Building a well-established brand is what keeps leads flowing and customer retention high. Here are the five people-focused factors you need to work on so you can build trust and loyalty.

Are you receiving our weekly Teams Beat newsletter? For the teams latest news, insight and trends, subscribe here.

Branding is the purpose and experience your business runs itself on. With the right elements, a brand can establish an identity that sets itself apart from the competition and creates a personal connection with its audience. 

When you’re establishing a brand for your team, it’s important that you create an image that people can trust, relate to and want to keep coming back to. Here are five essential factors to focus on.

1. Invest resources

It’s absolutely crucial to start working your brand by investing in the resources and energy that will help you build it. Remember that without a well-established brand, you won’t find a steady flow of leads and ensure client retention. 

By building your very own amazing brand, you set yourself apart from your competitors. It’s a way for you to prove that you are individualistically you — and that no one can change that. 

When you take the time and money to invest in your brand, you are furthering its purpose and experience, which ultimately benefits your clients and your target audience.

2. Brand neutrality

Being brand neutral is more important for your real estate team than you think. Don’t worry — you can still have your name attached to the team while maintaining a neutral brand. 

Of course you have to be associated with your team, but when potential clients call the office, do they think they’ll be speaking with you? Or are they prepared to speak with your team?

If they are prepared to speak with your team, you are doing it the right way. If the lead is expecting to speak directly to you, you will need to do more work on separating yourself from direct lines of communication and marketing.

You’ll want your brand to stay this way, especially if you plan on selling it or passing it on in the future. The name will stay the same after you’ve moved yourself further and further away from working on the team.

3. The humanistic approach

What do you see when you scroll through the Instagram feeds of a lot of real estate teams? You don’t see faces; you’re typically staring at different listing photos. 

Don’t get me wrong — this means that those teams are doing a great job at marketing their inventory. However, this approach does lack a characteristic that Instagram users absolutely love

Instagram users love to see faces, which is why I recommend for teams to always take the humanistic approach. Everyone is looking to relate to someone — especially if you’re choosing to follow them and like their content. 

When you’re looking to brand, you don’t want it to be a faceless entity. You want to promote your team members on your page so your audience can love and trust your brand.

Think of the humans who work on your team, and use them to your branding advantage. Create “meet the team” posts, and even show off behind-the-scenes videos at the office. Once you reveal the human side of your brand, you’ll notice that your engagement rates will increase.

4. Building relationships

When you’re cultivating and creating relationships, you’re actually building the reputation you and your team are going to have. Your brand is going to represent your team, which means everything built through it will come back to you.

Your community and clients are the most important people when it comes to establishing your brand. By building relationships with them, you’re encouraging them to trust your brand more than your competitors’. 

If you build a personal relationship with your clients and community, they’re going to consider your brand more of a friend than a stranger. Loyal customers stay for the way a company creates and delivers a product, not the product itself — which is why your client process is so important.

5. Unique client process

Everything you do in your business is based on three things: strengthening the brand, improving your client experience and building your database. One of the essential parts of establishing your brand is carving out the consistent high-quality experience you’ve planned for your clients.

You are the master of sourcing the playbook that’ll help you create a unique client process for your business that’s set to your standards — regardless of who is there face to face for delivery. Having that process in place isn’t just an option, it’s a necessity for expanding your business. 

If you create your client process the right way, it becomes an essential part of your brand. Think about a restaurant or business that’s known for giving good service, like Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A has developed specific client processes that make their clients loyal and their retention high.

If you’ve never been to one of these fast food restaurants, here’s what happens: The workers greet you with pleasantries like “my pleasure” instead of “you’re welcome,” placing flowers on tables and offering free food. This is why they’ve continuously ranked No. 1 for customer satisfaction and why this behavior has become an essential part of their brand.

When it comes to your brand, the essentials you need to focus on are the ones that are people-based. Your clients and your community can make or break your brand. Whether it’s by connecting with your clients or serving them, your brand needs to create a strong humanistic presence to build loyalty and trust. 

Kathleen Black is the CEO of Kathleen Black Coaching and Consulting in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Connect with her on Instagram at @kathleenblackcoaching or through her website ItTakesa.Team.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×