Building Your Brand in 2021

If the only things we needed to successfully build an amazing brand were a scandalous tape and maybe some super-hyped lip gloss, we could all position ourselves as some version of the Kardashians. Right? They were once considered famous for simply being famous. But over time, they built their last name into a powerhouse of marketing, product endorsement, and amazing wealth creation. What's great is that building your own brand in the real estate business in 2021 is easier than ever!

Know Your Audience

The first thing you'll want to identify, much like you would in a real estate postcard campaign, is your audience. Who will benefit from your products and services? To whom do you need to aim your marketing, with whom do you need to associate, what do you need to glamorize or highlight about you, your business, and what benefits will you bring to the client? Do you deal in upscale properties? Do you specialize in commercial developments, or REITs, or multi-family, rentals, corporate housing, etc.? Your brand should focus on where you want to serve, and the clients with whom you want to work.

An Identifiable Identity

Your brand is your company's identity, and vice versa. It is critical you establish that interconnection from the beginning. There are superficial components of your brand that need great attention:

• Develop an Outstanding Logo - You want a clean, easy to remember and unique logo. People remember images on a level that far exceeds their ability to remember words.
• Design an Impactful Website - If you have the skill, you can create your own. If not, you want to leave this up to the professionals. The pictures, text, links, everything—they must all tie your great product back to your company in a way that makes sense and that promotes what you can do for anyone interested in you.
• Target the RIGHT Market - Gone are the days of trying to get your brand in front of as many people as possible. Building targeted mailing lists based on demographics and geographics allows you to market to prospects in your area for less. You can even send Just Sold postcards from your phone!

"Companies who create strong brands know that their brand needs to live everywhere." - Allie Decker

The FGT of Building Your Brand

Where the logo and website are largely passive (in terms of interaction), you need to actively participate in how your brand is seen and experienced by your clients, prospects, and leads—all at the same time!

• Foster GREAT Connections - You exist, but for the sake of helping your clients achieve their goals. Make it personal. Establish amazing connectivity through direct communication, strong networking (ever passed a lead to a peer because you KNEW they were better-suited to handle the prospect's needs?), and a genuine commitment to service and exceeding expectations!

• Go Digital! (the right way) - You aren't going to drive traffic to your website by just having a website. A comprehensive, managed, educational, and interesting social media presence can pay dividends. But it cannot be an afterthought.

  Bring that brand identify full-circle with great content, thought leadership pieces, high-quality pictures, and links back to your website (or landing pages). Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook are the most popular today. Keep your ear to the ground for the next big thing and get on that platform as soon as you can!

• Test, Test, Test - I don't know if that sounds easy or difficult to you, but the bottom line is that you need to always have a decent idea of where you stand, and how your brand is being received, consumed and considered. Simple (and perhaps free) brand tracking programs can help uncover gaps or show what's working to make your brand shine!

There are some ancillary things you can consider to give your brand more exposure, of course. Adding your logo to clothing (like golf shirts and jackets), being a partial sponsor of charitable events (like 10Ks for cancer research), and even creating 'New Client' baskets filled with goodies people will actually want, are good ideas. Just be sure when you're building your brand that you do it in a financially—and in a socially responsible—manner.

Research:

• blog.hubspot.com/marketing/branding
• fool.com/the-blueprint/how-to-build-a-brand/
• saasgenius.com/blog/7-tips-build-your-brand-2021
• digitalmediathoughts.com/90099-the-3-secrets-of-building-a-brand-in-2021/