As a key member of your mortgage company, you are in a unique position to understand and express the company’s culture and core values through the items you distribute to clients or at events. Are you demonstrating the “why” behind your company through these promotional items, or are you merely echoing the industry standard?
Does a client really need another magnetic business card with your contact information? Will they use it, or will it be stuck in a drawer and forgotten? What about another branded keychain or a cheap pen? Do these items truly serve your clients’ needs? Do they reflect your brand’s values or the quality of your service?
Chances are, they do not provide any real value or legitimate use. How can you rethink the idea of promotional products in real estate? There is an opportunity to shift into more highly customizable options.
Your real estate brand represents more than just a logo. It should convey trust, reliability and a commitment to your clients, showing them why they should choose you as their mortgage originator. When it comes to custom products, the choices made can either elevate your brand or diminish its perception. How do you want potential clients to perceive your services?
Differentiating factor
It’s crucial to understand the distinction between standard promotional products and fully custom products and merchandise. In real estate, “merchandise” should be a fully customizable product with control over all design aspects, enhancing your brand’s message. Standard promotional products, like fridge magnets and pens, are common giveaways, whereas high-quality merchandise should faithfully represent your brand’s vision and service quality.
Fully custom merchandise allows you to design and print exactly as envisioned, offering a customization level that makes it unique to your brand. Well-designed products can serve as a tactile manifestation of your identity. Is a cheap property brochure useful? Absolutely, but a well-designed one will be appreciated and will differentiate you.
Creating interesting and useful products is a way to improve your branding and an opportunity to stand out in a crowded market. If you can provide merchandise that your clients find useful or stylish, the number of impressions and the long-term value is significantly higher than what a poorly thought-out or cheap product will deliver. It’s worth spending more time and effort to create promotional items that your clients will appreciate and use. It is essential to be intentional with your choices.
Enhancing message
Why would your clients want these promotional items? Moving away from the norms requires creative thinking. Instead of relying solely on your logo, delve into the “why” of your brand’s vision and values. Brainstorm innovative ways to incorporate these into useful items like custom-made note pads, elegant calendars or unique property portfolios that transcend bland advertisement, becoming true representations of your professional service.
Consider the promotional items you’ve received in the past that you found valuable and useful. How can you bring that same level of thoughtfulness into the items you choose to distribute? Would you personally prefer one high-quality, memorable item over a bunch of inexpensive, forgettable ones?
While there is no single catch-all promotional gift that will satisfy every client, you can make something they will genuinely appreciate and find functional. The next time you think about giving away another cheap promotional pen, stop and ask yourself whether it is providing any real value or use.
Consider whether the item is enhancing or detracting from your brand image and message. If it’s not, then now is a great time to focus more on what fits your client’s needs best. You can choose to create a simple but stylish tote bag, or you can opt for a fully customized, elegantly designed, brand-emphasized tote for about the same price. One is more memorable and can be a vehicle to capture the essence of your real estate services. The other is just a boring tote.
Memorable connection
Investing in promotional materials is not just about giving something away. It is about making a connection with your clients and ensuring that connection is strong and memorable. To truly benefit from promotional products, they should be something that clients see value in keeping and using. For instance, high-quality, branded umbrellas or beautifully designed coffee table books about home styling might not only impress clients but also stay with them, providing repeated exposure to your brand.
Understanding your client’s preferences and lifestyle can help in selecting the right promotional items that they will value. For example, if a client has just bought a beachfront property, a custom beach towel or a set of quality sunglasses could be much more appreciated.
If you give a client a well-crafted knife with your logo, they may very well use it in the kitchen of their new home every day. Whenever that client hears someone who needs help with the mortgage finances, your name will be top of mind. The knife will provide value much longer than that fridge magnet. Chances are that one high-quality will pay dividends far into the future.
