Building credibility through your Personal Brand

Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Building a personal brand is an important step in establishing yourself in the professional world. It reflects who you are and what you stand for and is an essential step for those who want to ensure longevity in their Real Estate careers.

Here are my top tips to help you build a personal brand that people recognise and resonate with:

3. Define your Niche: Finding your niche in real estate is an indispensable step to building a brand. They say, “If you want to be known for everything, you'll be known for nothing.”. You have to start by identifying your target market. Who are you trying to reach? Are you looking for first-time homebuyers, investors, or luxury home buyers? Once you have created an avatar of your target market, you can begin to tailor your marketing plan to ensure that you are speaking their language. Remember, your target market will set the tone when it comes to your marketing mix.
   
   
4. Identify Your Unique Value Proposition: When you conceptualise your personal brand, you need to determine what makes you unique and how you can add value to your audience. Consider your strengths, experience, and skills, and then find ways to showcase these to your clients. People want to do business with people they like, know and trust, and communicating your value proposition establishes the rapport you need to be first in line.
   
   
5. Develop a Professional Online Presence: Once you’ve identified your unique value proposition, you need to curate an online presence that reflects who you are. This includes creating professional profiles on social media platforms and engaging with your target audience. Engagement builds rapport and trust, as this is where you can best add value by showcasing your voice and industry knowledge- setting you apart from the crowd.
   
   
6. Establish Your Brand Voice: In this world full of fake people, clients value character! Your brand voice should reflect your personality. Build rapport with your target market through natural and unpretentious interactions and share your personal values where appropriate so that your audience has a chance to get to know you personally. If your target audience values a more professional relationship, i.e., Commercial Real Estate clients, consider the tone, language and messaging you are going to use and make sure to stay consistent through all platforms (as in real life).
   
   
7. Create High-Quality Content: Content is key when it comes to building a personal brand. You should focus on creating content that is engaging, informative, and relevant to your target audience. This could include blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, and more. When working with a dynamic brand such as Century 21, it is important to maintain the company’s brand recognition by sticking to the correct colours, fonts and design style while still making it YOUR OWN. Pro-tip: Many content creation tools allow you to import the exact brand assets (colours, logos and fonts) to make consistency a breeze!
   
   
8. Network and Engage: Once you’ve established yourself as a relevant person to your targeted audience, you need to network and engage with them. This could include attending events, joining relevant online and in-person groups, and connecting with influencers in your area and other professionals in your field.
   
   

If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you. Building your personal brand IS building trust and credibility and it can be a lot of fun cultivating your professional presence when you add a splash of personality and step out to showcase what makes you authentically “YOU”!

Author: Semoné van der Westhuizen – Co-Owner and Director at Century 21 Hartbeespoort and Century 21 Hermanus

13 April 2023