You don’t control seasonal trends, market shifts, or interest rates. But you do control how you present yourself during all of these other changes. In real estate, the one thing you have absolute control over is your brand.
But because you have so much control, it’s easy to ruin your brand without even knowing it.
Here are 4 ways you can accidentally sabotage your personal brand in real estate.
Not Making Your Personal Brand... Well... Personal
Authenticity is at the core of a strong brand. This mistake actually has 4 things you can stumble over. Too many Realtors®:
- Say what everyone else is saying (No unique selling positioning)
- Do what they assume is expected of a Realtor®
- Steal scattered parts of other people’s brands to make their own
- Do whatever their branding agency says
These are all bad because they take the person (you) out of personal branding. If a brand is a facade, it will never reach its full potential, because you’re part of that brand. So, when people meet you for the first time, there’s a disconnect between the brand they’ve seen and the person they meet. They may wonder which one is a lie.
Keep your personality front and center. If you’re funny, make the brand funny. If you’re very environmentally conscious, make sure that’s a big part of your brand.
Handing Your Personal Brand Over to Other People
Police your own brand and how it’s used! Be a tyrant!
This means big things like staying true to your values and not letting anyone cause you to compromise. It also means small things, like reviewing any work you outsource, including social media and blogging. You want to make sure that you're authentic to your real self, so that your personal brand always matches the you that your prospects and customers encounter. Don't let anyone push you off of that.
Like we said above, this is the one thing you can have absolute control over, so don’t give it away.
Not Measuring Your Personal Brand Success
Your brand may not work. That’s a marketing reality. Not all brands reach the mark.
So be sure to measure your brand success, while giving it enough time to succeed. There are dozens of ways to measure it. You can examine your brand reach, brand awareness, influence, or market share. But the important thing is that you do audit it to make sure it’s serving you well, and that you're doing what you need to keep it strong.
Assuming it Will Grow By Itself
The brand may not automatically grow along with your success. Sure, your brand awareness may grow as you succeed and become a bigger name in the market. But that doesn’t mean you just leave your brand alone while you’re growing and thriving.
Maybe your success came as a result of tapping into a new target market, like recent divorcees. Your new brand should target that market and speak directly to their wants, needs and pain-points.
Use your newfound income to invest in the brand to help it grow.
Remember, you’re the one in control. So always remember to ensure your brand is reflective of your personality, and stay in control of how it’s treated. At the same time, measure it’s reach and success, and make any needed changes, based on those findings.
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