The Importance of Branding and Brand Consistency on Social Media

Agents have to realize that social media is a central part of a real estate marketing strategy. At the heart of creating a social media marketing strategy lies the need to develop a brand and to be consistent with it. Prospective buyers, returning clients and professionals in the real estate industry are using social media channels to stay connected, get advice and even find their next investment property. Agents who think an MLS listing is all they need to remain in the game are sure to find themselves falling behind others who are investing time and energy into creating an online persona and a  social media brand as they engage with an ever-growing online audience.

What should an agent know about branding and how can it create more engagement on social media? Why is creating a consistent brand so important when delivering content via channels such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn? Understand more about branding and how to create a good brand that stands out from the content of competing agents in order to rise above the noise and create better relationships with followers.

What Is Branding?

A brand is more than a logo or name. Rather, it is what is elicited in the minds of consumers when they think or hear about a company’s name, product or service. A “brand” is not a fixed concept but often evolves with consumer behavior. In the most basic of descriptions a brand is the idea of a company to a consumer.

There is a great deal of competition in almost any industry and niche. Therefore, it is important to consider the following question: what makes a good brand? A good brand achieves the following goals:

• • Fosters user loyalty;

• Motivates the viewer to purchase;
• Emotionally connects with a target prospect;
• Builds credibility; and
• Delivers a clear message.

Take a moment to review any current brand initiatives to determine whether or not the correct messaging is being delivered and if content is achieving the purposes above. When evaluating a brand, consider these questions:

• What values should be represented to the customer through the brand? Are these values being conveyed as desired?
• Does the brand reflect the brand promise to the internal audience and the target audience?
• Does the brand convey the important difference of the offer and how it is valuable?
• Can the target audience easily relate to a brand without much thought?

Social media managers and stakeholders can reduce wasted time and effort by taking the time to develop a brand and ensure that it captivates a desired audience while motivating them to purchase. Agents who want to hit their brand out of the proverbial ballpark, and really boost brand awareness among their audience, need to understand their audience and the personality and values they need to convey in order to get their audience to engage.

The Value of Cohesive Social Media Branding

Consistent social media branding across platforms creates the voice of a company. Whether the content comes to a viewer via feed, email or some YouTube video, it is immediately recognizable and easy to assimilate to what is already known about the company and previous deliverables to the end user of a platform. Good branding does a host of useful things for a business including, helping a brand name “stick” in the mind of a viewer, creating a cohesive personality for a brand and its company and reducing the possibility of confusion in a potential viewer. These are some of the reasons why it pays to invest into creating a brand identity when connecting to an audience on social media.

Encourages Brand Name Recall

Use the same name brand on any platform. Coca-Cola is used across various platforms even though it is an established brand. An agent’s goal is to get a viewer familiar with a brand and this works best when the brand’s name is used consistently in a url, Facebook page, Twitter handle and the like. An agent who wants to achieve brand name recall should use a handle that matches the company’s name, have the same handle on each account, make the avatar the logo of the brand and upload matching or complimentary cover and header images.

Creates a Unified Personality Within the Company

Don’t split a company or brand’s personality. Decide on the principles or values to espouse and do that throughout all social media platforms. Of course, the content may have to be optimized for each platform, making for some small differences. However, the look, the messaging and the emotions evoked should remain the same. Agents may want to compare Reebok’s Facebook and Twitter accounts to get a visual idea of how messages and images continue to be part of a unified personality on both platforms.

“Agents who are developing their brand need to be able to achieve a number of goals, including brand awareness, lead generation and customer service. Identity, audience, content, and design are all essential elements of the branding process.”

Less Confusion Among Followers

In order to create a brand, be consistent with the brand name. These days, there are plenty of copycats out there that may use a derivative of a name in order to gain a following. This can make it harder for an audience to locate a specific company or agent on a platform. An agent’s effort to stay consistent in their name and branding makes it easier to be found and recognized, and gives them a professional appearance.

Viewers can be easily turned off by a change in imagery, timing of posts or divergence from an established personality. Agents who want to increase their reach and make the most of their social media efforts need to stay the course and deliver content that speaks to an audience as part of consistency in branding. It can be useful to work with established an social media professional that can do much of groundwork necessary to create a single personality, value set and personality for a new brand.

Agents need to create a strong presence on social media platforms and build a brand that is easily recognizable. There is a definite method to developing a good brand and in creating a loyal following. Get a brand in the mind of every follower by focusing on brand name recall and establishing a single personality for all content and communications.

Elements of Successful Social Media Marketing

Agents who are developing their brand need to be able to achieve a number of goals, including brand awareness, lead generation and customer service. What elements are key to developing a strong social media brand?

Identity

Know the business. An agent need to know how their brand is different than that of the competition. What defines it? Who is it targeted at and what values should be expressed? This will make it easier to attract and grow an audience that will be most likely to benefit from delivered content, engage on social media and become a strong lead.

Audience

Know the audience. What works for the average middle-class homeowner is often not of interest to flippers or luxury homeowners. An agent needs to understand the needs and interests of an audience to tailor messaging and marketing efforts. Grow a following organically with a brand and content that truly speaks to the needs and values of a targeted audience. Educate or entertain them and they will come back for more.

Content

Share the right type of content to be remembered by an audience. Know the type of content that works on each platform. For example, behind-the-scenes-photos, quotes and fill-in-the-blank posts are useful on Facebook, while blog post, quotes and industry news are often shared on Twitter. The form of content may need to be tailored to platforms chosen to suit the type of content generally expected on each platform. Use active listening and do more of what works to continue to deliver the type of content that resonates most with an audience. Likes, shares and comments are still indicators that viewers are engaging. Take note and keep them clicking.

Design

Visual elements are key. Images are processed 60,000 times faster than text. Agents need to take the time to understand how the images chosen will complement and support the brand design and attract the viewer. Get engagement on posts and blogs with clean designs and provocative imagery.

There is a lot to take in for those agents who are new to using social media to create a strong and consistent brand. Carefully consider all of the elements, such as identity, audience, content and design, to be successful at creating a brand that connects with a desired audience.

Bringing It All Together

Agents have plenty to do already without having to invest in building a brand and develop a unified personality for social media. With good branding in place, it is easy for agents to carve out their place in a burgeoning marketing of real estate professionals. Reach out to a social media agency experienced in serving the needs of agents for a social media marketing plan that will create measurable results.