Combining fundamentals with your own style to develop a winning brand By Bill Kozar, Content Marketing Specialist
Illinois Young Professionals Network
Illinois YPN Chair and REALTOR® Eddie Ruettiger served as moderator. Ruettiger, a broker for Baird & Warner in Plainfield, is the State Legislative Contact for state Sen. Pat McGuire of Joliet and was the 2018 REALTOR® of the Year for the Three Rivers Association of REALTORS®. Illinois YPN Vice-chair Megan Beechen, of Realty Executives Elite in Lemont also helped put together the event.
Make sure to check out this discussion at Podcast. illinoisrealtors.org or wherever you get your podcasts and search for Illinois REALTORS® Podcast 20
www.IllinoisRealtors.org
Mabél Guzmán Although Mabél Guzmán, Rebecca Donatelli and Sam Powell have taken slightly different paths to succeed as REALTORS®, all three relied on trust to build their brands. The trio shared career insights during an Illinois REALTORS® Young Professionals Network (YPN) virtual panel discussion, “#werk Your Brand,” in April.
Solutions depend on situations
Face-to-face encounters have always been an important part of Guzmán’s success, whether the 22-year real estate professional is helping consumers find the right home or asking for referrals. But the growth of social media in recent years has played a growing role in her business. Now, she uses it to reinforce the brand she’s built as a real estate expert. “When customers reach out to me, I get a chance to go back to them for follow up,” she says. “For me, it’s about consistency and being that resource for someone.” “You have to be your authentic self,” says Guzmán, a broker with @properties in Chicago. “You can’t have one persona somewhere and then another persona somewhere else. When you are true about who you are, then people will say, ‘This is somebody I can trust.’”
Social media has helped Rebecca Donatelli build her brand faster than she could have ever imagined. In five short years, she attracted more than 14,000 followers on Instagram and has achieved “influencer” status. Not only is she a broker for McDowell Homes Real Estate Services in Cleveland, Ohio, but she is the founder of the Rebecca Donatelli Team and the owner of her own speaking consulting business. “Instagram started as a hobby because of my love for photography. But the more I became involved in the industry, the more people took to it,” says Donatelli. “It is really just about putting yourself out there, showing who you are, and people getting to know you. My goal now is to make people trust me before they even know me.” Sam Powell, a broker with DreamTown Realty in Chicago, also uses her love of photography to connect with customers. She started her real estate career in 2002. She learned about others’ best practices and to trust in her own abilities through her involvement with the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and the Women’s Council of REALTORS® Illinois. That positive reinforcement fostered her sense of camaraderie and collaboration. “I feel our gift to the industry is to share our knowledge and (learn from) our mistakes,” says Powell. “We’re raising the bar in our industry by willingly sharing our talents side-by-side with each other.”
Facebook, niche marketing and design
All three panelists said authenticity was an essential ingredient in building their own brands. For example, early in her career, Powell used her talent for graphic design to create fliers that helped
