Branding Luxury Real Estate with Matthew Leone
\u201cWe sell the communities as much as the homes that sit in them.\u201d Buying real estate \u2014 buying a home \u2014 is the biggest purchase many of us make. Who we buy from is a big decision. This is magnified even further in the high-end real-estate market in New York. Matthew Leone, Chief Marketing Officer of Halstead, discussed all of this and more on this week\u2019s episode of the On Brand podcast.\nAbout Matthew Leone\nMatthew J. Leone\xa0brings a fresh marketing perspective and extensive knowledge of web technologies & techniques to Halstead serving as the firm\u2019s Chief Marketing Officer. Matthew oversees the 28-member MarTech division and is responsible for the creative brand direction. He is passionate about staying on top of the latest trends & integrating innovative solutions into all forms of marketing and technology, working as one of the first firms to embrace such forms as video, social media, drones, 3D, VR, wearables, co-branded partnerships, and many other ground-breaking approaches.\nMr. Leone also regularly appears as a panelist and speaker at Inman Connect as well as NAR Conferences, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Conferences, NYSAR conventions, and Luxury Portfolio Summits speaking on concepts that will shape the future of real estate industry. He also serves and teaches at the Real Estate Board of New York\u2019s continued education course series. He currently serves on the Technology Advisory Council for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, regularly advising the global network on a variety of technology initiatives as well as the Inman News Content Advisory Board.\nIn 2018, Matthew was the recipient of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World\u2019s prestigious President\u2019s Award, which formally acknowledged his significant contributions and service to the organization. He has been routinely interviewed & quoted in media outlets such as\xa0The Today Show,\xa0The New York Times,\xa0Wall Street Journal, AdWeek, CNBC, NY1, NY Magazine, Real Deal and many more.\nEpisode Highlights\n\u201cMake sure the consumer doesn\u2019t smell your commission breath.\u201d\xa0When Matthew uttered this phrase, I may have snorted with laughter. \u201cEspecially in high-end real-estate, they expect the white-glove service.\u201d An example of Halstead\u2019s world-class experience? They frequently offer home tours led by Broadway dancers.\nBranding that builds on personal brands.\xa0When I interviewed\xa0Sean Blankenship of Coldwell Banker, he spoke of the challenge in building a strong central brand with independent agents on the front lines. \u201cIndependent contractors are their own business within a business. You have to build on that uniqueness,\u201d Matthew shared. Halstead provides copywriters to help realtors find a signature tone for their writing. They also provide lifestyle photography resources showing agents in the community and at their favorite restaurants. \u201cReal estate requires a lot of hand holding.\u201d\n\u201cWe have to be ambassadors of the neighborhoods we represent.\u201d\xa0It\u2019s all about finding the bigger idea behind your business. Halstead focuses on more than just the house. They think about the community as a whole and how they can best represent that. \u201cWe sell the communities as much as the homes that sit in them.\u201d\nRebranding for everyone.\xa0In approaching a recent rebrand, Matthew knew that Halstead had to work for everyone, in all of the communities they serve. In looking for their greatest, over-arching strength, they arrived at culture. They built on this with their new tagline, \u201cMove to what moves you.\u201d This works both internally with agents and externally with customers. They also have a color palette with different colors for each community.\nWhat brand has made Matthew smile recently?\xa0Matthew smiles \u201cwhen you see ads taking a different spin on things.\u201d Matthew loved the joint Super Bowl ad effort from Doritos and Mountain Dew.\nTo learn more,\xa0follow Halstead on\xa0Instagram\xa0and\xa0Twitter\xa0and check out the firm\u2019s\xa0website. You can also\xa0follow Matthew on Twitter.\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices