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2010-06-15 16:41:51

Create and Market Your Brand: Part 1

If you saw an unmarked bottle of brown liquid, you’d have no idea what about its purpose or taste. But if the same bottle carried the famous Coca-Cola logo, then you’d know exactly what was inside the bottle. You’d even have a good idea of what the liquid tastes like.

Such is the power of branding, which can immediately communicate the purpose, benefits and advantages of a product or company through the use of a name, logo, symbol or phrase.

If branding works for Coca-Cola, Apple, Google and thousands of other companies and organizations, then it can certainly work for you and other REALTORS® to quickly communicate who you are, what you do, how you do it, etc.

Another example of effective branding is the campaign by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) to promote the role, benefits and advantages of working with REALTORS®.

NAR has spent tens of millions of dollars in advertising to spotlight the professionalism and code of ethics of REALTORS®, and encourages members to use the REALTOR® title and logo in all their marketing materials. Some state and local counterparts wage similar efforts.

Deciding what you’d like your image and reputation to be, and taking steps to effectively promote your brand, takes careful thought and planning. To help guide you through the process, I’ve prepared a series of short videos on how REALTORS® can create and market their brands.

The YouTube series is based on a workshop I conducted for the California Association of REALTORS®. To watch the fist installment, please click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbO-NC90KWE

Edward Segal, RCE, is the author of the Profit by Publicity series of live and online classes, audiobook and how-to-reference guide for real estate agents and brokers. Segal was the marketing strategies columnist for The Wall Street Journal’s StartUpJournal.com, a PR consultant to more than 500 clients and press secretary to members of Congress. He is now CEO of the Marin County Association of REALTORS® in San Rafael, Calif. Visit his Web site at www.ProfitbyPublicity.com