People find it difficult to associate brand authenticity in the real estate industry, but unknown to many, the relevance is compelling and is surely a must in the industry.
As with any business, the real estate industry also relies on the strength of marketing and promotions other than the core business of real estate property and assets.
While it is an accepted concept that brand authenticity is subjective that cannot be easily defined, it exists and is a reality that confronts everyone and becomes a recognised standard.
All the same, brand authenticity is what we want and expect to provide to our clients that stands out from the rest.
When it comes to modern marketing, authenticity possesses a very strong consumer value because this is what gives brands an edge in the market.
Here are several classic scenarios of why authenticity is a critical factor in real estate marketing and how it can help your business stand out from the rest.
The predominantly curated information environment
A lot of marketing content going around online today are mostly the product of carefully-designed materials that are created to attract and entice readers.
Let’s face it, the unique content material is hard to come by and makes finding unique and new content more challenging.
Then there are social media, which becomes a vehicle for more enticing yet curated content.
Communication shift
Social media and dominant online resources have become a more accepted norm of communication than facts, data and reports.
Human interaction is starting to degenerate into responses or exchanges of people hiding behind desktop screens and smartphone displays.
While people have become more ‘interconnected’, the personal communication element has become more detached and distant, with people relying on ready-to-digest or relay canned information or spicy details that catches their fancy, no matter how sketchy or devoid of validation.
Global scepticism
It’s not surprising to find that people’s level of trust and confidence in many businesses have eroded in recent years, thanks to fake news, scams and unscrupulous online activities that prey on hapless people.
This is a scenario that reveals trust issues and makes winning back that trust a more challenging task for those who want to maintain and strengthen their online brand reputation and professional image.
Honesty becomes a critical element and something that should be seriously regarded in the quest of ensuring true and sincere authenticity in their online real estate quest.
As agents, it is critical to ensure that honesty and authenticity are prioritised at the start of a homebuyer’s journey and should also be assured throughout the process, including the messages you convey on your website and social media channels.
It is not impossible to succeed in winning the trust and confidence of a client you assisted, but be amazingly surprised at how referrals and word-of-mouth can go a very long way to boost your real estate business and enhance your reputation.
Do not struggle to be perfect
You win some, you lose some. That is a perfect description of how a real estate business operates.
The same applies to your content messages and materials, where you end up pressuring yourself to always come out with evergreen and enduring content.
Then came the social media stories, which usually limit your content visibility in 24 hours and disappear from the public eye when it goes away.
While it raises some eyebrows to regard content as something that needs to be perfectly compelling and attractive, it does allow content creators the opportunity to be more confident with real-life situations and scenarios that are worth sharing or posting.
Rather than always showing the “perfect” side of your real estate business, you can be more comfortable and inspired with your authentic brand messaging and showcase the real and believable happenings in your business.
That way, you don’t have to stress yourself in finding ways to project a “perfect” storyline or content, but with a more realistic and believable yet remarkable journey that you delivered to a client.
To summarise the points raised, being authentic towards your clients gives your clients and potential ones a real insight into your dealings as an agent, requires less effort rather than pretending someone you are not and helps establish a strong and deep connection with your clients.
Give it a try, you’ll be surprised at the amazing results.