If you’re a new real estate agent trying to build your brand for 2021 or a seasoned agent looking to update your brand, there are a few important factors to keep in mind. With technology continuously evolving, it’s important to stay consistent and relevant as you develop your real estate brand. Prospects are searching for and connecting with businesses in new ways. For 2021, you need your brand to be professional and consistent while having an online presence both on Google and on social media.
Here are 4 ways to build your real estate brand:
1. Create a brand kit
A brand kit will be the foundation of your brand moving forward. Adhering to your brand kit will allow you to have a consistent look and feel across your social media channels, your website, and your marketing materials.
Your brand kit should include the following:
- File types (.svg, .eps, .jpg, .png)
- Company colors (hex numbers, rbg, cmyk)
- Company fonts (names and zip files)
- Marketing resources (brochures, flyers, business card, headshots)
- Marketing templates (print, video, social posts)
- Your messaging, voice, and mission statement
You can keep all of the collateral for your brand kit within one folder on your computer as well as on Google Drive or another cloud server.
2. Find a professional real estate photographer
Your preferred vendors should be another big part of your branding for 2020. Most importantly, you will want to find a professional real estate photographer in your market who you can use for all of your listings. Using the same real estate photography provider will give your brand a professional look by creating consistency across all of your listings.
Furthermore, when you show potential clients at your listing appointments that you use professional photography for every listing no matter the price point, they will be more inclined to select you as their realtor.
How to find a professional real estate photographer:
- Search Google for professional photography providers in your area
- Look at the Google Reviews
- Ask for referrals from agents in your brokerage
- See if the provider provides online scheduling
- See if their prices are competitive/affordable
- Check out their gallery for real estate photo examples
- Make sure they are easy to get in touch with
- See what their turnaround time is like
- See what other services they offer: 3D Tours, Floorplans, Single Listing Websites, Aerials
3. Build a presence on social media
After you’ve created your brand kit and found your go-to photography provider, you’ll want to begin building your business presence on social media. Some social media platforms will be more fruitful than others. For example, you may find Facebook brings valuable leads but Pinterest is a waste of time for your business. This may take some experimentation to determine what works for you. We recommend setting up a social media business account on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to start.
When using these social media channels, make sure you are trying all of the features each platform offers. It is assumed that a social media platform’s algorithm rewards users who experiment with different features. For example, on Instagram, you’ll want to post images, videos, and carousels. Additionally, you will want to post Instagram Stories, create a video on IGTV, and even try Instagram Reels.
Here is a list of content ideas for your social media calendar:
- Open House announcement
- Listing(s) of the week
- Featured listing in a social media template
- Homesellers checklist
- Home buying guide
- Virtual house tour video
- Real estate market updates
- Day in the life content
- Local restaurant or business grand opening
- Local market guide: things to do in your city
- Your blog content
- Social proof/success stories
- Testimonials
- Social media giveaway
4. Create a marketing resource packet
Your marketing resource packet will play a big role in your listing appointments and overall real estate brand. A strong and attractive marketing packet can leave a lasting impression and keep you top of mind after any networking opportunity.
As your real estate business grows over time, your marketing materials will evolve. For instance, you’ll want to have marketing materials for your first listing appointment, but you may not have a photobank of real estate images yet. That’s ok, though! As you grow, your materials will become more consistent and identifiable.
There’s a good chance that the brokerage you work for will have real estate images you can use for your marketing resources to start out. And if you’re lucky, your brokerage will have a recommended real estate photography provider that they use for all of their agent’s listings.
Here are some marketing materials you will need to create resource packet:
- Business Cards
- A Competitive Market Analysis template
- Net Sheet template
- Listing Presentation template
- Listing Presentation Brochure
- Flyer of preferred vendors
- Infographic of neighborhood real estate statistics
- Marketing deck with real estate images from previous listings
- Outline of listing strategy
- Flyer of metrics for the year
