Branding 101: Q&A with a Professional Brand Marketing Builder

Whether real estate professionals have been in the business for decades or just days, branding and marketing are essential for business recognition and reaching new clients – especially in today’s tech-focused world. To highlight the importance of individual promotion, Travis Brown founded, and operates as CEO of, Mojo Up Marketing and Media, a full-service brand marketing and media agency that works with a wide array of nationally recognized clients.

Brown first became infatuated with the concept of brand marketing when it affected him on a personal level. Years ago, he was traveling around the country as a motivational speaker but was having trouble gauging interest from clients.

“At that time, nobody knew me and I quickly realized that it didn’t matter how good my speeches were if nobody knew who I was and cared to listen,” he recalls. “Fast forward to today and the same thing holds true for real estate businesses. It doesn’t matter how good you are what you do if nobody knows you. So, how can you be a good marketer so that people know who you are, what you do and how you do it?”

Brown shares how agents can tap into their marketing potential and make their personal brand – accompanied by the RE/MAX brand name – the go-to local source for all things real estate.

Q: Why is branding so important?

According to Brown, opportunity comes from visibility.

“Real estate agents love to sell real estate. The challenge is that if they don’t do a good job building a personal brand and marketing themselves, then they continue to lose out on opportunities to do what they love to do, which is to help people find their dream homes,” he says.

“Most clients’ main focus is really trusting the real estate agent that they choose to work with. And what most real estate agents don’t understand is that a large part of branding is telling your story of who you really are, what you do, how you do it, why you do it. What’s the process that you use to help them buy or sell a home? All of those things help the client get to know you, understand your level of professionalism and trust you.”

Q: How has the modern tech landscape (like the use of social media) changed marketing?

In short, social media has created more room for competition – and success.

“Pre-social media and digital marketing, whoever had been in the business the longest and had completed the most transactions became the local household agent. But what social media has done is it’s created an equal playing field. For some newer agents, if they do a great job marketing and advertising themselves to consumers, people start choosing them over others with decades of experience,” says Brown. “I love what social media has done for business entrepreneurs because it gives everyone a fair chance to compete in this market.”

He continues, “Visibility is such an important component. Think about what it used to cost to run a magazine ad or just do direct mail. Social media has removed that that barrier of entry to marketing, because you have that ability to post, to run an ad, and to have conversations with potential clients.”

Q: How is personal branding enhanced when built on the back of a globally recognized brand name, like RE/MAX?

“The beauty of the RE/MAX brand is that people already know it, they love it and most importantly, they trust it. As a brand-new agent, if you decide to go on your own, you don’t have that strength behind you – and it will take so much longer to create that level of trust independent of the RE/MAX brand,” says Brown.

“By aligning yourself with RE/MAX, you still can go be who you are and have your own personality, but have the depth and tools of a big brand. When it comes to the REMAX brand, people just recognize it, and it creates confidence for a client when they’re selecting an agent that is tied to a well-recognized brand.”

Q: What are common mistakes entrepreneurs make when developing their branding?

“I think one of the biggest mistakes is that people think that their individual or team logo is really the brand. The truth is, the heart of your brand is really the story behind that logo,” says Brown.

He also sees people being too humble on platforms where they’re meant to promote themselves.

“I hear it all the time: ‘I don’t want to brag. I don’t want to seem arrogant.’ The second truth is that, with marketing, you have to constantly be telling the story of what you do.”

Q: You are hosting a Masterclass through RE/MAX University with courses and separate live sessions. What can attendees expect to take away from this education?

“The most important part of marketing is having a blueprint,” Brown shares. “When people start without a blueprint and they start posting or spending money on ads, but they don’t really know what they’re doing or why they’re doing it, they get frustrated when it doesn’t work. This class will give people the blueprint for creating a real estate-specific brand marketing strategy.”

Brown assures that agents and Broker/Owners of all levels and years in the business can benefit from this course, whether they’re just starting out with marketing or ready to take it to the next level.

“Agents that have been successful for a long time need to understand that times are changing, so their methods need to change, too. The days when you can just solely rely on the fact that you’ve done a lot of transactions are behind you, and it’s time to promote yourself and your business in the most effective ways.”

Mojo Up | RE/MAX Masterclass: Branding courses are accessible through RE/MAX University and complimentary live sessions, featuring Q&A with Brown where agents can receive answers in real time, will be accessible via Zoom. Best of all? The courses are accessible to affiliates around the globe and are free of cost.

Head over to RE/MAX University to begin the Masterclass and sign-up for the first live session taking place on April 13 at 11am ET.

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