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When making a model, professionals typically get caught up within the aesthetics — the fashionable font, the eye-catching shade scheme or the distinctive brand. Whereas these issues matter, 4 branding consultants mentioned the key sauce lies in creating a definite, genuine feeling that homebuyers and homesellers gained’t neglect.
Agent Improve co-founder Kevin Knight requested the Inman Join MARTECH — quick for advertising tech — crowd to think about strolling right into a grocery retailer and going to an aisle with rows and rows of brightly-colored luggage of chips. Lots of the chips on the aisle are made with the identical substances and have related style profiles. However what makes you select Plain Lays potato chips over one other model? Or what makes bitter cream and onion Ruffles the fitting selection for a household barbecue as a substitute of Cheetos?
“Who are you marketing to? Who’s gonna buy your products? Spoiler alert: it’s not everyone,” Knight mentioned on Tuesday whereas standing in entrance of a display emblazoned with rows of chips. “What attracts that audience to you, right? For the barbecuing dad, it could be the sour cream and onion ridges on Ruffles that resonate with him and that’s what attracts it. That would be a value.”
“Then you’ve got your style, how you present yourself, how you communicate. It’s what you drive. It’s what you wear,” he added. “It’s how you talk. And then you’ve got the essence. And the essence is, ultimately, that feeling that you leave people with after every interaction with your brand.”
Sydney Miller and Kevin Knight | Credit score: AJ Canaria Artistic Companies
Knight and his enterprise accomplice, Sydney Miller, pointed to Complete Meals, Dealer Joe’s, REI Co-Op, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Volvo as shining examples of branding completed proper. Every firm, they mentioned, has a transparent imaginative and prescient of its goal shopper and has constructed a model that connects with its shoppers’ pathos.
“REI is a brand that [reflects its values] extremely well,” Miller mentioned. One of many campaigns that they did that I believe actually exhibits their values is a marketing campaign they did a number of years again referred to as Decide Outdoors. Mainly, on Black Friday, they shut their doorways, which is unparalleled, proper, for like a giant retail retailer.”
“They said, ‘You know what? Instead of going shopping at REI, we’re gonna be closed. Go outside,’” she added. “And what does that show you? It shows you that REI values its values more than even making sales … That is how they’re able to really build this loyal community around them — because they stand for something.”
Miller and Knight mentioned setting firm values and boldly following by on them — a la REI — is what offers an organization identify or brand which means. To show the purpose, they flashed logos for Mercedes Benz, BMW and Volvo and requested the viewers to yell what phrases come to thoughts.
“Luxury!” somebody shouted for Mercedez Benz. “Performance,” one other individual mentioned about BMW. “Safety,” one other attendee mentioned about Volvo.
“People ask me who the strongest brand on earth is,” Knight mentioned. “I think it might actually be Volvo because it doesn’t matter how big a room I do this in, anywhere in the country, when I show the Volvo logo, everyone sees safety.”
“To Sydney’s point, you don’t have to say it necessarily. This is not a tagline or a slogan or something like that,” he added. “This is how you communicate your whole self in every single interaction.”
Moderator Katie Kossev with Griff O’Brien and Elias Astuto | Credit score: AJ Canaria Artistic Companies
In a separate session, Property Media co-founder and CEO Griff O’Brien and #TEAMFAST Powered by eXp Realty Director of Gross sales and Teaching Elias Astuto mentioned video content material is the simplest and dynamic approach for brokers to strengthen their manufacturers and stoke progress by authenticity.
“The opportunity is for us to speak our voice, our purpose, our cause, our crusade, our mission,” Astuto mentioned of video content material. “When you’re aligned with that, then what happens is that you have a sense of freedom. But I feel like we all battle at some level when we’re starting out in this game with the imposter syndrome.”
“Well, the moment that you can get rid of that imposter syndrome and just be whoever the heck you are and be comfortable with it, I think that’s when the freedom comes in,” he added. And now you’re free to be your self; it’s like being in a great relationship. However don’t chase the self-importance…”
Astuto mentioned brokers must concentrate on offering substance of their movies, which provides your sphere of affect a transparent, practical image of who you might be and what you carry to the desk. O’Brien mentioned that concentrate on substance extends to the visible mediums brokers select to attach with their viewers.
“If you try to force someone right into a medium, or a series, or some piece of content that they are not excited about, it’s going to show, and it’s going to come through on screen,” O’Brien mentioned. “So we’re really focused on creating IP and assets with talent, whether that’s a newsletter, whether that’s a podcast, whether that’s a video series, it might be [an] option for television.”
“It always starts, again, with what you are an expert in, what you like, and what challenges you are currently facing,” he added. We at all times begin from that central premise of, once more, what you’ve maybe needed to try this you haven’t been capable of, and the way can we then assist get that completed?”
Though most brokers’ purpose for video content material is monetization, each males mentioned brokers should have different motivating components, as progress might come slowly. As soon as brokers are clear about their important motivations and who they need to join with, they’ll stick with a plan that gives satisfaction and long-term success.
“As you’re starting out, ask yourself a very simple question. Who is this video for?” Astuto mentioned. “If you’re a mom and you’re balancing being a mom and a wife and an entrepreneur, create that type of content because then other people see it like, ‘Wow, if she can do it, I can do it.’”
“At the end of the day, it’s what’s in it for them, and then leveraging other people’s audience,” he added. “If you’re out in a community, you’re shooting a video at the local bakery, or wherever it is, you tag that company, and your hope is that they repost that. Then their audience gets to see your face.”
“I’m like, ‘Oh, I like that bakery. She likes that bakery. I might want to follow her,’” he added. “Then they go to your page and they see your lifestyle. They see the things that you are doing with your family, who you are as a human. And you know what? Now I want to stay.”
If this sounds daunting, each males mentioned brokers can begin by constructing a strong e mail checklist that’s not topic to wild algorithmic modifications on social media websites and creating content material buckets that make it simpler to generate posts. A few of Astuto’s favourite content material buckets are inspirational, instructional and conversational — every one creates a dialogue between an agent and their viewers.
“How can I produce something that is shareable, saveable and of substance?” Astuto mentioned. I don’t care in regards to the self-importance metrics. I need to understand how many individuals are literally going to save lots of this, come again to this, and the way a lot worth that’s. If you cease chasing self-importance, then you can begin to be extra your self.”
