
“All You Need is Love”-- Lennon-McCartney
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt--Charles M. Schultz, Creator of “Peanuts”
As a luxury real estate marketing professional, emotional branding can sharply differentiate you from your competitors. First you need to romanticize your marketplace. Then, you need to create the perfect personal branding message so that potential clients experience “love at first sight” or on their first encounter with you.
People like to do business with people they trust. Excellent branding is all about accelerating the speed of trust. The faster you can attract and convert potential clients into and an ever-increasing base of raving fans the more money you will make through referrals.
Emotions compel people to act faster than logic. That is why emotional branding is so important. Luxury real estate marketing professionals who are passionate about their marketplace and their job have a greater chance of attracting more clients. Passionate people are like natural magnets. They draw like-minded people toward themselves. If you can capture that passion in your branding and on your website your website can become a silent salesperson for you.
Think of branding like packaging. People who do not know a product will more than likely buy the product based on its packaging. This is true of books, of wine labels and believe it or not, it is true when it comes to selecting a real estate agent. Prospects searching for homes on the web from outside of your geographic area do not know one agent from another. Agents’ websites are basically seen as a commodity. You usually can get the same basic information on any half-way decent agent website. In this scenario, you have a nano-second to make a first impression, to stand out and engage your prospect.
Today there is a glut of wine on the market. Competition is extremely stiff in this industry. As a consumer, if you are not a connoisseur how can you tell one from the other? Fine chocolate has also become commoditized. Chocolate growers have followed in the footsteps of wine growers creating appellations for differentiation purposes, based on the “terroir” or earth in which it is grown.
But, when it comes to the point of sale, how does a consumer who is not a connoisseur know one brand from the other? Trader Joe's markets has built a brand that commands a very high level of trust among its loyal customers. When they put their brand name on a product it usually is worth at least a try.
Trader Joe's understands the value of emotional branding. They did not just call their dark chocolate bar “Trader Joe’s Chocolate”. They named it, “The Dark Chocolate Lovers' Bar”. For the connoisseur the also added this to their packaging: “smooth & fruity from the Tumaco Region of Columbia." The chocolate connoisseur may appreciate these “chocolate notes” (like wine descriptions), recognize this appellation and make a buying decision based on logic. But, average consumers (we are talking about the masses now) who love dark chocolate will grab the package for the first time just based on the name and the festive South American graphic design.
When you are reaching for market leadership your branding must appeal both to logic and to emotions. But, you will find that emotions are the fastest way to the heart of the majority of new prospects when they are in the process of selecting a agent to represent them.
PS. One of our favorite brands is Valhona pictured above with the purple arrow made from the finest African chocolate. As unabashed chocolate lovers and self appointed experts of dark chocolate, we bought and enjoyed the "fruity taste." Now we have added another favorite to our list.We educated our palate in the process but that was secondary..-Ron & Alexandra Seigel-
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12 Comments on Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: All You Need Is Love & Chocolate!
Emotional branding is super important! Great post and may I be the first to suggest.
I love the line, "you need to romanticize your marketplace." We should be doing our flavor of real estate because we love it, because we're passionate about it. (If we're not, we are doomed!) So show that passion, show that love! Romanticize it! and do it visually!
Great post! (As usual)
OH, my, Alexandra, you had me at the title! Have you heard of the book Emotional Intelligence? I had just started it before all my business went CRAZY, and haven't been able to get back to it, but it's marvelous. Some of it (even tho I've only read a couple of chapters) relates to what you're saying, I believe.
Always good stuff you bring to the blogging world--thank you.
(And I LOVE Trader Joe's...my thing is to try at least one new item every time I shop there, and it's my main grocery store).
Ron and Alexandra,
"...But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt..." I don't know how I missed this quote from Charles Shultz.
Hope your Wednesday is better than dark chocolate!
Steve
A little chocolate now and then is essential to keeping the joy in life, Alexandra. I love the packaging too and would immediately reach out and grab for it. Love the title. I'm suggesting too.
John,
Yes, it is, it is the first reaction to anything. After that come logic. Thanks for suggesting. A
Jeff,
Thank you for echoing our sentiments. This is were photography comes in. We are in the process of creating a brand and a web site for one of our clients, and one the photographers we are working with is an artist as well as aphotographer. His pictures are so amazing of the marketplace that you cannot stop looking at them, because of the point of view and perspective. We are chomping at the bit for this one to be done. Thanks for your kind words and kudos, we appreciate them. A
Gayle,
We also love TJ's as we call it. We are there several times a week, and I love their friendly attiude, their no problem policy and their "if you don't like, bring it back for a refund". Yes, we have read that book, and it is helpful in understanding emotional IQ, As alwyas, thanks for the kind words, we are absolutely delighted that your business is doing so well. a
Steve,
Thanks for your comment, we appreciate it. A client of ours is a friend of the Schultzes, and has a cartoon he drew that she loved. There was something so gentle about the man and his work, could chocolate be the secret? A
Toni,
Thank you for the suggest. We have reached out for that package, and it was sitting on my desk as I was working on the post, beckoning me to open it and take a bite...that was before dinner and I resisted. We love exploring all the new chocolate countries that are producing this wonderful must in life. A
I love you guys!! So smart (yes, I am working on my website). You got me at "romanticize your marketplace." Fabulousness.
Aimee,
Thanks so much for the kind words. We appreciate them. A