Reality or Myth: Can Your Personal Brand Help Fund Your Property Deals?

Today, I wanted to speak to you about whether building your personal brand, through social media specifically, can help fund your property deals – or benefit your business in general. With ever-advancing technology and online marketing, is this something that’s reality, or a myth? I want to share my perspective and experience on it, including how I built an online presence and the hurdles I faced doing so.  

When I started out 8 years ago, things were very different. So when, during an intensive training course in Bali, I was told we’d be producing video content, I had huge anxiety. Being a naturally shy person, I was averse to the idea. Obviously, I masked this with trying to convince everyone around me (and myself) that it wouldn’t benefit my business – whereas actually, I was scared; which is something we often do as humans. Being able to identify whether you’re procrastinating because you’re scared, or because you actually can’t and don’t need to do it, is a challenge you should always try to tackle objectively. In fact, one of the most important things I have learned is that ‘the thing you want to do the least is the thing you need to do the most.’

So with that in mind, I’ve been consistently producing content for my socials over the last 10 months. Having decided to take on one platform at a time; I began by using Facebook for business for the first time in my life. Despite initially being worried about what people might think, I recorded my first video and got some really positive feedback. Since lockdown, I have also been doing lives – something, again, I was terrified to do. But I will now never look back! I’ve found my voice, become more confident, and ultimately increased my reach.

Has it paid off? Definitely. Before engaging online, I relied on my hands-free portfolio service business for 95% of my income. However, now I’ve opened up a lettings company, and the majority of the landlords I work with for that have come from my online platform. Moving forwards, I will be launching a training company – which also wouldn’t be possible without the interest I’ve created in my personal brand online. It’s given me an invested audience to sell to, as when people do business they want to get a feel and understanding of you first. 

Now, I’m not promising that it will make you an overnight success. As with everything, it takes time and consistent effort. It can be disheartening when people don’t initially engage with the content you’re producing – but use the initial period of low activity to practice and perfect.

Also, don’t always expect everyone to agree with your content. As I said, I was lucky to have some really positive feedback on my first few posts. But it’s been 5 years of me making videos now, and I’ve had my fair few F-offs. It’s human nature to want to please people, but the quicker you come to terms with the fact you can’t – the quicker you’ll be able to define your unique brand voice.

In my opinion, the outlay of time and effort of building your personal brand is worth it for the kickback. At the moment, it’s the fastest and easiest way I can see of raising funds – as people associate trust and good work with credibility, and the easiest way to demonstrate your credibility is through your online presence. 

There is an old Chinese proverb, ‘When’s the best time to plant a tree? 25 years ago. When’s the next best time? Right now.’ I know it can seem overwhelming, but you have to start somewhere. And it’s definitely not too late to do so – so get yourself out there! Remember: if you don’t evolve your ideas, you’ll never live on your own terms. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Has built a personal brand benefitted your business at all? Let me know in the comments below…