Real Estate Branding 2023: How to Build Your Brand

When you start out in the real estate industry, you may take your branding inspiration from the brokerage you are working for. But after a while, you will want to build your own brand. This will help you stand out from other agents, and it will set you apart from the competition.

Building a brand from the ground up that stands out is no easy task. What should it look like? How should it make people feel? Will it resonate with my target audience?

Those questions will no doubt come up when you start thinking about how to connect the dots between what you bring to the table and who you’re trying to reach.

There’s a lot to consider, and it’s much more than just a logo or tagline. It extends beyond the materials you use. A personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. It’s a way to differentiate yourself and stand out in a crowded marketplace. And it isn’t something that happens overnight – it takes time and consistency to build.

There are many steps to take when building a brand for your real estate business. Here are some to consider.

Dr. Renee Rosales
CEO/Founder of Theara
Personal Branding Expert

“Don’t worry if you haven’t thought about this before – most agents have not really put much thought into their brand either! You want to start a brand that stands the test of time. Re-branding is a pain, so it’s best to just get it right the first time. So let’s dive into the most important things to take away when figuring out how to build your brand. 

1. Branding goes far beyond your logo
2. The customer is the center of the brand
3. Branding is about more than just design
4. Start with a strategy
5. Be consistent
6. Be authentic and humanize your brand
7. Use content effectively to build your brand
8. Be a thought leader in your industry”

Why Building a Brand is Important

There are tons of real estate agents out there. Building a brand will differentiate you so you attract more clients. Here are some reasons why creating a brand is so important.

It Gives You a Purpose: As a real estate agent, it goes without saying that your purpose is buying and selling homes. But if you have a deeper purpose such as helping your community find affordable housing, that will take it a step further.

It Describes the Value You Offer Clients: In building your identity, you will want to advertise the skills that set you apart. Are you a great negotiator? Do you specialize in homes in a certain area? Are there specific problems you are trying to solve? Describing your value will make you more attractive to the clients who find those characteristics important.

It Builds Trust: Most branding efforts serve to connect you with your target audience and establish you as a thought leader. After repeated contact, your followers will begin to see you as someone they can trust, and trust is very important in the real estate business.

It Generates New Clients: Branding is a continuous effort that helps you build your business and learn how to generate real estate leads. It may not happen overnight, but if you reach out often enough, you will see your business start to grow.

Nicole McAlister George
Keller Williams Realty Ballantyne
Licensed Real Estate Agent in Charlotte, North Carolina

“My entire brand in real estate is based on the person that I am and the relationships that I form and maintain. I’ve built my brand by being the person who will work the hardest for you while also being transparent and available to my friends and clients throughout our time together. I started in this business before “personal branding” was an everyday term. Instead, tenacity and creativity brought in my customers and to date, with more than 1,000 homes sold under my belt, I’m proud to say what I do and how I do it, works. 

In North Carolina where we have so many realtors, I do think the newer agents need to put forth the effort to differentiate themselves from others. In a few weeks, my team will have a professional photoshoot and video session to help them stand out even further in the marketplace. We have ongoing training and are constantly striving to know more, do better, and serve at the highest level. We continuously add new marketing efforts to our team’s initiatives.

Ultimately, if an agent doesn’t work hard for a buyer or seller, that agent will not continue to earn the opportunity. It’s our work ethic that continues to bring back clients and what we like to call, raving fans.”

How to Build Your Real Estate Brand

Now that you know why building a brand is so important, you can begin taking the necessary steps involved in making it happen. Here are some you will want to integrate.

Think of Who You Are

First you will need to think of who you are as a person and as an agent. Real estate is a very personable field, so your personality should play a big part in your professional image.

Next, create a brand identity that feels natural to you. Are you fun or serious? Are you caring or more of a money-making machine? What strengths do you want to capitalize on? These should all be considered when you make your brand.

Latham Jenkins
Luxury and Lifestyle Associate Broker at Live Water Jackson Hole
8+ years of experience

“Your personal brand should be a natural extension of who you are fundamentally and how you project yourself. It should be what your friends would say about you. Your professional version is to hone in on the value proposition you offer your clients and communicate it across your outreach channels (print, digital, and social). Your actions and behaviors must align with what you do and say for your brand to have resonance.

Creating your brand makes you really define the services you are offering (your value proposition). It is not easy to convert your actions and behaviors that make you successful into words. I have found working with a copywriter to be helpful and productive in getting what you know about yourself out of your head and into an actionable and value-oriented personal brand statement.”

Research Your Target Audience

Your brand should not only be about who you are, it’s about who your target audience is. Think of what appeals to them. Then build your brand based on an image they will find relatable.

For example, if you are working within a specific community, your branding should be geared to local topics. If you are hitting a luxury market, create a high end look and integrate topics and materials that appeal to a sophisticated aesthetic.

Alex Mastin
CEO and Founder of Homegrounds
6+ years of experience

“The first thing to do is to think about the “ideal” client that you want to work with. Then, ask yourself:

What do they care about? Why are they looking to buy or sell? What experiences have they had with other agents in the past?

The answers to these questions will influence the way you interact with leads and clients. For example, if you know that your ideal client wants the home-buying process to be as fast and easy as possible, you can make sure that’s what they get by creating a process that supports their goals. If you learn that they want someone who is attentive and friendly, you can make sure to send them personalized messages showing how much you care.

Once you know your ideal client and what they want out of an agent, then it’s time to start creating the content and messages that will resonate with them.”

Create Your Logo and Website

Your next step will involve creating your logo and website. These are the marketing materials that are likely to play the biggest role in how you market yourself.

Start by determining the colors you feel best represent you and what you have to offer. Consider that colors work on a psychological level. For example, blue symbolizes loyalty and serenity. Yellow is vibrant and friendly.

Choose the one that you think is in line with your personality and the vibe you want to send out to clients. Then use these hues in your web design.

Your personality should also come through in your images, the logo you create, and the layout of your website. It should even be represented in the font you use.

You may also consider adding a tagline that’s catchy and says something about the services you provide. A brand story also helps in forging a connection with your clients. Include a page that explains your experience and why you are drawn to the real estate field.

If you’re looking to get started quickly, you probably should go with an out-of-the box real estate lead generation website. You’ll save yourself weeks or even months by getting it live quickly.

You should include pictures and ideally a video of yourself on your website. Putting a face to the name goes a long way in letting people know what you are about.

Create Marketing Materials

Once you have an image for yourself, you should carry it through in all the marketing materials you create. They should feature your brand colors, logo, and anything else you feel represents you.

The marketing materials you use should include a variety of digital and physical assets. Postcards and fliers can be mailed or given out by hand. You may also want to rent billboards advertising your services. Digital materials can include paid ads, blogs and more.

Consider Choosing a Niche

When you’re first starting out in real estate, you may find it limiting to choose a niche. But it can work to your advantage, especially when you’re more established.

The niche you choose should be in line with what you’re good at and what interests you. It may be luxury properties, commercial properties or it may be specific to a certain area.

Specializing in a certain niche will set you apart as a thought leader in your selected field. It will ensure that clients come to you first when they need your services.

Nicole Beauchamp
Global Real Estate Advisor with Engel & Völkers New York Real Estate
22+ years experience

“The natural approach is to lean into the elements of your business that align with your strengths. Sit down and do a SWOT analysis, and craft a business development and marketing strategy around that. The goal being to create business development activities around tasks that will attract your ideal clientele. I also have leaned into the things I enjoy doing. Additionally when you have the avatar of your ideal client, it is good to shape your marketing approach to help to attract more of them with the help of success stories that reinforce your story and mission.”

Consider Choosing a Cause

In today’s socially aware world, choosing a cause can really set you apart. If people see that you are doing something to help the community or the world, they will be more likely to invest in your services. And if your cause is something they believe in, so much the better.

A real estate agent may find it more challenging to back a cause as compared to some other types of companies. Unlike retailers, you aren’t going to donate the commissions of every sale to a nonprofit due to all the splits involved. But you can host events that support what you’re about.

The events you host will also serve to connect you to the community.

Start a Blog

Blogs are a great way to boost SEO and they will further connect you with your client base. Just like your other marketing materials, your personality should come through in your blogs.

So if you have a fun outlook, your blog voice should be cheery and uplifting. If you are more concerned with industry trends and generating income, stick to the facts.

Your blog layout should also be in line with your website design.

You can blog about any number of things from market outlooks to buying and selling strategies to key attractions in the area. It’s recommended to include a bit of everything regardless of what your brand is about. However, if you have a certain specialty or expertise, relevant topics should be spotlighted.

Your blog will serve as a way of connecting you with your followers and it will establish you as a thought leader in your field.

Create a Strong Social Media Presence

Your social media presence will also keep you connected with your client base. You will need to start out by finding the platforms that are right for you.

Think of where your target audience is most likely to be and create a profile that shows your personality. Then start writing posts and sharing links, images, and videos to keep them engaged. If you don’t feel social media is your strong point, you may want to hire a specialist.

Over time, you may find that some platforms are getting a better response than others. If that’s the case, concentrate your efforts on what’s working best.

Remember that social media is also about engaging. So rather than just creating posts, you will want to respond to other people’s posts and start conversations. You should also answer anyone that comments on your posts.

Another good social media strategy is to join and/or create groups. The group doesn’t necessarily have to be about your business. For example, if you sell real estate in Chicago, Illinois look for or create groups that pertain to Chicago real estate.

Then work on engaging members by asking and answering questions and generally making your presence known. The idea here isn’t to hard sell your services. It’s more to establish yourself as a knowledgeable member of the industry in hopes that the people you are communicating with will come to you first when it’s time to buy or sell.

Send out Emails and Newsletters

Emails and newsletters are also valuable in forging customer connections. Like any other marketing materials, they should reflect your personality in tone and design. But they should also be personalized to the customer’s needs and where they are at on the funnel.

So you may consider having a few emails or newsletters pre-created to be sent out at certain times in the conversion process. They should be automated for your convenience.

For example, you may have a welcome email prepared for when a potential client enters their contact information. The you can send another a few days later to find out what they are looking for. Others can be sent out regularly to keep them informed of what’s new with you and the local market.

Emails can be further customized to whether the recipient is buying or selling, the type of property they are looking for and so on.

The tone of your emails should not be overly aggressive. After all, some clients may not be ready to make a transaction. So, most communication should just be a way of staying in touch until they are ready to sell or invest.

But if clients are further down the funnel, you may want to send them something more targeted.

Stay Current with Your SEO Efforts

Your website will play a major role in getting clients in the door. But it won’t mean much unless its SEO optimized.

There are several things you can do to ensure your site is doing all it can to get you to the top of search engines. This includes using keywords, using alt tags and images, incorporating video and more. You should also integrate analytics to figure out what’s working and what’s not and update accordingly.

Keep in mind that SEO trends change all the time and it’s important to be on top of the latest to ensure you are making every effort to maintain online visibility. For best results, you may want to work with an SEO expert to get your site up to speed.

Get Active with Your Community

Digital marketing is a great way to reach your target audience. It’s convenient, it connects with a wide range of people, and it produces a high ROI. But that in-person touch is what will really help you forge a personal connection.

Participating in community events will allow you to build a face-to-face repartee with the people you are likely to be working with.

There are many ways you can join in to establish a personal connection. Try staying in touch with your local government to find out about community trick or treats, holiday parties and other neighborhood affairs. Volunteer at car washes that benefit local schools and organizations.

You may also consider hosting your own events to get to know the people around you. These can include fundraisers for your causes, real estate workshops and more. You should also invite them to your open houses so they can see how you operate…even if they are not interested in buying.

Krittin Kalra
CEO of WriteCream
9+ years of experience as a Branding Expert

“I believe that your brand is the sum of your company’s values and your company’s vision. Your brand is the way in which you get your customers to understand you and to know what you stand for. I think that for any company, the brand is the most important thing because it is what sets your company apart from the rest. It is the way in which you can tell the world who you are and what you stand for. I think the best way to build your brand is to focus on the potential of your clients. If you can come up with a solution that helps your clients, your brand will grow. It is important because it helps your clients to trust you and your company.”

Real estate can be very lucrative, but it’s also very competitive. Building a brand will help you stand out. Now that you know the steps to take, you are ready to move forward with your marketing efforts. Which of these will you be integrating when you prepare your campaign?