In March’s Advertising and marketing and Branding Month, we’ll go deep on agent branding and finest practices for spending with Zillow, Realtor.com and extra. High CMOs of main corporations drop by to share their latest ways, too. And to high off this theme month, Inman is debuting a model new set of awards for branding and advertising and marketing leaders within the business known as Advertising and marketing All-Stars.

Growing a content material plan in your actual property enterprise means optimizing a bunch of on-line and real-world platforms. In our Content material Advertising and marketing Gameplan, we convey you the foundations to make use of to generate 5 various kinds of foundational content material: your web site, bio, weblog, PR and self-published e book.

One of many foundational items of content material that each actual property skilled wants is a well-written, up-to-date bio. You should utilize it in quite a lot of methods on quite a lot of advertising and marketing platforms to construct credibility for your enterprise.

As somebody who writes a variety of actual property bios, I do know that that is the one piece of writing individuals fear about (and complain about) most. It’s additionally the one piece of writing that, accomplished nicely, could make an enormous distinction in the way in which you see your self — and the way in which others see you as nicely. Right here’s easy methods to create a bio you’ll love.

The place are you in your profession?

The scope and scale of your bio relies upon, partly, on the place you might be in your profession.

New agent

In the event you’re a brand new agent, you’re most likely involved about what you’ll write because you don’t have a lot expertise. On this case, you may lean in your brokerage’s fame so as to add to your credibility and spotlight your prior skilled or educational accomplishments till you additional develop your profession.

Established agent

At this level, you’ll have some transactions beneath your belt and will have some certifications and designations as nicely. In the event you’ve began to determine a distinct segment in your actual property enterprise, you’ll need to dedicate a part of your bio to describing your {qualifications} and the way you serve that market section.

All-star agent

In the event you’re a high producer, you’ll want a bio that helps you stand out. Honors and awards will go right here, together with superior coaching. You’ll most likely have some pretty spectacular numbers to share, so embrace your efficiency stats.

The place will you employ your bio?

You’ll all the time discover locations to make use of your bio, particularly when you have a number of variations to select from. Listed here are among the potentialities.

In your web site

One of many locations you’ll undoubtedly need to use your bio is on the About Me web page of your web site. In the event you’re a longtime or all-star agent who has been featured within the media, chances are you’ll need to use a Q&A or interview both rather than your bio or prominently linked. 

In case you have a video bio or have been featured in a podcast or TV present, you would possibly need to embed any of those in your web site as nicely, both rather than or along with a written model.

In your social media platforms

Most of your social media platforms embrace a spot for a brief bio and lots of enable you the aptitude to pin a video model on the high of your feed. As well as, you may hyperlink out to the About Me web page at your web site for individuals who are linking for much more complete info.

In your advertising and marketing collateral

A brief bio is a superb thought on flyers, postcards and different advertising and marketing supplies. Embody it on the backside of your e mail blasts or direct mailers so that you simply remind individuals about your {qualifications}. 

In the event you conduct coaching occasions, serve on committees on the native affiliation or converse every so often, you’ll need a model of your bio that’s helpful for transient intros, assembly agendas or different supplies. 

What do you have to embrace in your bio?

While you’re gathering info for writing your bio, listed here are among the parts to think about:

• Your title
• Your group and/or brokerage title
• Licensure info
• Certifications and designations
• Awards and honors
• Markets served
• Excellent statistics
• Niches and areas of specialization
• Training and related prior skilled expertise
• Quotes from opinions and testimonials
• Household and private info like hobbies and pursuits (if you happen to resolve to incorporate them)

Some individuals discover it tough to write down about themselves and don’t understand how a lot they’ve completed. Take into account sitting down with a trusted good friend or colleague to speak about your profession to this point and see what takeaways they discover most fascinating and compelling, then spotlight these in your bio.

Typically, we fail to think about how far we’ve are available knowledgeable sense. In the event you’re a longtime or all-star agent, just remember to pay attention to the place you at the moment are and that your bio displays your present-day standing.

EXTRA: On the lookout for real-world examples of nice agent bios? Take a look at these:

What else do you have to take into accout when writing a bio?

Writing a bio might really feel intimidating, however there are a variety of issues you are able to do to make sure that the arduous work is worth it:

• When you’ve written your bio, flip it into a number of variations just by creating each lengthy and quick variations in first and third individual. First-person is extra informal and works nicely for social media or an About Me web page. Third-person is extra formal and works nicely for advertising and marketing collateral or introductions.
• Get previous the concern of sounding “smug” or overly salesy along with your bio. Outlining your accomplishments isn’t the identical as bragging — it’s merely giving individuals the knowledge they’re searching for to make sure that you’re certified to assist them.
• Revisit your bio often, particularly when there are modifications in your enterprise or while you’ve achieved one thing noteworthy. In the event you’re a longtime or all-star agent, preserve it up to date with awards and new certifications and designations as you earn them. Your bio ought to be a residing doc that precisely displays your skilled development.
• Longer doesn’t all the time imply higher on the subject of your bio. A few of the most completed brokers within the business don’t have overly lengthy bios. They’ve quick bios that present a snapshot of their most spectacular accomplishments.
• Keep away from pat phrases and generic platitudes. Everybody listens. Everybody cares. Everybody helps. Make your bio extra fascinating and significant by focusing in your differentiators and on what you do, not simply what you are feeling.
• Don’t consider your bio as a gross sales piece. Consider it as a instrument to bolster and nurture leads — a approach to persuade people who find themselves already conscious of you that you simply’re the appropriate individual for his or her actual property wants.

In case your bio isn’t good but, preserve working at it. The extra you rewrite and collect enter, the nearer every iteration will get to your supreme model.