel about you over time. Long-term loyalty and trust are developed through those memories and ideas. You desire it, after all. It's gold, that.

 

The Three Fundamental Purposes Of A Brand

 

1. It Increases Trust

More referrals and clients will come your way as a real estate agent the more trust you earn. There is an unbreakable bond between you and your clientele, and you become irreplaceable in their eyes. More individuals will trust you as a result of them spreading the word about how excellent you are as an agent.

 

2. It Makes A Difference

Clarity is important in this competitive economy. There is no lack of available agents. Instead of blending in with the competition, you should stand out. You become more noticeable the more unique you are from everyone else.

 

3. It Raises The Value

Your business, service, and product all gain value. Additionally, customers will be unwilling to spend a higher price point if your goods or services are intended to be luxurious but you as a brand do not emanate that sense. They won't recognize the benefit. Consider Peloton: After increasing the cost of their bikes, they saw an increase in sales. Customers would have known that the bike was a lesser product at a lower price.

A fantastic example of creating a valuable brand over time is Peloton. They enable people to interact, find inspiration, and forge closer bonds with one another. They are the market leader, and despite the high cost of their products, they have earned customers' trust and set themselves apart from the competition. People connect with and believe in their goods, which has contributed to their success. They began operations in 2012 and are currently valued at $4 billion.‍

 

Creating A "Brand Identity"

All of the various touch points that someone may experience make up your identity. Touchpoints include things like your email signature, business cards, yard signs, and logo. It is a complete system that has been assembled for human sight, touch, hearing, and sensation. You can affect how your brand is perceived by doing this. You may build the agent brand you want by altering your perception. However, just having a logo does not define your "brand identity."

 

Touchpoints For Brand Identity

The first touchpoint you usually build is your logo, but it's not the last. A successful logo surrounded by a bad internet experience, disjointed marketing materials, and collateral is a formula for disaster. Every contact point counts.

 

Your Identity Serves Three Main Purposes:

 

1. Let Me Know You

Your brand's aesthetic appeal should set you apart from the competitors. Over time, your clients will be able to instantly recognize and recall you when they see something.

 

2. Attract The Clients You Want

It should convey information to the target audience you are attempting to draw in. This is ikey. Your identity might not always be understood by everyone. If you're a luxury agency attempting to draw in wealthy clientele, this is crucial. If your brand does not exude luxury, you run the risk of losing customers.

 

3. Establish Visual Coherence

By maintaining consistency in design and messaging, your brand unifies disparate elements. Your brand should be consistent throughout. If something stands out from the crowd, you run the danger of confusing your audience. This undermines confidence and can be perplexing.‍

 

The Process Of Branding

Once your brand and brand identity have been established, branding is the process that sets things in motion. The ongoing process of creating or revising your overarching strategy and identity's touchpoints is known as branding. This can involve updating your website, logo, marketing materials, messaging, and color scheme. It's an investment that can put you in a successful and growing position. Although beginning the branding process may appear daunting, it is actually a pretty straightforward process. Despite being a long-term investment, it might result in corporate growth. Four systematic steps make up the total process, albeit they differ from firm to business.

 

You're Only Beginning

• You recently received your license and are beginning.
• You've already had a few clients, but you're eager to advance.

Revitalization

• Being an agent, you require a facelift.
• Despite the fact that your service is excellent, you do appear dated.

Consistency

• Your marketing collateral is all diverse in appearance.

Reposition

• You are not getting the clientele you want.
• You need to make it more apparent what kind of agent you are.
• You assembled a group.
• You are now part of a real estate team with agents working for you rather than representing yourself.‍

 

Getting The Branding Process Started

Although beginning the branding process may appear daunting, it is actually a pretty straightforward process. Despite being a long-term investment, it might result in corporate growth. Four systematic steps make up the total process, albeit they differ from firm to business.

 

Strategy

You need a piece of land and the architectural plans for the house you want to build before you can start construction. You wouldn't choose your decorations or general style right away. By providing answers to important questions, such as:

 

What Is The Aim Of Your Existence?

You may get some important information about the brand you want to develop by knowing who you are and what your goals are as an agent.

 

What impression do you want to make as an agent?

What kind of agent do you want to be in terms of appearance, feel, and voice/tone? You'll have a strong basis to build on if you make a list of adverbs that describe various things in response to these fundamental questions.

 

Who Is Your Ideal Customer?

What kind of customers are you hoping to draw? Luxury? brand-new homeowners? a larger group of people? You may create a brand identity that revolves around them rather than you by clearly defining who you are attempting to reach.

 

Design

The creation of your logo, typography, and color scheme is where it all starts to come together.

 

Implementation

It is time to put all of your products into action, from yard signs to business cards, once the brand's appearance and feel have been defined through the logo, typography, and colors. You get the desired aesthetic uniformity as a result.

 

Build

Your brand will develop over time as you adjust and pivot as needed.

 

Why Investing In Branding Is Worth It

Everything in the business world of today moves at a breakneck pace. That makes it simple to fall victim to cheap fixes, which can be harmful, like a quick logo or website redesign on companies. Depending on the size of the project at hand, the strategy and development process can take several weeks to a few months. Rushing through this process won't give you the outcomes you want.

The long-term benefits of branding—trust, differentiation, and value—are influenced by how effectively the branding process is carried out. It makes your company more competitive for years to come.