Branding for real estate companies

Business is basically created where the target group is - and nowadays that is predominantly online. The real estate industry is also reacting to this development and is moving online marketing strategies and the digital marketing of properties and services to the forefront. But how does successful online real estate marketing work and what really matters when it comes to branding for real estate companies? We'll tell you in this article.

What is online real estate marketing?

Online real estate marketing comprises all measures to market properties and services digitally. For this purpose, the instruments of classic online marketing are combined in order to acquire interested parties for a real estate transaction within a specific target group and a defined target market.

The Internet has turned the real estate industry on its head: The majority of customers start their real estate search online these days, instead of studying newspaper articles as they used to. If a real estate company wants to drive its business forward, then online marketing measures are an enormously important adjusting screw.

However, real estate can hardly be sold easily and directly via the Internet alone, because the product is too complex, the investment sum too high and the legal situation too regulatory. This means that real estate marketing is not aimed at direct sales successes, but rather at optimal preparation for them. Qualitative lead generation is the magic word in online real estate marketing.

Branding for real estate companies: Relevance of positioning

Branding for real estate companies and optimal positioning are considered a secret weapon against the competition. Positioning ensures that customers distinguish the offer of a particular company from that of the competition and recognize the meaningful advantages of the former. Real estate branding can be the result of a positioning strategy.

The 3 most common positioning strategies are:

• Attribute-based positioning: This positioning strategy assumes that the superiority of a brand is based on product-specific, concrete and real attributes.
• Value-based positioning: Proves that the brand has the same value system as the target group. Such positioning can be developed from the well-known Sinus Milieus, for example.
• Motive-based positioning: Based on the assumption that people act on the basis of learned "if-then" associations. These links are formed from learned experiences and desires. Brand strategists distinguish here between three core motive fields: Stimulus, Dominance and Balance.

Criteria of a good positioning strategy

Certain success factors can be defined for effective positioning of a real estate brand. Basically, the quality of the positioning can be evaluated on the basis of the following 5 criteria and transferred to real estate branding:

1. Uniqueness: A positioning is particularly successful if it has not yet been occupied by a competitor.
2. Credibility: A company's brand must deliver on its promise.
3. Relevance: positioning, strategy and unique selling propositions must be relevant to the target group.
4. Focus: Radically simplify the promise.
5. Continuity: Once the strategy has been defined, it is important to remain true to it (keyword: strategy hopping).

An ideal positioning through video marketing

No format is more powerful today than videos: If you want to keep up with the latest digital developments, increase your brand value and reach your target group unerringly, you can no longer avoid professional video content.

One of the reasons for this is that online videos not only help increase brand awareness, but can change the entire market and customer buying behavior. Videos are not only universally applicable and cost-effective, but also the favorite content format of all target groups you want to reach meaningfully.

It's hard to imagine branding for real estate companies and agents without video marketing:

• High quality videos also make the brand look high quality.
• Videos help establish brand personality and tone of voice.
• They convey a clear and memorable brand message.
• Visual elements create a visual identity (e.g. through logo, colors, typography, etc).

If videos are professionally integrated into a company's marketing strategy, they increase brand awareness and help the target group in decision-making processes. Video marketing can basically be used profitably for any company and in any department.

Video campaign platforms

Depending on the format and target group, different platforms are suitable for distributing video content. YouTube, for example, is very suitable for addressing new leads or for so-called remarketing. Facebook is mostly used for customer care. The length, type and production of video content differ depending on the requirements of the respective platform.

Real estate branding and marketing concept

Building a brand is always a long-term goal. Skillful positioning can bring success in the short term, but the full effect only unfolds over a long period of time.

The goal of real estate branding

With skillful real estate branding and the qualitative development of a brand, real estate companies pursue the following goals in particular:

• Increasing the awareness of the company
• Building a brand and a brand identity
• Positioning of a company or a property to distinguish it from the competition
• Communication of advantages and the Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
• Profit maximization

The importance of brand identity in the real estate industry

The real estate industry is certainly one of the most competitive industries in the world. Competition is fierce, investment sums are high, the subject of housing is highly emotional and new projects are being created every day. It is the appearance of a real estate company or its project or service that entices potential customers to buy. A solid brand identity with recognition value helps one real estate company stand out from the rest.

What is a successful brand?

A real estate company with a successful brand is able to connect with their target audience and leave a lasting impression. To achieve this, it is extremely important that a real estate company has a clear vision of its brand and message and presents it visually - especially online. In practice, this means that exposés, newsletters, social media, etc. must consistently reflect the brand identity.

DEUS Marketing GmbH specializes in designing a professional, holistic brand image for you that will leave a lasting impression.

Branding for real estate companies: Strategy & Goals

Basically, the most important thing in the highly competitive real estate market is to stand out from the competition. The professional development of a brand identity provides an optimal basis for this. A clearly defined brand gives a real estate company a clear identity and lends it recognition value within the target group. This is not just about a unique corporate design with logo, colors and fonts, but about the clear values of the brand and an individual image.

A professional branding strategy for real estate companies includes the following 3 steps:

1. identification of the target group

For a successful online marketing and branding concept, it is important to take an in-depth look at the target group and its needs.

According to Gabriele Del Nuzio, there are 4 characteristics to define a target group:

1. Geographical characteristics (country, region, city, district)
2. Demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, occupation, income, etc.)
3. Psychographic characteristics (lifestyle, social class, personality, etc.)
4. Behavioral characteristics (buying behavior, buying motive, willingness to buy, loyalty, etc.)

Based on these characteristics, a profile of a buyer or seller can be created relatively quickly, making it much easier to offer a solution that is perfectly tailored to their needs.

2. brand building of the company

Especially in the real estate industry, it is enormously important to pay enough attention to brand identity.

Once you have gained a deeper understanding of your target audience, the next step is to develop a strong brand image. Real estate brands imprint themselves very effectively. Develop a high-quality brand image and adapt your wording, content marketing efforts, and communication style to your target audience's expectations.

The real estate industry is an environment in which trust plays a very fundamental role; after all, a lot of money is usually at stake and the subject of housing is a highly personal one. Accordingly, a professional and trustworthy brand image is important.

3. analysis of the competitive environment

Competitor analysis is basically about gathering comprehensive information about competitors. Therefore, it is worth getting familiar with the following questions.

• What are the actual/potential competitors?
• Who is currently the market leader?
• Which target groups do the competitors cover?
• What about the quality of competing products?
• What is the market position of my competitors?
• How are the prices set up?
• What delivery and payment terms does the competition offer?
• How can the service and image of the competitors be classified?
• What marketing and advertising measures does the competition use?

The typical goals of a real estate campaign

Real estate campaigns usually pursue these 5 specific goals:

• Increase brand value
• Strengthen recognition value
• more attention in the relevant target group
• Attract more potential buyers (lead generation)
• Building digital assets

As an experienced partner, DEUS Marketing actively supports you in achieving your marketing goals.

Branding for real estate companies: KPIs and milestones

What are KPIs?

The abbreviation KPI stands for "Key Performance Indicator". The term refers to key figures that can be used to determine the success of activities in companies. To measure the success or failure of a measure, companies can take a closer look at these KPIs. In this context, it depends on the respective company, the measure and the set goal which KPIs come into question for measuring performance.

The establishment of milestones for reviewing progress

Setting milestones is exceedingly important because they show the progress of an effort and divide large goals into important steps. Milestones also help motivate and align the team by allowing each member to keep track of progress and evaluate priorities. They make it easier to monitor deadlines, identify important dates or an end date, and prevent potential bottlenecks within the project.

Optimizations based on the KPIs

Regular analysis of marketing measures not only enables content and campaigns to be classified as successful or unsuccessful. It also makes it possible to adjust and readjust a strategy again and again.

Which KPIs are in the foreground?

When it comes to professional branding for real estate companies, it pays to keep a close eye on the following KPIs in particular:

• Impressions and reach
• Relevance Score
• CTRs (click-through rate)
• Link clicks
• Playback time at 25%, 50%, 90%.

Conclusion: Relevance of branding for real estate companies

In a sector as competitive as real estate, digital marketing is essential for real estate companies. And there are several reasons for this: When marketing real estate these days, it's hugely important to stand out from the competition, generate ongoing customer leads, and create long-term customer loyalty. And: The competition never sleeps. New projects are springing up like mushrooms and even real estate portals are increasingly competing with experienced real estate agents. Even the best real estate agents often still know too little about professional real estate marketing, combined with digital innovations, to keep up with the big players in the industry.

DEUS Marketing helps you as an experienced partner to take your lead and to position your real estate brand optimally. We look forward to getting in touch with you!

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