Although I believe I am your local REALTOR® in Fairfield New Jersey, I am not allowed to say it, write it or admit it but you can brand it in a different way.
Just yesterday I received my 2010-2011 Membership Reference Guide from the National Association of REALTORS®. As we know REALTORS®are bound by many things, one of the most important is NAR's Code of Ethics. With that being said, I started flipping through the pamphlet and I came across the "The REALTOR® Brand" which talks about the REALTOR® brand being a powerful marketing tool, valued at over $3 billion.
It goes on to mention how the REALTOR® brand must be used properly, starting with these important rules:
- REALTOR® may be used in conjunction with a member's name or the name of a member's brokerage firm. (ex. Weichert Realtors®)
- REALTOR®is not an occupation or a generic term synomymous with "real estate agent" and should never be used as such. (ex. Gina Chirico, Sales Associate NOT Gina Chirico, REALTOR®)
- REALTOR® may not be modified by descriptive words or phrases such as "your", "local" or "Chicago". (ex. Your REALTOR® of Choice for Whitestone Gardens)
The reason why the section "The REALTOR® Brand" caught my attention and what prompted me to write this post is because I was unaware of the third bulletpoint......"REALTOR® may not be modified by descriptive words or phrases such as "your", "local" or "Chicago"."
Many, if not all of my Whitestone Gardens posts, branded me as Your REALTOR® of Choice for Whitestone Gardens. Last night I went through my posts for Whitestone Gardens and removed the wording Your REALTOR® of Choice.
There are many other ways to brand yourself as the local REALTOR® by not using a reference or tagline which is prohibited by NAR. Servicing your buyers and sellers, writing about your local town and/or communities, putting yourself in the center of your community NOT by writing about yourself but about writing about the community, real estate market, schools, etc. Remember if you brand yourself as the local REALTOR® in your area using different ways, there's no reason why you would need to say it or write it because they WILL ALREADY KNOW.
Although I am YOUR LOCAL REALTOR® REAL ESTATE AGENT in Fairifeld, New Jersey, I am not allowed to say it, write it or admit it but then again I don't need to because buyers and sellers in Fairfield New Jersey already KNOW it.
COMMITTED TO THE SCHOOLS!
COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY!!
Proudly Serving the Real Estate Needs of Buyers and Sellers throughout Fairfield, NJ AND a Resident too,
After reading the many well written, very appreciated comments written in response to my post, I decided to contact the Trademark Department at NAR for clarification. READ NAR'S RESPONSE to this post.
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