Brand You: The Importance of Branding in Real Estate Marketing

One important key to success in real estate marketing is branding. The average real estate agent closes 2 deals a month.  But if you market yourself with a unique and consistent brand, you can stand out from the crowd of agents and far outdo that 2-deal-a-month average.  Indeed, you can make a great living as a real estate agent (even in today’s economy!).

For example: the image below has proven time and time again for Castelazo Marketing Ltd. that branding is an important element in a business’s success.  When our founder, Molly Castelazo, was initially working with the design team who developed the branding, she rejected the eye image.  Molly eventually took the designer’s advice, and in the six years since then has been incredibly glad she did (she can’t count the times she’s heard a prospect say, “Oh yeah, you’re the ones with the eye!”).

People might not always have the “Castelazo Marketing” name at the tip of their tongues, but they always associate the company with our unique branding -- which is not only eye-catching and memorable, but also visually well represents what makes us different from our competitors.

5 keys to successfully branding your real estate business

1.  Your brand should be recognizable.  Your brand needs to be memorable -- people should say “Oh yeah, you’re the ones with the eye!” (or whatever your unique brand element is).

2.  Your brand should be consistent. Your brand needs to be consistent with the company itself -- if Castelazo Marketing Ltd. were a bunch of big, burly guys selling man tools, our branding would be weirdly inconsistent.

3.  Pick a brand identity and stick with it.  To successfully build a recognizable brand identity, you need to have a strong visual presence and you need to carry it with you wherever you go (on your website and blog, on Facebook and your other social media sites, on your business cards, letterhead -- everywhere).

4.  Develop a strong visual presence.  One step on the road to building a recognizable brand identity is to be creative as possible -- think outside of the box when choosing colors, logos, images, slogans, etc. Start by defining your core message (what are the benefits you offer your prospective clients) and choosing brand elements that reflect that core message (our eye reflects our core service -- person-to-person communication).

5.  Carry your brand with you wherever you go.  Your brand identity should be reflected in all of your marketing materials.  This means, of course, that your logo and tagline appears in all of these places (see the shortlist below), but it also means that you use consistent colors, fonts, and messaging.

• Advertising
• Website
• Customer service communications
• Employee/partner materials
• Promotions
• Social media

When it comes to branding you want to be a magnet, not a mirror.

Great examples of successful branding

1.  When you see (or hear) a talking gecko, what comes to mind?  GEICO, of course.  In this case, GEICO has done an excellent job not only of creating an instantly recognizable brand, but also of tying the company and its service to that brand (we don’t just recognize the GEICO Gecko; we also know that 15 minutes can save you 15% or more on your car insurance).

2.  Can you finish this line, “Like a good neighbor…”?  It’s State Farm, of course, and like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.  We hear the slogan complete with jingle.  Again, the company has done a good job of tying its brand identify in with its core message (State Farm is there for you).

3.  What’s everywhere you want to be?  It’s Visa, of course, and the credit card company (which is probably, in reality, no different than Mastercard, American Express, or Discover) has kept itself a leading household name with it’s catchy tagline that reinforces its core message (Visa will get you everywhere you want to be).

Clearly, done right, branding works. For help developing your real estate brand -- so you can stand out from your competitors -- give us a call or send us an email today.

Learn More/Get in Touch
Website: www.CMRealEstateMarketing.com
E-mail: staci@castelazomarketing.com
Telephone: 480-620-7123