Real estate agents love putting their face on things.
Billboards, signboards, postcards, the sign at the local swim club. Marketing and branding in real estate hasn’t changed all that much over the years but here’s the thing, consumers expectations have. A LOT.
“The businesses of the past were built on advertising impressions. Today, they are built on human impressions that help customers believe, belong, and find meaning.”
Stu Hill
Marketing and personal branding in real estate is often a tale of two agents – those who are part of the fabric of their community and those who are constantly chasing shortcuts to brand awareness. Only the most human agent wins at the end of the day. Now more than ever.
Consumer expectations have fundamentally changed at different times throughout history. And brands, organisations and marketers have been forced to adapt to changes in consumer expectations.
“You can’t be for the city. You have to be of the city.”
Stu Hill
In other words, you can’t just sponsor the local football team and expect that to be a shortcut to brand awareness or a flood of leads coming your way. That might have worked in the olden days where businesses were built on advertising impressions. Brands today are built on human impressions that help customers believe, belong, and find meaning.
“We can’t buy our way into these conversations, We have to earn our way in with a new business approach that appeals to constant human truths.”
Stu Hill
Put simply, you have to be there physically involved at the local football club. Not just a face on a billboard at the end of the field.
Rather than just putting your face on billboards and expecting that to change your business overnight. You must show up, physically as human beings, becoming part of the fabric of the communities in which you serve.
Aim to be the agent who is genuinely give back to the community; not the agent that is just throwing out business cards like ninja stars.
When locals tell other locals about the work you do in the community rather than just the work you do as a real estate agent, those locals are your marketing department. And you can count on a steady stream of referrals for many years to come.
