Every market is flooded with cookie-cutter videos, captions, and marketing.
Agents seem more concerned with getting views and followers than actually being good at their craft, knowing the market, and following up with clients.
Why?
Comparison is the thief of joy.
We live in a world addicted to instant gratification and allergic to accountability.
People want it cheap and fast—or do they? Think about the brands that truly stand out
as original: Apple, Patagonia, and Tiffany’s.
All three dominate their niche and charge a premium.
Not because Apple sells phones.
Not because Patagonia sells jackets.
Not because Tiffany’s sells jewelry.
It’s because every single one of them sells identity.
You buy Apple to signal you are tech-forward and part of an elite group. You buy Patagonia to align yourself with a community of conscious adventurers and activists. You buy Tiffany’s to signal luxury and exclusivity.
However, those identities would be ubiquitous without what makes those companies unique:
Apple knows they have the best ecosystem.
Patagonia knows they have the most loyal community built on shared values.
Tiffany’s knows they own “Tiffany Blue.”
Every decision they make is based on what makes them unique—not chasing what their competition is doing because it’s trending. They are multi-billion dollar companies because they have been consistent for long enough to become undeniable.
You should do the same.
Maybe you grew up playing hockey at a high level and had a passion for the sport but never went pro. To you, that might feel like a failure; to the world, that makes you more relatable than you can imagine. If you simply leaned into that side of your personality—telling stories about how it shaped the way you see the world today—you’d be shocked at how human it makes you.
I once shared that I struggled with addiction with a very unlikely audience: a dinner with AAA TV network heads. When I first arrived, my insecurity crept in. We were discussing the issues facing many cities regarding addiction and homelessness, so I shared some insight into that world that was uniquely mine.
My instinct was to assert my credentials—who I was and why I deserved to be there. Instead, I chose to be vulnerable. It led to some of the most intimate and honest conversations I’ve ever been a part of. It led to someone sharing that they had a family member struggling and didn’t know what to do. It led to us being real.
Since then, my relationship with those people has led to incredible opportunities.
It wasn’t because I pretended to be someone I wasn’t; it’s because people felt they actually got to know me. I learned things about them that they likely wouldn’t have shared had I not made “being real” comfortable for them.
The Challenge If you were to share more about who you truly are, integrate that with what you are good at, and stack that onto the work you love, marketing yourself would feel weightless. It would remove all the pressure of social media.
You would find no difference between who you are online and the person I would meet at a coffee shop. You would attract more like-minded business. You would build an ecosystem of real people versus the echo chambers we see online that lack any real depth.
What if the success you are looking for in your marketing is just on the other side of being who you really are? What if it’s about sharing your unique perspective on common challenges?
I can tell you: it is.
The second you stop searching for short-term validation and stop caring what people think is the second their opinions no longer affect you.
Create based on who you are. Don’t copy.
SOURCE, by Justin Konikow, Founder Prime Real Estate Brokerage and Prime Media Productions
Monthly Contributor – Sales & Marketing
To learn more, visit PRIME REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE & PRIME MEDIA PRODUCTIONS
