Personal Branding Techniques for Real Estate Agents and Brokers

Branding can be done to any product, or any person. Before undertaking an exercise in personal branding, however, consider your distinctive strengths and abilities and what they offer the market place. Traditionally personal branding was for sporting celebrities who gained enormous coverage and following through their sporting prowess. Movie stars have also had celebrity status and association since movies began.

A personal brand is about creating strong, favorable associations in the minds of people that you encounter. If you don't actively do this, they will still make associations. Therefore, it may be better to be proactive and undertake the branding exercise for yourself, you cannot control what they think but can give them some information to assist with the associations.

WHY BRANDING OURSELVES?

- Places you in a leadership role
- Enhances prestige
- Attracts the right people and right opportunities
- Adds perceived value to what you are selling
- Earns recognition
- Associates you with a trend
- Increases your earning potential
- Differentiate yourself from the competition
- Position your focused message in the hearts and minds of your target customers
- Confers top of mind status
- Increases authority and credence of decisions

HOW DO WE BRAND OURSELVES?

Like any branding exercise, the key to personal branding is having a good product, one which you understand and pitch to the right market. The first step in personal branding is knowing who you are, find out what strengths your brand possesses and how these strengths can help you. Personal branding is not about presenting a façade to the public; a poor product will not stand up to market scrutiny. This is also a choice of brand elements, people you deal with, the look that you have, and how you conduct yourself. Once this has been done, determine what you are going to offer. As a product what do you do, what need does the product of you satisfy in the market. Next figure out the position you will take in the audience of your mind. What unique space do you wish to occupy and what unique associations do you want people to recall when they think of you? Finally, once you have established the first three steps, manage your brand over its lifecycle. That is keep visible, be consistent and be yourself. According to Montoya, the well-known personal branding guru, the key to managing your personal brand is word-of-mouth (WOM), the most trusted form of communication.

How does one go about building a personal brand? Recognize your personal strengths and gifts! Think about how you best connect with people, consider what your target audience needs and wants, identify the value you deliver to meet those needs and wants, and communicate in a way that reaches your constituents in their hearts and minds and via the channels that work best for you

Functional associations are important such as timeliness, quality, dedication; as are emotional associations like inspiring, leadership, being an innovator.

The three C's of personal branding are clarity, consistency and constancy.

Clarity deals with being honest about yourself and your strengths and promises of value attached to your personal brand and being clear in the way you communicate them. Often, for simplicity, you must focus on one or two aspects that are most vital and focus on communicating them. Think about the things you associate with prominent artists or mangers, and they are unlikely to be complicated.

Consistency is keeping things consistent for the customers. This does not mean staying stuck in the past, but just not undertaking drastic changes. Coca Cola have had a consistent message for 50 years; the message evolves continuously and is not stagnant but is consistent. Artists like Madonna change every three or four years, but there is a consistency to the change.

Constancy means being visible with your brand and maintaining an on-going level of awareness in the marketplace. Oprah Winfrey is visible constantly, and although most of people do not have the visibility or exposure of Oprah, they can still be visible in a smaller audience. There is no point trying to build a brand image quickly to coincide with a new exhibition or performance you may have coming up ? brands take time to build in consumers minds.

A FREE PERSONAL BRANDING TOOLKIT FOR REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS

NetReal.net, a company noted for its template-based Real Estate Web design solutions, offers a Winter Holidays Gift for Real Estate Agents and Brokers ? the Personal Branding Toolkit: http://www.netreal.net/personal_branding.php The Personal Branding Toolkit contains the "Essential Marketing for Real Estate Professionals" ebook and 17 Real Estate Reports and the tools to personalize them with your name, contact info and photo.

NetReal's editorial team put together the top 25 highest- rated Real Estate marketing articles of 2004, and created a must-have e-book - "Essential Marketing for Real Estate Professionals". The ebook covers Marketing 101 , Network marketing, Personal Marketing, Customer acquisition and retention, Telemarketing & Direct Mailing, E-marketing. You can personalize this e-book with your data and send it to your contacts, absolutely free of charge. This is a great way to offer a helpful gift to your colleagues and partners. The "17 free Branded Reports" allow you to create your own branded Real Estate reports (for buyers, sellers, investors, movers) with your contact info and photo/logo and an exquisite design. Distribute them to your prospects or clients as e-docs or printed materials, or upload them on your website. Show your professionalism with these great tools to acquire new clients.

The Personal Branding Toolkit for Real Estate Professionals (http://www.netreal.net/personal_branding.php) is free for everyone.

Dan R. Vella is marketing editor for NetReal.net. NetReal.net (http://www.netreal.net) is a privately-owned company providing real estate web sites and marketing solutions for real estate industry, focusing especially on the low-cost end, and empowering the real-estate agents through the use to Internet technologies with the most affordable costs.

---

The Ultimate Short Sale Secret

Buying foreclosures can be extremely profitable for real estate investors.... Read More

Theres More To Making Money Than A Tertiary Education

An education of some sort is a prerequisite these days... Read More

How to Qualify For 90% Plus Commercial Financing!!!

There are three important questions that you must understand and... Read More

Conditions Are Right For Buying The Higher Priced Home You?Ve Always Wanted

Higher interest rates and home prices in the past have... Read More

Dealing With Dual Real Estate Agents

Historically, real estate agents have represented the seller of a... Read More

Searching For Maui Beachfront Houses?

Who wouldn't want to move into a Maui beachfront house?... Read More

High Tension for the Buyer and Seller of Real Estate Can Be Reduced

Tensions can run high in both the selling and buying... Read More

Real Estate Investors Kick Away $1,000

Those new to real estate investing often fail to take... Read More

A Possible Bargain: Foreclosed Properties

In the superheated San Francisco Bay Area property market, foreclosed... Read More

Real Estate Negotiation Secrets

When you bought your home, you offered less than you... Read More

How to Sell Your House For Full Price

Many people believe that a real estate broker is needed... Read More

Estate Agents on the Costa Blanca Spain

Properties for sale or to rent on the Costa BlancaAs... Read More

10 ?No Money Down? Ways to Buy Real Estate

Turn the Television on any Sunday morning and you'll find... Read More

What Does It Take To Be A Donald Trump in Real Estate?

Since you are a business oriented person, you might be... Read More

10 Tips to Sell Your House Faster!

Here are some Handy wee Tips to help you Sell... Read More

Home Buying Checklist ? Windows

If you are in the market to purchase a home,... Read More

Property Investing Secrets 2

Property Investing Secrets:How You Can Turn A Below Average Deal... Read More

Farm Expired Listings For Big Commissions

Many real estate agents begin and sometimes sadly end their... Read More

How to increase the Saleable Value of your Home

When selling your home, you'll want to fetch the best... Read More

Do Open Houses Work?

What are the odds that you'll find your dream at... Read More

Reinventing Real Estate, Part 2: Online and Empowered Consumers Are Taking Charge and Paying Less

Demanding consumers"Internet buyers tend to be better informed on market... Read More

Should You Allow Buyer To Rent During Closing?

It's not uncommon for an investor to sell a house... Read More

10 Important Tips to Successful Real Estate Investing

When it comes to investing, everybody has certain goals and... Read More

Real Estate Investing ? Finding Cheap Houses

Real estate investing expertise can certainly accommodate the luxury home... Read More

Why Move to the Poconos?

Awaken to the sounds of softly rustling trees and tranquil... Read More

The 21st Century Way To Build Equity

Here to stay and firmly established in the U.S. mortgage... Read More

How to Buy a Home When Your in Your Twenties

A Single's Game of Real Estate (Getting started in your... Read More

Selling Houses: Flooring & Feelings

Buyers think they love Italian tile and other hard floor... Read More

Real Estate Investing: Infomercial and Mentoring Scams

Flipping through late-night infomercials recently, I saw two real estate... Read More

Saving for a Home

So you want to buy a home? This is a... Read More

Should Sellers Order a Pre-sale Home Inspection?

One of the main reasons home sale transactions fall apart... Read More

Content Ideas for Ads and Brochures When Selling Your Home

Even in this hot real estate market, selling your home... Read More

Subdividing - But NOT Land!

Many people are familiar with the concept of sub-dividing a... Read More