Francisco “Kiko” Angulo is the Vice President of Global Development for REALOGY.
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Discovering what makes you fascinating is the key to your success. There are about 1.4 million licensed real estate professionals in the United States, so when a future home-owner searches for an agent, their options can feel endless.
How can you stand out from the crowd? For your real estate business to thrive, you need a powerful personal brand. Keep in mind that you are the brand. Your brand is your promise to your customer. Here’s how you can get started:
Define your target audience.
If you don’t know where to begin, write down the name of your most recent 15 clients you’ve helped. Compare their similarities. Doing so helps create a customer persona and will provide valuable insight into what your prospective customers are thinking and doing when searching for a new place to call home.
After you understand your potential customer’s behavior, create content that genuinely adds value to their experience. The content you share should convey the following message: “I am here to improve the process through which you find a home, and I am confident I am the best person to help you.” Be authentic through brand storytelling, build trust and relationships.
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Focus on what makes you different.
Clients always make sure that their agent’s personality and vision align well with their own. Now that you understand your customers’ needs, you should focus on what you have to offer.
There are a couple of questions you can ask yourself to understand your strengths, such as:
• If the roles were reversed — why would I buy a home from myself?
• What are my favorite neighborhoods and most extensive real estate passions?
• What do people say after they do business with me?
• How do I make the buying process easier for my clients?
• How do I help them save time or money?
• How do I keep the relationship forever?
The more specific your answers, the better potential for quality content, as it is what makes you unique. The better you vocalize how big of a benefit it is working with you, the more you’ll attract new customers and grow your business. But beware and never lie to your audience. A breach of trust can set you back years or even force you out of the industry. Be who you are and show your heart. Maintain consistency.
Go beyond visuals.
Being consistent with the color palette, the font you use, and your social media posts’ proper timing can help. But when it comes to social media, your focus should be on the quality of your content. I firmly believe that there is a correlation between the number of posts people save from you and the likelihood of you getting that person as a future client. Recurrently providing quality content elevates your credibility and your potential clients’ chances of remembering you in their time of need. Build social proof.
Leading brokerages often offer their agents a marketing team and even a customized logo, but that’s not enough. Real estate is a very emotional purchase, and part of an agent’s role is to help their clients navigate all the emotions that come with buying or selling a home. The only way to help your clients is by clearly understanding their needs, and no marketing template can help you with that. It must come from you. Embrace transparency.
Be human.
Never lose your human side. A steady stream of ideal clients depends on your authenticity, consistency and quality of your content. Personal branding is an aspect of your real estate business that must be crafted carefully over time. Start by defining your mission and being aware of what people say after doing business with you. Create your own culture. Human responses help to increase the results of your business. Relationships built on empathy, trust, transparency and honesty are the ones that last and drive a lifetime of possible successes.
Find ways to be helpful by developing a unique and genuine voice for your customers, and you are guaranteed to watch your business grow.
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