Do you have a slogan for your real estate business? If not, why not? Real estate slogans are a fun, easy way to make your business more memorable and explain what you do in just a few words.

We're not saying that you need to slap a slogan on everything in site or make your kids wear, "My dad, your agent for life" t-shirts (generally a BAD slogan, by the way), but a catchy phrase is handy to have for the back of your business card. Or, say, your website header.

Why:

A slogan distills the core of your business and creates a memorable identity for you or your team. Good slogans create differentiation in the marketplace. They capture attention and get stuck in people's heads. They can also help focus your marketing.

When:

There are many times you may want to use a slogan or catchphrase as part of your overall marketing strategy. Besides your business card and website, your email signature, print ads and thank you cards are also good places for you to include a slogan. Do you give away pens or magnets? Brand those, too! Any swag you share has the power to organically spread your slogan.

If you don't have a slogan or you do, but it's out of date or hard for your friends to remember, spend a little time between meetings to brainstorm ideas. An afternoon of ideas can easily turn into a year or more of effective marketing. Whatever you do, don't use the sloganizer (unless you just want to have a little bit of fun).

How:

Ah, this can be the tricky part. A good catchphrase is:

• Short (a sentence or less)
• Original
• Memorable

Your real estate slogan should identify the benefit of choosing you. Rhyming is a-ok, as long as it works for your brand.

In this article about catchy real estate slogans, REALTOR®Mag profiles a successful agent in Jamison, PA. His name: Scott Geller. His slogan: Scott Geller, the Home Seller. It's short, rhymes, tells you that not only is he a sellers agent but also he actually sells homes. Pretty good for five words, right?

Of his slogan, Scott says, "This name and occupation awareness has brought me enough repeat and referral business that I do not even need to advertise to the general public." In fact, he has been introduced by friends and family as 'Scott Geller, the Home Seller' so many times that "some people probably think it's [his] real name."

This is an excellent testimony to the power of a good catchphrase. In contrast, a bad slogan will be unremarkable and generic. Something like "Your REALTOR® for life" or "An Agent you can trust" may be accurate, but how does it set you apart from your competitors? Instead of saying something that may be true about any number of agents (we certainly hope you can trust most of them!), say something that's specific to you and speaks to your audience.

And always always always do an internet search of your proposed slogan to make sure no one else in your area is using it, before shipping your new marketing materials off to the printer.

EXAMPLE MANIA!!!

First, here are some non-real estate catchphrases that have gained instant recognition worldwide. How many do you recognize?

• Melts in your mouth, not in your hand. (M&Ms)
• A diamond is forever. (De Beers)
• Stronger Than Dirt (Ajax)
• The Other White Meat (Pork)
• Keeps going and going and going. (Energizer)

And here are some real estate slogans that we think do a good job representing their respective agents:

• Atomic Houses for Atomic People (an agent that specializes in mid-century properties)
• Your Golf Real Estate Specialist (absolutely to the point for that niche market)
• Your Local Connection for Global Exposure (an agent that speaks four languages and works with international transactions)
• Selling Jersey City (local, to the point and reinforced by using as web address)
• Don't Panek – Call Blaine Dushanek. (rhyming, memorable and speaks to the urgency buyers and sellers feel)

One Caveat:

Having no slogan at all is usually better than a having bad one. A bad catch phrase, like "We know where you live," is more likely to scare clients away. The exception would be a slogan that's so bad, it's good... but only if you have the personality, brand recognition and strong network to back it up.

Viv Olkin, REALTOR®: "Crazy about real estate, crazy about my clients."

This logo and slogan works for this agent – and it's absolutely memorable – but it's certainly not for the faint of heart!

What is your slogan? How has it worked for you? Share your thoughts and slogans (good or bad) with us!

To view the original article, visit the Point2 Agent blog.