Friday Flash: Vending with joy
No: 1078
We all know that updating a bathroom increases the value of a home.
We know that modernizing a kitchen increases the value of a home.
We know that a fresh coat of paint applied throughout increases the value of a home.
We know that when done correctly, the right improvements will produce more interest, increase offers and potentially get the home sold more quickly than its less attractive competition.
The real estate industry has given this advice for generations. It is proven wisdom.
If you own a real estate company, this is what you believe. It’s what you and your agents preach. It’s what you advise your clients to do – both during in-person meetings and through content you push out in newsletters and social media.
I’ve listened to this guidance many times when selling properties. It paid off in spades. Thank you.
But some of you should heed your own advice when it comes to your company, your brand, your marketing, your offices and your buildings. Many of these things need serious updating – a fresh coat of paint, or some artful packaging, if you will.
Some of you have logos, colors, typefaces, facades, and signs that were designed in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. And they look like it. What they tell the world is that you don’t listen to your own advice. They tell the world that you don’t place value on your brand, much the same way an unkempt home with weathered siding, cracked shingles, dead shrubs and dirty windows speaks volumes about how the owner feels about their home.
It makes your brand, like any home long neglected, less desirable. Less attractive. Less valuable.
There are lots of reasons why emerging brands are valued so highly despite lacking your history, time-tested processes, contributions to the community, and experienced agents. They have one thing you continue to resist: newer, sharper packaging.
Your offices, signage and marketing materials look dated and neglected, while theirs look sexy, modern and alluring. Their brands command attention from consumers and agents despite having little else that you don’t have because, well, again, packaging matters.
An updated, polished look speaks volumes about the people behind it, just like an old, worn brand is a sour reflection of the people associated with it.
Too often through our work with older real estate companies, we’ve met the mindset that the brand logo is off limits. “Refresh everything else, but don’t touch the logo,” you say. “Don’t change our colors. Don’t change our look.” That’s no different than a seller taking none of your advice and asking you to sell their home at top dollar as it sits next to homes that have been spruced up for ultimate curb appeal.
If you want agents, buyers and sellers to take you seriously, heed your own advice.
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