If you have been in business for some time, branding is a common term you have indeed encountered.
Regardless of what type of service or line of business, branding is vital to a venture’s success, including real estate.
In the competitive world of real estate, it is not surprising to find almost every agent having established their brand, which is a good thing.
However, many have succeeded in creating their brand but failed to realise the importance of cultivating and nurturing it.
Why branding is a continuous process
As your business’s wheels keep on turning, it is vital to understand the importance of carrying that personal brand along with it because it’s what helps successful real estate agents maintain their relevance, trustworthiness, and authority in their profession.
As a real estate agent, it is essential to capitalise on your social skills since it helps establish your link with your prospects, eventually turning to your clients.
Your brand will resonate with people and make them think and say things that matter to your business, especially when you are not around. It builds their trust in you that serves as the foundation for your professional relationship with your clients.
The most effective ways to boost your brand
Think of your brand like your online window for all the world to see. In your case, for those looking for help and solutions to their real estate concerns and needs.
Plan and build your website
Regardless if you are an expert or newbie in website design, planning, and building your website starts with your primary objectives and goals for your real estate business.
You can choose to do it yourself or hire the services of a web developer. Nonetheless, you must have specific objectives and goals for your real estate website.
Take note that when a prospect or client has set their eyes on your website, the attention is focused on you as they count on you to have the answers to their questions.
When planning, do not be distracted by other digital platforms such as social media, competing with other viral posts. Of course, you can use social media as part of your brand-boosting strategy, but it should be done as a complementary channel integrated into your website.
Avoid setting your sights purely on advertising and promotions on your website, instead use it as a platform to educate and showcase your expertise so that people will turn to you for real estate matters.
The key is to associate your business with your personal brand so that your clients will see you as the face behind your business.
Create and maintain your blog
While your blog is a part of your website, opening your channels for industry-related discussions and knowledge helps your audience look forward to and anticipate anything and everything that you have in store for them.
Be advised, though, that you leverage available and useful content regarding your real estate business, rather than use your blog as a self-promotional tool that discusses too much self-praise.
Don’t forget that people wanting to buy or invest in property are subject to greater risk due to the cost of value they will dispose of, so finding a real estate agent that can best help them make the right and the best decision is what will suit them best.
You can also invite guest bloggers to help you maintain a steady flow of content for your blog to continue engaging your audience and keep them subscribing to your content and ideas that will benefit them.
Make use of good quality videos and images
Visuals are becoming the new norm for online content, and there are numbers to show for it. According to a recent report, video content is expected to make up 82% of all internet traffic by the end of this year, evidenced by the growing number of YouTube subscribers of no more than 1 billion.
The number makes up almost a third of the total internet users globally, with no less than 72 hours of video content uploaded to the platform every minute.
This gives you an idea that, at this rate, your real estate website should start integrating great quality videos, which is also bolstered by the fact that 87% of online marketers based on recent surveys are already using videos.
The best way to leverage videos for your real estate business will help boost your brand by showcasing your professional personality and distributing it, where it makes the most impact on your online visibility and digital footprint.
A smart way of using video to your advantage is to show yourself in your videos to associate the face with the brand.
When people see a face and hear a human voice, it helps reinforce their trust and confidence in the brand they are looking to work with.
Targeted social media ads
It may be time to consider how social media advertising can take your real estate business to greater heights, specifically Facebook ads.
Facebook is by far the biggest and most popular social media network today, and it’s not surprising to know that it can give your real estate business the mileage it needs.
Better yet, it is also one of the most cost-effective paid ad solutions today with an average cost of only $2.5 for exposure to 1,000 people compared to direct mail that costs $57, radio ads at $10, and static large-format billboards at $5.
What’s more, digital ad spending was at $209 billion last year, overtaking television ad spending, which was $178 billion.
Media relations
There’s value in building and nurturing relations with the media. Reach out to local press people, and you’ll see how it can help your real estate business immensely.