Real estate agents and their branding are all vastly unique. But how does one stand out from the rest? To attract clients to your brand and to stick out from the crowd, there are a few tips that absolutely cannot be overlooked.
First and foremost, you need to focus on who your target client is.
Instead of looking at everybody as a potential target audience, eliminate the ones who you are not trying to reach at all. Attempting to reach too many people at once will always result in a watered down brand image that blends in with other companies’, and as a result, makes your brand seem highly disingenuous. Spend time to ascertain exactly who you want to target and remember to be unique while gearing your brand towards what your audience wants to see – simply forget the rest!
Next, make sure your brand’s vice is loud and clear.
Don’t take the voice of another brand and don’t get lost in mixing multiple of voices together. Make sure all bits and pieces of your marketing profiles are synchronized with one another. The content that makes your brand its own is just as significant as the brand itself. Having numerous different colors, logos and conflicting voices throughout your social outlets will only cloud your overall image, leading to a confused audience and weak branding. Pay special attention to the region your target clients live in; is a certain shared value prevalent here or is there a certain cultural phenomenon that you need to take notice of? The voice of your brand calls out to different people, so make sure you are always very consistent with it.
An additional mistake a lot of companies make are on their websites is by sharing long “About Us” sections that more closely resemble their life stories. Sure, outline your experience and applicable achievements, any awards, etc. and add a personal touch, but no one is visiting your site to read about your childhood and other details that don’t relate to them choosing to use you in their transaction. Make sure all website content, fine and large print, and all imagery works in tandem with the overall mission of the brand itself. Your client does not want to feel as if he/she is being sold something, so also be certain that your messaging feels easygoing and conversational, as if you’re friends. All information should also be easily accessible for clients, don’t have too many sub-tabs or pages that are not necessary or easily accessible; make sure your contact information is also very easy to spot. Listings and prices should be the main content of your website, as clients should not have to look too long and hard for these focal points.
Aesthetics are a game-changing aspect of your digital marketing strategy.
Make sure old layouts are updated and that up to date graphics, templates, etc. are used. In this digital age, making sure all information is easily accessible and most importantly, that it is online and up to date is of the essence. Your social media channels also need to be active and easy to access. Also, for your Listings page, think about allowing for extensive search criteria instead of having clients scroll through hundreds of homes that don’t fit their criteria.
Clutter and chaos is something you also want to stay away from.
Although a full page of wordy information may seem like a great way to attract and inform visitors, it is very overwhelming and it will turn people away. If people have a few free minutes, they don’t want to read a novel, but rather, a few succinct sentences to learn about you. Use photos or graphics to enhance your website that are also informational and fun to look at. When in doubt, think what would motivate you to go through someone’s entire site or profile and act on that. Too much information in one area can be daunting for anyone and is ultimately unappealing to your audience. Remove all unnecessary elements of your website; if there seems to be a dead link, fix it immediately. Make sure your website is always spotless and free of errors, be it old links, spelling or grammatical errors.
Go a step ahead and track your visitors.
Web analytics tools have proven to be a valuable asset for the growth of your clientele. With a tool that shows who is visiting your website, who has returned multiple times, how many leads your site is generating, etc., you can directly and personally market to the clients you know have shown interest.
To optimize your website for the most number of visits, develop different strategies to attract more leads.
Use more than just your website, try blogging articles or networking with other website owners. The options are endless. To improve your website and fine-tune your brand, it is going to take a lot of patience as it is an ongoing process.
When blogging, keeping your audience entertained while informed is essential. Although blogs are wordy, they can be written in a more casual tone that feels more relatable to clients. Of course, you need to make sure it’s the right audience you are targeting, but blogs are a great way to be a bit more personal with your audience. Clients want to feel like they know you and your company through how you present yourself. Making them able to relate to you and see you as another person, not merely a professional, will make them feel more comfortable using you for what is the biggest transaction of their life… buying a house! Make sure it is a welcoming, warm atmosphere.
Another creative way to fine-tune your brand is to get up to date with social media.
Not only does this reach countless people, especially in this quick and online savvy generation, it allows clientele to reach you through numerous different outlets. Use different social media outlets to market your brand for in different ways: use Facebook to share general information, new listings and big announcements. Use Twitter for a more personal touch… an insider’s look at your day. Use Instagram to capture gorgeous details of your listings. Allow clients to “like” your posts and share them directly onto their pages as well. Younger buyers (and even those well into their 50s and 60s have been known to use social profiles to find realtors before even visiting their website). Also make sure your website is mobile-friendly and works with all diverse phone brands.
Fine-tuning your brand is the greatest investment you can make for yourself; the competition is fierce and you need potential clients to know what sets you apart! Take it step by step and when you understand that fine-tuning your brand does not have to happen overnight, you will surely start to readjust and stand out from the rest!
