On our recent MMPT calls, I introduced you to my story and how your competition is you, not others, and I laid out the 7 areas that I consider non-negotiable if you want to build a strong business.
I trust that you will refer back to those extremely important topics and that you are working your way towards mastery. It is my guidance that you focus on obtaining a firm grip on those fundamentals before you focus too much time on anything else.
Today, I wanted to move past the LEVEL 101 content and give you a taste of a LEVEL 201 priority where you should put focus.
Today, I want to dive into personal branding and the importance of telling your story.
First, it’s important to understand that everyone is a “brand.” It’s not something you get to choose, it’s something you build or choose not to build, but it’s still there regardless of how you leverage it.
“A brand is not a logo. A brand is not an identity. A brand is not a product. A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or organization.”
- Marty Neumeier, author and speaker on all things brand
Essentially, what Marty is saying is that your brand is the promise you are making about the level of service you will provide if that customer engages you.
In today's world of marketing, "Personal Branding" is becoming a key part of the equation. Consumers will increasingly want to know more about the "person" before entering into a business relationship. They want "confirmation" before "introduction.” In fact, to gain trust, someone needs to interact with you 20 times compared to only 6 times a decade ago.
Once they trust you, they will verify by doing their research.
As a real estate broker, there are several ways to build your brand:
Social Media:
People hire who they “Know, Like, and Trust,” correct? So, I have found it really important that brokers use the cost-effective social platforms to do just that. But how? Jim, what do I post?
My suggestion is to go back to the phrase of “Know You, Like You, and Trust You.” You’ve all heard it. So, a third of your posts should be “know you,” a third should be “like you,” and a third should be “trust you.” Social media marketing and branding is not just for prospecting; it is also important for your past clients to see that you are active in the business and having success.
To “Know You,” the consumer must see your market through your eyes. Educate your future clients on what is like to live in your market. Do video, use Instagram stories and your Facebook feed to tell really specific "stories" about what you love most about your market. Restaurants, boutique shops, the people, the infrastructure, architecture, and the physical beauty of your market. If your future client lives in another market, let them live in your market vicariously through you. In my opinion, consumers will use the top search engines to browse listings and educate themselves on properties, but they will increasingly start using Instagram to search for their agents. Brands matter and being with Sotheby's International Realty is a huge plus for all of us.
To “Like You,” the consumer must get to know you personally. What are your hobbies, your pet's name, where do you like to eat, where are you from, how you take care of yourself - these are all ways that your future clients can get to know you “virtually.” I could tell you story after story of agents who have been hired for things like being a dog lover or that they grew up in the same part of the country. This is the hardest part for some people because some feel weird talking about themselves. But if you brand yourself authentically to you, it will be really effective.
As you're getting to know your prospective buyer and finding ways to add value, you're increasing your likability factor. The more someone likes you, the more they begin to trust you. This transforms the relationship from one of "buyer and seller" to the preferred position of "subject matter expert and interested party.” The more someone trusts you, the more they share their pain points and needs with you.
There is a real trap here… if your SOI only sees you traveling and eating out, they will think that’s all you do, so those posts need to be in proper ratio. Tip: Do at least two professional photo shoots per year. Your listings require good photography, and so do you. Once you’ve had them done, you can drip them throughout the year.
To “Trust You,” the consumer must get a sense that you are good at what you do. They need to see evidence of success such as sold listings, just listed properties, great photography, and terrific marketing. Instagram stories are a terrific method of "showing" properties on the fly. Testimonials and online reviews (see below) are quite powerful as they relate to “trust.” Tell stories about how you “solved a problem” for your client. Trap: If all you do is post real estate-related content, they will find you uninspiring. It needs to be done in the right ratio.
If you use this “know you, like you, trust you ratio” consistently, your branding should be on point. It will show the market that you are a real person, doing real things while building a successful business.
Here’s a suggestion: Jump on Instagram and follow particular agents that use social media well to build their brands. Start slowly, experiment, increasing the frequency of posts once you know what your market will respond to most often. Using social media should be considered a long game. Your brand will grow as you become more consistent and skilled.
Testimonials/Ratings:
Brokers should strive to build a catalogue of testimonials from their clients after each sale. In fact, it is best to get the testimonial from the client once the property is almost assured of closing (lender clears to close or all contingencies have been met) and before it actually closes. At this time, the client is excited for their next chapter and have not yet "moved on" post-close.
The effectiveness of testimonials is rooted in the concept of “social proof,” which basically states that people are more likely to do something if others who they consider as better informed are already doing it. Social proofs in marketing today come in various forms, including case studies, data or numbers, social media posts and comments, online reviews, and testimonials.
Of these, testimonials resonate the most to real estate clients. Hearing good things from people who have worked with you gives potential clients the assurance that you’re someone they can trust. Testimonials provide a window through which clients can visualize what it’s like to do business with you. They can even highlight your strengths and specializations. And in the crowded and competitive real estate market, this can set you apart from the rest of the field.
On the flip side, not presenting testimonials can lose you clients who look to reviews in qualifying their choice of Realtor. These clients will move on to other agents who can present social proof, whether or not these agents actually provide better service.
Excellent sources of testimonials also include positive social media engagements, and letters or emails of thanks from your clients.
Client Advocacy:
I left this for last because of its importance. Your brand will always stem from how well your clients feel taken care of during the transaction process and after the close. You must, must, must build a database and relationship management strategy to maintain the momentum you created when you were discussing their purchase or sale every day. Not being consistent in this area can really backfire - your clients might feel that they were a “one-night stand.”
There is no better way to gain consistent growth in your business than organically growing the number of people/past clients that are out selling your business. If you are the only one marketing your business, you will have peaks and valleys. If you have 10, 15, 20, 25, 50 people out selling you, your marketing and branding efforts will be just be for maintaining momentum.
Those same social media platforms that we discussed earlier are not just for “telling your story.” Some of the most effective ways to use SOCIAL is for intelligence purposes and interacting with your SOI.
Here’s a tip: Build a “Friend List” on Facebook, which is super simple. Just Google it. Once created, “bookmark it," so it’s the feed that you see when you log on.
Now, a word of caution and why focusing on building a brand is LEVEL 201. Again, if you do not have the LEVEL 101 concepts in motion and a foundation built around your mindset, your vision, your productivity habits and rituals, you most likely will lack the consistency needed to be build an effective personal brand that drives revenue to your bottom line. It’s like installing cabinetry in a home before you do the drywall.
Personal branding is the epitome of a “farming method.” To build a really successful, productive, and profitable brand, you have to be ridiculously, relentlessly consistent and patient.
You may not realize how worth it your efforts are until you get a DM from someone that states that they are moving to your market and want to use you to purchase a sizable property.
