WHERE DOES BRANDING BELONG?

BY ANNETTE ANTHONY, DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT

Effective personal branding is essential for building a strong and memorable presence in the marketplace, but does that mean a sales pitch or plug is right in every situation? Inauthentic, tactless, or forceful promotion can often turn people off so reading the room is just as essential as building your brand.

In my travels across North America, I’m constantly learning from seasoned and bold emerging real estate professionals. Here are my top five "do's" and "don'ts" to consider. Use this as a worksheet and see how you rank. Highlight areas where you see opportunities for improvement and prioritize your efforts to make a great impression.

DO'S

• Define Your Brand Identity: Clearly define your brand's mission, values, personality, and unique selling proposition. Understand what sets you apart from competitors and use this as the foundation for all branding efforts.

• Consistency is Key: Maintain a consistent brand image across all touch points, including your updated profile photo, website, social media, marketing materials, consumer app, and tools you use for your customer interactions. Consistency builds recognition and trust but remember you don’t have to be everywhere all at once.

• Know Your Target Audience: Understand your target audience's needs, preferences, and where to find them both on and offline. Adjust your branding and messaging to resonate, showing how your knowledge, experience, and service can support clients as an invaluable resource.

• Know and Convey your WHY: Use storytelling to create an emotional, authentic connection with your audience. Share your brand's history, values, and vision in a way that engages with customers on a personal level.

• Adapt and Evolve: Stay current and relevant by adapting to changes in the market, technology, and consumer behavior. Continuously evaluate your branding strategies and be willing to evolve by learning new ways to connect and refresh as needed.

DONT'S

• Don't Blindly Follow Trends: Beware of conflicting messaging in branding and avoid constantly changing without a clear reason. Chasing the latest design, marketing, or social platform trends without considering whether they align with your brand's identity can confuse or alienate your clients. Trends come and go, but your brand's core identity should remain consistent.

• Don't Copy Competitors: While it's important to stay aware of competition, copying their branding can make you appear unoriginal. Instead, focus on what makes you unique, distinctive, and authentic.

• Don't Neglect Feedback: Ignoring customer comments, positive or negative, can damage your brand's reputation. Actively listen to and engage with customers to address their concerns and build trust.

• Don't Overcomplicate: Simplicity often works best in branding. A clear and straightforward message is more memorable.

• Don't Ambulance Chase: There are times when someone will undoubtedly need a real estate professional, but these can also be delicate situations like divorces or deaths, where people need a person, not a pitch. It’s true that you never know when a conversation about real estate may come up, but using every holiday gathering, party, or milestone event you’re invited to as an opportunity to pass out business cards can send a negative message.