By Nelson Sequeira, Chief Growth Officer & COO of Tonic International
Branding is a widely defined marketing concept. Businesses across industries, including real estate, strive to build and maintain a business persona that resonates with their target customers and can generate a strong, positive public perception. Good branding provides an organization a strong, competitive edge and boosts a business’ capability to take the market lead.
Nelson Sequeira, Chief Growth Officer & COO of Tonic International
Originally, it was associated solely with aesthetic components such as logo, business name, design, tagline, brand colors, packaging, and other visual elements. Even Cambridge Dictionary used to define it as “the act of giving a company a particular design or symbol in order to advertise its products and services.”
But branding has gone through a tremendous transformation since then—an evolution that has continued to challenge traditional views and combined other fundamentals not previously considered such as customer experience, vision and mission, values, reputation, advertising, and social responsibility. All this works together to establish an overall profile and character of the business, beyond what it sells or offers. It is for this reason that branding should already be discussed as early as the business conception stage to have full control of the narrative that a company aims to project as soon as it starts its operations.
Why is real estate branding important?
Real Estate Developments / Projects are always looked upon as the major feeder to GDP growth and in the real estate sector implementing and investing in a multifaceted branding, the approach can help drive any organization’s success. It brings forth benefits that are necessary for a business to exist, effectively compete and flourish. Realtors and brokerages leverage branding to push for a reputation that not only converts to sales but, more importantly, generates client trust and confidence. Many real estate brands thrive on an excellent reputation built on integrity, consistency, results, communication, transparency, and industry knowledge.
A large percentage of real estate agents have been unable to fully take off their business and reach new heights due to a lack of an effective branding strategy. Such a strategy, which can complement a person-to-person marketing technique, is now simple to execute thanks to social media, digital innovations and the power of the internet.
Many enterprising brokerages have turned to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms to add value, provide information, and convey relevant information as part of their brand-building efforts. By creating an active presence in these channels, their target market can easily find and reach out to them. Developing and maintaining an appealing website also lends credibility to the brand.
Regardless of the channel, whether offline or online, one should keep in mind that the quality of a brand and it's messaging should remain consistent and adhere to existing guidelines.
Branding aids in emotional bonding
Real estate is in the business of helping people make one of the biggest purchases or sales of their lives. At the heart of creating and sustaining a brand, therefore, should be nurturing a connection with targeted emotional homebuyers, ROI buyers, asset builders, and brokerage companies.
Branding is the first crucial step to building relationships and gaining the confidence of clients and partners. This makes a hands-on approach to establishing attractive, flexible, and top-level brand assets highly pivotal. It enables a real estate company to win clients and their confidence, loyalty, and recommendations, with a positive impact on the bottom line.
For branding to work and be authentic, an organization must dig deeper into its expertise to discover and showcase its unique selling propositions. It enables a real estate company to position itself in the market as a provider of new and distinct property solutions that transform lives and deliver long-term value. This must be reflected in its brand image and reputation.
In the real estate community, an effective branding strategy makes a huge difference in a company’s efforts to distinguish itself from the competition. More importantly, it is necessary to emotionally connect with one’s target market. Branding is one endeavor that should not be neglected and overlooked.
