Online marketing can be one of the most effective ways to find and cultivate leads. It’s inexpensive and fluid, and when done right, it will build your reputation as your community’s expert for buying or selling a home-otherwise known as your personal brand.

So why is building your brand so important? Because nearly 60 percent of sellers reported that an agent’s reputation, or brand, was the most important factor in their selection process.* Furthermore, you are competing for a finite number of clients and standing out from the crowd is crucial. Building your personal brand is simple, and the key to building a strong brand is consistency.

First, define who you are and what you stand for and then translate that into a few sentences. Do you have 20 years experience in the local community? Are you the top seller in your office? Do you have any accreditations? Do you use a unique way of marketing listings that has proved successful? This becomes your unique proposition that sets you apart from your competition. You absolutely want this to be unique so that you don’t look or sound like the other guys.

Now condense your unique proposition into a four to six word sentence. This is your tagline. A good tagline will inform all of your messaging. It will help you create consistent, focused text for your literature, Web site and advertising because it will help set the tone and form the basis of the message.

Remember consistency is the key to building your personal brand, therefore it is essential to have a personal Web site where you have control of the image and the message. If you are like most agents, you have a page on your company’s Web site. That is still a good idea because your company is marketing too, BUT if you are committed to building your personal brand it is invaluable to have your own Web site.

Here are a few tips when developing your personal Web site:

• Have your Web site professionally designed. A professionally designed site doesn’t necessarily mean a completely custom site; a well-built, great looking template Web site is a cost-effective way to create a personal Web site that still enhances your brand.
• Choose a domain name that is easy to remember and is a natural extension of your brand.
• Place testimonies and feature listings on your home page.
• MAINTAIN YOUR WEB SITE! Outdated information or broken links leave a bad impression on visitors. Also, adding new information to your site improves your site rankings, but more about that later.

Now that you have a personal Web site, you have created an image. The design of your Web ads, e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns, printed flyers and postcards should be consistent with the design of your Web site. In each medium, you will reinforce your personal brand with either a few sentences or using your tagline.

By combining consistent messaging with a cohesive image, you are on your way to creating a lasting memorable marketing impression on your prospects. This impression-aka your personal brand-will give you a competitive edge over your competition because your prospects will see you as the expert for buying or selling a home in your community.

* Source: The 2007 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers