How to Build Your Personal Brand on Social Media

What is a personal brand, anyway? It’s anything you put out there to set yourself apart, such as a name, logo, sound or colors — but more importantly, it includes your brand personality, which attracts contacts and helps them engage more meaningfully with you.

You can’t create a personal brand from nothing — it already exists and you can see it for yourself by Googling your name — but you can manage your brand so that more of what leads and clients read about you comes directly from the source. That’s why it’s crucial to define your personal brand before someone else defines it for you.

Social media is an increasingly popular way to reach a real estate audience, and the more active you are on social media, the more easily buyers and sellers will find you. Why? Because when leads look for you and you’re active on social media, Google gives your profile a high ranking — it will be even higher if you have a personal blog, website and lots of images for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. Since the majority of buyers start their home search online, you want their first impression of you to be memorable and engaging.

Here’s how to build your personal brand on social media.

Identify your goals

When leads or contacts search for you, they should find what you want them to find, so figure out what you want to be known for. Do you want to be seen as a local real estate expert? Join and participate in LinkedIn groups, and write or share articles about your area. Are you looking to set yourself apart from other real estate agents? Curate helpful home-related tips and tricks on Pinterest. Do you need to generate more interest in your listings? Offer luscious photos and videos on Instagram.

Defining your goals will help you determine the best way to use social media to achieve them.

Keep it real

Building and maintaining your personal brand is easier when the image you project matches who you really are. If you’re striving to be the go-to real estate agent for your neighborhood, do your homework by offering content that reflects your deep expertise. If you have an elegant, sophisticated brand, avoid content that uses lingo only those under 18 would understand. When you try to come off as someone other than who you truly are — in an attempt to attract diverse demographics — you risk confusing people and discouraging them from trusting you.

Be consistent

Consistency, or predictability, is critical to building a memorable brand. In addition to having a social media strategy to ensure you post regularly, it helps to maintain a consistent look and feel. When buyers and sellers see a particular color and font scheme on your Facebook page, make sure they see the same thing when they visit your website. Apply the same approach when you develop printed collateral as well; you can even go so far as to wear your signature color when you meet contacts in person. When people see the same imagery across all your marketing channels, they’ll more easily associate it with you.

Be everywhere

Registering your name and creating profiles on a variety of social media channels will also help boost your Google rank and build your networks — both of which can increase your reach and credibility. If your name is already taken, use a variation that’s as close as possible to your real name or at least relevant and sensible to your real estate business. Don’t forget to add the links to your new channel profiles on your website.

Stay strong

A strong personal brand is specific and engaging; it makes people want to start a conversation with you and keep it going. Your social media content should always appeal to some aspect of the human condition and, occasionally, connect it to real estate.

A strong brand pays attention to the details. Make a point of reviewing and updating all the social media channels you’re active in, including posting new content, making sure any social links are accurate and ensuring your contact information is current.

A strong brand is also transferable. That means if you change brokerages, your brand equity goes with you and you don’t have to rebuild your real estate reputation.

Your personal brand is the foundation of your marketing efforts; it dictates your actions, from the tone and words you use to communicate to the way you run your real estate business and deliver customer service. Your brand isn’t stuck in a binder that you reference every now and then; you live and reinforce it every day, in everything you say and do. Social media provides a golden opportunity to build your brand where buyers and sellers spend their time and to educate them on who you are and what you stand for.