Be the Signal, Not the Noise – How Real Estate Agents Can Truly Stand Out

This week I had the opportunity to attend the 2025 1000Watt Brand and Marketing Summit in Dallas, Texas. It was a two-day immersion into the future of real estate branding, marketing, and technology. The event’s core theme was to “Find the Signal Through the Noise” and there was a heavy focus on leveraging the signals in the market, understanding what our ideal customers are really anxious about, delivering tailored solutions to their pain points, and creating standout experiences they actually want.

For real estate agents, this is the ongoing challenge. How do you stand out if everyone is running the same local ad campaigns, posting similar social media content, and basically sounding like real-estate clones? In addition, how do you continue to grow your business without letting the day-to-day tasks chew up all of your time?

Key Takeaways

• Differentiate with Authenticity – Share who you really are, including your failures, to stand out in an AI-saturated, look-alike market.
• Focus on True Client Value – Go beyond price; understand emotional, social, and functional needs.
• Uncover the “True Why” – Ask “why” questions to reach clients’ core motivations.
• Elevate to Creator Status – Consistently post genuine, engaging content focused on your local market and the things you have in common with the audience you enjoy engaging with to capture attention and leads.
• Leverage AI Wisely – Automate repetitive tasks so you can focus on meaningful client relationships.
• Build Trust Through Transparency – Be open, honest, and solution-focused in all communication.

Below are some of the most valuable insights and action items I gathered from the event’s presenters. These range from branding and differentiation to empathy-based marketing, plus the practical use of AI to free up hours in your day. I have provided examples and steps you can take to put these insights into action for your business. I hope you find it valuable.

We’re All the Same…Until One Steps Out

Brian Boero, Co-Founder of 1000Watt, kicked us off by saying to an audience primarily made up of real estate brokers and marketing professionals that we’re all the same, and we’re doing the same things. Then he added, “and now we have AI.”

His opening message for the event set the stage when he said we’re here to, “find the signal through the noise.“

Mr. Boero is a veteran of the real estate industry who has thousands of published works online. He went on to share his recent experience with using AI. He asked ChatGPT to write a blog post on a topic, and it did. Then he asked ChatGPT to use his own personal style and tone (without giving the AI model any information about his style or tone) to write another blog post about the same topic. Since ChatGPT has access to online content data, ChatGPT was able to write the blog post in Brian’s style of writing and use his standard tone and sentence structure. He said it was both, “cool and eerie.”

With the addition of AI, the overused, carbon-copy playbook of real estate has now been amplified so everyone has the ability to become a clone. Clones that churn out standard scripts, social media listing posts, templated emails and marketing materials; where everybody can use the same generic messaging, focused on the same topics, trying to attract the same audience.

Joining the white noise of the clone agent herd is a sure-fire way to lose. You must stand out, prioritize standing out, and do the necessary work now versus later.

Takeaways

Differentiate. Do things differently. Lean into who you are, and don’t shy away from it. Even self-perceived “flaws” make you human. It’s okay to be human, to try new things, to fail miserably or succeed exponentially. People want the stories of your successes AND your misses. People want to know you’re human, not a clone. Show them the real you. If you choose to do things that cause you to blend in, you become forgettable.

If you choose to be yourself, share your own perspectives. Tell stories about how you do things, the services you provide, along with your wins, losses and what you learned. This is a genuine way to be flavorful and stand out among the flavorless.

Key Action Item

Audit your current marketing and review the following:

• Website and/or landing pages
• Social media profiles
• Current marketing materials
• Email newsletter and email journeys

Do they look and sound just like every other agent in your market? If yes, read the remainder of this article for further insights that will assist you. But, then come back to this section and spend some time thinking about what you want to say and how you want those words to be reflected in images and video.

Rewrite or redesign each of the above to reflect your preferred style, tone of voice, expertise, and the value you provide that nobody else can.

A great way to differentiate and provide superior value in your local market is to join Homes for Heroes. Get to know who we are and what we do to determine if we’re a good fit for you and your business.

Everybody Wants Value

I get it, you’re probably thinking, “Value? I already give my potential clients a free comparative market analysis (CMA) and floor plans, and I know agents in my area do not offer that. What more value do I need to offer?”

Four Types of Customer Value

Let’s hit this first, because it’s essential in helping you think about “value” differently. Generally speaking, there are four types of customer value we all need to understand:

• Functional Value – How does the product/service meet the customer’s practical needs. Example: This home’s open-concept layout and proximity to top-rated schools simplifies everyday life for families, minimizes commute times and maximizes the living space for the family with all of the available storage.
• Emotional Value – This is what the customer feels and experiences with a product/service. Example: A couple instantly imagines family gatherings around the cozy fireplace and kids playing in the spacious backyard.
• Social Value – This is the social status (or perceived status) and/or connections that a product/service can provide the customer. Example: This home is featured in a prestigious neighborhood with convenient access to exclusive community events or country club amenities.
• Economic Value – The cost-benefit (money saved) with a product/service. Example: These new energy-efficient windows and doors can save you an average of 40% on your home energy costs, and it also provides strong resale potential.

Given the definitions above, obviously value is not always tied to money. So, as you’re evaluating your own business, what you prioritize, what you offer, and the specific processes you follow to deliver your promises to the customer; take pause to look at all of it through the eyes of a potential client who uses these four types of value to determine if they want to work with you, or that other agent…you know the one.

Takeaways

When you realize the other aspects of your business that your clients value, you better understand what you want your business and your personal brand to emulate and stand for.

You can begin to add some of these attributes to your marketing and messaging. But before you do, please understand many times these attributes are best offered through your services. Specifically, how you treat people and how you show up (your character) can vividly illustrate the value you provide your clients without saying a word.

Side note: The tone of your voice, how you deliver the words you choose to say, your facial expressions and your body posture describe more about how you conduct your business to a potential client, then the actual words you speak or write ever will. This is why video and audio media can be extremely valuable to your marketing mix, and I highly recommend you attempt to use it when possible.

If you find things currently being used to promote your services that really do not provide value, or are too similar to the rest of the agents in your market, it might be time to update it or remove it from your marketing entirely.

Dig Deep for True Meaning

Brand. How does that word make you feel? It’s so broad and complex.

Dr. Matt Johnson, Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Hult International Business School, said you and I need to appreciate the complexity.

He added, and I’m paraphrasing from my notes: “A brand is not simply a logo or tagline. It is the totality of feelings, meanings, and associations people have when they think of you.”

People, feelings, meanings and associations = COMPLEX.

Getting to know what’s really important to a person is challenging. But, when you can learn what’s really important to a person (your ideal customer) it can help steer your entire business.

One trick Dr. Johnson offered that could help you peel back the layers of what your client uses to describe what’s important, is to conduct what he called a, “True Why” test.

Dr. Johnson used Airbnb’s brand research to illustrate:

Airbnb found out that people liked what they offered because,
“Hotels are generic and over priced for what you get.”

Then the research team asked, “Why does that matter?”
Response: “Because I don’t want to feel like a tourist.”

They asked again, “Why does that matter?”
Response: “Because I want an authentic experience, not something ‘manufactured.’”

They asked again, “Why does that matter?”
Response: “Because traveling makes my life richer.”

They asked again, “Okay, why does that matter?”
Response: “Because we’re all going to die!”

When you reach death, you can stop. Now, look at the two responses before the “death” response for the real, emotional meaning behind why something is important.

In the case of Airbnb, it became: “Authentic Experiences for a Richer Life.”

Takeaways

Now it’s your turn. Conduct a “True Why” Test by asking your client why something really mattered. This is probably best with clients who have closed with you, and ideally have already given you a testimonial or feedback that you can expand upon.

Reach out to your client and let them know what you’re attempting to do. Find a time that is convenient for them. You should go in knowing that it will likely take at least two “why” questions to actually reach a core emotional reason.

Example client testimonial was: “Our agent was there when we needed her, and she pulled everything together to get us the house we wanted. We really appreciated that.”

You: “Why was that important to you?”
Client: “Because we felt taken care of, and it reduced our stress during a crazy time.”

You: “Okay. Why was that important to you?
Client: “Because we didn’t want to miss any deadlines or lose the house we’d fallen in love with.”

You: “Okay. Why was that important to you?
Client: “Because this house is where we felt our family would feel safe and make many happy memories together.”

As you reach this deeper layer, you see the client’s appreciation is not originated from someone managing paperwork or phone calls on their behalf. Instead, it’s tied to a core emotional goal of creating a safe and happy environment for the family’s future.

Use the intel you capture from your clients to enhance how you deliver what’s important to your clients. Think of appropriate and meaningful ways to articulate and incorporate some of the sentiments learned from your clients into your messaging.

Elevate Yourself to be a Creator

Mr. Jimmy Mackin, from Listing Leads, told us these are the three groups of people on social media:

• 90% Lurkers
• 9% Contributor
• 1% Creators

According to Mr. Mackin, the Creators are the ones making most of the money. Why? Because they capture attention. Attention is the gateway to lead generation.

His point? Social media is easy to start but very, very hard to do well. He also said he believes that relying on your sphere of influence (SOI) is a crutch that becomes a “feast or famine” cycle that will rise and fall with the market.

His advice was to start being a Creator (or grow in your current Creator role). Mr. Mackin said it’s not too late for you social media rookies. You want attention, but attention is not the goal. Instead, leads are the goal and attention is the gatekeeper to lead generation. Embrace social media now and start building momentum that expands further than your immediate sphere of influence so you are propped up stronger during challenging markets.

There will always be an excuse not to spend time on your social platforms, so Mr. Mackin kindly offered some tips on how to build your audience that may help drown out the excuses:

• New Audience – Focus on posting content in-market, but for people outside of your core buyer/seller audience. Build broader attention in-market.
• Content Focus – Relevant or trending topics in your local market, and areas where you have unique experience or expertise. Be the in-market expert. If you do not want to be in videos, faceless videos can perform well. Do not let it stand in your way. Video is too important to buyers and sellers.
• Become a Fast-Follower – Follow social media accounts you appreciate and enjoy that are OUTSIDE REAL ESTATE to learn about new hot trends, unique content designs and hacks. Because according to Mr. Mackin, top creators notice trends on social media and incorporate those hot trends into their own social content, while staying consistent to their own style, voice and character.
• Do Something Unexpected – Be a real, personable, human. This will help to build trust for you and your brand. Stay informed and offer relevant, compelling stories. Become a customer service expert and provide helpful answers or tips to questions people have in-market.
• Do Not Stop – Top creators stay in the game, they do not stop. One thing to remember is you can not get attached to your last post. Let it do its thing, then on to the next. Do not dwell on it (good or bad emotions). It’s a moment in time that has passed. Instead focus on these specific to-dos and put them on wash-rinse-repeat cycle:
  • Post on the channels where you can reach the audience you want to engage with.
  • Comment and engage with other people’s content, mainly your followers and members of the audience you want to engage with (comments and shares are the most valuable for both you and the person’s content you engage with).
• Repeatable Lead Gen – He highly recommended ManyChat.com to manage and automate follow up communications, and to add a new lead to your CRM. I’m not familiar with the platform, but it may be a good fit for your business’ marketing strategy. At a minimum, check it out. And, he highly recommended doing Instagram polls and sliding those leads into a DM as well.
• Amplify Top Posts with Ads – If you post something and it dramatically outperforms your other posts, leverage that post’s message, image/video and run an ad, or several ads. Do NOT “boost” it. Instead, run a targeted ad.

Takeaway – Viral Hooks for Listings

Mr. Mackin knew he was in a room of real estate brokers and many of their marketing team members, and I mean c’mon his company is called Listing Leads. He clearly could not leave without some tips on how to position social media posts for listings!

Here are the example “templates” he gave everyone. I would highly recommend using these as thought-starters and coming up with your own versions (you’re not a clone). Maybe even ask AI to help you out?

• “If you’re like me and love [property type], I found one.”
• “This is hands down one of my favorite homes in [location]. Let me show you why.”
• “This home is not [move-in ready/finished/complete]. In fact, you’ll probably want to [upgrade/renovate], and that’s what makes it so special.”
• “This is how much money you need to make if you want to buy the most affordable [property type] in [location].”
• “Think [common belief about a property type] is [negative trait]? Think again.”

One last thing I found compelling about Mr. Mackin’s presentation was one of his final thoughts before he signed off for the day.

Mr. Mackin said, “If you get good at social media, you will likely get really good at communicating.”

His rationale came from the allocation of time spent ideating, concepting, writing, producing, posting and sharing your message. Flexing that muscle over and over builds a set of skills that absolutely improves over time, and is directly applicable to all facets of communication.

Become a Creator, or if you already are, grow as a Creator.

Automate the Ordinary to Personalize the Extraordinary

Mr. Rajeev Sajja, SVP of Digital Marketing & Innovation and weekly podcast host of, Real Estate AI Flash, zeroed in on a key question: “Can AI help me with this?”

He asked everyone to list out the tasks that are:

• Repetitive
• Time-consuming
• Data-heavy
• Energy-draining (aka: something you hate doing)

These are prime candidates for AI tools.

He provided us with a break down of the RISE prompt framework, and I’ve expanded upon it to give you a step-by-step real world application for your business:

• Step 1 – GOAL: Determine your goal (ie: develop an open house marketing strategy).
• Step 2 – RISE: Use the RISE prompt framework.
  • (R) Role – Assign a relevant role to the AI and note the experience level
  • (I) Input – Explain everything you know about the assignment, any important considerations or background regarding the scenario, a description of the target audience, and a general statement about the desired outcome of this prompt. Break it all down like you would for a trusted colleague, and try to answer all of the questions you know that colleague would ask.
  • (S) Steps – Break down the task logically, specifically what steps do you want the AI to take?
  • (E) Expectations – This is where you identify how you want the final output structured and formatted, how in depth you want the AI to go, the tone of voice you want, and anything you want the AI to avoid. The more precise you make this, the better the AI response will be.
• Step 3 – REVIEW (IMPORTANT): Review the AI response. Ask the AI to make changes you prefer by specifically noting what to change in the original AI response.
• Step 4 – REVISE: Rewrite your original RISE prompt to incorporate these change requests for future prompts. Test the rewritten master prompt to see if the AI response is closer to what you want (style, tone, format, etc). It may take a few tests. Be sure to start with a fresh chat/prompt window so the AI model is not referencing the previous prompt versions.
• Step 5 – FINAL REVIEW: When you have the response you want, copy and paste the final preferred response, or share it directly if possible, but be sure to always review it. I highly recommend you add more of your style/tone where possible, and make any necessary tweaks (AI is not perfect), then put it into use!
• Step 6 – SAVE AND REUSE: When you have the response you want, in the style and format you prefer, save your prompt for future use. The next time you want to use the prompt, simply swap out any variables that may change (ie: home description).

RISE Prompt Example

Here is an example of the RISE prompt written for the “develop an open house marketing strategy” goal example mentioned above. The bold text represents the copy used for the actual prompt:

R (ROLE) – You are a seasoned marketing strategist with deep experience in U.S. residential real estate, specifically in creating engaging local campaigns for suburban neighborhoods.

I (INPUT) – Your task is to develop a comprehensive open house marketing strategy for a newly listed three-bedroom home in a popular suburban area. The goal is to attract qualified homebuyers, increase local brand awareness for the listing agent, and differentiate this home from competing listings.

S (STEPS) – Provide a step-by-step marketing plan, including:

• Messaging and positioning for the home’s unique selling points
• Online channels to leverage (social media ads, email, local forums)
• Offline promotions (flyers, neighborhood partnerships, events)
• Timeline and Budget guidelines
• Success metrics for evaluating performance

E (EXPECTATIONS) – Use a friendly, expert tone preferably for a modern real estate brand. Keep each tactic actionable for an individual agent or small team. Include disclaimers about local regulations where necessary. Format the final output using numbered or bulleted lists for clarity.

Copy and paste the bold text into ChatGPT, but customize the listing description for one of your current (or previous) listings. This is one example of how the RISE framework used with AI can help you get time back. Save your prompt template, update with a new listing’s information, and let AI draft your open house marketing strategy. Then, when you get a bit more savvy, you can learn how to automate it. This is a glimpse into how your processes will work in the future.

Mr. Sajja told the audience, and I’m paraphrasing based on my notes:

“I spend $200 each month on my AI platform memberships. That $200 each month has allowed me to be 35% more productive and I am able to spend more time on revenue-driving tasks versus repetitive, administrative tasks that I do not enjoy doing.”

Automate the ordinary to help you make the experience for each client extraordinary.

Prioritize Data to Build Connections

Ms. Beverly Jackson, VP of Brand and Product Marketing at Zillow, discussed her team’s current strategic creative direction by playing their video spot named, “The Journey Home.” It shows a single mother and her daughter, working with a diligent real estate agent, going through the home buying journey, and struggling to land the home they really want.

Zillow is an enormous brand with comparable amounts of data and dollars to work with. So, what I found to be noteworthy is it took Zillow and Ms. Jackson’s team one year to create and launch that video. One year, from doing the research to delivering the final video to the market.

Takeaways

What can we learn from this? Well, one year is a ridiculous amount of time to produce video creative of this caliber, but very real. Good execution takes time. You do not have the resources that Zillow has available. But you can learn directly from your audience, those who you work alongside every day. Build your personal brand and your business’ brand on data and client insights. Every interaction is an opportunity to listen, ask questions, and learn.

Leverage your learnings to better understand what your audience believes, their problems, and what motivates them. Then, translate that knowledge into your marketing and messaging.

Yes it takes time and commitment. But every client is an opportunity to grow wiser and serve them better. When you take the time to do the work (unlike the clones out there) to meet the needs of your ideal customer, it will pay off.

Ms. Jackson also offered everyone the Zillow’s 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents. There are some great insights that may be applicable to your business.

Storytelling is a Secret Weapon

Most agents can tell stories really well. But, Ms. Jessica Swesey, Chief Copywriter and Strategist at 1000Watt, presented a useful model that may illustrate other ways to incorporate storytelling into how you position your brand for your business, your personal brand, or how you simply interact with people day to day to build stronger, more meaningful relationships.

Why is the concept of storytelling important to real estate? Because it’s how people are wired to think and behave. Your client’s neural pathways fire 5x more when they listen to you tell them a story about a listing, versus when you read them a list of bulleted features from a listing flyer.

Ms. Swesey described the Storytelling Framework like this:

Make Me Care > Stuff Happens > Was it Worth It?

• Make Me Care – This describes why something is important. It sets some stakes, and it builds out the key characters involved in the story.
• Stuff Happens – Describe the conflict or problem that the characters face, any villains the character must tangle with, as they attempt to solve the problem.
• Was It Worth It? – Describe any character transformation, and the feelings or emotions experienced by the key characters.

This is a legitimate storytelling framework that will take some time to master, but it can be an extremely powerful way to tap into human hearts and minds, and build connections.

Takeaways

Try to keep these top of mind as you work on your storytelling technique:

• Name the conflict – Central problem that is named and solved in story
• Let someone else speak – Use secondary character to tell the story
• Let your audience work – People like to work for their outcome, give the reader (your client) the chance to fill in the gaps and perceive the story their own way
• Don’t be perfect – Describe imperfections and flaws, offer character vulnerabilities to engage/relate to readers (your clients) to build connection
• The reader (your client) wants to talk about something you both share.

Key Action Item

Review, and if necessary, rewrite your business and personal bio descriptions on your website, social media platforms, etc. using the framework outlined above. Focus on highlighting your strengths, values and personal character attributes to tell your story.

NAR Clean Up in Aisle 8

This was an important interview during the event. Ms. Nykia Wright, CEO of the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), referred to herself as a “Transitional CEO” and since taking that role, she has been in her words, “cleaning up the mess in aisle eight mode”. She was direct, focused, and did not mince words. I really enjoyed her.

Her job is to lead NAR through this period of change. And, she’s not holding back punches. She was open and point blank about the current state of NAR, and she is aware of the enormous mess she and her team are responsible for cleaning up.

One thing she said that really hit me was, “Change moves at the speed of trust.“

If people do not trust you, they are far less likely to help you (your business) make changes. She is searching out what she referred to as ‘anti-trust”, and she is looking to “de-risk everything”.

She also said she cannot do that from her office. Which is why she’s constantly on the road, meeting with people to discuss the process her team is going through to clean up the messes and re-build NAR into a trusted advocacy organization working on behalf of real estate professionals.

There is a lot of work to do, but NAR may have found the leader to get it done. Time will tell, but from what I heard, there’s no doubt in my mind that she will do all in her power to fix it.

She closed by saying, “We have work to do, and we will continue to chip away at it.” Then she left the event and went to the airport to catch a plane to her next presentation.

Takeaways

Her advice to leaders: Be truthful and transparent, and toe the line to do what’s right if necessary.

Bringing It All Together

It’s impossible to capture the entire depth of the 1000Watt Brand and Marketing Summit in a single post. I really tried to give you the important nuggets and some tangible takeaways that you can put into action today.

I believe the overarching message rings loud and clear. Find the signal through the noise. In fact, I would ask yourself if you can be a signal for your clients through the noise?

Here are some key points to help you be the signal your clients need:

Differentiate or Disappear
In an AI-saturated environment, blending in is the fastest route to irrelevance. In fact, Ms. Wright with NAR said during her session, “Extinction and irrelevance are the same destination.” She was referring to NAR getting through their challenges, but the statement is applicable for any business owner and/or leader. Stand for something, share it often, and let your personality shine. And, don’t forget to consider what Homes for Heroes has to offer and how we provide a valuable way to differentiate in your local market.

Connect on a Human Level
Empathy, storytelling, and truly understanding your client’s anxieties and aspirations will always trump a generic “buy now” pitch. Use the storytelling framework to help your messaging resonate with people on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Leverage AI to Optimize Your Time
Use AI to automate daily tasks that slow you down and take up valuable time that could be used toward building relationships with people, or guiding and advising your clients.

Position Yourself as the Trusted Advisor
Promise and deliver. Keep learning. Put your clients’ needs first, and your reputation will follow.

The real estate market is saturated, but there’s room for anyone willing to listen to signals in the market to respond with authenticity, empathy, and expertise. And, ultimately become a signal people want to follow.

The next 1000Watt summit, now re-branded as “Signal, produced by 1000WATT”, will be held June 2-4, 2026 in Denver, CO. This article only provides a portion of the vast amount of valuable information that was presented during the 2025 event, so consider marking your calendar and attending next year to get it all.

Author: Luke Feldbrugge, Homes for Heroes Senior Content Marketing Specialist