Hi, Dave Fox here from Starscape SEO. In the real estate industry, personal branding can be a powerful tool for differentiating oneself from competitors and attracting clients.
However, some realtors opt for minimal personal branding, choosing instead to align closely with their larger brokerage’s brand.
Each approach has its own set of advantages and challenges, particularly concerning SEO and overall visibility.
First Example – Little To No Personal Branding
First, let’s kick things off with this screenshot of a website from this Brantford realtor. Take a good look at everything you can see on this page, including the URL at the top.
Overall, we can see here that this page isn’t really personally branded very much. In fact, it arguably contains no personal touches, save the profile picture.
That said, it generally comes across as a simple, unassuming page on the Realtor.ca website, indicating the name of the agent and their pertinent information, including the location of the brokerage and their current listings.
The URL bar at the top basically contains the name of the website, followed by information about the agent, including their agent number, name, and the same information that’s on the page, really.
The page itself is most likely a default template, decided at some point by the parent brand, to give to their agents, but without any flexibility in terms of the layout, fonts, colours, etc.
In terms of what this page might suggest about the agent, one might hesitate to speculate, but I think it’s safe to say that for one reason or another, creating a personal brand may be a low priority for this individual.
Either that, or – who knows – there may be a clause in a contract somewhere saying that no agent can go forth and build their own website, or create their own personal branding. I’m not saying that’s true here, but it could be true for some company somewhere.
Second Example – Some Personal Branding
Here’s another example which has a significant amount of personal branding, while also harnessing the power of their parent brand – Century 21 Heritage House Ltd.
So, while it is very clear that this agent works for C21, as it says in the URL bar at the top, showing that their page is a personalized subdomain of the main brokerage, the page manages to strike a balance between individuality and harmony with the parent brand.
Personal branding choices are evident, it seems, in the choice of background image, not to mention the layout of the page itself, and the colours, fonts, text, etc.
If you are SEO savvy, as I am, you would know that being an actual subdomain on the parent domain, means that you may in fact have access to these choices, and that it’s likely due to the fact that there is a desire for more personal branding on the part of the agent.
When compared to the first example, I’m getting the sense of an agent who may like the autonomy of making certain stylistic choices, but perhaps not someone who would be fully as obsessed with SEO and its potential benefits as other agents I’ve worked with, or, myself personally.
Third Example – Significant Personal Branding
Now we will take a look at a realtor who is leaning towards much more personal branding. In fact, this site seems to be entirely autonomous, branding-wise.
By this I mean, there is no sign of a larger corporation dictating the branding, colours, or layout choices – and this includes freedom to make 100% of the decisions that impact SEO for the domain.
The way I’m looking at this website, I first look at the URL bar at the top, which shows that this doesn’t seem to be a subdomain of another brokerage, and this is reinforced by the fact that there is an “INC.” included in the name, next to the logo.
So, within moments, I know I’m dealing with a brokerage, not just a guy working for a brokerage, and I can extrapolate from that the site is designed by the company whose site I am looking at.
Of course, I am making some guesses, but these are my educated guesses, and I’m not really making any hard and fast claims here, as this would not be the forum for it.
Still, based on the way the website looks, starting with the URL bar, going to the logo, and then examining the page layout, fonts, and colours, I can possibly assume that the levels of personal branding here are high.
This means that the business who owns this website has decided, for reasons I am about to mention, and which may impact them one way or the other, to show high levels of autonomy and make personal branding choices that the customer will immediately pick up on, and then conduct themselves accordingly.
Pros of Minimal Personal Branding
Leveraging Established Brand Recognition
Advantages
By closely aligning with a well-known brokerage like Royal LePage, realtors benefit from the brokerage’s established reputation and extensive marketing resources.
The parent company’s brand recognition can attract clients who trust the larger brand and its resources.
SEO Impact
The larger brand often invests significantly in SEO and digital marketing.
A realtor who is part of this established system can leverage the parent company’s high domain authority and search engine visibility, potentially gaining client leads through the brokerage’s optimized presence.
Reduced Marketing and Branding Efforts
Advantages
A realtor who opts for minimal personal branding avoids the time and financial investment required for developing a personal brand.
This approach allows them to focus more on client service rather than self-promotion.
SEO Impact
By relying on the brokerage’s SEO efforts, a realtor can benefit from a higher position in search engine results without having to manage their own SEO strategies.
This is particularly useful for those who prefer not to invest in personal website development or content creation.
Integration and Harmony
Advantages
Minimal personal branding can foster a harmonious relationship with the brokerage. Realtors who choose this route may prefer to work within the framework of a larger, established system rather than stand out individually.
SEO Impact
The consistent use of the brokerage’s branding helps maintain a unified online presence, which can enhance the overall effectiveness of the brokerage’s SEO strategies.
Cons of Minimal Personal Branding
Limited Individual Visibility
Disadvantages
A minimal personal brand means reduced individual visibility in the marketplace.
Realtors like the one in our first example might be less noticeable to potential clients who are searching for a personal connection or a standout professional.
SEO Impact
Minimal personal branding can lead to less optimized individual search results.
The realtor’s personal URL or profile page may be buried within the brokerage’s domain, making it harder for potential clients to find and recognize them independently.
Perceived Lack of Differentiation
Disadvantages
Without strong personal branding, realtors might be perceived as less distinct from their colleagues within the same brokerage.
This can be a disadvantage if clients are looking for a unique or personalized approach.
SEO Impact
The realtor’s individual contributions may be overshadowed by the brokerage’s overarching SEO strategy.
This lack of differentiation can impact how effectively the realtor’s personal strengths and services are communicated online.
Dependency on Brokerage’s Reputation
Disadvantages
Realtors who rely heavily on their brokerage’s brand must contend with the parent company’s overall reputation.
Any negative feedback or issues affecting the brokerage could indirectly impact the realtor’s perceived credibility.
SEO Impact
If the brokerage’s SEO efforts falter or if the company faces negative publicity, the realtor’s online visibility and client acquisition efforts may also suffer.
Conclusion
Opting for minimal personal branding can offer several benefits for realtors, including leveraging established brand recognition and reducing personal marketing efforts.
However, this approach also comes with challenges, such as limited individual visibility and a dependence on the brokerage’s reputation.
Realtors must weigh these pros and cons to determine if minimal personal branding aligns with their professional goals and client engagement strategies.
For those who prefer to blend seamlessly with a larger brand, this approach can be effective, provided they are comfortable with the trade-offs in personal visibility and branding.
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