3 Ways to Enhance Your Brand as a REALTOR®
LOUISIANA REALTORS • April 18, 2017
Just do it. I’m loving it. What’s in your wallet? Nike, McDonald’s, and Capital One have this branding thing down. Whether you need new shoes, lunch, or a credit card, these major brands have created a way to stay at the top of your mind whether you are in the market for them or not. As a REALTOR® you can do the same thing; and in today’s technology driven and social media focused world, it’s never been more important.
Now you don’t necessarily need a clever slogan or catchy jingle to brand yourself; however, you do need to have the ability to be found. Roughly 75% of a REALTOR’S® business comes from referrals or word-of-mouth. When you make it easier for existing clients to share your information, and you make it easier for potential clients to contact you, you’ve enhanced your brand. Here are 3 tips to achieve exactly that.
1.) Embrace mobile:
Mobile is becoming a major part of everyone’s life. Access to communication and information is literally at anyone’s fingertips. This means that any and all of your digital efforts need to reflect this trend. Responsive websites, mobile optimized emails, and of course staying available for clients as you are out and about.
2.) Use content to become a thought leader:
3.) Be Social:
CONTACT US
Social media poses a huge opportunity for REALTORS®. The amount of data available allows you to target specific geographic locations as well as precise demographics. While maintaining a consistent presence is important, the real power of social media comes when you invest in a campaign or a boosted post. This is an incredibly cost-effective option that minimizes waste, allowing you to target and engage your ideal audience.
Building your own personal brand and discovering your niche as a REALTOR® is a key way to streamline your prospecting and grow your business. These are only a few ideas, but leveraging technology and embracing some best practices can make a significant difference. As a reminder, the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC) released and will enforce licensee advertising come June 1. View the Advertising Guideline and Checklist
and be sure that your efforts arecompliant with the rules and avoid being cited and fined.

Week three of the Regular Session kept real estate issues in the conversation, even as lawmakers continued to focus heavily on workforce, tax and insurance policy. On the property tax front, measures to reshape assessments and exemptions, including proposals for a new blight rehabilitation exemption and additional relief for seniors, remain parked in the House Ways and Means Committee as stakeholders work through fiscal and local government concerns. These bills matter because they will influence long-term carrying costs, redevelopment incentives and how tax burdens are shared across residential and commercial property. Homestead related legislation, including parish level authority to increase the exemption amount, is also in the queue, signaling that the broader structure of Louisiana’s homestead system is officially on the table, not just the dollar figure. For homeowners and buyers, this debate goes directly to affordability. For local governments, it raises revenue stability and service delivery questions. There also has been movement on several identical pieces of legislation that would instruct parish assessors to develop a process for homeowners to permanently register for the homestead exemption for the duration that they own and live on the property. We are actively tracking legislation that will directly shape how investor activity and non-traditional transactions are recognized and regulated in Louisiana’s real estate market. This includes HB 468 by Troy Hebert , a key component of the Louisiana REALTORS® legislative package that targets the wholesale of residential real estate, which was heard in the House Commerce Committee on Monday. The bill is currently positioned for a floor vote early next week. As drafted, HB 468 represents a major step in the right direction for consumer protection in Louisiana, advancing needed guardrails through potential disclosure, registration, and practice standards that could redefine how assignment contracts and “off-market” transactions intersect with licensed brokerage activity. In parallel, HB 292 by Delisha Boyd passed the House on final reading, 86-3, and is on its way to the Senate. Together, these measures represent a coordinated policy effort to bring greater structure and transparency to emerging transaction models, while preserving the integrity of the traditional brokerage framework. Finally, the broader policy backdrop remains important: the Governor continues to push income tax changes and cost of living relief, while business and industry groups are prioritizing insurance, workforce and energy — each a key driver of long run housing demand and investment. As these debates evolve, we’ll keep you updated on what moves, what stalls and what it all means for your clients, your pipeline and private property rights across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

NAR is pleased to share the latest consumer guide that explains the concept of home staging, offers DIY staging tips and missteps and shares the latest NAR member sentiment on how staging can help buyers better visualize the property as their future home and potentially net sellers a higher price. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Staging Your House for a Sale Spotting Deepfake Scams in Real Estate Are You Ready to Invest in Real Estate? Thinking of Selling? 7 Factors to Consider How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their home buying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. Be on the lookout for the next consumer guide, which discusses home mortgage options that allow buyers to fold in renovation costs.



