Real Estate Marketing: How to Dominate Your Niche - Part 7

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Real Estate Marketing: How To Dominate Your Niche-Part 6

May 8, 2014

This series is a PREVIEW of our Online Video Course: Which Niche Can Make You Rich!

PART 6: THE #1 MARKETING FEAR

The fear of being pigeonholed is the #1 marketing fear. The concern is all about losing out on potential referral business. The key is taking control of how YOU are perceived.

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Real Estate Marketing: How to Dominate Your Niche - Part 4

April 29, 2014

This series is a PREVIEW of our Online Video Course: Which Niche Can Make You Rich!

PART 4: THE #1 MARKETING CHALLENGE

Capturing attention is the #1 marketing challenge for ALL businesses today. But, if you master the fundamentals of niche marketing you will not have to go fishing for clients. The fish will jump in your bowl!

Which Niche Can Make You Rich?

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE LIVE ZILLOW WEBINAR

Real Estate Marketing: How to Dominate Your Niche - Part 3

April 28, 2014

This series is a PREVIEW of our Online Video Course: Which Niche Can Make You Rich!

PART 3: THE #1 MARKETING MISTAKE

Learn how being a Jack of All Trades is the biggest marketing mistake. Being a generalist vs. a specialist is the most common marketing trap.

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Real Estate Marketing: How to Dominate Your Niche - Part 2

April 24, 2014

This series is a PREVIEW of our Online Video Course: Which Niche Can Make You Rich!

PART 2: THE MOST POWERFUL LAW OF NICHE MARKETING

Mindshare precedes market share. Focus on capturing MINDSHARE FIRST. Market share will follow. It must follow according to this law.

Which Niche Can Make You Rich?

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Real Estate Marketing: How to Dominate Your Niche - Intro & Part 1

April 22, 2014

NEW REAL ESTATE MARKETING VIDEO SERIES!

INTRODUCTION: IT'S ALL ABOUT FOCUS!

Identifying and dominating the right niche for your business is a sure-fire route to gain and sustain market leadership. In this series we will preview a new online video course that we developed as an AGENT TRAINING TOOL FOR BROKERS called Which Niche Can Make You Rich? Each video is just 2 to 4 minutes.

We were inspired to create this video course after presenting the topic in a webinar for TRULIA/ActiveRain. When over 1000 people registering within 2 weeks and we were also invited to present the webinar for ZILLOW (May 5th) we realized just how timely niche marketing is to building a thriving luxury real estate practice in our improving economy. Yet, all of the principles presented in our course can and should be applied to any niche you wish to dominate. (Note: Click the link at the bottom to sign up for the live Zillow webinar)

In this video format we are able to include additional, expanded material. And, we are certain that you will find it fun, entertaining and insightful. Enjoy!

PART 1: THE #1 SECRET OF MARKET LEADERS

You can literally go from zero to hero in the minds of your target market, overnight, with the right strategy. Focusing on achieving top-of-mind status, on purpose, is the key.

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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True Confession: How & Why We Fell In Love with a Brand! Part 5

April 21, 2014

As consumers we love Nespresso. As luxury brand strategists we salute Nespresso for outsmarting the best American Coffee companies and beating them at their own game in the fastest growing segment of the coffee industry: portioned coffee.

In 1996, Nespresso patented the process of brewing espresso from capsules containing ground coffee. But, North Americans crave larger cups of coffee more so than espresso.

Keurig was instrumental in turning portioned coffee into a $4.9 billion market by licensing their K-Cups to major US and Canadian coffee brands including Starbucks that accounts for over 25% of all K-cup sales. Almost one-half of an isle at CostCo is devoted to selling multiple brands of co-branded K-Cup coffee--IN BULK!

But, here is the downside of K-Cups: They rob Starbuck’s (and other top coffeehouse brands packaged in K-Cups) of their primary differentiator as a luxury brand--freshly roasted coffee that you can get only at their coffee-houses. This created the opportunity for a new luxury brand niche: PREMIUM portioned coffee!

Nespresso, launched the Viruoline system in 2014 expressly to target upper demographic coffee aficionados in the US and Canada. What makes this machine distinct from Keurig and all others is its patented Centrifusion technology. It brews BOTH coffee and espresso with an enormous amount of crema that significantly enhances the flavor and texture of the coffee.

Nespresso, buys only the top 1-2% of the finest coffee in the world--their Grand Cru selection. It is exquisitely packaged; you will never find Nespresso's recyclable aluminum (not plastic) capsules sold in bulk. Their coffee must be ordered by phone or online as a Nespresso Club member. It is not available in stores other than Nespresso's own boutiques. That is how they INSURE THE HIGHEST QUALITY, FRESHNESS AND CUSTOMER CARE!

Swiss-made Nespresso trumped the top coffee brands in North America, creating a new luxury niche which they undoubtedly will dominate. As a luxury real estate marketing professional, how can you trump your closest competitors?

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: Class Personified!

April 15, 2014

When some people think of luxury they associate the word with a lifestyle of conspicuous consumption, and with being ostentatious, flashy, affected, showy, brazen, flamboyant, and pretentious. This has given luxury a bad name. For us, luxury is about reaching for the best that life has to offer because it is there to be enjoyed by you, not to impress others, and also because it affirms that you can have whatever makes you happy. When in comes to others, luxury is about having class in the way you interact with everyone you encounter, simply because it feels good.

Class is both elegance in style, and excellence in whatever you create. Having class implies that you know how to find the “high road” and consistently choose to take it. Class is not the exclusive purview of the rich and famous. It is accessible to everyone.

As a luxury real estate marketing professional your personal brand is an opportunity to instantly demonstrate that you are someone who has class, and to continuously fortify that fact in the minds of your target market. It is also a vehicle to attract others who have class by making it easy for them to spread the word about YOU to like-minded individuals.

Recently, a previous client of ours, Maurice Tegelaar, a top agent in Sonoma, California, needed a quick augmentation to his website to help secure a very prestigious listing. We were able to re-arrange our schedule and mobilize our team to accommodate his very brief window of opportunity.

A couple days after completing the project we received a hand-written thank you note and a box of chocolate from a local wine country chocatier. Sure, he sent us an email thank you. But this extra touch showed class! It also demonstrated the consistency in his personal branding.

Notice that his brand strikes the perfect balance between formality and informality that exemplifies the best of the wine country. There is no pretentiousness here, just simple elegance. It is a luxury to have Maurice as a friend and it is a pleasure to refer him, with complete confidence, to anyone looking for a great agent in his area of expertise.

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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True Confession: How & Why We Fell In Love with a Brand! Part 4

April 10, 2014

A well-built brand consistently reflects what the brand stands for and the brand’s extraordinary promise of value. Nespresso has it all. And that is why we have identified Nespresso as one of the 2014 LOL Luxury Brands of the year!

Nespresso knows its target market well: coffee aficionados, devotees, enthusiasts, fans, admirers and buffs. Nespresso appreciates their need for instant gratification, small indulgences and a hassle-free luxury lifestyle. This is exemplified in features such as a pre-heating time of just 15-20 seconds and Automatic Blend Recognition technology (bar codes on each capsule tell the machine which settings to use without user guesswork).

From superior product design, functionality, packaging and brand design, to a superior user experience, to simply superior coffee taste, Nespresso is a brand you want to join and rave about to your friends.

Shortly after we purchased our Virtuoline and experienced the difference first hand, we returned to the Nespresso store in Beverly Hills that finally opened. We were greeted at the front door by the equivalent of a Maitre D’ who asked if we wanted to be seated in the coffeehouse section of the store or were interested in exploring the product section.The entire staff was in uniforms reminiscent of an upscale European boutique.

Visually the store’s architectural design is stunning and welcoming. It has a skylight above a wonderful cactus garden in the center and its storefront windows are totally open to the outdoor seating area. The service is superb in both sections! We were offered free espressos and a dark chocolate raspberry square in the product area. The place was packed with existing and potential customers when we were there.

Nespresso is fluent in the language of luxury in every single facet of its brand. We applaud this company especially for being consistent from every perspective.

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, let Nespresso be a touchstone that represents what it takes to have brand consistency. What are some ways in which you can express your own extraordinary promise of value consistently throughout the components of your personal brand?

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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True Confession: How & Why We Fell In Love with a Brand! Part 3

April 9, 2014

Whenever you are making a choice to buy a product or a service, there are two types of reasons to buy (or engage a service): logical and emotional. Emotional reasons sell you; Logical reasons justify your choice. Here are the reasons that led us to buy the Nespresso Virtuoline:

Every aspect of packaging is exquisitely designed.

Nespresso, has rekindled our love for that single special cup of coffee (or latte, or cappuccino) in the morning with a freshly baked croissant and the single espresso (with a tidbit of dark chocolate, of course) after dinner upon occasion, a lifestyle element that we so much enjoy when we travel in Europe.

Capsules contain the top 1% of coffee grown in the world. Nespresso refers to them as Grand Cru (associating with the wine term meaning first crush)

The enormous amount of crema at the top of the coffee not just the espresso is visually appealing; the texture enhances the taste of the coffee.

Brilliant engineering: The capsule spins; it uses centrifugal force to make sure the hot water hits every ground. They call this their “centrifusion TM” technology. That is the secret behind the abundance of crema.

The Virtuoline model is two machines in one (coffee and espresso). It takes up less counter space.

Easy to clean: Before Nespresso, we considered having two machines (a coffee maker and an espresso machine) a hassle. We stopped making espressos and cappuccinos at home because the cleanup involved was not worth it.

Easy to use with easy to read well-illustrated directions.

No more coffee filters to buy, and no need to measure coffee

Customer Service: We joined the Nespresso Club, which makes re-ordering capsules a breeze. They handle technical service and repairs directly.

Environmental Consciousness: Used capsules are ejected in the special container in the machine. UPS prepaid envelopes are supplied to send all the used capsules back to the firm for recycling; they are used in manufacturing the machines and new capsules.

The Nespresso brand changed our coffee drinking routine completely. We no longer drink American style coffee and we actually drink less coffee. We now enjoy the ritual of making coffee itself and take more time to savor each cup. It is a welcome lifestyle change.

Stay tuned for the final article in this series as we cover the brilliant brand strategy behind this outstanding luxury lifestyle brand.

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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True Confession: How & Why We Fell In Love with a Brand! Part 2

April 8, 2014

A couple of weeks ago when Ron was at the Apple Genius Bar in Santa Barbara, I chose to window shop. The entrance to Sur La Table had this great presentation board (pictured above), and as I walked in one of the sales associates asked me if I would like a cup of coffee.

She opened a drawer full of jewel colored round capsules, and asked me to choose one. Then she placed it into the machine, turned a knob, pressed a button, and a cup of coffee arrived in an instant.

It was amazing that the coffee had crema (a brownish foam that forms on top of freshly made espresso). As a result, the coffee tasted as good as its aroma. I thanked her, left the store and continued my journey on State Street.

I started noticing just how much I was enjoying sipping the coffee. It was a treat, and not just a cup of coffee. It occored to me that our coffee maker at home made good, but not great coffee. If purchased the Virtuoline, we would not need that the little espresso maker (we used only once)!

Ron, here. After hearing Alexandra raving about her Nespresso coffee experience I naturally wanted to try a cup, too. So, it was back to Sur La Table for a taste. What drew me in was the huge amount of crema on top of the coffee. Crema appears on a quality espresso but rarely on coffee itself and never this much. Check out the 1” tall layer of crema in the image on the display.

They captured my attention through exceptional graphics and photography in the display and the sleek design of the Nespresso Virtuoline machine. They held my attention with a fabulous aroma, and a superb quality coffee taste. But, the texture and amount of the crema in a simple cup of coffee that was like the frothy milk on top of a cappuccino, was the clincher!

In Part 3 of this article series we will cover the final steps that prompted us to purchase the machine and become self-appointed brand ambassadors. The takeaway, so far, is this: Whenever possible, engage as many senses as possible in your luxury real estate marketing and branding initiatives.

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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True Confession: How & Why We Fell In Love with a Brand!

April 7, 2014

Last October, we wrote about a new store in Beverly Hills that was under construction. We were impressed by the attention to detail in the graphics on the construction barricade, because it clearly articulated the brand story of Nespresso, the luxury espresso coffee machine company whose parent company, Nestles, pioneered the coffee capsule trend.

The barricade captured our attention, which is the first step in capturing mind share. But, it was only a mild curiosity. We had no interest in purchasing the machine at the time.

Then, on a subsequent trip to Beverly Hills, and prior to the grand opening, we were able to get a glimpse of the inside of this magnificent store that seemed to be at least 4-5,000 square feet. It was like an Apple Store for espresso coffee makers and coffeehouse combined.

Our curiosity was peaked. Why did they build such a large store, especially with so many other coffeehouses like Starbucks within just a few blocks in the Beverly Hills “Golden Triangle”?

Months later, we are unexpectedly the proud owners of the red machine pictured in the window. We feel that this could very well be the 2014 Language of Luxury brand of the year!

In this article series we will take you on our journey from being skeptics to self-appointed brand ambassadors. You will also understand why we are recommending the Nespresso Virtuoline as an excellent closing gift for your luxury real estate clients who are coffee aficionados and also for YOU!

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Is Your Content Marketing Original or Karaoke? Part 1

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Is Your Content Marketing Original or Karaoke? Part 2

April 3, 2014

Your number one challenge as a luxury real estate marketing professional, from a personal branding perspective, is discovering and expressing your own unique voice. It is something that is vitally important to you if market leadership is your quest.

Once you discover your voice or your unique point of view, you will find that it was actually obvious, even though it was occluded. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, of Sherlock Holmes fame once said, “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact”.

The facts about market statistics in your area are just that; they are facts. Once the facts are reported, they are obvious. But, what is not always obvious is their meaning. It is within the realm of the interpretation of facts that an original point of view is born.

You could say that there is nothing new under the sun. So where does originality come into play?

In music there are only 12 musical notes in an octave including sharps and flats. But, there are infinite combinations of notes, tempos, rhythms and timbers especially when more than one octave and more than one instrument is incorporated into a composition. It is the vision of the composer and the interpretation of the artist, not to mention the particular arrangement that makes music original.

Did you happen to see the recent TV tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964? Each artist’s interpretation of Beatle classics was nothing short of astonishing-totally original!

Annie Lenox, Stevie Wonder, and Keith Urban were among many who actually improved upon the originals, while still honoring the genius of the Beatles. Even Paul McCartney and Ringo Star, who were in the audience, were both blown away! Had these artists repeated the same notes and the same arrangement it would have simply been karaoke, i.e., parroting the originals.

To stand out you must be original. If you are committed to achieving market leadership karaoke is not an option.

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Is Your Brand Speaking The Language of Your Target Market?

March 26, 2014

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, selecting the right personal or company brand name is very important if being top of mind is your quest. Getting it right the first time can save you aggravation and expense down the road by understanding the mindset of your target market.

Recently, I (Alexandra, here) encountered a women’s shoe brand by the name of Me Too. The company is from So Ho New York and has been around for twenty years. It made me wonder who their target market was.

There is marketing term known as “belongers”, those who want to fit in and conform rather than stand out. If belongers were beer drinkers, Budweiser, the best selling beer in the world, would likely be their beer of choice. Belongers would be the ideal target market for Me Too shoes (as a brand name), provided that they focus their brand strategy on this mindset.

It is unclear whom Me Too, shoes is targeting as their customers. If they are trying to reach “achievers”(highly successful, upper 2% of the population, who are independent-minded consumers) or those who are "aspirational" aspiring to be achievers, they may be sending the wrong brand signal with that name.

Achievers, who unlike belongers and those who are aspiring to be like them, might reach for some of the world’s most expensive beers (because they can). Their choice might be Carlsberg Jacobsen Vintage ($400/375ml) or Samuel Adam’s Utopias ($150/700ml).

Before you decide on a brand name, be sure that you are totally clear as to who your target market is and what comprises their mindset. Then craft a brand name that speaks to them in their language.

Does your brand speak the language of your target market?

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Luxury Real Estate Brand Position: Energy Bar or Cricket Flour?

March 25, 2014

As many of you know if you read our posts, we are fans of Shark Tank. We enjoy watching the potential investors analyze a business investment in order to discover its extraordinary promise of value and its potential to provided a healthy return on their investment. Here is an example:

One of the candidates invented an organic energy bar using cricket flour for protein. Reluctantly the investors tasted it and proclaimed it good, however, they were not willing to invest. Who needs another protein bar in the market regardless of how good the ingredients are?

As the owner of the company talked, he let them know that crickets are a rich sustainable protein and a favored food of many countries. Three of the investors were still not interested and expressed that they were “out”.

As he continued to talk, he mentioned that the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) had given him approval (he is the only one, so far) for his cricket flour. He also mentioned that other manufacturers of protein bars had approached him to purchase his flour. Then, Mark Cuban jumped in, and said you should be in the cricket flour business and not in the protein bar business, at which point he was ready to invest.

Defining the right brand position can determine whether or not your target market will perceive your extraordinary promise of value. Are you just another agent or broker in the sea of sameness, i.e. another energy bar? Or, do you have a value proposition that is a clear stand out, i.e. cricket flour? Whenever possible, the best way to position your brand is to define your professional services in a unique category.

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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GET MORE HUMAN: Re-Tool, Re-Think, Re-Invent YOU!

March 20, 2014

Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_presume6d_self-portrait_-_WGA12798.jpg

Leonardo Da Vinci, Self Portrait, The original Renaissance Man

At an accelerated pace, technology has consumed far too much time and energy for most luxury real estate marketing professionals. Let us regain some perspective on this ever-pervasive fact of modern life. After so much retooling, it is now time to rethink and re-invent YOU!

The Renaissance was considered one of the most explosive periods of change in human history. Due to the availability of paper and the invention of metal movable type the dissemination of ideas sped up faster than was ever thought possible. Today,, the internet is having a similar impact on our lives. But, have you had time to rethink and reinvent yourself as the person who is the master of the new tools and not as the slave to them? Could it be time for a Renaissance or rebirth in your life?

Recently, we encountered three rounds of annoying menus in a voice mail maze, while attempting to make airline reservations. Then, after a fifteen-minute wait, we were connected to a customer service representative who spoke incomprehensible English. Does this sound familiar? Think about the cumulative effect of millions of people encountering similar situations!

Then we discovered a website called GetHuman.com. This site offers, “Shortcuts through the phone maze, expected wait time, as well as support ratings”. What a relief from the tedium of voice mail!

This experience sparked our thinking about the overwhelming need for luxury real estate marketing professionals to GET [MORE] HUMAN in the way they do business and less reliant on technology. But, this requires rethinking and reinventing YOU.

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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How Your Business Rituals Reveal Your Brand Story

March 14, 2014

As we were exploring the Oxbow Public Market in Napa, we discovered a new coffee place, Ritual Coffee Roasters. For a moment, we could visualize ourselves presenting an offer to lease from Ritual to a building owner, and hearing these words, “Why another coffee place?” Napa (population, 75,000) has 9 Starbucks locations, one Peet’s and several more places where you could get a good cup of coffee.

Why another coffee place? Because they fill a need for those who want to savor a cup of coffee as a morning ritual, not as a jolt to wake them up. To accentuate this brand differentiator, they use red as the color of their logo, which is the color of a fully ripened coffee bean. In the logo, you can see an outline of a cup with a star.

Here is their philosophy: “A few people scattered across the country discovered how amazing a cup of coffee can be when you source the beans directly from farmers you know. When you roast the beans yourself in an aggressively light way. When you brew the coffee with down-to-the-second precision”.

We watched the staff as they ground and brewed each cup to order, including our cappuccinos, which were as good as the ones we have had in Europe! This ritual made the morning an event. Ritual Coffee Roasters is a stand out for a lifestyle that considers a coffee break a quick caffeine pit stop.

How you do business, your rituals tell the story of your brand. Your brand name and your logo should be the summation of your business rituals.

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Personal & Company Branding: Does Your Brand Still Represent You?

March 11, 2014

A couple of years ago, we had a client who boughta real estate firm. This was a change and an evolution of the original model. Would the original brand work to accommodate 14 new agents? Could they identify with it? Was a name change needed? We worked on the evolution of the brand as a full service real estate firm, instead of a single individual.

A new client wanted to dissociate herself from the short sale niche she had been extremely successful in during the real estate downturn. She wanted to return to the luxury arena. Another client wanted to update his brand, because it was time to reflect his growth and new focus. Many firms have done that, UPS, Apple, American Airlines, and recently Restoration Hardware.

The store is now known as the RH Gallery. Here is a quote from their Chairman Emeritus, Gary Friedman: "One of the key strategies that sets RH apart is its approach to inventory. While most retailers design things in-house, RH created a different model. "We have one full-time designer. We are more curators than we are retailers. We find artists we love and 'curate' that person. We source the world." The new focus of RH is engendering the creative and innovative spirit in all home furnishings.

Does your brand still represent you, today? Or does it need to be refreshed to reflect your evolution and your path?

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

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Does Your Packaging Reflect Your Brand Strategy?

March 10, 2014

As we mentioned in our previous post, being on top of your game means that there is congruency in every way you express yourself including your printed materials such as your presentation folder.

We chose for this post the shopping bag from L’Occitane, (based in the Provence area of France), because their products are similar to Crabtree & Evelyn. The difference is that their emphasis is on “natural and organic” products, as well as preserving rare species of flowers (immortelle or ageless flowers).

They are known for their almond and lavender based products (the almond tree pictured on the bag stands in a field of lavender. The bottom of the bag lets you know that it is made with paper from sustainable forests. Looking at the package transports you to Provence for a moment.

Does Your Packaging Reflect Your Brand Strategy?

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

-WATCH VIDEOS-

Personal Branding Case Studies Company Branding Case Studies

GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT! - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNTIY

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Is Your Brand Package Remarkable & Reflect Your Strategy?

March 6, 2014

Being at the top of your game as a luxury real estate marketing professional requires being consistently remarkable which includes your presentation materials. These need to stand out and communicate your identity and its congruency with your target market.

The shopping bag pictured above is from Crabtree & Evelyn, retailer of body and home products based on floral and fruit essences. Notice the inside lining: fruit and flowers reflecting who they are. Their website is printed on the inside of the bag, a subtle reminder of their web presence. The outside of the bag is embossed with the name and their crab tree logo. It is simple, elegant and remarkable.

Is Your Brand Package Remarkable and Reflect Your Strategy?

ABOUT: Napa Consultants, International is the leader in brand strategy for the luxury real estate industry. They work exclusively with professionals who are passionate about gaining or sustaining market leadership. With an expertise in personal branding, company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing they help their clients become the breakaway brand in their marketplace.

-WATCH VIDEOS-

Personal Branding Case Studies Company Branding Case Studies