The world of real estate is nothing if not competitive. Even though it takes a lot of talent and perseverance to be successful, many “average” people believe they’d be good at it for whatever reason. Because of this, there is rarely a time when the market isn’t filled with many others who are targeting the same pool of prospects that you are.
But if many people do what you do, it’s important to remember that nobody does it quite like you do. That unique element – your distinctive identity – is the competitive advantage you need to stand out.
Of course, building that identity isn’t something you can do overnight. It will take time and the right forward-thinking strategy to help take you from where you are to where you want to be. To get to that point and to truly carve out a unique space for yourself as a real estate professional, there are a number of important branding tactics to keep in mind.
1. Harness the Power of Storytelling
Success in terms of real estate is built on the relationships that you’re able to forge with your prospects. In the case of wholesale real estate, your job is actually twice as hard because instead of trying to court just a buyer or a seller, you have to concern yourself with both.
To separate yourself from competitors, give people something they can legitimately connect to. Don’t just offer them a service – tell them a story.
Anyone can say that they will help a person sell a house. Think about the stresses that someone may be feeling or the problems they might be having in the moment. Frame your offerings as a true solution. Talk about how you will help them accomplish those objectives and what they’ll be able to do once they’re on the other side.
Take the same approach when marketing your own brand as a real estate professional. Don’t use your website as a chance to simply say what you do. Talk about why you do it. Why did you want to get into real estate? What are some of the challenges you’ve faced? What are some of the successes you’ve had? Answering questions like these is a compelling way to leverage the impact a good story can make to your advantage.
2. Building a Strong Online Presence
Along the same lines, you’ll also want to work to build a strong online presence using multiple channels to your advantage. At a minimum, you need a personalized website to showcase what makes you unique. If you want people to believe that you’re different from every other real estate professional, your website is your chance to make that pitch.
You should also have social media accounts on sites like Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram. This creates more opportunities for people to find and connect with you than simply relying on a website alone.
3. With Messaging, Consistency is King
As you expand your online presence, you’ll want to ensure your messaging is as consistent as possible. Everything from the visual materials you’re using, like your logo, to your actual language choices, should be the same across your website, social media, and even print.
If someone discovers you for the first time on Facebook, you don’t want them to go to your website and feel like they’re looking at an entirely different brand. Everything should feel like a natural extension of the same basic thing – you.
Note that you’ll also want to utilize these channels consistently as well. Setting up a social media profile isn’t something you do once and forget about. You must regularly post helpful, relevant content to catch people’s attention. Even if they’re not ready to buy or sell a house today, you’re dramatically increasing the chances that when they are, yours is the first number they call.
4. Relationships Built on Trust and Credibility
You’ll also want to build trust and credibility among your target audience regularly. Both of these things aren’t a given – they must be earned. Integrate client testimonials on your website so that new prospects can see the work that you’ve done on behalf of others. Work with local community organizations to give back to those around you without expecting anything in return. Do this regularly – not only when you’re trying to increase leads. You’d be surprised by what a significant difference this can all make.
5. The Key to Innovative Marketing: Visuals
Finally, you need to think outside the box regarding how you market yourself. That means relying on things like visuals as much as possible. Don’t write a 500-word blog post if you can take the same message and get it across in an Infographic. Utilize video and similar formats.
Use innovative marketing tools like these to create an enduring, memorable brand. It’s more than how you get someone’s attention initially. It’s also how you stay at the forefront of their mind.
Build Your Brand to Stand Out
In the end, building a memorable brand is all about standing out in your field. It’s about ensuring your voice can be heard despite all the “noise” around you. But with that in mind, you need to see this for what it truly is: a good start.
You can spend a great deal of time, money, and energy building a unique brand and standing out among your competitors and ultimately fail if what you’re saying isn’t something worth listening to in the first place. Branding gets you noticed, yes. But if you want to satisfy your prospects to the point where they keep coming back for more in the future, you need to make sure you’re in a position to meet their needs and exceed their expectations.
To put it another way, you need to “talk the talk” AND “walk the walk.” If your brand is built on something hollow and artificial, people will be able to feel that fairly quickly. But if it’s built on the foundation of innovative real estate services and solutions, you’ll have everything you need to forge the type of career you’ve always seen for yourself.
