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IDENTITY AND
BRAND IMAGE
Registered names and graphic
identities such as McDonald’s and the Golden Arches are ways
we readily identify a Brand. On the Internet, businesses create
Identities quite easily and quickly and refer to these
identities as Brands. While an Identity and a Brand Image are
somewhat connected, it takes a lot more than a name and a
graphical logo to establish a Brand. An Identity is merely one
aspect of building a recognizable Brand Name.
What Are the
Advantages?
Established Deep Brands enjoy
almost instant and universal awareness. They embody values,
meaning and even lifestyle that people associate with above and
beyond the product or service they represent. Nike, McDonalds,
Microsoft are all examples of deep, recognizable brands.
Can a Single
Agent or Small Company Compete Against Established Brands?
While many agents are interested
in creating a Brand Image for themselves, no one I’ve ever
spoken with expects to be as well known as Nike. Instead, agents
and brokers can expect to be successful with Niche Branding.
Niche Brands have familiarity and meaning to a small, defined
group of consumers, such as the homeowners in your community.
The Niche Brand can be deep but unfamiliar to most people
outside of the specialty niche. In other words, an agent can be
well known in her community but completely unknown 50 miles
away.
Benefits of
Niche Branding
While creating an identity with
a logo and a theme is relatively easy, creating a Brand Image
takes time and smart marketing. The reason for creating a Brand
Image is simple. Once you have created a Niche Brand, you will
enjoy the benefits of unaided recall, Customer preference and
loyalty and a much greater return on your marketing investment.
Let’s use some real estate examples to define these terms.
Unaided Recall means that when
someone in your community thinks about selling their home or
buying a home they think of you. Wouldn’t that be great?
Customer Preference and Loyalty means that people in your
community wouldn’t dream of contacting another agent when they
need to sell or buy property. I don’t need to define what it
means to get a greater return on your marketing investment. Who
doesn’t want that?
Putting it All
Together
There are many ways to establish
yourself as a Niche Brand in your community but these days it
only makes good sense to rely heavily on Internet technology.
Your Website is a natural place to provide information, services
and interactive incentives designed to encourage your prospects
to rely on you. Your Website is an important aspect of Branding
but it isn’t the most important aspect. Hand and hand with
your Website is your E-mail marketing strategy. Your Website
creates the excitement and begins the relationship. E-mail
marketing takes over and makes all the benefits of Branding come
true. When you keep in touch with prospects month after month
with a value added Newsletter, of course they will remember you.
Because your E-newsletter establishes you as the expert in your
Niche, why would your prospects even think calling on someone
else for their real estate needs. And, as for getting a greater
return on your marketing investment, what could be more
delightful and beneficial than Free Delivery? It’s the E-mail
Way.
Noel Markham, Marketing
Consultant provides custom Web design, online sales training and
Internet marketing for Real Estate Professionals.
Contact Noel toll free at 888-814-5347.
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