What do brand touchpoints mean in real estate agent marketing?
Recently, after speaking with a group of professionals in the construction business, the local Tyvek distributor handed his card to my colleague. Among its many purposes, Tyvek is used to wrap buildings on construction sites. The card itself was made from Tyvek, making it a fun, tactile and brand-reinforcing experience. I have no doubt that many conversations have started with “wow, what is that card made of?”
A business card is a specific example of a brand touch point, a place where your brand as a real estate agent and target home buyers meet.
Experienced marketers often say “Everything communicates.” That’s a broad concept, but brand touchpoints make it a reality. Everything from your business card to your actual product or service says something about your brand as a real estate agent, and it’s your job to know what it says.
Effective salespeople know that they have to be intentional in everything they do. In other words, you must decide what you want to be known for before you rate yourself. A message is crafted about why you are the best choice for the homebuyers you want to work with. Voice, personality and appearance must be correct. After that, you can express that message using all available communication channels.
Those channels are the touchpoints of your brand. They may include advertising, marketing collateral, website and stationery. Those are the obvious ones. However, the touchpoints you don’t think about are the ones that are likely to get you into trouble. These are things like voice mail messages, phone form (from everyone who answers the phone on your behalf), and the appearance of co-workers, car, or office.
To expand on this, you need to make sure that each of these touchpoints actually drives the “know, like and trust” factor with your ideal customers. If you want to be known for being extremely formal, then your voicemail needs to be very direct and your clothing more sophisticated. If you want your brand to be more folksy, then your voicemail can include a more friendly or inspirational message, and your dress can be more casual.
The most important thing is consistency. You want every brand touchpoint to reinforce the same message. Don’t let hidden brand touchpoints ruin your real estate marketer. Remember that everything communicates. That abrupt voicemail or dirty car could undo a lot of hard work.
