7 Questions You Need to Answer in Order to Define Your Personal Brand
Having a strong personal brand is essential. You earn customers’ trust, establish credibility and build recognition. Having a well-established brand from the beginning can make everything easier.
So, how do you get there? How do you develop a strong, effective personal brand?
There are seven crucial questions you need to ask yourself to help define your personal brand and differentiate yourself from the competition.
Brand-Building Question No. 1
Who are my clients/prospects?
If you’re not starting from the perspective of who you want to serve, you’re already off track.
The more clearly, precisely and narrowly you’re able to identify your ideal client, the more successful you can be in tailoring your brand to that persona.
Brand-Building Question No. 2
What are my clients’ pain points/ambitions/fears/desires?
This next question forces you to dive deeper into understanding what your clients are facing.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to consumers and conduct your own research. Having that “voice of the customer” data can play a huge role in gaining empathy for their position and seeing things from their point of view, so you can frame your brand around solutions consumers actually want and need.
Brand-Building Question No. 3
How can I help them get what they want?
Your brand consists of more than a personal logo and color scheme. It also includes how you do things and how you communicate your difference to consumers.
So, if your research tells you consumers want a smoother real estate experience, it’s your job to figure out how to not only provide it, but communicate it as well. What barriers in the process can you remove? What common pitfalls can you handle proactively to deliver a seamless experience?
You should devote sufficient time and energy to answering this question, because when you do it right, people will love what you do and tell everyone they know about you.
Brand-Building Question No. 4
After three questions about the consumers you serve, it’s time to look inward:
Who am I? What are my unique, quirky, interesting or meaningful qualities, history or attributes?
There’s a tendency among bad real estate marketing to try to look like everyone else. The objective should be the opposite: to differentiate yourself based on the unique qualities that make you, YOU.
Embrace your individuality. Tell your story. Don’t be afraid to reveal some of the human elements and experiences that have shaped you into the person you are today. This doesn’t have to be strictly business-related either.
People want to do business with people they like and can relate to. Don’t be afraid to open up. Reveal your hobbies, your history or some unique aspect that makes you memorable, and then shape your brand around those attributes.
Brand-Building Question No. 5
What specialty skills or insights do I bring to the table?
If you can provide consumers with a benefit or differentiator that others cannot, highlight it and run with it.
Maybe it’s a skill from your life prior to real estate that you can integrate into your service. Maybe it’s a special area of expertise you possess. Maybe it’s your rich history and connections to the area you serve.
Take the time to look inside yourself and figure out what makes you different and what you can deliver that others cannot.
Brand-Building Question No. 6
What market do I serve and how well do I know it?
The real question here is: Is there a gap between what you actually know about your market and what you could know about your market?
If yes, close that gap. Study your market. Learn the different neighborhoods and subdivisions. Study the MLS every single day to identify trends. Get out and about to make sure you’re informed about new offerings and amenities including restaurants, places to go, and things to do.
The more you can embody your market—and convey that in your brand—the more successful you’ll be as a real estate professional.
Brand-Building Question No. 7
How will I bring all of this to market?
At the top of the list is video. It’s essential to use video—and use it well—to stand out and compete in today’s market.
In addition, you should have your social media dialed in (both organic and paid), consider direct mail to a geographic farm, and use outdoor advertising (billboards, bus benches, etc.). TV and/or radio also should be considered, depending on your market and affordability.
