There’s more to real estate branding than a fancy logo, unique name, and catchy tag lines. Matter of fact most aspects of the business, including your systems and processes, help make up your brand. Many companies might not realize this.
To have a successful brand, companies must craft a cohesive story that is perceived to be of value by its consumer. The message has to be delivered carefully otherwise there’s a risk that your backstory will not be believed by people, much less persuade them to buy into your services.
Branding in Real Estate for a Corporate Entity
In essence, branding is what your audience’s gut feel about your company. It defines why people do business with you.
Naturally, as a real estate company, your main objective is to be profitable. So with the use of branding, you can differentiate yourself from the rest and build towards becoming the go-to firm in your area.
Though there’s one thing you must remember before you create a branding strategy for your real estate brokerage. It is that there is no one-size-fits-all.
Companies with 50 employees may require a different branding strategy versus those operating with less than 5. So I’m here to show you the steps you can take to arrive at your ideal brand.
In this article, I will share the best techniques to create a branding strategy for your real estate business.
And as you explore, you’ll find that this blog contains tips and tools that help make sure your company and your people are leaving the best positive impressions on others.
Table of Contents
To start, here’s the summary list of the best techniques for real estate companies to upgrade their branding strategy:
You may choose to skip to the part you want but I strongly suggest you read this article from start to finish. The tips in this article are some of the most up-to-date solutions you will find on the web, while most of the references are tried and tested practices of some of the world’s highly successful real estate firms.
Now, let’s begin.
1 – Find a niche
In a past article, I briefly explained how agents can find their real estate niche and why it’s important for them to do so if they want to succeed.
Now, the same process can be done for real estate entities. But to take the advantage of their market positioning, broker-owners need to do more than a few simple tweaks.
Generally speaking, building a brand for an organization takes 20x the effort vs. personal branding. That’s because you’re starting from scratch with the aim to bring life to a new identity.
So, for those that are planning to start their own real estate brokerage brand, here are the steps to finding your company’s niche:
Step 1. Pick a property sector that best represents your knowledge and passion for the field.
A company doesn’t become a global leader in commercial or residential real estate services by mere accident. To be a brand that people remember for years and decades to come, it needs to clearly and consistently convey its business objectives with its brand strategy.
For example, everyone knows of at least one powerhouse name in real estate brokerage, such are the likes of JLL or RE/MAX. These two companies founded in the UK and the US respectively, have grown to become a well-established presence globally. From their early days, they practiced the core business principle of ‘capitalize on what you know which would then be a major attribute to their business success.
On a branding scale, these big boys definitely know what they’re doing to stay relevant. In fact, one need only give a quick glance at these companies’ online presence and they will be able to tell immediately what business of real estate are these firms about.
More competition means a stronger niche strategy
The more mature a business model is, the more likely it is to be saturated in the market.
And with the real estate industry being highly competitive to this day, defining your unique selling proposition is key if you want to stand out as a business owner.
This involves showcasing during the early stages of the brand that you’re the best in one thing vs. being mediocre at everything. Try to narrow down your scope but also leave some room for probable scalability.
Step 2. Learn the ins and outs and culture of the neighborhood you’re selling.
Now, for companies to establish their expertise in an area, they invest their resources in many ways.
Training employees, participating in various community immersions, and setting up an office at the center of its farm are some of these common practices.
Successful real estate agencies know that branding in the area where they sell properties means making sure their roots are planted firm, almost like a true local.
To illustrate this point further, here’s a sample real estate intro campaign by Royal Palm Properties of Boca Raton Florida, USA:
Step 3. Select the market segment you want to cater to make it easier for buyers to come to you.
One thing that must not be overlooked when developing your brand strategy is the market demographics. These are people that have lived, currently living, and have the capability or desire to live within a specific market segment.
Demographics such as age, race, income, and education level can help determine your Buyer Persona.
In this case, you can refer to the Law of Supply and Demand to give you an idea of how you can effectively market your business to the right people.
A market analysis that states the market behavior of specific economic conditions is one of the steps you need in finding the right niche for you.
Let’s have a look at this example.
| DEMOGRAPHICS (Demand) | PURPOSE OF BUYING | MARKET SEGMENT (Supply) |
| Newly married couple | End-use | Middle-end |
| Chinese | Investment | High end |
| Entrepreneurs | Investment | Luxury |
| Seniors & Retirees | End-use | Mid to high-end |
Based on this data observation, a real estate business can develop their branding to target the needs of their ideal client (demand) and gain leverage in the marketplace to procure their offerings i.e. listings (supply).
On the flip side, when you’ve decided from the get-go to focus only on a specific stream of supply (e.g Multifamily units), this step helps you align your brand context to make it easy for your ideal demographic to find and do business with you.
2 – Be authentic
Now that we have established your niche, things are about to get real. In fact, according to this article by Inc., authenticity is the new brand standard. And I second that.
To achieve real estate brokerage success, the brand must represent the true principles of those who run the show. It requires showmanship of integrity and accountability, sometimes even mixed with a sense of vulnerability. Companies that fail to uphold their promises are sure to face a bleak future.
These days though, it’s not enough that founders and managers believe in something. They need to show it through their company’s actions, too. So be authentic as a brand and don’t be afraid to stand up for causes that you believe in.
3 – Establish visuals
For the most part, brainstorming for real estate brand identity may be easier today than it used to be 20 years ago.
But these days, design ideas are just a search engine type away. You can even see in real-time what your competitors are doing just by lurking on their social media.
Be that as it may, brainstorming brand names and brand colors is one thing (because you can just settle with your favorite color, right?). But to build a strong brand identity is another.
Establishing a brand’s visuals is not done with just a simple Photoshop. It requires research, imagination, 80 cups of coffee, and acute attention to detail.
Therefore, it’s best to leave it to the design experts and brand managers to create a compelling brand story for your company. Because while you may know the inner workings of brokering real estate, brand strategists have a deeper understanding of the human psyche when it comes to evoking emotions through design.
By hiring and outsourcing design professionals, you release yourself of the all-consuming branding work. In so doing, you allow yourself to tackle other important tasks. This should come as good news because as the CEO, you should be busy planning systems and building partnerships ahead for your new brand.
Hiring brand experts
When hiring designers it’s important that you qualify them so check their online profiles or read their client testimonials. When you look over their portfolio try to find out if,
✅ They can make your real estate branding look like this:
❌ ...so that you DON’T end up with this:
Where can you hire reliable experts, might you ask.
Well, here are some of my recommendations based on the overall satisfaction of the work produced by the hire as well as the user-friendliness and safety of the website.
Top Websites to Outsource Brand Design Work
As a principal myself in a brokerage firm, I’ve experienced outsourcing from these sites for various types of work and all I can say is that they’re so worth it.
These websites are flocked by many talented individuals and agencies who can accomplish the most design work for your business in the least amount of time. And if you’re not sold with the idea of outsourcing an expert, this list of the best real estate branding assets may just be enough to convince you.
Best Real Estate Branding and Marketing Assets
Here are some of the best marketing assets and collaterals you can utilize in promoting your corporate real estate identity in 2022:
- Actionable Website
- Social Media Templates
- Branded GIFs and Stickers
- Business Cards
- Caps
- E-books
- E-mail Newsletter Templates
- E-mail Signature
- Digital Flyers
- ID Lanyards
- Laptop/iPhone Cases
- Mugs
- Pens
- Printed Brochures
- Promotional Video Content
- Stationery
- T-shirts
- Tote Bags
- Umbrella
- Yard Signs
When your hire an expert, you pay for the decades-long experience and the accumulated knowledge they have on the subject matter. And since we’ve mentioned that the key to establishing the best brand identity is by making sure it meets the highest level of standards, this move can really help elevate your business.
(Got a burning question? Drop your message in the comments section below!)
4 – Build a storefront
As the saying goes, “If you build it, they will come.”
And without a doubt, having a compelling real estate website is a MUST, especially for new companies that are about to face stiff competition in the market.
It’s a fact that buyers spend a significant amount of time online researching a potential purchase. So it’s a no-brainer to invest in the digital presence of your real estate business.
Nowadays, it’s also much easier to set up a website. There are tons of available templates online and many of them have a responsive layout that encourages visitors to engage with your brand in real-time.
Before you dive in though, it’s important to know the components of a good real estate website. At any rate, a properly executed digital storefront increases your web visitor’s interest which may lead to them making inquiries or scheduling appointments with your listings.
10 Must-haves for a Real Estate Website:
- Company overview
- Contact information
- Advanced search functionality
- Filter results function
- Featured listings
- Location maps
- Real estate photo gallery
- Agents profile
- Social sharing buttons
- Resources/Journals
Obviously, the design will vary across different brands but no matter what the messaging might be, the above list of functionality and features is what makes your site look like a real estate website.
Now, while a digital address is a must for brands, having a prestigious office address is a cut above when attracting the right clients.
Even amid a pandemic, big corporations fight to pay a premium in establishing their presence above everyone else. For their brand, the move signals a market advantage among the company’s competitors and signifies a positive development for its stakeholders.
“But what should we do if we’re just a small business with limited capital?“
Well, you might have heard of the concept of a virtual address.
Virtual offices offer similar features to a physical office such as a 5-star CBD address for the fraction of the cost. It also offers value-added services like mail handling and call forwarding for minimal overhead.
Overall, it’s a good alternative for start-ups who want to look the part without sacrificing their start-up capital.
Of course, if you have the capital to lease an actual space in a good location, that’s even better. That would make your brand more accessible to your clients and employees which can give a positive return to your business.
5 – Have a voice
A brand voice is a culmination of the experience, beliefs, mission, and vision of the company in human form.
Since real estate remains to be one of the most emotional purchases a person can do in a lifetime, it’s important to create a brand that customers will trust. The experience of buying or selling a property is and always will be life-altering so it’s hard to rely on a brand that is purely run by data and leaves no room for human connection.
With this purpose in mind, a business must develop a distinct brand voice. It doesn’t even have to be unique in an individual sense. But it does have to integrate with the other aspects of your brand to make it really stand out. With the right formula, a run-of-the-mill company can turn its tables but still be relatable to its audience’s eyes.
Brands that inspire a higher emotional intensity receive 3x as much WOM (word-of-mouth) as less emotionally-connected brands.
VIA invesp
As this article suggests, answering certain questions can help you develop your brand voice. So ask yourself, what makes your company special?
6 – Be consistent
Up to the present day, when it comes to climbing the top of the real estate echelons, consistency remains to be the key (no pun intended).
By definition, brand consistency is a well-organized, ongoing fulfillment of the company’s values.
These values are translated to the company’s brand assets and resources which when executed impeccably, can forge success ahead in a multitude of ways.
Assets produced by the company must always exemplify its core message though. So at the minimum, these 5 tips are what you need to achieve consistent real estate branding.
Top 5 Techniques in Real Estate Brand Consistency
Building audience trust requires conscious effort and discipline.
You need to invest time and resources in order to establish a positive, recognizable image for your company. Here are some things to remember:
- Use the same brand name, colors, fonts, and logos EVERY time.
- Relate advertising activities to the company’s identity.
- Experiment with various marketing efforts without losing the company’s core message.
- Foster partnerships with other companies that share similar values and causes.
- Strive to follow through on the brand promise.
7 – Provide value
Now onto the last item on this list but definitely not the least.
When it comes to real estate branding, it’s not enough for a company to have only strong imagery. A beautiful website or an expensive office will not do you any good if you don’t provide anything of real value.
In other words, your brand needs depth.
As a business, you should be able to provide invaluable solutions to your target customers. Clients don’t want to feel like you’re just out for their money. They want to connect with someone, or rather a brand, where they feel they have much to gain.
Let’s have a look at some examples of the things you can do for your brand to stay relevant in 2021.
Real Estate Brands Dos and Don’ts
DO
- Provide easy-to-comprehend market updates
- Publish blogs about your key insights on the market
- Spread brand awareness using traditional media (TV, radio, print ads)
- Share engaging content on your company’s social media
- Collaborate with local businesses
DON’T
- Use generic design and templates, you’ll be harder to differentiate
- Blabber about real estate jargon, as it can annoy potential customers
- Blast their e-mail with the same listings over and over, you will be marked as spam
- Don’t spam social media with your ads
- Don’t try to be ‘for everybody’
Listen and pay attention to the needs and behavior of your target market and use their cues to tweak your value proposition.
At the end of the day, people believe and buy into a brand that they perceive to have more value to give.
64% of respondents would open an email simply because they trusted the brand.
VIA Invesp
Summary
So to recap, these are the best techniques for branding a real estate business:
- Find a niche
- Be authentic
- Establish visuals
- Build a storefront
- Have a voice
- Be consistent
- Provide value
For the most part, we learn that a successful brand is no accident. It happens because of a sheer amount of dedication and determination to create a business that other people will believe in.
Any real estate company that wishes to define the impressions that others have of them needs to practice these techniques. And in order not to get beat out by new entrants, brands need to constantly adapt to the times and maintain their resonance with their audience.
The measure of brand success counts on the customer’s association of their own values to those which the corporate entity stands for. Therefore you must establish a well-defined brand intention in your business and keep projecting it until it matches other people’s perceptions.
Lastly, to be the best out there, make it your business objective to provide real solutions to problems and uphold that brand promise. Strive to create the best positive impressions on your brand and prove to the world that your business stands for so much more—not just a fancy logo. Best of luck!
Which real estate branding technique is critical for your business right now? Share your thoughts below!
—Last Updated on June 14, 2022
