3 Must-Read Tips for Building a Digital Brand Identity as an Agent

Creating a digital brand identity as a real estate agent has never been a more important component of the business. Both buyers and sellers spend ample time researching potential agents online long before they make any decisions about who will represent them in the home transaction, typically between six months to a year before they actually hire someone.

At the same time, it's never been more difficult to craft a distinct brand as an agent, one that prospective buyers and sellers can trust and understand. There are no doubt a lot of agents competing with you in your market, and standing out from the crowd can be a challenge for even the best agents.

In a webinar from October 31, 2023, Marilyn Wilson, President of RE Technology, sat down with John Adams, President of Adams, Cameron & Co., and Peter Newton, President of Big Rock Consulting Group, to talk about actionable ways agents can craft their unique brand identity. Watch the video to get the full experience; meanwhile, here are some between-the-lines takeaways from their presentation.

1. Digital reach matters more than physical distance

Buying physical advertising on billboards, park benches, or newspapers has been a tried-and-true tactic that many agents have used to establish and spread their brand identity. However, these days, people who buy a new house are moving farther and farther away from their current residence: up to 50 miles, compared to up to 15 miles in previous years.

If the billboard ads are working for you, that's great, but remember that there could be potential clients who are miles away from the places you would most likely post a physical ad. Building a digital brand identity will help you to both cement trust locally and generate leads from outside your immediate area.

2. Working with a high-profile brokerage can give you a head start

Both buyers and sellers want to work with agents who have an established brand. For newer agents who don't have as much experience, or even for seasoned agents who appreciate the additional leverage, working with a brokerage that aligns with your brand identity and that has done its own work to market and advertise itself can help provide a boost to your own reach.

3. Be ubiquitous and consistent

It takes a certain number of impressions before an individual member of your audience will be able to remember who you are and what you do. That's not an indication that your brand needs improvement; rather, it's proof of how inundated everybody is with information all day, every day, and how consistent and persistent messaging can help cut through the noise to reach your target audience.

With that in mind, it's smart to diversify your marketing efforts just like you would an investment portfolio. Create content that consistently showcases you as a real estate expert in your niche for different channels. If you make a neighborhood guide video for your website, ask yourself how you can slice it up and reuse it not just on Facebook, but also YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and other social media platforms that support video sharing.

To learn more about how to establish a niche for yourself and the five steps of building a brand, watch the full presentation.

Related reading

• Real Estate Branding: 6 Steps for Agent Success
• How to Humanize Your Digital Business
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Branding Your Business