By definition, a brand is the given name of a product. To the public, brands can, understandably, be perceived as merely a logo. But, according to Marty Neumeir’s very popular book, The Brand Gap, branding entails all the things that influence how people think about your company. This includes, but is not limited to: your graphics, website, advertising, signs, packaging, messaging, logo, staff and so many other things. Let’s dive into the core components of real estate brokerage branding — of creating a cohesive and relatable identity worthy of your company.
Let’s not overcomplicate the process. Generally, in real estate, your brand is an extension of yourself, and simply googling “branding” will get you basically the same advice over and over again: “be yourself.” That is perfectly reasonable advice. But how, exactly, do you be yourself on the internet? Is everyone on Facebook truly themselves? I think most people in the digital age are pretty cognizant of the “front” people and companies put on nowadays. So essentially it’s a race to be the most transparent, and become that “open book” professionally.
To truly be yourself, you need to know yourself. So, much like every other post I’ve written, we’re going to start out with your purpose, or your “why.”
Learn About Our New Ads and Leads Program - TRIBUS Engage
Real Estate Brokerage Branding Starts with You
Why you’re in the industry in the first place is a pretty crucial area to cover for real estate brokerage branding. Building this voice will set the tone for everything else you are going to do and the materials designed around it. Is your brand elegant and sleek? Or is it more personable and friendly? This is likely to overlap into the types of clients you target and want to work with. Real estate revolves around people, so speaking like a human to the people you want to work with will go a long way toward creating your brand.
Do NOT overlook this part! Because if you do overlook it, you’ll allow anyone and everyone to form the narrative around you. You want to control your perception at the start before others make it for you.
Real Estate Brokerage Branding Tells a Story
Telling your story can be a great way to establish your brand voice. Speak from experience — it’s something you pull from in your daily operations, so why should your branding be any different?
Again, choose the story based on your voice, or personality. If you are more serious, choose some hardship you had to overcome. If you are more cheerful, you might pick a funnier story. Recite and document the story you want people to know about. Then, once it is down on paper, read it over and think, “How would this come off to my clients?” and, “Does this reflect my personality?” If the answers to these questions don’t align with the voice you established, then you could certainly try to change the language or maybe emphasize a specific part of your story. I think the obvious part to avoid here is fabrication; if it ever feels like you might be moving in that direction, other people will be able to sniff it out too. So don’t. Picking a different story will be exponentially more valuable than telling a fake one.
Learn About Our New Ads and Leads Program - TRIBUS Engage
While we’re on the subject, I’ve gone over storytelling in a couple other posts, the big takeaway from which is: Just because it’s called a story doesn’t mean it needs to read like a novel. There are short stories, too, and you should aim for that at the start, at least. Just think of your favorite movies. Sure, they are complex on the surface, but the actual idea pitched to executives is realistically very short. Usually you have a character, there’s a problem and they overcome it. Tell that story. Keep it simple. The rest of your brand and its assets will help support that very simple story, and you won’t bombard a potential client with more than they need to know. The story is supposed to help boost your business, not be the business entirely. And along the way it will help you cement your mission, vision and value statements.
Real Estate Brokerage Branding Assets
There is no silver bullet, but in my experience, most successful branding begins with the content at its core. If you’ve done all the aforementioned work ahead of time, everything else you need to make/design is not necessarily easier, but the path you need to take does become more clear. As I start to get into all these assets, it’s important to note that I’m explaining things under the assumption you have already named your company. Because that, in itself, can be a pretty arduous task. That said, once you have your name, story and voice you can start building many of the things listed below that make up your brand and actually see it taking shape.
Learn About Our New Ads and Leads Program - TRIBUS Engage
Logo
Many real estate logos just aren’t quite up to the standards of other industries, so the good news is, you have a lot of room to stand apart in the industry. Just remember to keep it simple and relatable. The shape, colors, type and size are some of the many things to consider, while aligning it with your brand voice. We had a tough enough time going about creating a brand logo ourselves, but we’re pretty pleased with the result. With enough time, you will be too.
Business Cards
Another staple of your business, creating business cards really does not take much. Of course you want to stand out, but again be simple and relatable: You want your name and contact info to be very obvious and readable, because that is the point, isn’t it? But incorporating your tone of voice and your logo will give it the winning combination for you. The card stock is another important aspect along with the design. Thicker card stock seems to be the current trend, but picking out a material or pattern that is native to your area will help reinforce your place as a part of the local community.
Learn About Our New Ads and Leads Program - TRIBUS Engage
Your Website
As ubiquitous as the spoken language itself, your website is a crossroads of many of your assets used in real estate brokerage branding. Making sure you are represented well through copy, content and colors is just the surface in making your website effective. (We know a thing or two about websites— learn a little more about TRIBUS’ custom websites here).
Print Materials
Brochures, flyers, signs and other mailers are still a staple of the industry, and with the right amount of details — a cutout or something as subtle as a pattern — you can become recognizable within your market, and hopefully beyond as you grow your reach.
Photography
The TRIBUS team has spoken a lot about photography here. Along with your story and speaking like a human online, a big part of it is showing the humans behind the brand. People are going to see you one way or another, so spend some time letting images speak louder than words.
Real estate brokerage branding is harder than ever, and doing it poorly will cement you into a world of sameness. But with the right mix of materials that speak to your professional persona, you’ll be prepared to build a brand that can speak very personally to your audience and grow into the future.
