Being Your Brand

Last year, Kliesen’s business boomed, brokering the successful purchase of more than 140 properties. As the face of her own brand, Kliesen recognizes that marketing and brand management have been important contributors to her career-long success. Though, she does admit that being sheltered under the wing of the bigger, more widely known RE/MAX brand hasn’t hurt. But while RE/MAX “spends a lot” to give her credibility and a “signature voice” in the immediate market, Kliesen was sure to point out that those iconic yard signs with the red, white and blue hot air balloon will only get people in the door.

“At the end of the day,” she said, “people like to go to a referral, or someone with street cred.”

It’s not enough to just talk-the-talk, Kliesen suggested. When agents put their face on an advertisement and people come to see a top-quality, professional real estate agent, it’s important that they not only look the part, but act it, as well. Agents need to be their own brand, not just a name on a park bench.

When Kliesen meets a new customer, she likes to think of them as a seed. They may seem like one small and insignificant buyer, but if she exceeds their expectations, they’ll go out and multiply, bringing you untold numbers of future buyers.

Define Your Niche

When being and living your brand, you may start to recognize a trend in the types of buyers you are attracting or having referred to you.

The No. 1 thing you need to do to be a successful broker is to define yourself and your expertise, which therefore helps define your brand. A narrow and deep marketing approach gives real state agents the foundation to build a marketing campaign that will support and build a brand.

To do this, first, ask yourself these simple questions:

What is your core demographic? In other words, who is hiring you? First-time homebuyers? Luxury buyers? Buyers looking in a certain neighborhood? Who are your referrals – what demographic or niche do they fit into?

What real estate services do your clients look for from you most? If they’re first-time buyers, do they need a lender to go through the financial process step-by-step? If they’re luxury clients, do they need a lender that does jumbo loans? Are they Hispanic, Polish or another nationality where they need a bilingual agent and/or lender? How do you provide for their needs?

What advantages do you have over your competitors? Do you have different designations? Offer different services? That links back to the above question, but how do you do those better than your competition?

Lastly, what are your values? Community work and charities add to your brand and show you’re active in the community.

The responses to those questions should tell you who you are, and what your brand is. 

Especially for agents who are just starting out and have yet to really cement a name for themselves, defining a niche helps keep buyers stay clear on what it is exactly an agent is selling

After you’ve figured out your brand definition, Jim Miller, managing broker of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, says that in order to decide how to design your campaign, five main components should be included in every brand awareness marketing campaign: identify your reach, determine a budget, set goals, define success metrics and build your own brand – not your brokerage’s. Build a marketing campaign with the target audience in mind. Determine what types of buyers you want your message to reach – your target demographic – and the best way to communicate with them.