Is it Time for you to Re-Brand?
Is it Time for you to Re-Brand?
I’ve always been skeptical about real estate agents and their “Brands”. I hear a lot of agents talk about it, but for most their brand exists only in their own minds and doesn’t bear out in anything else. At Cunningham Group, we recently completed a full re-brand and one of the challenges in doing so, is I wanted to make sure the brand would permeate at all levels of the company. We are about 75% complete with our re-branding but it’s as good a time as any to give you a window into what that truly looks like.
First - who is your audience?
The Las Vegas market forces change every few years to stay in business, from a boom market to an epic bust market (multiple markets - from short sales to REO to investors and finally to first time homebuyers). After focusing on Down Payment Assistance programs and orienting our business towards first time homebuyers, we determined that 2017 would be the year where increasingly tight inventory would make it very hard for someone with out their own down payment and closing costs to be able to compete. So we want to target buyers and sellers in the $300-600,000 range. Not too high to get into the intricacies of luxury real estate (which is a buyer’s market in Vegas), but beyond the FHA price range where buyers typically have the ability to purchase a little easier. Our target is therefore upper middle class and affluent households making over $100,000 a year.
Second - how can you appeal to them emotionally?
Great branding connects a consumer with the idealized version of themselves. They want to buy Nike because athletes wear them, even though 80% of the time they won’t even use the shoes in sports. If you are targeting first time homebuyers or second home buyers or move-up buyers - what is the way they see themselves ideally? Tap into that.
Our goal is to focus on service - the idea that the very best experience is reserved for YOU (i.e. any of our customers). You can see why this type of re-brand is a lot more complicated than just slapping a new logo on your business card. We have to re-training our staff (and hire), and completely change our thinking. The attention to detail in our office from the lobby experience, to a menu when clients arrive, to the consultation experience, it all has to be highly organized, low stress and delightful. The book “Raving Fans” is our guide to providing service. This is an expensive re-brand but will connect the affluent home buyer and seller to the high roller version of themselves - that doesn’t wait in line for things or have to wait for a call back - or “press 1” to reach someone. So, in short, “Our Brand is Service”
Third - Create a branding standard
We hired someone freelance for about $2500 to complete a total rebrand. New logo, new colors, and create a full branding guide that can be used for any graphic designer. You can see a page from it attached. We wanted a slick, classy and yet modern look. You’ll already see our logo everywhere in our office and branding.
Fourth - Create a branding introduction to the world
The last 25% of our re-brand (our new website and a video) will take it even further than ever. We are hiring a professional videographer to create a beautifully branded video on our team that will make it clear the level of service we provide buyers and sellers as well as our connection to community.
The community element is an important one in our rebranding approach as our #1 Priority from a lead generating standpoint is to provide hyper-local support to clients. instead of playing Zillow’s game, we are playing the game they are unable to play. The kind that knows the best local vegan place in Vegas and the owner’s name, or which trails you can take to bike ride without getting on a street. Don’t forget to brand for locals.
We also announced our new brand in a letter with our logo and materials to our entire database. We got so much tremendous feedback from clients and even agents nationwide. Don’t forget to keep your “sphere” updated. They want to be in your world, so let them be.
Fifth - the brand must permeate everywhere.
We are polishing off the changes, but you will soon find the same phone answering script, or voicemail for all team members. Every detail of the office will reflect the brand, and it must be consistent in every mailing we send out to any human being. If upscale is the brand, just remember - luxury is in the details. If service is the brand - it has to be good enough to inspire the client to post about it on social media, otherwise it isn’t anything special. Just something to think about.
If you have questions on the re-brand, just post a comment or email me. Always happy to help!
Shawn Cunningham, CRS
Cunningham Real Estate Group
RE/MAX Advantage
Shawn Cunningham has been a REALTOR® since 2003 and in real estate since 2000. Shawn serves on the national Board of Directors for CRS, and as Nevada State President in 2017. He also serves as a director for both the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® and Nevada Association of REALTORS®. Shawn has been honored with both the Lifetime Achievement and Hall of Fame Awards from RE/MAX LLC as well as community service-based “Above the Crowd” Award for the RE/MAX Southwest Region.
Originally published on ActiveRain, September 5, 2017.
