How to stand out in a sea of ‘real estate sameness’

How do you differentiate yourself from your real estate competitors when everyone offers seemingly identical services, charges the same fees and uses the same suppliers (from software to signage)?

Are you stuck in a rut with a generic real estate profile, brand slogan or copycat lead generation campaign? Are you a carbon copy of your real estate competitors? Whether you are a sales agent, commercial agent, buyers agent or property manager, it’s easy to get lost in a crowded (or competitive) real estate marketplace.

Fear not; there is a way you can carve out your niche and become a beacon of light that attracts prospects to you.

Read on for brand marketing strategies that will ensure you “zig when others zag” and stand out in a sea of sameness.

Know your why and let it shine

Before crafting marketing messages to promote your real estate business, take a deep dive into your own motivations. What inspired you to become a real estate professional? What ignites your passion for the industry? Do you relish challenges and face them head, or do you enjoy the art of negotiation?

Are you a longtime local resident with plenty of insider knowledge about the neighbourhood? Perhaps you have a knack for helping retirees navigate their options when downsizing from their so called ‘forever home’? Whatever your “why” is, harness it. A genuine passion will radiate through your in-person interactions and marketing materials, setting you apart from agents who look to be going through the motions.

Identify your ideal client

Not all clients are created equal. Instead of casting your net wide, focus on a specific real estate niche.

Are you drawn to the energy of first-time property investors, prefer buying homes than selling them. Does your razor-sharp attention to detail make you the perfect property manager? Do you shine when selling luxury homes? Have a big heart for helping families find a forever home in a particular school zone?

By understanding who your ideal client is and what their needs, wants, and pain points are, you can tailor your communications and property services to an area in which you excel. Because trying to market yourself to ‘everyone’ actually appeals to ‘no one’.

Give your brand identity a visual distinction

In an industry saturated with generic ‘house’ logos and cookie-cutter websites, your visual identity needs to be a point of distinction.

• Invest in a premium logo that reflects your personality and brand values.
• Have a brand style and colour palette that will appeal to your type of clients.
• Hire a professional to capture high-quality photos and videos of you ‘going about your business’.

Consistency is critical in branding. Ensure that each design element is used cohesively across all platforms, from your business cards to your social media profiles to your property campaigns.

Offer unique services or specialisations.

Standing out from other agents goes beyond just personality and branding. Consider offering specialised services that cater to your specific niche.

• Do you have a knack for styling homes and can help improve the appeal of a property by giving it a little bit of extra sprucing? If yes, you could offer a complimentary styling consultation with every listing.
• Are you fluent in multiple languages? Highlight your ability to serve a diverse clientele, overseas arrivals and bridge the gap between English and non-English speakers.
• Maybe you are passionate about sustainable living, have built your own eco-friendly house and can help clients match with developers to build an eco-friendly property too.

By carving out a special niche and offering unique services, you can transform yourself from a run-of-the-mill real estate professional into a distinctly different one. As Aldi would say, “Good, different!”.

Craft a compelling website

Your website is not only your digital shopfront but also a key sales tool for prospective clients. Make sure it is a visually impressive and informative place to visit.

• Go beyond property listings. Take the time to showcase your team, their talents, and your unique personality and expertise.
• Ensure that prospective clients experience a user-friendly path with simple and easy-to-follow navigation, whatever the marketing channel or funnel.
• Offer valuable resources, such as local area guides, home sales or property purchasing calculators, and/or downloadable checklists.
• Integrate a blog where you share local market insights, industry trends, and helpful tips for buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants.

Remember, your website should be a reflection of what your prospective client is looking for, so talk about your services from the client’s perspective, not your internal business structure.

Complete or update ALL of your online profiles.

Potential clients will stalk you online – oh yes, they will!

Before contacting you, a prospect will have (one hundred percent, without a degree of doubt) checked you out. Unbeknown to you, they will be confirming that you are legitimate—or ‘legit’ as my kids like to say. They want to see that you are actively selling/buying/managing homes.

You won’t know when or where prospects are embarking on their ‘digital interview’. They can land on any site at any time, be that one that you manage or, worse,ite that has scrapped your information from somewhere else. So, Google yourself to see what pops up.

Fix outdated profiles, add missing information and replace blurry photos. If your professional profile looks like an afterthought aka “unprofessional,” you’ll become an immediate afterthought when that prospect engages your competitor.

Would you trust someone to help you sell/find/manage your most significant asset if they can’t be bothered to put in the work to promote themselves professionally?

You need to think of yourself as the product. Just like a store keeps its displays fresh and informative, you must do the same with your digital presence.

• Make sure you look top notch wherever they land on the internet; from your website, to property portals, social media pages, search engine results and real estate review platforms, you must look and sound great.
• Invest in up-to-date, high-quality photos, and beautifully branded graphics that showcase not only the homes you sell but show off your personality.
• Elevate your online presence with professionally written copy that addresses a prospect’s problem from the get-go. Tell stories about others you’ve helped with a similar situation – this will go a long way to helping you resonate with the reader, compelling them to want to get in touch.

It’s essential to maintain consistency with your messaging across all platforms. Equally important is leveraging the power of reviews. Encourage each and every satisfied customer to leave a testimonial for you. Authentic endorsements, from real people, are far more persuasive than any self-promotion you can do.

Get creative with your marketing.

There’s a saying that Einstein supposedly said, which is that “Insanity is … doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Henry Ford said something similar when he proclaimed, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been.”

These profound statements ring true for real estate marketing and promotions.

Bland, mass-printed mailbox flyers and repetitive “look at me” style newspaper ads will not capture prospective property clients’ attention or imagination.

You need to think outside the box to stand out from your real estate competitors. By all means, check out what your competitors are doing — but don’t copy them — better them!

Consider what your target audience really wants.

Do people really need a real estate agent to give them a price estimate for the home they own, or can they find that information online for free? Plug any property address into Google, and www.propertyvalue.com.au (owned by CoreLogic) will give you a price estimate.

Running an identical Facebook ad to every other agent in your area (with a map, map pins, and suburb names list) and enticing people to find out the value of their home (using CoreLogic or PriceFinder data) will not differentiate you. It won’t even guarantee qualified leads.

You need advertising messages that are unique, more compelling and more likely to engage prospective clients than what the competition is doing.

You must stand out, not blend in, in a sea of sameness.

Become a local authority, not just a real estate authority

Knowledge and experience are powerful in the real estate game.

Put yourself front and centre in your marketing campaigns. Promote yourself, not just your client’s properties or home buyer briefs.

Stop making your marketing channels look like listing portals!

What are you going to do to stand out from the pack? How will you convince people that you not only look, sound, and seem better than the other mob but that contacting anyone else will be a waste of their time?

You need to devour your local property market data, keep abreast of development projects, immerse yourself in local lifestyle trends, and know what cafes, shops, sports, crafts, hobbies, or events are worth mentioning. Become a valuable member of the local business community. Promote other businesses to your network, and they will return the favour and refer you to their clientele.

Volunteer your time to local causes. Get involved with community events and sponsor sports teams. The more community engagement, the stronger brand recognition you’ll create.

Embrace social media, but do it strategically

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with potential clients but it requires a strategic approach. Don’t just use it to bombard your audience with listings and reviews. Develop a social media personality that reflects your brand and resonates with your target audience.

Ditch the stock photos and stop resharing articles from news sites (yes, everyone has already heard that interest rates have changed). Create informative, engaging content that caters to your ideal client’s interests. Share your take on industry insights, provide behind-the-scenes glimpses into your day, and share pictures of you and your team working with clients or attending events in the community.

Share inspirational content related to property ownership. Use targeted advertising options to reach the right people at the right time. The key is to use social media platforms consistently to provide valuable content that positions you as a thought leader, no matter where a local resident is on their property journey.

Track your results and adapt if needed

Don’t mindlessly throw marketing tactics at the wall and hope something sticks. Track your results across all platforms – website traffic, social media engagement, email opens, and understand where your leads came from.

Analyse your marketing data to see what’s working and what isn’t. Be willing to adapt your approach based on the insights you glean. Even when your marketing seems to work, testing different elements keeps your campaigns sharp and helps you discover hidden gems that yield even better results or better bang for your buck.

Be different, be memorable, be the agent of choice

Standing out in your real estate marketplace requires consistent effort and a commitment to being different and being better. By following these strategies, you’ll cultivate a unique and memorable real estate brand that attracts warm leads.

Remember, it’s not about being the loudest voice in the room; it’s about giving away high-value information, being patient and helpful, and fostering genuine connections. It’s good to be different, embrace your individuality, let your passion shine through, and then watch your real estate business thrive.

Get our help

Making your real estate business stand out from the crowd is no easy feat. With a high-quality marketing strategy and presence crafted by experts, your business can rise above the noise and attract more qualified leads – just like our clients do daily.

If you’re a real estate professional who wants to take your business and brand to the next level with marketing tailored to your business, take some time to book a free 1-hour consultation and talk to me, Melanie Hoole. I’ll give you on-the-spot recommendations and show you how digital marketing can help position you as a local real estate expert and get you in front of prospects with a clear marketing proposition.

Written by Melanie Hoole

My team and I specialise in helping real estate and property professionals perfect their personal brand, build a first-class digital profile and implement inbound marketing activities to attract leads. If you are unsure which direction to take with your digital marketing contact me for help.