Consumers in this suburb outside of Los Angeles were sent a series of fairly ambiguous postcards. The first card showed a view of the valley. The next, a Mercedes on a hill overlooking the valley. Then, a man in dark sunglasses standing outside the Mercedes which overlooked the valley. And weeks later, the same picture but this time in the distance, floating in the sky, a red, white, and blue balloon.

This is how RE/MAX created an image that appealed to a particular type of consumer --- one who wanted the best and expected high standards. The card said nothing specific about services; it only focused on a feeling it wanted to create in the consumer’s mind, a brand identity summed up by its motto, “above the crowd.”

Debra Valley, president of marketingu, and consultant to such companies as Toyota, Chrysler, Nestle and Michigan Opera, defines brand as “no more than the tapestry of feelings, words, association, and images that your customers hold in their ‘minds’ eye’ when they think of you.” She believes that if your brand efforts don’t include your customers and don’t touch people at an emotional level, your power to attract is nil.”

Perhaps it is no wonder, then, that Realtors so often get frustrated when they spend 90 percent of their marketing budget on new customers via flyers, postcards, brochures, etc. and get disappointing results. What is missing in their marketing plan?

Just as RE/MAX appealed emotionally to people looking up in the sky for a company above the rest, real estate professionals must combine their company’s brand with their own if they are to create any kind of emotional bridge between their services and the customers they serve.

“Think of your brand as the bridge to your customer’s heart,” says Valle. “It’s the glue that holds all your marketing efforts together.”

Consider the Martha Friendlies of the world whose brand is hands-on. She even has a hand shake embossed on her card. She may work for any of the five or six big companies, but what separates her from everyone else is her in-the-face-friendliness. She is at every chamber mixer and every community meeting. Her brand suggests that she is the friendliest Realtor in town, and though you might not remember her postcards, you will never forget her hugs. Is she for everyone? No, but a particular personality would gravitate to this in a minute.

Consider Sean Fox of Chicago. He’s in his thirties, handsome, and smart-looking, dressed in suit and tie, his hair spiked and trendy; his sexy, stylish and assertive face is plastered on bus stops, magazines, and grocery carts. His ads mention that he was a pitcher in college and once played for in the minors. His motto: “I only work with buyers, but I negotiate the deal of a lifetime.” Will he appeal to everyone? Again, his brand would seem attractive to slick executives who know ‘time is money’ and want someone who can bat 1000.

What’s your brand?

Here are some factors to consider. One of them is to simply know who your ideal customer is. The broader the parameters, the harder it is create appeal. Your customers are only about what is in it for them. Each brand has an enduring spirit or essence which defines what the brand “stands for or is all about.”

Valle recommends some exercises realtors can do to get started thinking about their customers and their “enduring essence.”

1. Identify the feelings and emotional experiences you want your customers to feel when they work with you.
2. Understand the role your service plays in the lives of your customers. Some customers, for example, want a Realtor who is the ultimate resource -----the faux decorator, hardware salesperson, the pool expert-- everything! ----how do you appeal to that and other demands?
3. Think about an outrageous brand redo that makes you different from everyone else. The Martha Friendlies and Jeff Foxes of the world have an exaggerated, heightened image that distinguishes them from the herd. A few other examples might include Tom Sheldon, “provocateur for hire,” or Paul Redneck, the spiritual guru of Palm Desert real estate.

Unless a realtor owns his or her own company, brand identity is influenced by both the image of the company and the personal identity established. With all the wide range of advertising available, what holds the broad range of all marketing functions together?

According to Valle, it is brand, “which may be nothing more than a proper noun, yet has to capacity to pre-sell a product and influence all purchase behaviors.”