Why brand support is vital to your real estate business

Behind every successful business is a successful brand ‒ one that’s taken time, effort and investment to create by establishing a good reputation, earning trust and providing a service (or product) that is valuable in the marketplace. And let’s not forget the investment in graphic design, that can help your business to stand out.

Coca Cola. Nike. Amazon. Google. Apple. These names are powerful because of their brand presence. People know who they are, and what they represent – and, most importantly, make buying decisions based on those perceptions. But to get to that level of customer awareness and market domination takes years; for those starting out from scratch, it can be extremely difficult to be seen in amongst a sea of well-established competition.

As for any industry, real estate has market leaders whose brands precede them.

So is your agency’s brand working for you the way it should be?

Simply put, setting up your own real estate brand will take a lot of time and money. You’ll be competing with agencies who have already done the graft and made themselves a household name in a particular suburb, city, state or even globally.

Think of the brand you work under as a short cut to credibility and trust.

Of course, it can be done, but taking the hard road is not necessarily always the best way to go. It’s far riskier, for one, as I learned to my cost when I started my agency, Paul Davies Property. Although I had a good reputation in the industry, I found it hard to gain visibility.

Working with a well-known, secure brand takes the risk right out of the equation. Think of the brand you work under as a short cut to credibility and trust. And if you choose the right real estate agency brand, it will provide you with everything you need from the beginning so you can get on with achieving your real estate goals without getting bogged down in commissioning and organising all the collateral you’ll need.

Create your personal brand while backed by an established agency brand

There’s no doubt a personal brand is still critical for any real estate agent. At the end of the day, what you’re selling is yourself – your service, your abilities and your promise to achieve the best result for the vendor.

Today’s consumers are extremely market savvy, and authenticity, social proof and genuine human connection is what ultimately drives our purchasing decisions. Of course, we all want to buy from people we know, like and trust, so person-to-person (P2P) marketing has never been more important. And this is where you, as an agent, come in.

We know from extensive reading and research that buyers value brands they have confidence in. But here’s the sticking point – how do you initiate that process of getting property owners to believe in your abilities if you don’t have some kind of presence already behind you? The truth is ‒ it’s challenging.

So what does being backed by an international brand mean for you? You have more time to devote to building your personal brand – and people are more likely to trust you if you are associated with a company that has already earned a reputation for success and credibility.

A large real estate brand also comes with all the elements required for consistency across the aspects of sales and marketing. There’s much to be said from showcasing a cohesive brand, whether it is in print, digital or other required media. When another agent achieves success, some of that glow is transferred to you via the brand. And as you benefit, so every success you achieve will benefit others.

The One Agency difference

Your personal brand can be powerful, but it still won’t give you the visibility of an international brand that clients recognise. The key to starting your own business in a cooler market (yes, it can be done, and it’s a smart time to take control of your future) is to be easily identifiable while running a lean operation. And that’s exactly what One Agency Group offers.

It is about taking advantage of a brand that already stands out in a crowded market space, by gaining trust from clients who will see that you are backed by us (kind of like a ‘stamp of approval’, if you will). Having brand support helps to tell a story to people about who you are, and what you can provide. They’ll trust you more, ask fewer questions, and will be confident in the fact that you can provide marketing that covers more bases.

And the beauty of the One Agency offering is that you still get to be an independent business operator who retains absolute control of your own independent real estate agency business. There’s also a pretty simple fee structure too, that focuses on a heightened reward-for-effort ratio – it’s what makes a One Agency licence so appealing.

Do you need more visibility as a real estate agent?

To quote Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon: “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

So what others are saying about your agency brand? Are they talking about you at all?

Still deciding whether or not to take up a brand? Read this article about rebranding to check whether or not you’re ready.