Why Branding is Your Ultimate Weapon

If you’re a real estate agent, effective branding is paramount to achieving the most success. It separates the top agents from the riff-raff. There’s a particular cola brand that I hate. Let’s call it BrownStuff. For me, even the look of the BrownStuff logo is outdated and unpleasant – much like their actual product. I’d rather chug rusty pennies… which is an act that describes the experience of drinking this “soft drink”. Reasonably, anything even related to the name I wouldn’t trust with a bucket of water if my knickers were on fire – needless to say, trust with the sanctity of the taste buds.
That is the power of branding. Not the gag-inducing experience that I equate to a certain “beverage,” but the word association that ultimately drives all of us to choose or reject a product. Seth Godin, marketing rockstar, describes it best:

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”

–Seth Godin
Brands make the world go round, and they dominate every aspect of society. They are status symbols. They are markers for quality (or lack thereof). Most importantly, revenue and success are common symptoms of a great brand.
Nowhere is this truer than in real estate. Your name and reputation is everything. Not only that, but a strong brand – consisting of values, messaging, experience, and the optics you create across all channels – is the key to guaranteeing you build a reputation that brings you that success. It bleeds into every facet of your business: from your networking, your referrals, even your online persona. While your head shot is the first thing a potential client finds when they search for you online (it’s a certainty that they will, 89% of home shoppers used the internet to search for a real estate agent) your brand will be the selling point that closes the deal.

89% of home shoppers used the internet to search for a real estate agent

It’s a given that the more successful products/services are the ones with the more noteworthy branding.  Actually, research shows that “59% of consumers prefer to buy brands that are familiar to them” – Nielson Global New Product Innovation Survey. Sometimes, the branding is more important than the quality of the product itself.
As perfect proof of this fact, you have to look no further than your nearest Grande Chai Tea Latte, 3 Pump, Skim Milk, Lite Water, No Foam, Extra Hot.
Despite the fact that “many coffee lovers don’t love [their] coffee”, Starbucks remains the more popular choice for coffee internationally, and is second only to McDonald’s as the most valuable fast food chain globally. (Statista)
As a small business in their own right, this is why it’s especially important for agents to cultivate a strong brand. The first thing your client will buy is your brand, and it needs to have as much curbside appeal as the homes you show them. Your brand will be how you separate yourself in a field saturated with competition. There are many agents in every zip code, including yours.
To put it simply: “consistently presented [brands] experience [more] visibility”. Even more exciting is this increase leads to a 23% increase in revenue on average!
So basically: build your brand, promote it consistently, make money, repeat.