Luxury Real Estate Personal & Company Branding: Say Artisan Organic Cheese

Recently, a website was called to our attention, in the realm of luxury goods and services, that exemplifies many of the principles that we focus upon in our luxury real estate personal and company branding practice. In this article series we will cover the principles that make Cowgirl Creamery a candidate for our Brilliance in Branding Award.  In Part 1 we will discuss the principle of brand positioning, the importance of which often alludes luxury real estate marketing professionals in their personal and company branding. 

- Brand Positioning -

We were first introduced to Cowgirl Creamery several years ago when we visited one of their retail stores located in a San Francisco culinary hot spot, the Ferry Building. On our first encounter, we thought the clever attention-getting brand name stood out and we immediately knew what that brand stood for.  Their brand position is crystal clear. 

When you think of Kraft cheese, Velveeta or Cheese Whiz (both made by Kraft Foods) do you think of a luxury brands? Cowgirl Creamery stands for local (Northern California) artisan organic cheeses.  In just three words they differentiate themselves making it impossible to confuse them with the global conglomerate’s brands.   

You can find Cowgirl Creamery cheeses in Whole Foods Markets.  But, you most likely will not find their products other large food market chains.  Kraft stands for consistently reliable, people-pleasing cheese for the masses.  This does not imply that their cheeses are inferior.  They just appeal to a different target market. 

Your luxury real estate brand and your website provide the best opportunity to communicate your extraordinary promise of value and how you are distinct from your competition.  If you do not instantaneously let your target market and potential referral base know your brand position, that is, what you stand for, how you are distinct and also how you want to be perceived, they will pigeonhole you by default.  Once that happens it becomes very difficult to get them to re-categorize you in their minds on your own terms. 

In subsequent articles in this series we will cover more principles of branding that are exemplified in Cowgirl Creamery company branding. 

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Are You Spinning Your Wheels in Social Media

Without a focused strategy and a unique “point of view” as a luxury real estate marketing professional, you are just spinning your wheels with social media. And, this becomes a colossal waste of time! Without original content, you might as well re-channel your energy on more productive means of developing new business. 

Originality and innovation can be rewarded handsomely with viable business leads, but only when you consistently publish buzz-worthy, follow-worthy content through social media. To exercise your original thinking process you need to extrovert and see innovation everywhere you go. 

When you think of a hamster in a cage exercising what image comes to mind first? Do you think of an exercise wheel made of wire mesh? Think again! 

We recently took a trip to our local pet store to pick up some food for our cats, Zoe and Kobe. There we spotted a new and improved twist on an old product for small animals (not cats):  A better exercise wheel!  Instead of the typical wire mesh version, this blue plastic “flying saucer” exercise wheel has a unique value proposition not only for pets, but also for their owners.  Both products promise better health and freedom from boredom for pets. But, this one is toe and tail safe and pets love the solid running surface. Best of all, it is easier to clean for you than the mesh version. Both wheels cost the same.

You might liken the wire mesh version of the exercise wheel to the incumbent market leader in your luxury real estate marketplace.  The market leader enjoys top-of-mind status.  That is, until some challenger comes along with a superior value proposition.  

If you did not know, about the “flying saucer” exercise wheel until now (like us) it will be fairly difficult not to think about this product category challenger going forward.  A shift in top-of-mind status can literally happen instantly, like it did for us in a flash! But, you need a strategy, an original approach, to pull this off.  The plastic version of the wheel is most likely less expensive to produce. 

This goes to show that you do not have to out-spend the incumbent market leader, you need to out-think your competition.  This is exactly what we help our clients accomplish in our luxury real estate strategic branding practice. 

When you publish original content, social media gives you the opportunity to show your target market how you think before they even meet you. But, out-smarting your competition requires strategic thinking.  Conversely, social media can also show just how unoriginal you are if your content is canned.  Given the psycho graphics of those who can afford to buy luxury real estate, you can be assured that these high net worth individuals are more prone to value innovation and originality.  

Stop spinning your wheels with social media. Get focused. Be original and innovative.  Or, get off the wheel.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Co-Marketing Art Deco Style!

Chrysler building in New York, photo by kts

Co-marketing is a great way to create a buzz about your luxury real estate marketing practice and expand your sphere of influence.   The key is to find the right non-competitive partners who share the same target market as you.

Tiffany’s has a strong tradition of co-marketing with the movie industry.  The classic film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, certainly created a buzz about the jeweler when it opened in 1961.  The hit song Moon River gave the terrific press about movie (and Tiffany’s) “legs”, meaning that it continued to stay “top-of-mind” for years.  Because the movie became a classic it is still viewed by generations of fans via Netflix and other online distribution channels. 

Tiffany also co-marketed with the movie, Sweet Home Alabama to reach new generations with their primary marketing message, “buy your engagement ring at Tiffany’s”.  Now they are co-marketing with the newest version of the Great Gatsby opening in May 2013. 

To create a buzz for the movie and the company, Tiffany’s reproduced some if its art deco jewelry worn by actors in the film.  You can actually purchase these pieces on their website.  They also have temporarily transformed the look of their store in New York by adding art deco applique to the exterior of the building and by designing Great Gatsby window displays.

The Great Gatsby story took place in the “Jazz Age” when the art deco style flourished.  As a luxury real estate marketing professional, this is one of the architectural styles that would well be worth studying.   The iconic Chrysler Building in New York is still a monument to that era.  Let the Great Gatsby and Tiffany’s co-marketing venture inspire you seek your own co-marketing partners.

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Luxury Real Estate Website Design: Nature Can Inspire Extraordinary Design -Part 5

www.RodgersandBurton.com

Authenticity, in communicating your personal or company branding through luxury real estate website design is paramount! Your colors need to be authentic not only in expressing your personal preferences but also in reflecting your local environment. For example, if you use a photo of a beach in the Bahamas to represent your New England shoreline, the colors of the sand and the ocean will portray an unauthentic marketing message.

For our clients', the market leading team of Neena Rodgers and Diana Burton, it was important that we researched and found the right image of a Chesapeake Bay oyster to incorporate into their brand identity. Connoisseurs of oysters would have spotted the difference immediately, if we used a non-local oyster. Of course, for research purposes, these ladies treated us to some of the best oysters we have ever tasted, harvested that morning, when we visited them in Virginia.

Inspired by the local natural colors that reflected the Virginia luxury waterfront lifestyle we chose a color palette and brand theme that also reflected the personalities of these accomplished professionals who represent well over 50% of all top tier listings in their area. Had we used an oyster from another locale for the color scheme, the “DNA” of their brand identity would have been completely different and unauthentic.

 

Rodgers & Burton Brand Identity Color Palette

Check out the difference between the  Virginia Chesapeake Bay Oyster color palette and the palette from oysters from another locale depicted below.

 

Chesapeake Bay Oyster Color Palette

 

Other Oysters- Not Virginia Chesapeake Bay Oysters

 

Other Oysters Color Palette

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to read the entire series that was inspired by a behind-the-scene tour of our Santa Barbara Natural History Museum.

Part 1   l   Part 2   l   Part 3   l   Part 4   l   Part 5

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Luxury Real Estate Website Design: Nature Can Inspire Extraordinary Design -Part 4

This article series on Luxury Real Estate Website Design was inspired by a special behind-the-scene tour of the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum and a private viewing of their sample collection of sea shells and other mollusks.  In Part 3 we showed an example of creating a Wine Country personal brand identity based on the colors of red and white wine: burgundy and gold. Here, in Part 4, we circle back to our samples of shells and focus on the texture of the sea scallops that are also variations of burgundy and gold colors. 

In the same way a change in one minor component of DNA creates an entirely different species, so it is true that slightly different combinations or variations of colors and textures can create an entirely different brand.  Certainly, there are a number of luxury real estate marketing professionals in the Wine Country.  But, expressing one agent’s personal brand by factoring in unique gradations of colors and textures that reflect personal values and personality traits, results in a brand identity that stands out from all rest. 

Texture is created graphically through light and shadow of colors and also the repetition of patterns.  Notice how the proportions of burgundy and gold seen in the stripes and the spaces between stripes of these two scallops depicted above create two distinct designs and identities.  The difference in DNA between the two is minor yet the outward appearance is quite dissimilar. 

 

Scallop on Left

 

Wine Country Burgundy (from Part 3)

 

Scallop on Right

One of the greatest challenges of luxury real estate marketing professionals is expressing their unique promise of value. In our luxury real estate strategic branding and website design practice that is exactly what we help them to do. In Part 5 we will show how an oyster, from the Chesapeake Bay, inspired the team brand identity of the luxury real estate market leaders in Virginia waterfront homes.

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Luxury Real Estate Website Design: Nature Can Inspire Extraordinary Design -Part 3

In luxury real estate website design and personal branding, we “dial-in” to our client’s DNA, their unique brand identity as expressed through their favorite colors, their personality, their values and other dimensions of their personal brand that make them stand out from the competition.  In selecting brand colors it is important to also dial-in to the environment of the marketplace, which is what we covered in Part 2. Tempering one’s personal color favorites with the influence of one’s natural surrounding can create the perfect harmony of colors. 

Here, in Part 3, we discuss the opposite approach in color selection:  Taking color cues from the environment and amplifying the theme to express the DNA of the personal or company brand. 

The use of texture combined with color can change the entire mood of the brand identity  and reflect what is unique about the brand.  For example, it can express a full range of nuances in the spectrum between an informal brand and formal brand, between a contemporary brand and more traditional brand. 

 

Our client, Maurice Tegelaar, is a leading Wine Country expert in Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley. Inspired by just the colors of red and white wine, together we chose a burgundy and gold theme for his personal brand. However, if you look closely you will notice that there are many subtle shades and hues of red and gold in his brand identity. 

Together, these colors create a more formal mood, a level of sophistication that contrasts with the rather casual and informal environment of the Wine Country. Yet, the contemporary font provides an edgy detail.

Prior to becoming a top luxury real estate marketing professional, Maurice was a CPA involved in financial management operating out of San Francisco. He also has extensive experience in interior design and a keen appreciation for architectural details. Maurice’s brand style is understated, unconventional, contemporary sophistication—timeless and elegant, yet with a charming wit.  

To express Maurice’s brand we used gradations of color to create a clean, smooth texture.  If you look closely you will see many nuances of burgundy and gold colors, although at a glance it looks like just two colors.

In Part 4, we will circle back to the environment as the dominant influence of color selection.  We will show how an expanded palette of burgundy and gold tones express themselves in sea scallops and also how an oyster, from the Chesapeake Bay, inspired the team brand identity of the luxury real estate market leaders in Virginia waterfront homes.

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Luxury Real Estate Website Design: Nature Can Inspire Extraordinary Design - Part 1

In a recent article series, A Whale of a Good Time, we talked about the importance of setting aside time to get out, meet new people and pursue new interests that can broaden your knowledge base just for the joy of learning.  On our behind-the-scenes tour of Santa Barbara’s Natural History Museum one of the curators showed us samples of the millions of sea-shells and mollusks that they keep for research purposes.

We had a wonderful time on this outing, and we were also thoroughly inspired by this particular exquisite collection.  In the following articles in this series, we will demonstrate how Nature can be a fabulous source of inspiration for luxury real estate website design and branding.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Great Marketing is Matchmaking - Part 2

In Part 1 of this article series we indicated that, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, a marketing mindset is an abundance-based mindset. A selling mindset is a scarcity-based mindset.  A shift to a marketing mindset can make all the difference in the world to your bottom line.  But, where do you begin?  

1. Shift Your Focus and Your Attitude 

First, you must shift your focus to a marketing mindset where you are OPEN to perceiving an abundance of potential new clients in your marketplace. Here is the catch, however:  If you do not also shift your general attitude, that is, your mental mindset from scarcity-based to abundance-based, then you simply will not perceive the new opportunities! 

2.  Narrow Your Focus.  Identify an Uncontested or Under served Market Niche That You Can Dominate 

You must identify a lucrative uncontested or under served market niche that you can dominate and also be passionate about serving better than anyone else.  By shifting your mindset from selling to marketing, you will discover that this niche has an abundance of potential client matches for you, a demand, in fact, for someone just like you. Here is how this principle played out in the field of online relationship matchmaking. 

Match.com and eHarmony.com are two of the biggest online relationship matchmaking services.  The competition is fierce at the top for customers in this field.  Does it make any sense to start another matchmaking service? Why fight over crumbs that the market leaders leave behind?  That would involve a scarcity-based mindset. 

Three companies answered this question by identifying an under served segment of the overall market and set out to serve their niche far better than the big brands.  OurTime.com specializes in the 50+year olds seeking a mate.  BlackPeopleMeet.com serves African American singles. And, ChristianMingle.com is the online community created specifically for Christian singles looking to find friends, romance or marriage. 

The customers of these online matchmaking services are more likely to find the right matches because the focus of the service is more aligned with their particular needs and values. It is highly unlikely that the big brands can serve these customers as well as those who specialize in their niches. 

By offering a superior value proposition to customers in these segments, the new companies are watching an abundance of “fish” jump into their boats rather than going fishing for prospects with a scarcity-based mindset.  Customers believe that the likelihood of finding like-minded matches is greater within a more focused niche. Therefore, the trust factor starts out high and trust accelerates sales. 

Can you see why you would not have to sell a 50-plus -year-old single on the value of using OurTime.com vs. Match.com?  That is the difference between a marketing mindset and a selling mindset, between an abundance-based mindset and a scarcity-based mindset.  It all begins with a shift in focus, a shift in attitude and a shift in mindset!

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Great Marketing is Matchmaking

In marketing luxury real estate ideal transactions are those where buyers feels that they have found a home that is a perfect fit for their needs and wants at a price that is mutually acceptable to the seller. The same principle applies to marketing you; that is, finding clients who are an ideal match to your core values and your personality. When like-minded people who share similar values and compatible personalities do business together business relationships and transactions just flow more smoothly.  

People like to do business with people they trust, those who share their values. People trust people like themselves. Trust accelerates sales. Mistrust introduces resistance and slows things down.  

Great luxury real estate marketing is actually great matchmaking because, when you find clients who are the right matches, selling becomes irrelevant.  If you find yourself selling, you are trying too hard to convince someone with dissimilar values that they should forego their own values (or buy something they actually do not need or want). It is like tyring to pound a round peg in a square hole.  It is stressful to you and the client.

Essentially, if you feel you have to resort to selling, you need to step back, shift your mindset and re-examine your marketing. At some point you have convinced yourself that there is a scarcity of clients who are a match to your values and personality. That is ALWAYS an erroneous assumption, even though it appears to be the case from a scarcity-based mindset.  Shifting to an abundance-based mindset, you suddenly discover an abundance of clients who are looking for you as ardently as you are looking for them because you have the potential to be a perfect fit.

A marketing mindset is an abundance-based mindset. A selling mindset is your clue that you have slipped into a scarcity-based mindset. Stay tuned for part two of this article series to discover how shifting your focus from a selling mindset to a marketing mindset can make all the difference in the world to the bottom line of your luxury real estate marketing practice. 

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