I see lots of you moving really fast in your real estate marketing.

And sure, the market moves fast, and you’re here to win. Gotta keep swimming.

But I recently read a quote that sparkles every time for me: “Things get better when we make better things.” (Jay Acunzo)

Sometimes we forget how important it is to craft the hell out of some things in business + brand. Marketing is science, but oh my gosh, it’s such a delicious art.

I’m immersed in this anew myself this week, writing and rewriting our studio website (a task 3 years overdue). Essentially I’ve hired myself to do the job our Realtor clients ask of us in every engagment — make Strategy meet Creative, and bring both to market the right way — and it’s hard, experimental, delightful.

You should probably be crafting the hell out of some key things, too.

I want you to pick a few high-profile brand pillars and give them the time, budget and heart they deserve.

Hire a top-shelf writer.

Get strong designers + devs.

Tell Chat-GPT to F off. (I feel like Santa should leave me extra gifts this year, just for saying that.)

“Things get better when we make better things.”

If you can create something truly beautiful, people will respond to it.

We don’t invest in marketing craft very often because it’s expensive and laborious. But contributing real value to your space requires a level of discomfort, and the moment you get comfortable is the moment you’ve started mailing it in.

It’s called “Negative Capability.” In our case it describes the extent to which our public brand-building efforts feel like diving into an empty pool…and hoping to invent water on the way down.

We’re all at different stages and either way, it’s vulnerable.

Some of us choose to dive headlong into brand initiatives and improvements with no notion of how the thing will end. You’ve invented water early in the dive and love the thrill regardless.

For some, your water appears right before the splat.

Unfortunately for others, water never appears and you can’t bring yourself to sign the contract with the specialist your company desperately needs, or hit “send” on the new marketing content you spent hours trying to write.

Marketing is human so it’s messy, but once you’ve pushed through the dive and hit that pool — once you’re treading water in a ritual of content + visuals you’re actively pushing out the public — you should cyclically pause long enough to focus on craft.

You’ll likely find plenty to improve.

Maybe you’ll find the whole system is poorly positioned; it’s blending you in with the tsunami of average, anemic real estate brand + content that adds nothing but noise to the industry. Are you stuck in a paint-by-numbers brand rut that is siloed, makeshift, robo-created?

Or are you being smart, hot-blooded-human? Are you crafting your approach, in a way that emotionally woos people and cuts through with clarity?

My 5-year-old daughter, Olivia, is in swim class this year. You would think she’s training for the Olympics. “Mommy,” she’ll say, on the morning of class, “don’t forget to make me nap this afternoon. I need all my strength for class later. And pack extra snacks for the drive there.”

Walking into class she’ll turn to me, smirk and whisper, “Oh boy, are you about to be SHOCKED at my speed.” Then her instructor will spend at least half the class reminding her to freaking slow down and focus on her form and breathing.

“But I’m SO fast!” she’ll say, undaunted. “Did you see how much faster I was since last time?”

To which her instructor will shrug and reply, “So fast. But your arms are all over the places and you’ve lost control. Now let’s go again and go slowly.”

I know lots of you out there in Realtorland are fast, SO fast. It’s impressive and I see how it keeps your heart pumping, but also, many of you have lost control.

How’s your form these days?

The first rule of marketing is to inspire your prospects to take action — that’s a way we can measure the impact of brand, far beyond lists of names and a paper trail of digital actions. Are your people taking action?

I think you should pick a few key areas and start again. Start fresh. Go slowly.

Perfect your craft.

Craft trumps speed.

Have some fun, too. When you bring brand back in to the equation, everything becomes more interesting. You get to source about for inspiration and creative pathways to solutions, then ask how to make that inspiration yours, infusing it with your own verve + values.

Actually enjoying the process of brand craft is another way to measure you’re doing it well, by the way.

Fun is a KPI. An honest signal that you’re becoming YOU.

But you won’t get there by trying to dominate the pool with speed alone.

Dive in, hit water. Learn how to tread long enough to stay alive, and if you’re past this stage (90% of you are), then get the instruction + accountability you need to finally achieve good form, good breathing, and calm control in everything you put out:

Your web copy and social posts. Your core visual system that powers all design-led touchpoints. Your value statements. Webinars. Client case stories. Monthly mailers.

If you’re doing these company actions well — with craft — then every single one is a brand play that earns you equity in the long run.

Keep swimming. 

(If you need support perfecting your craft in the big pool that is real estate brands, take a look at how we can help.)

P.S — What’s BLUEPRINT, again? 

We’re a gaggle of designers, writers, and creatives on a mission to change the branding narrative in real estate.

We offer a signature branding service and the industry’s most elegant and high-converting digital products to help modern, stylish Realtors do three things:

➝ Communicate their worth;

➝ Become the obvious choice;

➝ Tell the right stories to stand out + SELL more.

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