Of course, even experienced agents are having a hard time choosing which marketing materials to spend their hard-earned time and money on. That’s why we worked with our friends at SERHANT. to put together this definitive guide to the seven real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build a better personal brand in 2022. Whether you need Instagram Reels templates or business card advice, we have you covered.

1. Professional Pictures: One Headshot, One Lifestyle

One of the most important lessons that Ryan Serhant teaches in his Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build a Personal Brand course is that your personal brand needs to be curated and authentic. After all, people should want to work with YOU, not just “a real estate agent.” There are millions of real estate agents, but only one you. This is why headshots are by far your most important marketing material. 

  Pro Tip

For your lifestyle shot, pay particular attention to your body language. The goal is to look open and approachable, not guarded. You can see the difference in the two pictures above.

Your headshots literally put a face to your personal brand and are the only a that cannot be copied by other agents. So take the time to make sure your headshots are both curated and authentic. Ryan recommends creating two headshots to use in your real estate marketing materials: one professional headshot and one lifestyle shot. 

2. Professional Social Media Templates (Including Stories & Reels Templates)

When it comes to social media marketing materials, many agents make the mistake of assuming that bringing their authentic selves to social media means they need to create everything from scratch. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, that behind-the-scenes Reel you shot at your open house doesn’t have to look like a Hollywood movie, but it does need to look polished and professional. 

This is where professionally designed social media templates come in. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel every time you post on Instagram or Facebook, you can use templates designed for real estate agents by professional graphic designers. The difference between professional social media templates and generic templates from Canva is night and day. 

You can see examples of some of the best social media templates along with the best places to buy them here:

3. A Website That Shows Off Your Personal Brand

After your headshots and social media templates, your website is your next most important marketing material. It’s also one of the only brand assets you will truly own. After all, no matter how hard you work on them, you don’t really own any of your social media profiles, or even the shiny new website your brokerage provides for you. 

While you might be tempted to add bells and whistles to your website, like IDX listings, lead capture, landing pages, and a customer relationship manager (CRM), make sure it reflects your personal brand first. For a good example of a website that centers personal branding, check out Carlin Wright’s website above. Notice how she uses her lifestyle picture front and center? This was no accident. Her website is about her, not “real estate.” 

If you want a site like Carlin’s, you can hire her designer, Luxury Presence, to build and host your website starting at around $180 per month, plus design fees.

Visit Luxury Presence

Or, if you want more control and want to level up your own skillset, check out our guide to building a website using WordPress here:

4. Strategically Designed Business Cards

Even in the age of Realtor TikTok stars, there’s just something about a well-designed business card printed on quality paper stock that can’t be beat. Sure, popping up in someone’s social media feed once a week is great, but your business card might get pinned to a bulletin board, kept in a wallet, or sit on someone’s desk for months on end. Not bad for a 50-cent piece of paper, right?

Of course, like your website, your business cards should reflect your personal brand. So make sure to use your brand colors, fonts, and if you’re brave enough, your headshot. As far as strategy goes—whether you’re working with a designer or creating them yourself—it can be helpful to ask yourself, “Is this a business card I would keep? Why or why not?” If the answer is no, you need to go back to the drawing board.

5. A Facebook Business Page

Even though your teenage niece will probably tell you Facebook is like, SO over, you still need a business page, even if you never post on it. Why? Demographics. The average age of a Facebook user is a little over 40 years old, and a whopping 20% are over the age of 55. Sounds dull, right? Well, what if I told you that according to data from Zillow, the average age of a homeseller is 45? 

With demographics like that, a Facebook Business page is not optional for serious Realtors. It’s not all about demographics, though. If you want to advertise on Facebook or Instagram, you will need a Facebook business page. So even if you also think Facebook is like, SO over, you’re going to need to build one. 

If you don’t already have one, we have an easy step-by-step guide to building a Facebook business page here:

6. Postcards (That Look Like Instagram)

Want to get laughed at? Tell someone under 30 that you’re sending them a postcard. If they’re under 20, you might have to actually explain what a postcard is. Of course, while we have nothing against 20-year-olds, they’re not exactly the right audience for your real estate marketing materials. Not even close. 

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2021 Homebuyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, the average homebuyer is 47 years old. Take it from me, people our age like getting postcards and older people LOVE getting postcards. My mother is in her seventies, owns several homes, and sits down on her recliner every morning to go through her mail. You know where she’s not spending her mornings? TikTok!

But just because you’re sending postcards doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them—assuming your personal brand is fun, that is. For example, check out the Instagram-inspired postcard from Coffee & Contracts above. Why use Instagram-inspired design for your postcards? Simple. Television ads and even ads in newspapers are inspired by online design trends these days. 

You can check out more real estate marketing templates from Coffee & Contracts, including Instagram Reels templates and memes, from The Broke Agent here:

Visit Coffee & Contracts

7. An Email Newsletter

Like postcards, email newsletters are another crucial marketing material that will make your niece roll her eyes. It also happens to be one of the best ways to market to your sphere. Why? Simple. You don’t own your social media profiles, but you do own your email list. 

Email is also much easier to scale than social media, and much less expensive than pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. The return on investment (ROI) for your time and effort is also better. According to statistics from Campaign Monitor, the average open rate (what percentage of your list opens one of your emails) is 21.7%. So as long as you keep growing your list, the number of people you reach with your content will continue to grow without any extra work. 

If you plan a content calendar for your email newsletter, you can keep your sphere engaged for years with just an hour or two of work per week. Here are a few easy real estate newsletter ideas to get you started:

Over to You

Do you think these are the right real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build their personal brand? If not, what would you include instead? Let us know in the comments.

The post 7 Real Estate Marketing Materials That Will Help You Build a Better Personal Brand appeared first on The Close.

After each example video section, I’ll go over some tips and tricks to make your videos irresistible for your audience.

Educational Real Estate Videos (With FOMO Titles)

Educational videos with FOMO (fear of missing out) titles should be the bulk of every agent’s video content. Why? Simple. Everyone is afraid of making a mistake with a six-figure real estate transaction! The FOMO title will draw them in (since they’re afraid of making a mistake), and your educational content will put their fears to rest and show them you’re a real estate expert they can trust. Talk about a win/win. 

Here are five great examples of educational real estate videos with FOMO titles to help get you inspired: 

1. How To Spot Property Repairs & Issues BEFORE You Buy! (LeAnn Henri, Good Company Realty)

Why this video works: LeAnn’s title would increase FOMO in any buyer and the content is actually useful and actionable. 

2. AVOID These MISTAKES When SELLING a House (Jeb Smith, Coldwell Banker)

Why this video works: Who wants to make a mistake selling a home they probably sunk massive amounts of money and time into?

3. Should I Get a Home Warranty? (Peter Lorimer, Corcoran)

Why this video works: Home warranties are one of these things that most people think they understand but require some thought and explanation. 

4. How Do I Get the Seller To Pay the Buyer’s Closing Costs? (Javier Vidana, My Home Group)

Why this video works: Who doesn’t want to save money on closing costs in this market?

5. Do’s & Don’ts Before Closing Day on Your Home (Niki Luther, Palm Coast Real Estate)

Why this video works: Many newer buyers spend tons of time searching for homes and educating themselves about the buying process but are still nervous about closing. 

If you need some help writing great FOMO titles, check out our deep-dive guide to real estate copywriting below:

Tips & Tricks for Recording Educational Real Estate Videos That Get Leads

• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Break up complicated topics into multiple videos
• Use simple graphics and charts when possible
• Write out your scripts before you start shooting

Listing Walk-through or Highlights Real Estate Videos

After educational videos with FOMO titles, the next type of videos agents should focus on making are listing walk-through videos. If there is one thing both buyers and sellers want to know, it’s how their home compares to other homes on the market. 

Sure, they can watch slick, over-produced listing videos from the listing agent on Zillow, but deep down they know listing agents are trying to sell them this home, not just a home! As a buyer’s agent, your walk-through video will seem more honest, because it will be. You can show homes warts and all, or just highlight beautiful or unusual features. If you’re the listing agent, you’re going to want to step up your production a bit to impress your homeowner. More on this later. Here are five example listing videos that include a little bit of everything: 

6. TOURING the PRETTIEST FiDi NYC Development! (SERHANT. New Development)

Why this video works: This is a super-professional tour of a new development, but the agents here manage to make it inviting and fun instead of stuffy and pretentious. 

7. 100 Hampton Walk (Glennda Baker, Glennda Baker & Associates)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Glennda BakerAtlanta REALTOR (@glenndabaker)

Why this video works: As Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” If you have genuine wins to show off to your audience, keeping them to yourself makes no sense. 

8. 145 Central Park North (SERHANT. New Development)

Why this video works: Ryan Serhant spent the last decade building the most recognizable personal brand in real estate. Everything he puts out, including this video, highlights that personal brand.

9. Just. Wait. Until. You. See. This….. (Andrew Jevin, Compass)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andrew Jevin | REALTOR | LA (@thesnappingrealtor)

Why this video works: If you come across beautiful or interesting home features during the course of your day, sharing them with your audience is a no-brainer. Sure, they can see this bathtub in the listing photos, but they would have to scroll through 20 images to see it. 

10. Love These Retractable Backsplashes (Peter Torkan, The Agency)

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A post shared by Peter&Paige The Agency Toronto (@petertorkan)

Why this video works: This video works well because it highlights a very cool feature of the listing that might not necessarily make the headline of the listing description, but is still something a general audience would be interested in. 

Tips & Tricks for Recording Listing Walk-throughs & Highlights That Get Leads

• Hire a pro (even if only for the editing)
• Have a game plan
• Invest in a stabilizer for your phone
• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Write a script
• Shoot some practice walk-throughs
• Schedule your video for a sunny day

Agent Introduction Videos: Make a Memorable 1st (or 2nd, or 3rd) Impression

Even though you may try your best to answer every new lead with a personal phone call, reality can sometimes get in the way. You could be driving, at a closing, sleeping, or making your daughter breakfast. This is why a personal agent introduction video is another video every Realtor should have in their arsenal. 

One way to give your agent introduction video a little more oomph is to include testimonials from happy former clients. Check out Kate Terrigno’s video for an example of how to do this right. If you want to make your introduction video a little more relaxed, have your broker or another agent interview you like Sean Moudry did in his testimonial video. 

11. Kate Terrigno (Corcoran HM Properties)

Why this video works: Kate mixes personal and professional details to give prospective clients a better introduction. 

12. The Kristina Kremidas Team (Douglas Elliman)

Why this video works: Kristina starts off the video by explaining why she LOVES working in real estate. That energy is infectious. Who doesn’t want to work with someone who loves what they do?

13. Meet Cherise Wynn (Compass)

Why this video works: Cherise starts the video talking about the one thing every buyer wants to know more about—her farm area! 

14. A KW Homecoming: Mega Agent Sean Moudry Returns To Leave a Legacy

Why this video works: The interview format feels very informal and allows Sean to brag about his many successes over his 27-year career without sounding like a showoff.

15. Brenda DiBari (Brown Harris Stevens)

Why this video works: The professional video editing and soothing music are the perfect match for the luxury properties Brenda sells. 

Tips & Tricks for Recording Agent Introduction Videos That Get Leads

• Invest in a professional editor
• Don’t just recite your agent bio
• Talk about your family or personal life
• Add music
• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Don’t improvise, write a script
• Have a friend or fellow agent preview your video before you post it
• Smile!

Client Testimonial Videos

Let’s face it, most people take anonymous, written reviews on sites like Zillow or Yelp with a grain of salt. After all, faking reviews is easy when you just need to write a few glowing sentences. In order to cut through the noise online and provide more direct social proof, try and record client testimonial videos whenever possible. 

16. Post & Company Real Estate Client Testimonial Video

Why this video works: This video has great music, starts off with their brokerage branding, and the testimonial itself is set up as a conversation between the couple instead of just one person talking at the camera. This comes across as more genuine. 

17. The Hawkins – A Testimonial Video | Mandy Saldana, REALTOR®

Why this video works: Like the Post video, this starts with the brokerage branding, has great music, and presents the testimonial as a conversation. They also start out telling their story rather than just praising the agent. Way more relatable. 

18. Client Testimonial – Realtor Megan Jones – LCT Team- Parks

Why this video works: While this video only features one person talking, the editor spliced in footage of the agent bringing them flowers and the home itself. This is a great way to show off your personality and listing marketing skills.

19. Real Estate Agent Client Testimonial Video | Scott Pridemore

Why this video works: This video seems to have it all. A couple telling their story, great music, footage of the agent at work, and pictures of the actual home she sold. 

20. Seattle Real Estate Agent Client Testimonial #22 | McDonald Real Estate Group

Why this video works: This former client is clearly very excited about his purchase and it shows. He also goes through how the agent helped solve his problem. 

21. Greg Guinto // Real Estate Agent Testimonial // Commercial // ALAS Media

Why this video works: Like the other testimonial videos on our list, this video features a couple telling their house-hunting story and how the agent helped solve their problems. Footage of the agent in action and pictures of the actual home round out the video.

Tips & Tricks for Recording Client Testimonial Videos That Get Leads

• Approach clients for a video testimonial a week or so after closing
• Consider combining your introduction video with some client testimonials
• Try to shoot all your testimonials in the same place
• Give them a script to follow when writing and reading their testimonials
• Combine three or four short testimonial videos into one

Over to You

What kind of real estate videos are you using to generate and nurture leads in 2022? Let us know in the comments.

The post 21 Real Estate Videos Top Agents Use To Generate & Nurture Leads appeared first on The Close.

In this article, we offer a host of great tools to help you write a new bio, including our exclusive, mad-libs-style bio generator, three free real estate bio templates, nine bio examples that we love, plus a list of industry buzzwords to help spice up your writing. Use our exclusive real estate bio generator as a starting point.

Real Estate Bio Templates

Our three free real estate bio templates were designed exclusively for our readers. Download these templates or copy them to your clipboard to make them your own.

New Real Estate Agent Bio Template

This template is perfect for new real estate agents without a lot of experience to lean on. Focus on your community ties, your excitement, and your enthusiasm, and show your potential clients who you are.

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[Real estate agent name] has been an active member of his/her real community for [years of experience] now, and is so excited to be turning that community focus toward real estate.

With a passion for service in the [your community name] area, [real estate agent name] is ready to help with your homebuying and selling needs. As a proud member of the [brokerage name] family, [real estate agent name] carries the values of hard work, integrity, and outstanding client service into everything he/she does.

When [real estate agent name] isn’t making homeownership dreams come true for his/her clients, he/she enjoys spending time [leisure activity 1] and [leisure activity 2]. [Real estate agent name] lives in [locality of residence] with [family members].

Successful Real Estate Agent Bio Template

Your bio isn’t written in stone; you should revisit it at least once a year to see what sort of tweaks you can make to sharpen your message. Here’s a real estate bio template perfect for those of you who are coming off a very successful year and want to further that momentum.

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[Your locality] and [your broader regional locality] are great places to live and work, which is why [real estate agent name] chose to call it home. With roots in [hometown], [real estate agent name] came to [your locality] in [date you arrived]. Real estate is a passion for [real estate agent name], and with his/her background in [former career or education], it is easy to see why more than [clients serviced last year] families in [year] called [real estate agent name] for help buying and selling.

[Real estate agent name] has been a part of the [brokerage name] family for [amount of time with the brokerage] years, but he/she isn’t just passionate about helping families find their next home. [Real estate agent name] has served on his/her local [charity organization] and loves being a part of other [your locality] community events.

A passionate [hobby], when [real estate agent name] isn’t in the office or volunteering, you’ll often find him/her at [location where the hobby takes place], enjoying time with his/her friends and [family members].

Long-form Real Estate Agent Bio Template

Sometimes you’ve got a little more room to write, but that extra space can be intimidating. Here’s a good bio template for times when you have room to really express yourself.

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[Real estate agent name], of [brokerage name], based in [your locality], is a [years in the business] veteran of the real estate industry and has represented clients all over [larger regional locality] in over [number of transactions] real estate transactions. [Real estate agent name] has built a solid foundation of clients in this community through her/his professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to always put his/her client’s needs first.

He/She studied [academic focus] at [school name], and afterward began work in [previous industry or “real estate”]. Passionate about [a particular aspect of real estate], [real estate agent name] has continued to leverage his/her know-how and experience to exceed his/her client’s expectations.

Active in the community, [real estate agent name] is a proud part of the [nonprofit organization]’s effort to [community initiative]. [Quote from real estate agent about their nonprofit community work.]

In his/her free time, [real estate agent name] is an avid [hobby] and [another hobby]. Spending time in the [location one of the hobbies takes place] together with his/her friends and [family unit] as well as his/her [pet name and type] is never something [real estate agent name] takes for granted. [Quote from real estate agent about how lucky they are to have the chance to do their hobby in this place.]

Download Your Free Real Estate Agent Bio Templates

9 Real Estate Bios We Love

Before you dive headfirst into writing (or rewriting) your bio, take a look at these examples of real estate bios from rock star agents and brokers from around the country. Find ways to incorporate their savvy strategies into your new bio.

Connecting on a Personal Level

1. Gentry Todd Radwanski, Realtor, The Boulevard Company

I’ve sold $40+ million in property the last three years, received sales awards, and grown my business’ metrics each year, but the number I focus on every day is the exact number of clients who have homes and investments currently in Charleston. My approach is deeply analytical and I work tirelessly to ensure my clients are up to date on their home and/or their investment.

Prior to real estate, I spent the first part of my career (and most of my life) in my family’s business, commercial construction, primarily building schools, hotels, and municipal buildings in eastern PA. Having been part of a building family, home flips and investment property came naturally. My career in general brokerage began by helping a few friends with their investment properties and snowballed from there into helping many more on my way to becoming a top-producing agent in Charleston.

Like everyone who falls hard for Charleston, I am a total foodie, outdoors enthusiast, and history nut. When I’m not hustling houses, you’ll find me around Charleston kayaking, biking, jogging, boating, exploring our nation’s best food scene, or at one of our dog parks or beach side. It’s easy to sell something when you have an absurd passion for it. It’s why many of my out-of-town clients get an itinerary to explore as many parks, restaurants, beaches, and historic sites as they do neighborhoods and houses. Along with my sidekick (my dog Brutus), I spend most of my free time reinforcing all the reasons Charleston is home!

What We Love About Gentry’s Bio

Gentry does a great job of talking about how his background prepared him for success in real estate. His real estate agent bio is laid-back but professional. He shares the activities that he enjoys and reasons why he loves his community. He also offers insight into what it’s like to work with him and what clients can expect.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Buyers and sellers want to work with a person, not a robot. Make sure your bio reflects who you are, your interests, and something unique about you. More prospects will turn into new clients if they can connect the dots between what’s important to them and what’s important to you.

Demonstrating Leadership

2. Brendan Bartic, CEO of the Bartic Group, Keller Williams Realty

As a Colorado native and a seasoned real estate professional, I recognize and value the trust my clients place in me, and I strive every day to exceed their expectations.

I have been a leading top producer for over 18 years. My sales consistently rank in the top 1% of all Keller Williams Teams internationally.

Prior to entering real estate, I served my country in the United States Army Infantry with multiple tours in Iraq and Kuwait. These experiences instilled in me the discipline it takes to build the most powerful real estate team in Colorado.

Outside of real estate, I take pride in giving back to the community and serve as a Board Member of Third Way Center, which helps high-risk, disadvantaged youth become successful adults.

What We Love About Brendan’s Bio

Most real estate agents write their bio in the third person, but Brendan takes a more personal approach by writing in the first person. His bio comes across as strong and effective—we can feel Brendan’s leadership qualities from reading his profile.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Leadership is an essential trait for any real estate professional. Your clients depend on you to lead them through one of the most important financial decisions of their lives, so make sure your bio communicates your leadership abilities.

Connecting to the Community

3. Suzi Farajiani, Realtor, Douglas Elliman

Coming from three generations of Realtors, Suzi grew up in a family of real estate developers. She specializes in residential buying and selling with an emphasis on marketing properties as well as consulting for investing purposes.

Suzi’s achievements include working with her family on buying and selling properties, renovating homes with her husband, and collaborating with developers to create new and unique construction projects.

When it comes to Los Angeles real estate, Suzi admires the city’s landscape and how it interacts with its architecture.

Suzi says, “I am certain that Los Angeles has everything that anybody could ever need in a home, and that’s what I love about the city—its abundance in style and neighborhoods.”

When it concerns her clients, Suzi believes in a philosophy of transparency. She says, “I feel creating something of value has to lead first with integrity, which then creates a solid foundation to do great business together.”

During her spare time, Suzi can be found soaking up the sun on the beaches of Malibu where she was raised. Organizations that Suzi has worked closely with include Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, The Boy & Girls Club, Alzheimer’s Association, Manna Worldwide, and Break the Cycle.

What We Love About Suzy’s Bio

Suzy does a great job of underscoring her knowledge and familiarity with her community and also why she loves living there. Her attention to detail lets local buyers and sellers know that she’s deeply connected to the community that matters to them.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Real estate is a local business. When writing your bio, remember that your audience is made up of residents of your local community. Make sure you’re identifying yourself as both a subject matter expert and an enthusiastic advocate for the place where you live and work.

Showcasing Expertise

4. Shannon McNulty, Realtor, McNulty Levac Realty Group

Shannon McNulty has been passionate about real estate since her earliest years growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Shannon always knew that she wanted to chart a path helping others and found her true calling in real estate serving her clients and guiding them through one of the biggest investments of their lives. Over the past decade, Shannon has been involved in the sales and marketing of $1 billion of real estate in Western Canada and has won awards including the President’s Club Award (representing the Top 1% of all Vancouver Realtors) and the Medallion Club Award. Shannon feels incredibly blessed to work with amazing clients who become her friends and a strong part of her network.

Passionate about real estate investment, Shannon is an active investor in Western Canada’s emerging real estate markets and shares this knowledge and experience to assist and educate aspiring investors with their goals. A long-term resident of the North Shore, Shannon enjoys spending her weekends in the forest with her Sheepadoodle Smudge.

What We Love About Shannon’s Bio

Shannon does a great job of keeping her agent bio local while at the same time trumpeting her accomplishments that span the region. The professional, third-person narrative adds sophistication and success while still sounding approachable.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Experienced and successful realtors can level up their bio by demonstrating proof of their success and positioning themselves as subject matter experts. There’s a fine line between sharing your successful track record and bragging, so tread lightly here, but if you’ve got accomplishments that are worthy of noting, note them.

Leveraging Past Experience

5. Stephanie Weitzner, Realtor, Realty Austin

As a child of real estate investors, Stephanie has been excited about real estate since she was a kid but took the long route when turning her passion into her profession. Stephanie’s interest in advocating for clients initially led her to law school, after which she spent years as a litigator in New York City, working for firms both large and small.

Moving to Austin and finding inspiration in this phenomenal city led Stephanie to realize that she wanted a career that was more connected to her new hometown. When purchasing her first Austin home, she found that she wasn’t ready to let go of the experience. Although she had already taken (and passed!) the Texas Bar Exam, she was hooked on real estate, and there was no turning back.

Stephanie feels fortunate to have discovered, through the peers and mentors who guided her, a unique way of working in real estate that aligns with her personal and professional values; working by referral means that she focuses on her clients and their needs with a long-term perspective, helping clients with real estate issues or questions wherever and whenever they arise. Moreover, she views herself not just as a Realtor but as an adviser, helping clients not only to buy or sell but to strategize toward long-term wealth building with real estate.

When she’s not running around town, you can find Stephanie at home with her husband, Sujan, and their super-cute kiddo, Zoe. Stephanie loves languages (help her practice her French, Spanish, German, or Turkish!) and aspires to someday learn to juggle.

What We Love About Stephanie’s Bio

Stephanie is a relatively new agent, but you don’t even notice because she’s given us so much rich background about her life and how she ended up in real estate. We’re hooked because she has fantastic life experiences, not because she has a certain number of years in the business.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: While we think this bio is a tad long, it offers us reasons to trust this agent with our business. Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re new to real estate, but include all of the ways you’re qualified, dedicated, professional, and whip-smart.

Engaging & Enthusiastic

6. Fernando Ventresca, Realtor, The Jennifer Rosdail Team, Keller Williams

As a long-time San Franciscan, I bring passion and excitement for the city to my approach in finding a home for you. I felt at home in San Francisco the moment I arrived and instantly fell in love with it. You probably fell in love with this place pretty quickly too—if you are like 90% of us and came from somewhere else—and now it’s time to put down some roots and stay a while.

I will help you obtain the San Francisco property you’ve always dreamed of by focusing our strategy on your individual style, needs, and budget. I enjoy keeping up with the latest restaurants, shopping, events, and “only in SF” attractions that make each neighborhood unique, and we will leverage that knowledge, the power of Keller Williams, and the experience of the Jennifer Rosdail Real Estate Sales team to your benefit.

What We Love About Fernando’s Bio

When we read Fernando’s agent bio, it’s his enthusiasm for San Francisco that shines through. If you’re a transplant like he is, you immediately feel a connection. His bio is brief, helpful, and positive—and did you notice you have no idea how many years he’s been a Realtor?

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Maybe you haven’t been in real estate a long time—or any career, for that matter. We all started out somewhere, and it’s OK to focus on your skills, your hunger to prove yourself, your love of your community, and not how many deals you’ve done.

Real Estate Agent Bios That Are Outside the Box

7. The Logan and Bernard Group, Real Estate Team, Compass

Real estate is a powerful thing. Where you live becomes the center of your universe: your “home base” and a place where memories are made. Even an investment property can have a profound effect on your life’s story—when chosen correctly, it becomes long-term financial freedom and a vital part of your well-diversified portfolio.

Anchored by Logan Link, Bernard Link, and Nicole Grinsell, allow the Logan and Bernard Group to guide you through the real estate process. Whether a buyer, a seller, or an investor, we think of our clients as family. Lean on us—we are here to keep the process fluid, successful, and as low-stress as possible.

Thanks to a combined 20 years as real estate professionals in Marin County, we are proud of our reputation for excellent negotiation skills, cutting-edge marketing, and invaluable connections, both locally and globally.

Not quite ready to buy or sell, but curious about neighborhood options, local schools, our techniques, or current real estate “buzz”? Don’t be shy—reach out to us (note: includes link to contact).

Think of the Logan and Bernard Group as your Marin County Concierge. If we don’t know the answer, we will find it.

What We Love About the Logan and Bernard Group’s Bio

This bio is unconventional, but it totally works. We love how it starts with powerful, emotional language; from the first line, you’re hooked and want to keep reading. This group bio takes an intimate, narrative approach that makes the reader feel connected to Logan and Bernard, thus making the conversion from prospect to client easier.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: The real estate bio is written about you, but for your clients. Crafting a narrative (even within your bio) that captivates your audience is a strong strategy. With every sentence of your bio, stop and ask yourself, “Is this serving my reader?”

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8. Aaron Seawood, Broker, Team Carte Blanche, Triplemint

Aaron Seawood has raving fans and an impeccable reputation as an advocate, partner, and confidant. “I’d call Aaron the Rolls Royce of real estate brokers. He’s hands-on with physical help and emotional support, which people so often need when taking the step of selling or buying their home. Hands-on, heart on, wisdom on. We didn’t expect to make a real friend from our broker, but we have. Aaron turns the business of selling real estate into an art” remarks one of his many satisfied clients.

A dominant force in the New York real estate market for well over a decade, Aaron formed Team Carte Blanche on the premise that when good people work together, good things happen. With that mindset, he vetted an all-star team that contributes their unique skill sets to each client, so they feel the impact of many with the singular focus of one.

Keenly aware of the nuances that make for a sophisticated real estate experience, he spares no expense to make that a reality for each client. Whether guiding first-time buyers through the complexities of New York City real estate or advising athletes and celebrities on their property plays across the country, Aaron’s level of commitment to his clients can only be described one way: “All-in.”

Prior to real estate, Aaron was an entertainment executive spawning collaborations with a roster of platinum artists and producers with notable stops at Virgin Records and Queen Latifah’s management company, Flavor Unit. Navigating high-stakes situations honed his skills as a negotiator, problem-solver, and artist advocate, which translated nicely into the rough-and-tumble world of real estate. Aaron has called New York City home for over 25 years, and lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, two children, and a rescue puppy, Knox. He loves cycling, photography, and the occasional cigar.

What We Love About Aaron’s Bio

This is another bio that is fairly unconventional, but we love it. While it’s definitely on the long side, we kept reading because Aaron almost leaps off the page with personality and confidence. He shares his fascinating background, and while it’s not all directly real estate-related, it’s pretty awesome and makes us want to know him better.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Consider including a testimonial in your bio. It can speak to who you are, but maybe more importantly, how others see you. Knowing that you’re trusted and respected by other people can go a long way in establishing your credibility.

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9. Katie Clancy, Sales Vice President, The Cape House, William Raveis

When we want the freshest oysters, we don’t go to the fish counter at the grocery store—we go to John, the East Dennis oyster guy. When we want a perfectly tailored suit, we don’t go to the mall—we go to Puritan Clothing in Hyannis. When we want the best chocolate this side of the Alps, we don’t go to the candy store—we go to The Hot Chocolate Sparrow in Orleans. When you want a home on Cape Cod, entrust your dream to me, Katie Clancy and The Cape House team.

What We Love About Katie’s Bio

We couldn’t resist including this short, pithy, very entertaining example, just to show you that there is no one way to do a bio. Katie’s sense of humor, local knowledge, and professional confidence shine through, and she doesn’t even talk about herself until the last sentence. This blurb is followed by a list of her accomplishments, awards, and local engagements, but really, she had us at oysters.

CLOSE INSIDER TIP: Be yourself and remember that the whole point of a bio is to show who you are. You can do that with a 3,000-word memoir or a brilliantly concise and memorable list of beloved local businesses.

Want to Outsource Your Real Estate Bio Writing?

If writing a real estate bio is high on your to-do list but you can’t find the time, consider hiring a freelancer to do it for you. Fiverr is a resource of professional writers willing and able to put together a killer real estate bio for you—for a price as low as five bucks.

Find a Freelancer on Fiverr

Real Estate Bio Toolkit: 4 Tips to Write a Great Bio

Ready to start writing a compelling real estate agent bio? Before you put pen to paper, review these tips designed to help you craft an engaging bio that will connect with readers and convert leads into clients.

1. Your First Sentence Is Crucial

Inspirational speaker Matthew Ferrara has said that many people will make up their minds about you in the very first sentence of your bio. Don’t use that sentence to meander your way toward your message. Jump right into demonstrating your value and capture your reader’s attention early.

2. Bigger Is Not Better

A longer real estate agent bio does not make you seem more impressive. In fact, it makes it less likely someone will even read it at all. Studies show that 50% of readers won’t read more than a single screen worth of text on their phone. Keep your bio to less than 200 words and make them captivating.

3. Social Media Links Are a MUST

A great bio will make a reader say, “I’d like to learn more.” Include links to your social media to give them that opportunity. However, if you don’t regularly engage with your audience on social media, including social links in your bio can be detrimental. Remember to only link to platforms where you spend time online.

4. Use Your Brokerage’s Clout to Build Your Own

Your brokerage has likely invested a lot of time and money in building its reputation in your community. You can leverage these investments to springboard your professional reputation—building on the good vibes they’ve already established. If their ideals run counter to your own, you’re likely at the wrong brokerage.

Spice Up Your Real Estate Agent Bio With These Buzzwords

Struggling with the perfect description for yourself and what you do? Here are some of our favorite buzzwords and descriptors:

Bringing It All Together

Someone who has chosen to read your bio is clearly interested in you. They want to see if you’re a good fit both personally and professionally and get a sense of what it would be like to work with you. Why not give them what they’re looking for? 

If you’re authentic and let your personality shine through, your real estate agent bio may serve as the very first step toward a new client relationship that could last for years. Please share any questions you may have about writing an effective real estate agent bio in the comments section below!

The post 9 Real Estate Agent Bio Examples We Love (+ Templates & Bio Generator) appeared first on The Close.

For the past 10-plus years, I’ve coached agents, teaching them how to differentiate themselves so they can attract high-end clients. In this article, I will uncover how to become a luxury real estate agent using 10 of my tried-and-tested methods.

Download Our Checklist for Breaking Into the Luxury Market

1. Adopt a Fancy Hobby

The best way to meet high-net-worth clients is by doing something you already enjoy. This can be as easy as joining your local antique car group, attending a few fine art shows or wine tastings, or finding a local polo club.

While buying a horse or an expensive car might not be feasible for you, you can always find other ways to be an enthusiast. For example, you may not be able to afford a Ferrari, but you can certainly educate yourself on the company’s history and attend meetups and car shows to show off your knowledge.

Then, if you are attending a vintage car race, you can bring a list of luxury properties in your area that feature large garages or outbuildings that would be perfect for a vintage car collector.

Before you jump in: I cannot stress this enough, nobody likes a poser—so start with a hobby you actually enjoy, or at least find interesting. 

2. Make Luxury Part of Your Personal Brand

A key step to breaking into the luxury market is to make sure all your marketing materials, including your business cards, website, advertising, and social media look both cohesive and sophisticated. 

Attract the attention of high-end homebuyers by showing them the best of the luxury lifestyle in your farm area. Marketing the luxury lifestyle is easier than ever before with social media as the perfect place to “fake it until you make it.” It won’t cost you a lot of money to feature and discuss high-end restaurants, gallery openings, or golf tournaments on your social media accounts. 

If you want to take your luxury marketing and branding to the next level, we recommend Luxury Presence. An all-in-one platform, it’s used by at least 20 of the top 100 WSJ agents. Luxury Presence offers agent websites, lead generation, and even video production—all with a razor-sharp focus on the luxury real estate market.

Visit Luxury Presence

3. Get Involved With Charities & Causes

Generally speaking, high-income people enjoy supporting causes, attending charity events and auctions, volunteering, and fundraising. Start with a cause that means something to you. Your relationships and opportunities will develop naturally when your dedication to the cause shines through. From there, you can build a network that will lead to new opportunities.

Again, this is a strategy that really requires authenticity and sincerity. Don’t fake a love of rescue dogs if you don’t like animals—people will see right through you. 

4. Sweat the Small Stuff

Every detail in a property worth millions of dollars is important. When you’re showing a luxury property, you need to be ready to point out the luxury finishes, from the big obvious indoor basketball court to the tiniest cutting-edge audio speaker. 

If, for example, you work in a market with lots of expensive historic homes, you need to have the proper vocabulary: know a cornice from a corbel and the difference between balusters and the balustrade. And be familiar with easements and zoning boards that get a say in renovations and restorations. 

On the water? Know your boat lifts and dock permits. In the mountains of Colorado, what are the fire risks, the best ski lodges, and stocked trout streams? If someone is going to pay a premium for luxury property features, you need to become the luxury agent who knows what they are and why (or if) they’re worth it. 

Again, social media is key to showing off your expertise. If you can’t afford a marketing manager, do what 4,000 other teams do: get curated local content automatically posted to your social media accounts using Artur’In. For a fraction of the cost of a marketing manager, Artur’In will curate, create, and post content to your social media feeds to engage any audience you want. They also do automated Facebook and Google pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns if you just want leads.

*Close readers save an extra $300 through waived setup fees.

Visit Artur’In

5. Solve a Problem Specific to the Wealthy

Remember, you’re not just a real estate agent, you are a luxury real estate agent, and you offer more profound knowledge and broader expertise. Here is a list of common concerns for high-net-worth individuals, which often dovetail perfectly with your real estate services. 

• Real estate investing
• Legal tax avoidance and tax consequences 
• Asset appraisal, privacy, protection, and preservation
• Insurance
• Zoning and land use
• Development
• Banking and lending
• Common property and prenuptials

Think of one (and only one) problem that a luxury client may have that you can solve. You can then position yourself as the one person in your market who solves this problem for affluent clients. Reflect on your career and experiences and ask yourself the following questions:

• What experiences, skills, and knowledge are valuable to a luxury client?
• Which luxury clients would benefit from my skills and experience?

Then, write a positioning statement to use on all your marketing. For example:

“I help high-income individuals create, acquire, and manage a diverse property portfolio.”

6. Teach a Relevant Course 

Once you know which specific problem you are uniquely qualified to solve, get out there and start educating your prospective clients. High-net-worth individuals may desire a deeper knowledge of real estate investing, 1031 exchanges, recent zoning changes, second home purchases, or development opportunities—and you can be the one to teach them.

Position yourself as the real estate educator and local authority by creating a 30- to 45-minute presentation or workshop. Ideally, you want to share all the ways that they can solve the problem without telling them exactly how to do it. End with that simple call-to-action: If they would like more, they will need to schedule a meeting with you.

Focus on educating without getting anything in return. Even if you don’t set any meetings at first, you will eventually become a trusted authority on your chosen subject, leading to opportunities in the future.

  Pro Tip

Don’t forget to bring snacks! Offering cookies, coffee, or even wine and cheese can go a long way toward breaking the ice.

7. Level Up With Designations

If you choose to become a respected luxury real estate agent, you need proof that you have the knowledge, skills, and experience to handle such an expensive asset. There are several designations and certifications explicitly designed for agents in the luxury real estate market, including:

• Luxury Homes Certification (LHC)
• Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) 
• Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS)

8. Hitch Your Wagon to a Star 

You can gain serious skills and connections by helping other luxury agents with their marketing, events, and open houses. When you can show your well-to-do peers that you are hungry, they will be more likely to take a chance on you. 

Don’t be too proud to co-list, either. If someone is too busy to take on a luxury listing, offer to jump in, co-list, and do the grunt work. Half of a commission of a luxury listing is well worth it. Becoming a luxury real estate agent is all about the hustle.

9. Mine Expired Luxury Listings & FSBOs

Luxury homes can take two to three times longer to sell than the average home because fewer people can afford them. Plus, many are custom-designed and have unique features, making them more difficult to price correctly the first time.

Some luxury listings can sit on the market for years and change listing agents two to three times before they sell. You don’t necessarily need to close your first listing to get started—you just need to get it, and more will follow.

Luxury FSBO (For Sale By Owner) sellers can also find it difficult to attract “real” homebuyers for their premium-priced homes. This means that there is opportunity for savvy agents to prospect for both luxury expireds and FSBOs.

I have coached several agents on how to get listings by prospecting expired luxury listings and FBSOs. Because you are approaching them unsolicited, present yourself as an ambitious (yet professional) luxury real estate agent who offers the ultimate solution to their problem of wasted time, since their property’s “days on market” are likely to be higher.

10. Claim New Construction as Your Own

Hustling to become the representative for a new residential construction project is one of the fastest ways to establish yourself in the luxury market. If a developer has one project and likes the work you’ve done to sell it, chances are they’ll have another one…and then another one. 

The hard work it takes to get the listing and to do well with it will pay off in spades. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that can grow and develop over time. 

Bonus Tip: How to Do Luxury Marketing on a Budget

If you can’t quite afford a luxury marketing team yet, try Lab Coat Agents Marketing Center. It’s the first design platform created just for real estate agents. They offer beautiful, easy-to-edit templates for email newsletters, just-sold flyers, door hangers, social media posts, business cards, and much more.

Visit Lab Coat Agents Marketing Center

Bottom Line

Connect with your passion. Be genuine in your pursuit of relationships and networks. Create a plan to connect with affluent people who share the same excitement for luxury real estate properties that you have. Brand yourself appropriately, work hard, and provide a professional, unparalleled client experience. Take these steps and you’re already on your way to becoming a luxury real estate agent. 

Remember that in today’s world, luxury is not about price—it’s about the uniqueness of an experience and elite level of service. Keep track of your progress with our luxury agent checklist.

Download Our Checklist

Over to You

Confident you now know how to become a luxury real estate agent? Do you have a way to break into luxury that we didn’t mention here? Let us know in the comments, and if you’re an active agent, join our Facebook Mastermind Group for more advice from pros.

The post How to Become a Luxury Real Estate Agent—10 Easy Ways to Break Into the Luxury Market appeared first on The Close.

That’s why I decided to share what I think are the best real estate social media templates of 2022. I’ve included templates for Facebook posts, Instagram posts, Instagram Stories, and Highlight covers. I’ll also share the best places to get real estate templates and explain why we prefer paying for high-quality ones instead of using the many free options available.

Free Template: Housing Market Infographic

Real Estate Facebook Post Templates

1. You Only List Once Facebook Post Template

Type: Promotional Facebook Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

While there are a ton of “just listed” templates on Canva, they never have catchy copy like this promotional template from LCA Marketing Center. If you’re not great at writing copy, why not use social media templates that have customized real estate copy done for you?

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

2. Modern Testimonial Facebook Post Template

Type: Testimonial Facebook Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

Facebook is the perfect place to show off your testimonials from happy former clients, and this simple template from Agent Crate will make them look great too. There are a ton of client testimonial templates out there, so just make sure you stick one that fits your personal brand. This template should work with pretty much any brand.

Customize on Agent Crate

3. Modern Price Reduced Facebook Post Template

Type: Testimonial Facebook Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

While reducing prices might be something of a rarity these days, that doesn’t mean you won’t need a “price reduced” template in the future. This attention-grabbing example from Agent Crate is a solid choice.

Customize on Agent Crate

4. Referral Request Facebook Post

Type: Referral Request Facebook post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

If you want to get more referrals, then you need to ask for them. Many people might not know just how important referrals are for your business, or might be so busy packing, moving, and settling in that they forget.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

5. Down Payment Pitch Facebook Post

Type: Down Payment Pitch Facebook Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

More snappy copy from LCA Marketing Center! This template can be deadly for the few months after April 15. This is an aggressive pitch for sure, but will work like a charm used sparingly in your feed.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

BONUS: Have Social Media Posts Created for You

Tired of coming up with ideas for social media content and want to spend more time selling houses? In 2022, smart agents are using services like Artur’In to give their social accounts a boost from the pros while they concentrate on selling houses.

For a flat monthly fee, they will create and post engaging local, branded photo and video content to your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts. They will also design and run Facebook ads for you with MLS integration, and even write your blog. It’s like having a dedicated marketing team for less than what you probably spend on lunch every day.

Visit Artur’In

6. Pastel Just Listed Facebook Post

Type: Just Listed Facebook Post
Style: Boho Chic
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

We love this trendy boho chic just-listed template from LCA Marketing Center. The colors, the design, and the crisp typography all ooze elegance and charm. If your personal brand is on the softer side, this will work perfectly for you.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

Instagram Posts Templates

7. Make It Simple Carousel Instagram Post

Type: Promotional Instagram Post (4 of 12 total slides shown here)
Style: Chic
Pricing: $54 per month 
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

This 12-slide carousel post from Coffee & Contracts is a great way to promote your real estate services to your audience. It’s subtle, helpful, and manages to be self-promotional without slamming them over the head with a hard sell.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

8. Mortgage Rate Forecasts Instagram Post Template

Type: Educational Instagram Post
Style: Luxury 
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

Educational posts are a vital tool to remind your followers of the potential value you can add to their financial future. The key is to post these on a schedule, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly, so your followers know when to expect them.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

9. New Realtor Announcement Instagram Post

Type: New Realtor Announcement Instagram Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Once you’ve built a personal brand you’re proud of, the next step is to shout it from the mountaintops so everyone in your sphere knows you’re there to help. This simple, clever template from Coffee & Contracts does just that.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

10. Modern Open House Template

Type: Open House Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

While open house announcements generally work better as stories, posting them to your feed is a great way to remind your followers just how busy you are. If they see you grinding, they will know how hard you work and over time will associate your personal brand with hard work, dedication, and success.

Customize on Agent Crate

11. The Broke Agent Valentine’s Day Meme Template

Type: Meme Instagram Post
Style: Funny
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

We love this customizable real estate meme template from our friend Eric Simon, aka The Broke Agent. If you think memes are just for kids, think again. Even the biggest brands in the world use memes to market their brands these days.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

12. Modern Just Listed Instagram Post Template

Type: Just Listed Instagram Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: By subscription at $59 per month 
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

This just listed social media template from LCA Marketing Center is clean, simple, and elegant. Perfect for promoting a new luxury listing, or lending a little class to a starter home. Great photography is key for a template like this, so make sure to hire a great photographer or read our guide if you DIY.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

13. Luxury Just Listed Template

Type: Just Listed Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

We love the muted pastel tones of this just listed template from Agent Crate. It’s perfect for waterfront listings, historic listings, or anything listing that deserves some casually luxurious design

Customize on Agent Crate

14. Officially Off the Market Instagram Post

Type: Just Sold Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $54 per month 
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Just because you “just sold” another listing doesn’t mean you need to plaster the words “just sold” all over your Instagram feed. This template from Coffee & Contracts adds a little cleverness to your just-listed posts.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

15. Track Record Instagram Post

Type: Track Record Instagram Post
Style: Luxury 
Pricing: $59 per month 
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

Always remember: If you actually did it, it’s not bragging! If you have some wins under your belt, then sharing them with your followers is a no-brainer. This elegant template from LCA Marketing Center is a great way to show off those wins.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

16. 5 Reasons to Work With Us Instagram Post Template

Type: Promotional Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

While getting engagement is crucial on Instagram, sometimes you need to just pitch your services directly. This simple, clean, template from LCA Marketing Center is a great way to do it. If you can’t come up with five reasons to work with you, take the time to work on your mission, vision, and values before you edit this template. Sean’s guide below is for brokerages but works for agents too.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

17. Did You Know Carousel Post

Type: Promotional Carousel Instagram Post (4 out of 7 slides total shown here)
Style: Modern
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Another direct pitch for your followers, this modern template from Coffee & Contracts has great design, great copy, and draws your followers in to read the whole series. The seven slides in this carousel post template ends with a call to action.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

Instagram Stories Templates

18. Under Contract Instagram Story (Animated)

Type: Under Contract Instagram Story (2 of 8 total slides shown here)
Style: Modern
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

This animated story template is a great way to brag about your recent success without sounding too salesly. There are eight total slides in this carousel with different styles and closers.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

19. Open House Instagram Story

Type: Open House Instagram Story
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

A great open house story template that is perfect for luxury listings. If you don’t have a luxury listing for this, try asking a luxury listing agent in your brokerage if they’ll let you run one for one of theirs. Promoting luxury open houses in your stories is a great way to associate your personal brand with luxury.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

20. Real Estate Mythbusters

Type: Educational Instagram Story (3 of 9 total images shown here)
Available on: Coffee & Contracts
Pricing: $54 per month
Style: Modern

We love this quick educational carousel from Coffee & Contracts. It manages to educate your followers in a fun way. Quick hit educational or entertainment content does great on Instagram and is what Stories were designed for.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

21. Describe Your House in Emojis Template

Type: Engagement Instagram Story
Style: Fun
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

Fun prompts like this one from Agent Crate are a great way to increase engagement with your followers. If you want to build your account, increasing engagement should be job one. You can learn more engagement-building tricks from Eric Simon, aka The Broke Agent below.

Customize on Agent Crate

22. Market Update Instagram Story Template

Type: Market Update Instagram Story (2 of 3 total images show here)
Style: Light/Modern
Pricing: $54 per month 
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

This market update template from Coffee & Contracts is perfect for agents who have chic personal brands. If you want a little more contrast, try the black version.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

23. Linen Open House Instagram Story Template

Type: Open House Instagram Story
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

Simple, clean, and attractive, this template is a great way to show off your open house next Sunday.

Customize on Agent Crate

24. Yes/No Quiz Story Template

Type: Quiz Instagram Story
Style: Modern
Pricing: $25 per month 
Available on: Agent Crate

Another great template to spark engagement, this one from Agent Crate asks your followers one of the most contentious questions that people have about real estate. You might even get some fellow agents arguing in the comments.

Customize on Agent Crate

25. Open House Instagram Story Template

Type: Open House Instagram Story
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

Another modern, elegant open house template from LCA Marketing center. This will work perfectly for sleek modern listings like the example photo in the template.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

26. This or That Home Design Instagram Story

Type: Home Design Instagram Story (3 of 7 total images shown here)
Style: Boho Chic
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Some say there are three ways to build an Instagram following: engagement, engagement, and engagement. That’s why posting fun quizzes like this “this or that” home design template from Coffee & Contracts will help you build your account.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

Instagram Highlights Covers

27. Black Modern Instagram Highlight Cover Templates

Type: Instagram Highlight Covers
Format: Canva 
Style: Modern, Bold
Pricing: $2.50
Available on: Etsy

Even if you have killer stories, your followers might not see them right away. This is why using highlights covers like these from Etsy on your profile highlights is important. Instead of random images, your highlights will be clearly categorized and easy for your followers to decide if they want to watch.

Download This Template on Etsy

28. Luxury Gold Instagram Highlights Cover Templates

Type: Instagram Highlight Covers
Format: Canva
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $2.99
Available on: Etsy

If your brand is a bit more elegant, then these metallic gold highlights covers are a great way to lure your followers into watching more of your stories on your profile.

Download This Template on Etsy

29. Icon Instagram Highlights Covers

Type: Instagram Highlight Covers
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Here’s another simple, clean highlights cover template from Coffee & Contracts. When choosing social media templates or highlights covers, make sure they work with your personal brand.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

Where to Get the Best Real Estate Templates for Social Media (Free vs Paid)

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t include any of the hundreds of thousands of free templates on Canva in this article. Why am I telling agents to spend $50+ per month instead of $5 for a Canva Pro account? 

The quality of the free and even Pro templates on Canva doesn’t compare to the companies creating templates specifically for agents. The layouts don’t look as professional and the copy is generic and not written by agents. Sure, they might work in a pinch, but are you trying to build a lasting career or save fifty bucks a month?

The ROI for Paid Social Media Templates Is Clear: Design, Copy & Variety 

If you’re trying to build a career selling houses and think social media is the right way to do it, then high-quality templates are no longer optional. Not when you’re competing with agents who buy high-quality templates. 

The most compelling reason to always use paid templates is that the design quality is head and shoulders above free options. If you don’t believe me, go look for just listed templates on Canva, and then compare them to the templates in this article. 

The second reason why paid templates have such a good return on investment (ROI) is that they offer much more than just pretty designs. Paid template companies like Coffee & Contracts and Lab Coat Agents (LCA) include snappy copy written by top-producing agents. Coffee & Contracts even includes Reels scripts. 

Finally, the companies that sell templates with a price tag also offer templates for print materials like business cards, flyers, postcards, open house signage, one-sheets, and much more, making your branding more cohesive. Many even have fully written blog posts, CMAs, and buyer’s guides. 

4 Places to Buy the Best Real Estate Social Media Templates in 2022

If you’re in the market for high-quality real estate social media templates, here is a quick breakdown of the best places online to buy them. 

1. Coffee & Contracts

Pricing: $54 per month
Contract required? No
Best for: Instagram Stories & Reels
Drawbacks: You still need Canva to edit their templates

Coffee & Contracts templates combine great copy along with beautifully designed templates. Many of theirs come ready to go with checklists, buyer’s guides, quizzes, and more. They even offer video scripts for Instagram Reels. 

The only drawback is that Coffee & Contracts does not have an in-app editor. You will need Canva to edit their templates. That said, most agents are already familiar with Canva, and Canva is easier to use and offers more features than other in-app editors.

Visit Coffee & Contracts

2. Lab Coat Agents Marketing Center

Pricing: $59 per month
Contract required? No
Best for: Teams and Brokerages
Drawbacks: Designs are generally more masculine

LCA Marketing Center also offers beautifully designed templates with great copy. Their aesthetic is a bit more masculine than Coffee & Contracts, but they told us they are working on designing more soft-edge Pinterest aesthetic templates this year.

Visit LCA Marketing Center

3. Agent Crate

Pricing: $25 per month
Contract required? No
Best for: Affordability & variety
Drawbacks: Graphic design is not quite as nice as Coffee & Contracts and LCA Marketing Center

Agent Crate is a super-popular template platform that offers agents pretty much all the marketing materials they need. It’s also more affordable than LCA Marketing Center and Coffee & Contracts at just $25 per month. 

The only drawback for me is that the design quality on Agent Crate is not quite at the level of either LCA Marketing Center of Coffee & Contracts. Coffee & Contracts also offers more fully fledged carousel posts and Stories for Instagram.

Visit Agent Crate

4. Etsy

Pricing: $2.99+
Contract required? No
Best for: Affordability and variety
Drawbacks: Lower design and copy quality

If you don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription, then Etsy is another great place to buy real estate social media templates. Many sellers on Etsy offer packages that include a hundred or more templates for a one-time price. 

The drawback with using Etsy is that while the designs are slightly nicer than Canva, they’re not quite on the same level as Coffee & Contracts or LCA Marketing Center. The copy is also nowhere near as good. You get pretty designs and that’s about it.

Visit Etsy

Over to You

Where are you getting your real estate social media templates from this year? Do you agree that free templates don’t offer the same ROI as paid templates? Let us know in the comments.

The post 29 Best Real Estate Social Media Templates for Facebook & Instagram appeared first on The Close.

That’s why I was thrilled to get a chance to review Ryan Serhant’s new course, Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build Your Personal Brand. The course promises to teach agents the personal brand-building secrets Ryan learned while I was busy renting out 5th-floor walk-ups on Avenue A. But does it deliver on that promise? Can you really learn how to build a brand like Ryan’s?

What This Review Covers

Course: Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build Your Personal Brand
Pricing for May 2022: $997
Experience level: 0-10+ years
Best for: Mid-level – experienced agents
Topics covered: Personal branding
The Close Score: 4.9 (out of 5)

The Pitch: What This Course Promises to Teach Agents

Pricing: Is the Sell It Like Serhant Personal Branding Course Worth $997?

Is This “Brand Strategy System” an Actual System? Will It Work for Most Agents?

Who This Course Is Best For: Potential ROI & Drawbacks

Visit Sell It Like Serhant

The Pitch: What This Course Promises to Teach Agents

The Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build Your Personal Brand course pitches itself as an actionable, step-by-step plan showing Realtors how to build and promote a powerful personal brand using what they call the Serhant Brand Strategy System. This system is based on the strategies Ryan Serhant used to build his own renowned brand.

Pricing: Is the Sell It Like Serhant Personal Branding Course Worth $997?

For most agents, the answer is a resounding yes. I do think the Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build Your Personal Brand course is worth the price. Here’s why: First, unlike other top-tier real estate courses, this course is taught by people who have seen incredible success in the fields they teach. It is also highly actionable, engaging, and incredibly well-produced. It’s not cheap, but you get more for your money, and arguably a better potential return on investment (ROI) than you do from many other real estate courses.

Here’s four reasons why I think this course is worth the money:

1. The Teachers Have All Walked the Walk (& Then Some)

One of the dirtiest secrets in the real estate coaching world is that many of the most famous coaches in the industry have never worked as real estate agents. I won’t name names here, but if you’ve shopped around for a coach, you can probably name more than one.

That’s a big reason why this course stands out in a sea of expensive real estate courses promising agents the world. The teachers have all walked the walk. Have a look at their qualifications to see what I mean:

Ryan Serhant

The Core Identity section of the course is taught by Ryan himself. If you’re reading this, or if you have had eyeballs for the last few years, then you already know how wildly successful Ryan has been at building a personal real estate brand. In the intro to this article, I argued that he built the most successful personal brand in the history of real estate, and I stand by that. I challenge you to find any agent anywhere with a more recognized personal brand. 

He’s also a highly engaging teacher. His energy is infectious, and the delivery of the course is logical, easy to follow, and highly actionable. Basically, everything you want in a real estate course

Tyler Mount

The Consistent Content section of the course is taught by Tyler Mount, Brand Strategy & Social Media Consultant for SERHANT. Tyler has managed digital campaigns for Biden for America, NBC, Playbill, IBM, Hilton Hotels, Sofitel, T-Mobile, the Tony Awards, the Grammy Awards, and the Olivier Awards. He’s also won numerous awards in his career, including two Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, an Olivier Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Drama League Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and a GLAAD Media Award.

So when Tyler tells you a brand-building or social media strategy works, you can rest assured he is speaking from deep professional experience.

Alyssa Garnick

The Shout It From the Mountaintop section of the course is taught by Alyssa Garnick, founder of Agean Public Relations and a consultant for the SERHANT. brokerage. Alyssa has spent 25 years working with the world’s largest brands, generating ideas, integrated campaigns, and results. She is also skilled at leveraging pop culture and trends and is an award-winning PR strategist and campaign architect.

Alyssa’s section of the course focuses on sharing your newly built brand with the world, and as a consummate PR professional, like Tyler, she also speaks from deep professional experience.

2. It’s Not Cheap, But You Get What You Pay For

This course is not exactly cheap at $997, but comparable to other high-end courses from famous real estate coaches who have never even worked as agents… When you consider this course could easily become the very foundation of your real estate career, the potential ROI becomes clearer.

This is also not a “sit back and watch” kind of course. It is designed for you to actually do the work. Paying a serious amount of money might make you more likely to take the work seriously. Learning is great, but if you actually want to build a brand, you need to act.

3. It Includes More Content Than Many Other Top-tier Real Estate Courses

This course shines due to the sheet value of what’s included in it. A lot of expensive real estate courses include videos, workbooks, and access to mastermind groups. Only a handful of them are as well produced and actionable as this course (more on this later). Here’s what you get for your money:

• 55 chapters, 5+ hours of content

• 72-page brand strategy workbook

• 30 days of access to a Sell It Like Serhant Private Membership

4. The Secret Sauce: The Serhant Brand Strategy System

Of course, you’re probably not plunking down almost a thousand dollars just because the teachers have experience and offer a lot of content. You want to to be assured that their strategies will work for you, right?

Well, as someone who has spent the last five years obsessing over real estate branding and talking to some of the most qualified branding experts in the industry, I can say this: Yeah, I think the secret sauce here lives up to the hype.

Is This ‘Brand Strategy System’ an Actual System? Will It Work for Most Agents?

If you’re a natural skeptic like I am, you’re probably saying to yourself, “Yeah, he starred in a freaking hit TV show! This ‘system’ only worked for him!” I hear you, but you’re wrong.  This is indeed an actual system and one that any agent can leverage to build a powerful personal brand. Sure, you could spend a few years like I did hunting down the rough outlines of this system, but do you have years? How will you separate the bad advice from the gold?

Here’s how I see this system working for agents at different levels of their careers:

Who This Course Is Best For: Potential ROI & Drawbacks

The Potential ROI for New Agents

While admittedly some of the advice in this course is common sense for someone who has been living, eating, and sleeping real estate branding as I have for the last five years, it won’t be common sense for new agents. The experience level of the teachers, the quality of the course and workbook, and the actionable nature of the course make it an incredibly compelling career foundation for new agents.

It’s also important to remember that building a great brand is not something you can create in an afternoon. A great brand can take weeks or months to build and years to refine. It’s also an ongoing process. Your personal brand will evolve and grow as your career does. Of course, without a strong foundation, you will be building on sand.

Drawbacks for New Agents

While contributor Sean Moudry and I have been bullish on the importance of agents building brands early in their careers, some strategies in the course will be difficult for them to use right away. For example, the Shout It From the Mountaintop section of the course focuses heavily on strategies to get press. This can be an uphill battle for new agents. It’s still a great long-term strategy, but building the credibility to get regular press can take a long time.

The Potential ROI for Mid-level Agents

While getting started on your personal brand early is important, I think mid-level agents will get the best ROI from this course. Mid-level agents will have a few years of experience under their belts, so they’ll have a better idea of how they approach real estate, and what their niche could and should be.

Unlike experienced agents, they are less likely to have an established personal brand that isn’t working for them. That means they can start fresh, but with some experience to get the ball rolling faster.

Mid-level agents will also have a much easier time using all the strategies to get press that are outlined in the Shout It From the Mountaintop section of the course.

Drawbacks for Mid-level Agents

Beyond the relatively high price, I don’t think there are any drawbacks to this course for mid-level agents. If you want to build a personal brand, this is the course to take.

The Potential ROI for Experienced Agents

There is enough proprietary gold dust in the course to justify even the most experienced agents signing up. They have the most experience to roll over into their personal brands, and have a much clearer understanding of their value proposition in the market. All it takes is a little refinement to build a killer brand and this course is a great way to do that.

Drawbacks for Experienced Agents

Some experienced agents already have personal brands that are not working for them and reinvention so late in the game might be tricky. However, if you’re an experienced agent and haven’t focused on building your personal brand yet, then you have zero excuses for not taking this course. The price is a drop in the bucket for an experienced agent and will have a much faster ROI.

Over to You

Have you taken the Sell It Like Serhant: Building Your Personal Brand course? Would you recommend it to other agents? If not, which branding course would you recommend? Let us know in the comments.

The post Sell It Like Serhant Course: How to Build Your Personal Brand (In-depth Review) appeared first on The Close.

To find out, we worked with some of the best agents and coaches in the country to find out how they are blending old-school and new-school real estate marketing ideas to build their brands this year. So turn off your phone, grab a cup of coffee, and dig into these 36 clever real estate marketing ideas for 2022.

Your Turn

Have any killer real estate marketing ideas that you think our readers need to know about? Let us know in the comments.

The post 36 Clever Real Estate Marketing Ideas for 2022 appeared first on The Close.

I’ll share the process that we followed to help you come up with the right branding for your brokerage. We’ll walk through the steps, including building a customer avatar, choosing a suitable brand name, and bringing it all together with a unique logo design, fonts, and a color scheme.

Build a Customer Avatar

Have you heard the quote, “If you’re trying to please everyone, you will end up pleasing no one”? The same is true in branding. “If you’re trying to attract everyone with your brand, you will attract no one.” That’s why your name, logo, and colors must be designed to appeal to a specific customer.

You may think that creating a customer persona or avatar is a waste of time. Honestly, when I did this exercise the first time I felt the same way. However, after completing this exercise, I found that knowing clearly who my real estate brokerage was trying to connect with allowed me to let go of the desire to please everyone.

Begin by thinking about who your brokerage’s ideal customer is. Most brokerages’ main focus is attracting real estate agents. Because without agents, you don’t have a brokerage. However, some brokerages are specifically designed to attract homebuyers or sellers, like Colorado’s Buyer’s Slice Realty, which attracts buyers by offering a commission rebate.

[Related article: The 5 Employees You Need to Hire to Grow Your Brokerage in 2022]

Obviously, you don’t want to attract agents and repel buyers and sellers, so at some level your brand must appeal to both target audiences. Once you have determined who your ideal customer is, next you’ll want to ask yourself the following questions about your ideal customer. Your goal is to develop a mental picture of this person.

• Where are they located?
• What is their level of education?
• What do they value?
• What do they spend their money on?
• What are their hobbies?
• What are their interests?
• What brands do they like?
• Which famous people do they admire, and why?

Once you have a clear picture of your customer, you can begin to develop a brand that will attract them. You can start with your brand name.

Choose the Right Name for Your Brokerage

You want your brokerage name to be both original and memorable to attract customers. Later, your name choice is crucial if you decide to expand your brand into new areas. It’s also important when you decide to purchase your domain name and when you are registering your brokerage name and trademark with your state.

[Related article: Real Estate Domain Names: 15 Tricks Experts Use to Pick the Best]

You should keep your name short—one to three words max. If you use a truly unique word or name, include a subtitle to add some clarification. Apple didn’t start out as simply “Apple.” They started out as “Apple Computers.” You can do this too by adding a tagline like “Real Estate Services” or “Realty” to your name.

6 Steps To Narrow Your Brand Name Search

When we were coming up with our name, our marketing expert used the following exercise to get us to think outside the box:

1. Brainstorm. Using a large whiteboard, begin brainstorming by writing words that your ideal customer would be attracted to. Things like the city, neighborhood, or state you are in. Features that are familiar in the area like bridges, oceans, lakes, and mountains. Don’t overlook lifestyle activities that your avatar would enjoy, such skiing, surfing, or cycling. Don’t be shy—anything goes here. Write as many words as you can think of.

Continue by writing a list of words that are associated with housing and real estate. This can be words like door, cabinet, avenue, or loft. Keep writing until you have the entire whiteboard filled out.

2. Align. Now that you have a large list of words that will interest your customer avatar and a list that they will associate with real estate, you can begin to narrow the list. Do this by crossing off words that are not exciting to you and or that don’t align with your mission, vision, and values. From the remaining words, circle the top four words in each category to arrive at your eight favorites. Write these words on a separate paper.

3. Distill. Erase the whiteboard and write the remaining eight words in two columns, with the interest words on the left and the real estate words on the right.

4. Combine. Using the words on the board, combine the words on the left with the words on the right. Your goal is to come up with a unique and catchy name. Rich Barton, the founder of Zillow, wanted the name to be unique yet familiar. The name Zillow is a combination of the letter Z and the word Pillow.

Similarly, the real estate brokerage Trelora is a scramble of the word “realtor.” If you can, keep your name short and easy to pronounce. Extra points if you can come up with something unique.

5. Differentiate. The next step is checking to see if the name is already being used. Begin by Googling the word. Add variations like “real estate” and “realty.” Is it already being used in your area? Is it being used in another state?

Trade names are registered in each state. This is why you can have a “Smith Real Estate” in both New York City and Chicago, yet they are entirely different companies. If the name is already being used in another state, then you will have a hard time expanding that name state-to-state in the future.

Check to see if the domain is being used or if it is for sale. Zillow’s Barton said the best part of giving his startup a unique name like Zillow was that he bought the domain for only $12. If the domain is already in use or is more than a few hundred dollars, I suggest looking for a new name.

6. Translate. Thirty percent of the population speaks a language other than English. Knowing this, it isn’t a bad idea to run your new name through Google Translate to see if the word has a different meaning in another language.

After spending six hours toiling over seemingly endless names, we came up with the brand name Steps. We chose Steps because as real estate coaches, we could teach agents the “steps” to become successful in real estate. Our agents can help buyers and sellers with the “steps” to buying and selling their home. Steps are also a feature in many homes, so we felt that customers can easily associate the name to housing.

Choose Your Fonts & Design a Logo

After coming up with our real estate brokerage’s unique and memorable name, the next point of business was deciding if we would use a font or logo to visually represent our brand. We worked with a designer to create a logo to represent our newly branded brokerage.

When done correctly, fonts and logos allow customers to quickly identify your brand. They also help them to associate your marketing, whether it is open house signs, online advertising, or website. This allows your customers to build familiarity and trust with your brand.

Choose a Font

Some companies spend thousands of dollars coming up with a unique logo, but the truth is you may not have to. Many successful brands, like Tiffany & Co, Coca-Cola, and eBay just use a font instead of a logo to represent their brand. A unique font and color choices can communicate sophistication, simplicity, and timelessness.

Begin by typing your brokerage’s name into a font generator website like Fontshop. These websites can show you what your brokerage’s name will look like in over 150 different fonts.

Don’t stop there. You want your font to be unique and stand out, so once you have selected your favorite font, purchase it, install it, and open it up in Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Word. Using either program, you can select the same font and adjust the height of the letters and the spacing between the letters to give your brand name a new and unique look.

The downside to selecting a standard font to represent your brand is it may not be possible to copyright it since it isn’t a completely unique design. Therefore, if you wish to copyright your brand, you’ll need to make some changes.

For example, Tiffany & Co.’s font is based on the font Old Baskerville, with some minor changes so they could copyright their brand so it could not be used by another company.

Some companies, like Nike, use a specific font and logo together to create their brand.

Design a Logo

The ultimate goal of the logo is for it to be instantly associated with your company. However, designing an outstanding logo is far more complicated than selecting a font. This is why hiring a talented designer is crucial.

To help you come up with the best logo for your real estate brokerage, I wrote out some simple rules about logo design for you to follow.

5 Rules for Successful Brand Logo Design

1. Make It Easily Understandable. You want your logo and name to stand alone without explanation. This means if someone sees your logo, they can understand what it represents without you having to explain it to them. Brands like Target, Apple, and Nike do this well. Both Target and Apple’s logo represent the name of the company. Target is a simple target symbol and Apple is a one-dimensional apple with a bite out of it. A great example in the real estate industry is the Compass logo. Note how the “O” in Compass is stylized to look like a minimalist compass.

2. Be Unique. A quick Google search of real estate logos will show you endless images of brokerage names with an assortment of roofs, buildings, and skylines sitting above the name. While I think it is appropriate for your logo to represent housing, many of these images are overused.

How is a customer to separate you from the competition if the only differentiation with your brokerage brand is the pitch of the roof above your name?

Instead of a roof, try adding features to your logo that represent the type of housing you sell. For example, if you live in Brooklyn, NY, you could use the iconic shape of the front door of a brownstone in your logo. This is different and clearly represents both housing and New York with one simple image.

3. Don’t Distract. One of the biggest mistakes companies make is designing a logo that makes sense to them but not to their customer. This can create questions and confusion in the customer’s mind and prevent them from working with your brokerage.

One logo that comes to mind is a Japanese restaurant near me. Their logo used to look more like a toilet with the seat up than the traditional Japanese ramen bowl and lid. You can imagine the confusion this caused, preventing many customers from eating at this restaurant. Fortunately, they recently updated their logo to a more “appetizing” design.

You can avoid distracting logos by sharing your logo with friends, family, and past customers. Ask them the following questions.

1. What does this logo represent to you?
2. What values does this logo portray to you?
3. What product does this logo sell?
4. How does this logo make you feel?

Feedback can be difficult to hear, especially if you took hours coming up with the design. A little listening and understanding here can save you from having a toilet seat represent your brand!

[Related article: The Best & Worst Real Estate Logos (+ Pro Design Tips)]

4. Add a Tagline. It is easy to start daydreaming about your logo being immediately associated with real estate, but that’s not realistic because you’re not Apple… YET! In the beginning, consumers won’t immediately recognize your logo as a real estate brokerage.

As I said earlier, Apple didn’t start out as simply “Apple.” They started out as Apple Computers. So don’t worry about helping your branding along by adding a tagline like “Real Estate Services.” Like Apple, you can drop it later when your brand is better known.

[Related article: 107 Best Real Estate Slogans & Taglines (+ Slogan Generator)]

5. Hire a Pro. There are many service provider websites where you can hire someone to “design” a logo for your brokerage at a very low cost. I caution you that many of these providers reuse their designs over and over again. I found this out when a custom T-shirt logo I had someone create for me showed up on another man’s hat!

This can also make it nearly impossible to trademark your brand. If you are planning on growing your brokerage beyond your city or state, then I suggest spending the money to hire a professional graphic designer on a site like Upwork to help you create a logo that can be legally trademarked.

A Case Study: Our Brokerage Logo

Since our goal with our real estate brokerage was to grow it throughout our state and eventually into other states, we hired a professional graphic designer to help us with the logo design. After several renditions, we came up with our final font, logo, and tagline.

We felt the lower case font makes it memorable and friendly and the roof line incorporated into the “e” clearly communicates housing, but just in case, we added the tagline “real estate” in a traditional serif font. The next thing we needed to do was come up with the colors to represent our brand.

Choosing the Right Brand Colors

Customers associate company brand colors with emotions and values. Unspoken messaging like color can attract your ideal customers. No company knows this better than Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Blue or “Blue 1837,” named after the founding of Tiffany, has long been associated with vibrancy and escape. Their brand was designed to make the customer feel anticipation and delight.

If you don’t believe that colors say something about your brand … I ask you if you are willing to wear a gold coat to your next open house? (The older agents will get that joke!)

With your customer persona in mind, think about what emotions and values you want them to feel when they see your logo. Review the colors below and the associated emotions. Write down the three or four colors that are your favorite choices.

Shades and patterns can also change the emotional impact that a color can have on a customer. From the three or four colors, adjust the shades and narrow them down to two or three colors until you find the ideal color combination that will proudly represent your brokerage.

The focus of our real estate brokerage brand was to be seen as a modern boutique brokerage. We wanted our customers to feel a sense of nature and harmony with the brand. We felt that the colors white, black, and sage green represented the brokerage as a fresh and modern company.

The challenge we found was many sign companies did not have the capability of consistently recreating the correct “sage green” color and at times, we had real estate signs that ranged from lime green to an ugly greenish-yellow. Yet, I’m sure Tiffany’s & Co. has faced the same issue.

[Related article: 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Real Estate Brokerage]

Bottom Line

An outstanding brand will not only attract your ideal customers but also the right agents to empower your brokerage to grow beyond your imagination! Take it from me, there are few things in life more exciting than seeing your real estate brokerage brand showing up around your city. Like seeing your child walk for the first time, if you find the right brand for your brokerage, it too will begin to walk on its own.

Of course, a great brand is only useful if your agents use it consistently in their marketing. To get your agents excited about your new brand, Lab Coat Agents Marketing Center creates stunning, professional templates for social media, print, signage, and more. They also offer an easy-to-use marketing app agents can use to customize their templates.

Visit LCA Marketing Center

The post How to Build a Brokerage Brand That Attracts Customers & Agents appeared first on The Close.

In this article, you’ll get all the advice you need to take a great realtor headshot, including what to wear, make-up must-dos, choosing a photographer, and more.

15 Expert Tips for a Great Agent Headshot

A successful real estate headshot seems pretty straightforward: find a professional photographer, schedule a shoot, show up, and smile. However, there’s more to it than that.

We talked to professional photographers as well as seasoned real estate professionals to get their best advice on what real estate agents can do to make sure their next photo shoot is successful, and here’s what they said.

1. Don’t Just Pay for a Photo―Hire a Professional Photographer

Michael Grecco, Photographer & Owner, Michael Grecco Photography

“Of course, just like any important business meeting, you should show up to your photo shoot well-rested, relaxed, and ready to work. But you aren’t paying someone to open and close a shutter. You’re hiring someone to take control of the situation from start to finish, to guide you through your poses, make suggestions on your wardrobe, and teach you how to get the most out of every minute of their time.

“If your photographer isn’t making your photo shoot easy on you, you’ve got the wrong photographer.”

2. Make Sure Your Photographer Knows Exactly What You Expect to Get Out of Your Photo Shoot

Chantay Bridges, Real Estate Agent, Los Angeles Real Estate Now

“I always speak to my photographer the week of my shoot to confirm details. Do they know the purpose of my photos? If I plan on using the images in a branding campaign, do they need to have a particular color and feel? Is it for website, social media, or marketing materials? Is there an additional charge for retouching and post-production? How long until I have images in hand? What is the delivery method?

“Be specific, be vocal, and give your photographer some expectations.”

3. Get Multiple Headshots to Use for Multiple Purposes

Sammer Affridi, Owner, Hero Shot Photography

A great headshot is something you can include on every single piece of marketing and promotion you do for your business. However, trying to make a single image work for many different applications doesn’t always work. We heard from veteran photographer Sammer Affridi on this topic:

“If you know your image is going to be printed small on a proposal or business card or viewed as a thumbnail on a website, opt for a plain backdrop so that there’s less clutter in the frame and your viewer can see you clearly.

“The same advice goes for a headshot that will make up part of a group of headshots on a team page. Having busy backgrounds starts to make a collection of photos intense and confusing to the eye.

“For flyers and social media, lifestyle portraits are now popular for real estate agents. These are the kinds of shots that look like magazine covers or inserts and usually paint a picture of success, confidence, and trust. They’re feel-good images that aren’t overtly about the person and more about the message, making them extremely effective selling tools.”

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4. Wear Something Professional That Also Makes You Feel Confident

Jackie Taves, Owner & Photographer, Blush & Design

Clothes are always a question when it comes to the real estate headshot, but it’s a question easily answered. Speak to your photographer about colors and prints, and make sure that whatever you wear makes you feel good.

Chicago-area creative director and photographer Jackie Taves shared the following:

“Embrace the fact that this is an activity that most people aren’t familiar with and roll with it. If you need advice, ask! Your photographer knows what works and what doesn’t.

“Find ways to make yourself feel confident. Wear something flattering and professional, but something that is also comfortable. It will be tough to smile and look professional if you are always worried about a wardrobe malfunction.”

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5. Have Your Photographer Shoot in Several Locations

Lauryn Dempsey, Realtor, Your Castle Real Estate

The real estate business doesn’t happen in an office or a bank or even on your cell phone—it happens in the communities you serve. Having a quality set of studio images is important for all sorts of applications, but don’t miss the opportunity to do a photo shoot out in the community where you work.

Lauryn Dempsey, a top producer in the Denver area, shared the following:

“Agents should include a second location for their headshots in an iconic spot from the community they serve. I did mine in Union Station in downtown Denver, something all Denver residents can identify. A photo on a black or white background is fine for some things, but when I want to show that I am a local, getting out into places my clients recognize is a must.”

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6. Use Your Headshot Consistently

Shaunda Necole, Real Estate Agent & Business Coach, Shaunda Necole: Get Your Name Out There Magic Marketing

We weren’t satisfied to only speak to photographers and real estate agents. We also wanted the take of marketing professionals on what to do with your headshots after you receive them.

Real estate marketing guru and business coach Shaunda Necole shared the following wisdom with us:

“As a real estate agent and a businesswoman in general, having a professional headshot is a basic necessity when it comes to making a presence in a crowded market.

“The old real estate adage, ‘Location, location, location,’ still rings true. Translation: your headshot image should precede you everywhere. All social media channels, bios, and business cards should be cohesively branded with your professional portraits.”

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7. Study Realtor Headshots You Like & Emulate Them

Kat Kaye, Photographer, Kat Kaye Studio

They say that imitation is the purest form of flattery and, in this case, it is often the fastest route to getting a real estate agent headshot that you love.

Make a list of the most successful real estate agents in your market and collect their headshots. Los Angeles-based fashion and art photographer Kat Kaye shared these tips with us:

“Study portraits of other real estate agents to see what you like and don’t like. This will help you communicate your needs better to the photographer. It will also help you with posing (although the photographer will help you with that also).

“If there is someone you admire, spend some time looking at their portraits as well. How does their headshot communicate the things you admire about them?”

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8. Smile! Studies Show That Smiling Makes People Trust You More

The Close Staff

Some real estate agents, especially younger men, think that to look professional in their headshot, a stone-faced blank expression beats out a warm smile. After all, lots of very powerful people look serious in their headshots. If you’re considering going with the stern look, you should be aware that a study at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology showed that smiling increases trust and makes people view you as more “honest.”

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9. Go With Solid Colors Instead of Patterns

Kiah Treece, Business & Real Estate Analyst at Forbes

The purpose of your headshot is to show the world you’re a capable, confident, and knowledgeable professional who’s ready to get a deal done. Don’t let your clothing choices distract from this prime directive.

Real estate analyst Kiah Treece gave us this advice on choosing just the right colors for your outfit on photo shoot day:

“Busy patterns and loud colors are distracting. The purpose of your headshot is not to show off your new suit or dress―it is to show off you. You can’t go wrong with a classic professional look—traditional colors like navy blue, gray, or charcoal on a sharp man’s or woman’s suit will always work.”

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10. Hire a Makeup Artist

The Close Staff

Even if you’re a seasoned Sephora junkie, chances are you’re not going to be able to do your own makeup as well as a professional makeup artist can. When it comes to looking great in your real estate headshot, even subtle differences can have a big impact. A professional makeup artist will know how to make you look your best on camera, not just for a night on the town. So, before you book your shoot, ask your photographer if they know a good makeup artist.

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11. Purchase the Full Use Rights & Copyright for All Your Headshots

Miranda Paquet, General Manager, The Close

Photographers will often retain the copyright for any images they create unless it is specifically purchased from them.

Miranda Paquet, a seasoned marketing expert, gave us this advice:

“Make sure you ask your photographer about copyright and use. Are there any restrictions for how you can use your images? Will your photographer be retaining the copyright for your images and using them for their own purposes?

“If this retention doesn’t affect how you want to use the photographs―great. However, if you have the option of purchasing all copyrights and uses for your headshots, do it.”

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12. Use Photofeeler to Anonymously Pick Your Best Headshot

The Close Staff

If there’s one thing most people have a problem with, it’s being objective about their own image. It’s just too easy to either fall in love with a headshot that doesn’t work or to ignore one that does. Your friends, coworkers, and even your family can have the same bias. Worse, they may tell you nice things to avoid hurting your feelings.

To avoid this, an app called Photofeeler allows you to crowdsource real, unbiased advice from the general public.

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13. Take Some Test Shots With a Friend or Coworker Before the Big Day

Chris Linsell, Senior Real Estate Writer & Coach at The Close

Like everything else in life, if you want to be able to take a professional-looking headshot where you look honest and trustworthy rather than just nervous, you’re going to have to practice a bit. Before the big day, pick out exactly what you want to wear, put it on, do your makeup exactly how you want it, then recruit a friend or coworker to start snapping away.

While the pics won’t look as good as the pros’ pics, you can at least try out different expressions and poses while dressed up in your Sunday best.

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14. Consider an Outdoor Photo Shoot

The Close Staff

Because your goal here is to look as natural and trustworthy as possible, consider ditching the cheesy backdrop and head outside for your photo shoot.

Having a warm-colored brick wall, trees, or a row of elegant homes as the background for your headshot will make you stand out in a sea of bland backgrounds.

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15. Grab a Drink Before the Shoot

Andrew Helling, Editor, REthority.com

Most of us are out of our comfort zone in front of the camera. Stress and anxiety are revealed easily in headshot photography, and a cocktail or a glass of wine might be an easy way to loosen up a little bit.

Andrew Helling, a real estate content editor, quipped:

“Seriously—if you’re camera-shy, loosen up by grabbing a cocktail. Don’t spend an hour in a bar and show up telling stories about senior prom. Just take the edge off so the smile is a little easier and the shoulders are relaxed.”

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Real Estate Agent Headshot FAQs

Still got headshot questions? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are the most frequently asked questions (and answers) when it comes to realtor headshots.

How much do real estate headshots cost?

Prices for a single professional image can be as low as $50, ranging up to a full-blown photoshoot with multiple outfit changes for $1,000 or more. Often, you get what you pay for when it comes to portrait photography. Therefore, if you’re only plunking down $50, you shouldn’t expect much in return.

In most markets—other than New York and Los Angeles—$250 will almost certainly get you a quality set of images from a professional photographer.

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Do I need a professional realtor headshot?

In a word, yes. In order to compete in a crowded market, real estate agents and brokers need to have a unified, professional marketing strategy that is often led by an agent’s headshot. Real estate is a people business, and the headshot is your first chance to make a great impression on the people you want to work with in your community.

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How often do I need a new real estate agent headshot?

Plan on getting new realtor headshots every couple of years. Your headshot needs to change to reflect who you are and the business you’re doing. Remember, most of your clients will see your headshot before they meet you in person. It’s important that the person walking up the front sidewalk to a listing appointment matches the person in the photo on your website and social media.

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Bringing It All Together

A great headshot is the unifying piece of content that ties all your marketing together. Take the time to get the right photos done the right way. Need help choosing your headshot? Post in our Facebook Mastermind Group for some advice!

The post Real Estate Agent Headshots: 15 Industry Experts Share Their Best Advice appeared first on The Close.

Not so fast. If you’re struggling to come up with a domain name, you can use the expert tips and free real estate domain name generator in this article to find one that will help you dominate your market for years to come. Here’s our best advice for a killer domain name.

1. Make Sure Your Real Estate Domain Name Is Memorable

Let’s face it—at some point in your career, people are going to ask you what your website is. If you want people to actually visit your site, you need to make sure the name is memorable.

A good rule of thumb here is to tell a friend or colleague what your domain name is and see what their reaction is. If their first response is something like, “What?!” then that’s a pretty good sign that you need to go back to the drawing board. If they can remember your domain name two weeks later, on the other hand, chances are you’ve got a winner on your hands.

2. Use Our Free Domain Name Generator

While there are a lot of sites out there that let you pick a domain name, very few of them offer good suggestions for other ideas when the name you want is taken. That’s why we built this free real estate domain name generator. Just plug in your name, your farm area, or both, and click generate.

You can keep Bluehost open in another tab and then copy/paste the names you like from the generator to see if they’re available. Bluehost is a great option to register a name and get $2.99 per month web hosting.

Open Bluehost

3. Add Action Words to Your Brand Name

Have a super-common name or brand name and need a .com? Don’t sweat it, get creative. That’s what Clever Real Estate founder Benjamin Mizes did. Since clever.anything was snapped up back in the AOL days, he decided to boil down his core goals and incorporate that into his domain name.

The result was listwithclever.com, a website with a domain that was easy to remember, catchy, used his brand name, and even better, managed to convey what he wants his visitors to do. List their properties with his company.

Pretty clever, right? If you want to do something similar, make a list of action words and short phrases that might work with your name or brand. List with, sell with, buy with, work with—use your imagination and you might snag yourself a real estate domain name that ticks all the boxes in this article.

[Related article: 89 Creative Real Estate Company Names (+ Our Name Generator 2.0)]

4. Don’t Worry About Using Keywords in Your Domain Name

The cold harsh truth about the almost religious promises that some marketers make about search engine optimization (SEO) is that they’re just wrong. Like, really wrong.

Ranking anywhere on Google can take years. Ranking on the front page for uber-competitive keywords that billion-dollar companies like Zillow are fighting for might never happen. That’s because Google doesn’t just look at keywords when ranking pages for a particular keyword. If they did, then the first result for every search would be “what you searched”.com. Instead, they use a complex algorithm that weights your website’s value based on how old it is, how much spam is on it, keywords, and how many other sites link to it.

So don’t stuff keywords into your domain name unless they sound good and make sense for your brand. Ranchhousesforsaleindallas.com doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? It also doesn’t provide Google users looking for ranch houses in Dallas the best answer either.

[Related article: How to Use Real Estate Keywords to Get More Leads From Google]

Don’t Give Up on SEO Entirely, Though

Don’t get me wrong—just because I’m saying (from experience) that ranking on Google for good keywords is difficult and will take work doesn’t mean you should just give up on SEO entirely. You should always follow SEO best practices on your blog and engage in PR to get backlinks. Just know that you have to be in it for the long haul for any SEO you do to pay off.

[Related article: Real Estate SEO: 11 Tips to Dominate Local Search & Get Free Leads in 2022]

5. Make Sure Your Domain Sounds Like a Professional Brand

One of the main goals of real estate marketing is to get your leads into an environment you can control. That’s why closings generally happen in a conference room rather than, say, someone’s living room. It’s also why getting people on the phone is way better than chatting on Facebook.

After all, if you can control the environment, you can subtly edge people into making a choice that leads to a desired outcome. Ideally, this is what your website is for. It’s an environment you can control and hopefully convince people to enter their contact info, or better yet, pick up the phone.

Of course, no one is going to trust an environment that doesn’t sound professional. You could have the best-designed landing pages in the universe, but if they’re on “johhny2222realtorzz.org,” then your leads might be (justifiably) leery about giving you their personal information.

[Related article: The Best Real Estate Branding of 2022 + Tips From the Pros]

6. Avoid Unique Spelling

With so many good real estate domain names already taken, it can be tempting to add a funky spelling, or God forbid, a hyphen to your name. Unless someone literally has a gun to your head, you should resist this temptation at all costs.

You only need to think for a minute or so in order to understand why. It makes your name harder to remember, it doesn’t look professional, and it can lead to people confusing your site for another real estate site with a simpler name.

So if you come up with a clever domain name like reeeelestate.com, chances are people are going to miss an E and Google will suggest the obvious “realestate.com” instead. As a general rule of thumb, if someone needs you to clarify how to spell your domain more than once, it’s not a good name.

7. Think Twice Before Using Your Personal Branding as Your Real Estate Domain Name

While using your personal branding as your domain can work great, you might want to think twice before clicking on that “buy” button on Bluehost or GoDaddy.

After all, are you sure that the brand you came up with two months ago is going to work for you and your business six months from now? What about six years from now?

What happens if you expand your farm area? What happens if you end up moving? What happens if you start a team?

You can avoid the branded domain expiration date problem by choosing a brand that focuses on your name, general real estate terms, or better yet, a combination of the two.

“Joesmithsellsrealestate.com” will work anywhere you move, and for your entire career. “Joesmithsellsmiami.com” isn’t very practical if you end up moving to Colorado.

8. Choose a .Com Name, But Remember to Buy Out Other TLDs

Sadly, even though lots of well-intentioned people worked very hard to come up with new top-level domains (TLDs), pretty much everyone is still conditioned to see anything besides .com as inferior and maybe even untrustworthy.

That means you’re going to have to get creative if you want a .com domain name. For most people, the most creative combination of words they have is their names—unless you happen to be named something very common like John Smith. Then you’re going to have to get creative. Sorry! Hey, look, “johnsmithsellshouses.com” is available.

Once you buy your .com domain, always try to buy out the other TLDs of the same domain. This way, if someone types in the wrong TLD or you become so successful that rival agents buy up variations of your domain and hold them for ransom, you’re covered.

9. Make Sure You Can Get Twitter, Facebook & Instagram Accounts Under the Same Name

Even if you have a great domain name, asking your sphere to remember obscure social media account names with dashes and numbers is a little rude. Well, maybe not rude, but at the very least you will guarantee they don’t memorize your social media accounts.

Instead, try to come up with a domain that you can get social media accounts for. While it becomes increasingly difficult by the day, just keep it as a goal in the back of your head when coming up with domain names.

[Related article: How to Set Up a Real Estate Agent Facebook Page to Get More Leads]

10. Can’t Find a Catchy Real Estate Domain Name? Buy One.

OK, I know we said you can get a free domain name like five paragraphs up, but at the end of the day, you gotta do you. That means that if you’ve worked long and hard at creating the perfect brand you KNOW will kick butt online, then buying a real estate domain instead of getting one for free might make sense.

As an added bonus, you might be able to buy an old domain name that already has a link profile indexed by Google, which means you might start out WAY ahead of your competition for the front page! Doubtful, but possible.

Just make sure to kick the tires on any domain that you buy. Use a tool like Moz to make sure it does not have a high spam score on Google, has a decent domain authority, and isn’t loaded up with Russian bot spam.

11. Make Sure Your Domain Name Isn’t Taken on Google My Business

Since you need to be THE local expert, one of the first things you should do before clicking yes on that new domain name is see if anyone else is using it locally.

While trademark law can be tricky, having someone else using your name in your farm area is a non-starter, no matter what the law says. Just think, people searching for your business will find theirs first, and unless you have some serious money to spend on SEO, that’s not going to change anytime soon.

12. Don’t Expect Your Website to Rank on Google Just Because You Include Your Farm Area

Want to know a secret most SEO companies will never tell you? A huge percentage of the work they do is based on nothing but guesswork. Even worse, a guess that might be right on Monday might not be right on Wednesday, and might even switch BACK again on Saturday!

So that means pretty much all of the “rules” that SEO experts swear by are the online equivalent of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Some guess better than others, but at the end of the day, they’re still guessing.

The biggest myth by far is that adding your local town name will help you rank on Google local searches. Again, there is no hard evidence to back this up. It might work, it might not.

So … should you or shouldn’t you? Well, if you can squeeze your town name in and it sounds professional and the result is easy to remember, then go for it. Of course, if the only way you can include it leaves you with a 60-character domain name with hyphens … yeah, not going to work.

13. Using the .Realtor TLD Will Not Help You Rank on Google Either

Ever since it was introduced, the TLD (top-level domain name like .com, .net .org) .realtor has been hyped well beyond its sell-by date. Again, like with SEO, the idea that a .realtor domain name will help you rank on Google is about as true as claiming the earth is flat.

In fact, most experts agree that Google only really treats local country domains, like .uk and nonprofit domains like .org, differently than all the others. That said, others say that Google doesn’t treat ANY TLDs differently and only ranks sites by metadata or other information.

So use the .Realtor TLD for your domain name if (and only if) you like the way it sounds. You will probably not rank any better because you use it.

14. Make Sure There Are No Hidden Meanings in Your Domain Name

Unless your goal as a real estate agent is to make junior high school boys giggle, then you’re going to want to make extra sure there are no hidden meanings in your domain name.

While you may not be trying to make your clients blush with your domain name, sometimes when you take two perfectly innocent words and put them together … well, you end up with something not so innocent.

Here are a few notorious examples. Can you spot why they would make a roomful of teenagers burst into laughter?

Oh, and please don’t look up these websites.   They are here for instructive purposes only!

OddsExtractor.com
PenIsland.com
ExpertsExchange.com
WebOne.com
OldMansHaven.com
ThePenIsMightier.com
SpeedofArt.com
WausauFestivalofArts.org

Over to You

Have a tip for choosing a catchy real estate domain name that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

The post 14 Expert Tips to Choose a Great Real Estate Domain Name (+ Name Generator) appeared first on The Close.