Risky Business: Branding Mistakes That Are Holding You Back

Are you guilty of making this common branding mistake?

The other day I was chatting with a fellow designer about branding, and we got talking about local real estate brands.

Brand names and links of inspiration were shared and looked up. Some real estate businesses were presenting themselves as your friendly family provider, while others focused on appearing luxurious.

There was one particular local business that stood out to me. And not for the right reasons.

It has recently gone through a rebranding process. A surface review of their new marketing, website and instagram revealed that a huge part of their visual identity revolved around really over-the-top imagery. In the majority of photographs the business owner was pictured on yachts, in fancy multi-million dollar homes. Self-admiration dripping from every orifice.

Having worked with this business owner before, my colleague casually remarked that it summed him up to a tee.

And it got me thinking – how many businesses are still making their branding all about them?

How customers go through a buying journey

Each of us goes through a purchasing journey when deciding to buy.

Without going through each step, there is usually an awareness stage. You know about your problem and are casually thinking about something that could solve it.

Then it’s a process of consideration and comparison of different competitors offering a similar product or service, which then leads to purchase.

When considering a decision such as buying a house a customer may wonder:

• Will I get a return on investment or lose money?
• Is it a convenient location to live in?
• Will it accommodate my current needs and integrate into my existing way of life?
• Is it close to schools, hospitals and shopping?
• Do I feel a connection to this particular house?

The above questions are all about the customer’s needs and desires.

The customer won’t care less if you cover yourself in red paint and call yourself Silly Suzy. Provided you have a trusted track record and can answer most of their needs. Whether that’s through a phone conversation, a FAQ section on your website or through marketing efforts.

Ultimately they will buy from any agent.

Avoiding branding mistakes – new branding is customer-centric

Our fancy real estate agent above has taken the ‘all about me’ branding approach.

Don’t misunderstand me. Having a brand personality and unique tone of voice is great. In fact, it’s one of the key parts of branding.

However, failing to consider the customers needs means that they are likely missing out on a large share of new business.

Yes, their target market is probably a very specific type of customer. And yes, those customers probably have a need and a question about whether it will increase their social status.

But for every customer like that you can find a handful of other real estate agents selling ‘luxurious properties’ with just as much swagger.

Brand personality alone is no longer enough to attract new business and clients, and it’s one of the most common branding mistakes I see today.

As a business, you have to flip the conversation, and make it about your customers instead.

Agree or disagree – let me know.

If you know someone who might benefit from this article please share it. If you ever need someone to talk to about business branding and customer needs, please contact me.