Episode 306: The Importance of Local Branding
In the 306th episode of Mail Right Show, hosts Jonathan Denwood and Robert Newman invited Tonya Eberhart and Michael Carr to talk about the importance of real estate agent’s effective local branding. Tonya Eberhart is the founder of BrandFace®, a personal branding firm consisting of a book series, speaking series, and unique branding program designed to help real estate agents differentiate themselves. She’s also the author of four books on personal branding. Tonya’s humble career began while selling vacuum cleaners door to door to pay her way through college. That led to a job in radio, where she observed local business owners who were featured in their advertising and positioned as local celebrities in the market. That’s when she realized the power that personal branding has on a business.
Michael Carr is America’s Top Selling Real Estate Auctioneer and the Abundant Life Broker. During his 28 years of experience, he has been actively involved in over 78,000 transactions and licensed in as many as 31 states in the continental U.S. as a broker and an auctioneer. Michael first met Tonya in 2013 when he became a client. He immediately put her exclusive personal branding concepts to work at his brokerage. As a result, his real estate business quadrupled over the next year and continues to grow in recognition, revenue, and recruitment. On the heels of that success, they decided to co-author BrandFace® for Real Estate Professionals, which became the #1 international bestseller on Amazon. And today, he is a partner and the COO of BrandFace®.
Personal Branding – What Is It?
Personal branding is the act of promoting oneself to advance in one’s career or expand one’s business. Personal branding is essentially about developing a distinctive identity for oneself through images and voice style that you can use to establish and maintain a favorable professional reputation, connect with more prospects, build trust and loyalty, and complete more business.
In an age where everyone relies extensively on Google to conduct ongoing research on friends, coworkers, employers, and businesses, a solid personal brand can make all the difference when it comes to convincing someone that you are the right person to work with.
A solid personal brand is critical for real estate salespeople in particular. It’s nearly impossible to expand your business if no one in your local neighborhood remembers your name or who you are. Getting new customers without a good reputation backed up by real testimonials and regular referrals from satisfied consumers is exceedingly tricky.
You must establish a reputation for yourself and be proactive in maintaining and enhancing your brand.
Thus, the issue becomes: where do you begin?
How to Begin with Personal Branding?
While developing and maintaining a solid and compelling personal brand to promote your real estate firm will not be easy, there are a few immediate actions you can take to ensure you’re on the right track:
- Identify Your Audience – Before delving too deeply into who you are and what sets you apart, it’s critical to consider your audience. First, consider who your ideal customers are, what they do, what challenges they have, what motivates them to buy, how they spend their time online and offline, and how you can create relationships with them efficiently. Concentrating on your target audience will assist you in developing a personal brand that does more than make you seem beautiful; it will assist you in effectively connecting with prospects and growing your business.
- Concentrate on What Makes You Unique – Once you’ve determined your target audience, the following step is to consider what differentiates you from your competition. The responses you provide will ultimately assist you in developing the core of your unique brand. To hone down on what makes you unique, consider the following:
- Why do my consumers choose me over other agents?
- What are my areas of specialization?
- What do I care about when it comes to real estate?
- What am I most known for?
- Whom do I enjoy assisting?
- Why did I decide to become a representative? What are my professional objectives?
- Explore alternatives to visuals – Consistency in your color palette, font selection, and social media post timing can all help. However, when it comes to social media, the quality of your content should take precedence. I am a firm believer that the number of postings individuals save from you correlates with the possibility of you acquiring that person as a future client. Providing high-quality content consistently builds your credibility and increases the likelihood that potential clients will remember you in a moment of need. Construct social proof. While leading brokerages frequently provide their agents with marketing staff and even a personalized logo, this is insufficient. Real estate is a highly emotional purchase, and an agent’s responsibility is to assist their customers in navigating the range of emotions associated with purchasing or selling a home. The only way to help your clients is to grasp their demands thoroughly, which no marketing template can provide. It must originate with you. Accept transparency.
- Tell your Story – A personal brand story is a seamless narrative that encapsulates the facts and emotions you generate, your brand, or your business. It establishes a core purpose, specifies personal ambitions, and outlines a set of short- and long-term goals that exemplify those values.
