For many of you, the time invested in developing the character and personality of your property has been significant. Countless hours meeting with architects, builders and landscapers have all translated into a physical manifestation of your ideas. But, have you invested the same commitment in your marketing materials?

A developer’s vision for his property translates into a brand in marketing terms. The tricky part is getting this vision translated correctly. This month’s newsletter addresses the importance of turning your vision into a brand and some tips for getting it done right.

In the ideal situation, your marketing partners should be sitting at the table as part of your development team from day one…maybe even sooner. Beginning from scratch, your property needs a name. A lot of times, this is pulled from some historical or familial reference; but sometimes it’s not. Having an experienced marketing firm help you take even those first steps can prove to be critical. From there, street names, home names, neighborhoods and parks all might need names; a marketing firm can help you pull all these pieces together to begin creating what will become a consistent brand image.

When you begin planning your sales center, a marketing firm can be very helpful in creating an atmosphere that conveys the look and feel you need. Let’s face it, your sales center needs to be more than just a spec home. You’ll have maps, renderings, brochures, etc. A marketing team well-versed in working with real estate developments can provide aesthetic solutions for displaying all that information in a way that helps keep your brand consistent.

Perhaps most important is how your brand is represented in your advertising and collateral materials. For most buyers, the first impression they have of your property will be from advertising efforts and/or your website. From there, they might receive a brochure or sales kit. All of these elements must be consistent with your brand message and that message must be on par with the vision you have for your development. If the information they receive isn’t consistent it will create a broken message. For example, if your website doesn’t reflect the same visual quality of your sales kit, the consumer will notice. Inconsistencies of any kind can throw red flags in the consumer’s mind. Likewise, even if your marketing materials are very consistent, if they don’t capture the essence of your property, you’ll always be fighting an up-hill battle.

Translating your vision into a brand is a lot like translating it into roads, parks and buildings – it all starts with communication. You must find a way to communicate the vision you have for your development; to tell your story. To start, be prepared with a list of characteristics you have for your property. These can be human attributes too. Also be prepared with an idea of who you perceive your biggest competition to be. A marketing partner should be able to explore this deeper, but starting out, you likely have a basic idea of who you’re competing with. Communicating the kind of emotion you want your brand to evoke is also helpful.

Beginning the branding process is very much like beginning the development process in that your marketing firm needs the same kind of information your architect needs. This is why it makes most sense to bring your marketing partner to the table from the beginning so that everyone can start on the same page and no one has to play catch-up. You would never consider taking on the design of your buildings (unless you’re an architect by trade), so why would you ever consider taking on the building of your brand? Having your vision accurately translated into a brand can be what makes or breaks your development.

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