The Complete Guide to Mastering Brand Voice for Real Estate Agents
When your brand speaks, do prospects listen?
Realtor branding has never been more important, especially now that buyers and sellers are scrutinizing agents more closely than ever. One surefire way to stand out in an increasingly crowded field? Having a unique brand voice that tells prospects who you are and why you’re different.
Brand voice refers to the distinct personality, tone, and style that you communicate to your audience, whether you’re sharing a post on Facebook or publishing a blog on your real estate agent website. Of course, no business has a built-in brand voice — it’s something you have to craft. You don’t have to start from scratch, though, as we have a guide to defining and refining your brand voice.
Consider your niche and audience
Different agents specialize in different niches. If you deal primarily with first-time buyers, your brand voice might perhaps be informative and approachable. Do you specialize in luxury real estate? Then you need a more elevated tone to resonate with high-net-worth buyers and sellers. Understanding who you are and who you’re talking to is fundamental to finding the right brand voice.
Study the competition
The point of having a brand voice is to stand out in a very competitive real estate landscape. The problem? You may inadvertently sound like your competition if you don’t review their brand voice. Spend some time scoping out other agents’ and brokers’ websites, social media pages, and collateral to get a better sense of how they communicate. Be inspired by what works (but don’t copy them outright!) and see how you can set yourself apart.
What brand values do you want to communicate?
In much the same way that people have a particular way of speaking, brands should also have values they espouse. Think of Apple’s dedication to innovation or Nike’s mission to make people active, along with how they communicate these traits through copy (“Think Different” and “Just Do It,” respectively). What does your real estate business stand for? Pick three to five brand adjectives or nouns to focus on and let them guide the way your brand speaks. These could be values that you personally hold as the owner of the business or values that you and your team collectively champion.
Imagine your brand as a person
The process of honing your brand voice is tantamount to giving your business a personality. And what better way to do that than by creating a persona or avatar for your brand? This serves as a mental shorthand for your brand voice whenever you (or others) sit down to write copy. Here are a few items to include in your persona: name, age, short fictional bio, interests, and likes and dislikes. If possible, add a photo to better help you personify and visualize this avatar.
Define and delimit
Once you’ve chosen the values that best represent your brand, it’s time to refine them. The goal here is to find the “sweet spot” for each attribute you’ve chosen. A great way to do so is the “X but not Y” exercise, which helps define the nuance of your brand voice (for example, “We are confident but not cocky"). Another exercise is to define, on a sliding scale, where your brand voice lies. Is it more masculine or feminine? Is it more serious or playful? Both are helpful processes that tell you how far you can push your voice while still remaining on brand.
Develop brand voice guidelines
Your brand voice shouldn’t live in your head; it should be documented so that everyone on your team — including new hires — has a reference point. In addition to the above-mentioned items, it should have clearly delineated do’s and don’ts. Likewise, adding a “Before You Write” checklist gives your team clear instructions not just on the right tone to follow, but also other mandatories like hashtags.
Adapt and iterate
As you’ll soon discover, your brand voice guideline is a living document. You’ll have to update your voice as your brand evolves, as well as adapt it to different platforms — including emerging ones. The key takeaway is to not be overly rigid with your brand voice. Take yourself as an example: you speak and present yourself differently depending on who you talk to, but you’re fundamentally the same person. What is important is that your brand voice remains authentic to who you and your business are.
Let’s give your online brand a makeover
Of course, defining your brand voice isn’t the only way to level up your business. Why not get a revamped real estate agent website that can amplify your brand voice, too? Our team of award-winning realtor website designers can give your business the leg up it needs so you can effectively communicate the value you bring to the table.
For a FREE consultation, call 1.800.979.5799 or send a message here.
