Whether you are a brand new real estate agent or a seasoned professional, creating an irresistible personal brand can help you stand out from the crowd. Now you may be asking, ‘what is a personal brand?’ or ‘can I have my own brand while representing my brokerage?’
A personal brand is simply the “act of creating a distinct professional reputation for yourself”, according to the global management consulting firm, Korn Ferry. Moreover, developing your professional reputation alongside your employer’s brand can really increase your value in the marketplace! However, creating a unique, professional perception for yourself requires more than simply attaching a self-proclaimed ‘influencer’ title to your LinkedIn profile and writing some posts. It also entails committing time to self-reflect and develop a long-term strategy.
Defining Yourself
The first step towards creating your personal brand is to define yourself and your core skills. Remember, there is only ONE of you in the whole world, so don’t sell yourself short. Using the example of the chart below, list your worth, skills and expertise that can “pull” clients to you
The main reason to engage in personal branding is to stay top of mind with quality content and a positive presence. Therefore, it is key that you understand and define your values.
Also, think about what you want your future value to be and how you will get there.
If you are still stuck, our personal branding statement exercise can help get you started.
Start by filling in the blanks below:
I help ______ (clients) by______________________(solving problem) which leads to __(outcome).
Example: “I help Dubai real estate searchers by offering transparent services which leads to finding the ideal property to match their personal style.”
Then make it sound like you…
Passionate about providing honest and transparent real estate services to find you the perfect property that reflects your style. Always connected, communication is key!
Understanding Your Audience
The second step is to define your target audience. This could include first time homebuyers, new expats, families looking for villas in Dubailand or locals looking to buy in Umm Suqeim.
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At this stage, you should also assess whether your skills and passion suit the needs and requirements of your target audience.
Defining Your Values
The third step is to define what can you give of value. The best way of staying top of mind is to be present with quality and valuable content. Valuable content is not a series of “for sale” and “for rent” posts. Here are some examples of things you can give that are of value.
- First-time home-buyer meetups: “Meet me at Costa Coffee the first Saturday of each month. I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee and walk you through the entire purchase and mortgage process.”
- Articles and Blogs: LinkedIn provides a great opportunity for you to promote your knowledge and professionalism through informative articles and blogs.
- Market reports: Bayut regularly provides market reports and this is your opportunity to add your perspective, “I am a professional and I have a professional opinion about this.”
Your Strategy
The most important step is the strategy component. It is taking all of the above and creating a social media strategy to get the right content, to the right person, at the right time. To do this, you simply define your: goals, customers, channels, frequency and content. The main reason to engage in personal branding is to stay top of mind with quality content and a positive presence.
Therefore, it is key that you understand and define your value. Also, think about what you want your future value to be and how you will get there.
If you are still stuck, our personal branding statement exercise can help get you started. Start by filling in the blanks below:
I help __________________(clients) by______________________(solving problem) which leads to ______________(outcome).
It is worth noting that sales in any field is about emotions. This is amplified when it comes to real estate. People buy on emotions and then justify their purchase with logical and rational thoughts.
Consider how you can appeal to this golden nugget of information. Nike is probably the quintessential example for connecting emotionally with consumers through their “Just Do It” campaign.
Consider tag lines that can you help you connect emotionally with your target audience. “Always connected, communication is key” is an example. (others: “Passionate about Dubai after 25 years of living as an expat. Let me share my experience and passion for service with you.” “Connected, honest, transparent and I always pick up my phone.”)
Perhaps you have read this far and have decided, “this is not for me, personal branding.” Be aware that everyone has a personal brand and this could be negative, positive or even neutral. Your personal brand today is made up of:
- Your posts online
- Your property listings
- Your email and WhatsApp messages
- Your professionalism on the phone
- Video content you promote
- Responses to social media
We encourage you to take a critical look at your current brand and ask yourself, “could I improve this?”
The great news is you can guide and actively be in control of your personal brand. Start with the steps above and join us for an interactive session at Bayut Academy to further build your personal brand.