How Can I Build My Personal Brand As A Real Estate Agent?
Think of one of the most popular agents in your market right now. What is that agent known for? The most successful real estate agents in every market have a brand. Everyone in that market knows them for something. Here are three useful tips to help you establish a brand in your local marketplace.
Become an Expert
People want to hire experts. If your overall goal is to be known, you’d better have something to be known for. Do you really enjoy helping first-time buyers through the process of becoming a homeowner? Do you have an eye for interiors that gives your clients an edge when staging a home for sale? Whatever it is, establishing and promoting your expertise will help you attract more of the type of clients you want. It will also help you drive better client outcomes, because you’ll be doing more of the work you’re best-suited for.
There are a lot of ways to develop your expertise. Even if you already have a knack for something, becoming more educated in the discipline is never a bad idea. Take advantage of real estate continuing education and professional development courses that are tailored to your expertise, or to test the waters in a discipline you think you might be interested in. Find a book on the subject, or reach out to someone in another market who knows more about a given topic than you. The one thing that all experts share is a thirst for knowledge. Now, more than ever, the only constant is change. Stay willing and eager to learn!
Create and Use Talking Points
Once you have determined who you are, how will you share it with the world? Develop a list of talking points that communicate your real estate expertise and your brand. Practice with them. Use them when communicating with clients, leads, other agents, and everyone else you associate with. Use them in your advertising and in media interviews. Use them every chance you get to talk about the value you provide for the people you work with. Becoming an expert is only half the battle. This step will help you develop ways to talk about your expertise and build the reputation that your brand supports.
You don’t need to script every conversation. But you should be prepared to answer questions like “What do you do for a living?” and “What makes you different from other real estate agents?” Use your talking points as a guide. Figure out the three to five things you want a conversation partner to know about you when they walk away. Allow those to shape the way you participate in the conversation.
Be Consistent
Consistency is critical to developing your brand. People are often tempted to stray from their brand when it will allow them to better present themselves for a particular client or opportunity. There’s nothing wrong with providing a full range of services. In fact, you should. But remain consistent in your brand and your message. Statistics have shown that people need to see a message multiple times before it really sinks in. People will also tend to gravitate toward a brand that shows stability. Nothing shows stability like unwavering consistency. Be who you are, even when you’re not getting paid for it.