There’s a reason why some realtors attract more clients while others don’t said Ali Safavi. There’s also a reason why NIKE is considered the number one sports brand, while Rebook is considered the underdog. Why Apple is synonymous with innovation. Why Mcdonald’s is branding-wise better than Burger King. It all has to do with branding — or more importantly with how you present and create your brand. In this article, I’m going to talk to you on how to construct your real-estate business brand, and why neglecting it, and not focusing on that ephemeral thing might mean the difference between making it in the business and simply going bankrupt. Let’s talk about how to create a successful real-estate brand.
Branding 2021 and beyond.
My name is Ali Safavi. I’m an experienced realtor in California, not only that, I’m a real estate consultant for other colleagues. One of the things I quickly noticed when it came to most people’s business is the fact that they disregarded their branding. Most had no actual idea of what it meant. Most realtors don’t treat themselves as an enterprise but an individual — and this is a huge mistake. Why? Because the truth is that you ARE a business, with department heads, with competent staff, with multiple suppliers, partnerships, and just about everything you imagine from a multinational enterprise, even if you’re just you. That’s because you have within your organization and IT department, a marketing staff, accountants, secretaries, aids, etc — once more even if it’s just you. If it’s just you, update your VPNs, in order to protect your client’s personal data, that means you have a cybersecurity department, one spearheaded by you.
It’s incredibly obtuse to think of yourself as just an individual, a lone wolf, going out in the open to sell properties, you are more than that — you are a corporation. The quicker you understand that. The quicker you pivot from that old mindset into this new framework, the faster you’ll succeed in the real-estate business.
Your marketing department
According to Ali Safavi as a corporation, one that deals with products and sells directly to consumers one of your most important departments is your Marketing team. They are the ones that will get your voice out, that will transport you from where you are into your desired demographics tunnel of sight. They’ll help get your message across. And one of their most important tasks, and quite frankly the one that will take them – or you – the hardest time will have to do with branding. What makes you, well you? What sets you apart from all other realtors in the area. Why should people trust and come to you when there are many others out there doing the same thing?
What is Branding?
Branding is the process of giving meaning to a specific organization’s identity, or service. And where does this meaning take shape? In the consumer’s mind. It’s all those actions that holistically create within your client’s mind who you are and what you stand for.
It’s one of the most complex marketing issues you’ll face.
Tips on how to create a successful real-estate brand
Theory of Unified Branding
What exactly is the theory of Unified Branding? Well, in a nutshell, it’s the idea that everything you do reflects back on who and what you are. Jeff Bezos once said that “your brand is what people say about you behind your back.” And that’s bizarrely true. Everything you do, absolutely everything, how you dress, how you pick up the phone, if you use a smartwatch, if you drive a Jeep or a Mercedes, if you have a staff, if you work from home, how you talk. Everything has to be cohesive and make sense. Your branding, at every stage, needs to be consistent.
Storytelling
Humans are storytelling creatures. We don’t truly grasp figures and numbers, we embrace tales. It’s incredibly important to understand that. When you’re creating your brand you’re telling a story. A story of who you are. Of what you represent. Remember, you’re not selling a property, you’re selling an image, a lifestyle, and how you present yourself tells your consumer that you believe in that fantasy — that you support and value it.
Myth Building
When is a lie not a lie? Myth building is about exaggerations. About making who you seem larger than life, full of anecdotes, charm, god knows what. It’s about adding sparkle to who you are. It’s about creating a visual your clients can take to the bank. Steve Jobs created a computer in his garage. Jeff Bezos with a car trunk full of paperbacks starting up Amazon. Your story might be a bit dull, but that is a problem for your marketing team. They understand how to give you that sparkle and swagger your brand desperately needs.
Don’t be a salesman
It’s essential to understand the human condition and the fact that archetypes exist. Studies have shown that psychologically, we have preconditioned reactions to certain stereotypes or archetypes. One of them is the salesman. Every culture’s sales tactic is different but the overall reaction it creates in us is that they are always in “sales mode” and have a broken down quality to them. Don’t believe me? Think Gill from the Simpson, the troop from Glengarry Glen Ross, Willy Loman from Death Of a Salesman. Anthropologist Rapaille, in his book, The Culture Code, discovered that in all civilizations the archetype existed —- How? As what he came to define as the “Happy Loser.” In essence, a person who actively pursues rejection. This idea is translated, almost to all other marketing tactics we employ. Your branding must avoid the temptation to sell. You are not selling property, you’re talking about a lifestyle. What your investment will bring to the table.
Emotional Connector
There are over 300 emotional connectors that help companies penetrate their target demographics. They help link up to the part of a consumer’s brain that deals with purchases on an emotional level. It’s important to understand what your target demographics’ emotional connectors are. What drives them to consume. What drives them to make a purchase? Once you understand that, you can really boost the effectiveness of your branding. For example, a great emotional connector is “something that makes them feel secure,” another is “something that makes them feel part of a clique,” still another is “something that allows them to fulfill their ambitions.” All great things, that as a realtor, your branding can focus on. Remember you have to make your client feel that their purchase will give them greater confidence in what tomorrow will bring — that life will finally measure up to their expectations.
