How to use community to build your brand

Knowing the hot spots, the quiet cafes, and what's happening in the community helps build your brand.

Real estate is more than a home. When selling real estate, familiarity with your community can prove to be your strongest asset. Your clients want to know what you know. They want to see what you see in the neighborhood and why you have chosen to help people buy and sell homes there. That means that using your community is key to building your brand.

Create a conversation about your neighborhood

When you connect with your own neighborhood you will discover how it begins to help you sell. You can speak to the things you know that have made your life and your family and friends' lives better. Don't underestimate the power of sharing true life experiences in the community on your social media. Whether it is your child's football game, a great pic of a meal you are about to enjoy at the hottest new restaurant, or siting a beautiful spot while out walking the dog, all of these things help create a connection to the neighborhood and entice people to see the lifestyle they can live there too. It is not just about posting your newest listing, it is more about sharing intriguing and aspirational thoughts and images that introduce living in the neighborhood to past, present and potential new clients.

Connect with your neighborhood

Getting involved with local events and causes is also a great way to build your brand. By participating, you can not only network, but also show you care about the area in which you work. This is always good for any business and perhaps it is even more important in real estate. Take the opportunity to announce the things that matter to you, or the things you feel will have meaning with your clients. You can even use your conversations with clients to determine where you might best get involved. You can tie open houses in to a charity as well, whether it is collecting food for the local food banks, clothing for homeless shelters, or collecting money to buy uniforms for a local kids' football or baseball team.

Encourage sharing

It's also nice to encourage sharing on your social media pages. Ask clients to provide you with their neighborhood stories. Having their stories and pics work perfectly to introduce people to clients you have brought into the community and how it has improved their lifestyles. As well, if you are following clients make sure when you receive notices of posts you are liking them, etc. so that they see you care about what is happening in their lives.

Create community content

Content continues to be a driving force in real estate marketing. Sharing events and stories about the community on your blog/website will not only keep you focused on community as part of your branding, but also builds keywords to help people find you. Setting yourself up as an authority in the community requires content and blogs are the easiest way to do this. You can also then post your latest blogs to share them on your social media. It all works together. Newsletters also help you create content that can be shared with clients.

Include community in your branding

Another way to use your community is to literally use it in your branding. Whether there are town team colors, skylines, or well-known area landmarks, using these in your branding can work well. Place these familiar images on your social media profile/cover pictures, and also use them on your website to draw people into the community. This helps show you care and recognize what is important for people living there. You can even have customized designs for eflyers, brochures, postcards etc. using a landmark as your logo or in the background of marketing materials to help promote the community and your services there.

Knowing how to use community to build you brand will help you expand your client base and become an authority in your chosen market.