Thompson Premier Homes Group | A Case Study

Breakthrough real estate firm bakes a brand from scratch and now we all get cake.

Anyone who meets Eboneese Thompson knows that she has the magic. I’ve been at the entrepreneur game for a long time and I have rarely come across someone of her spunk and stick-to-it-iveness. She is on a mission to put herself—and her team—on the cover of Forbes Magazine.

I can see it now.

Eboneese will not rest until she changes the way that Black people see the power of their own agency in shaping the future for their communities and families.

She wants everyone to know that the “rules of Wall Street” and the power of real estate investing are accessible to ev👏ery👏one👏. She sees the path to property as the autobahn to ending poverty, systemic dependency, and one-gen thinking. She wants to see Black money breaking ground on new developments, communities safe and sovereign, empowered by ownership stake and financial stability. 

Those are some powerful ideas. Ideas that, if even just a few action-oriented people took to heart, would start to turn the tide on real-life disparities that have plagued marginalized populations since the dawn of time.

People need to hear it.

Ebonesse means business…. and business means brand.

Her instincts do not steer her wrong — they led her to real estate. They led her to Keller Williams Capital Properties. They led her to kickstart Thompson Premier Homes Group.

Forged in a vision of strong Black women leading the industry in service and value, she would lead by example: this is how you take care of customers, this is how you nurture relationships, this is how you build intergenerational wealth, this is how you provide for your people.

She brought on an energetic young partner. Alexes Haggins is a driven professional with something to prove and a heart of gold. Together, they set out on building a new kind of real estate agency, one that breaks open the vault on old money moves and investment strategies so we all get well.

Now, to market, to market to market we go.

Now, they needed all of the things that a successful enterprise needs: branded assets and the words to and the words to 'speak' about their spirit online and in person. They needed the tangible materials that grease the wheels of business. And they knew instinctively that this wasn't just a job needing pretty graphics, a brand was needed, a brand built on rock solid values and an engaging vitality. These things do not happen in a vacuum; they are thoughtfully developed with strict attention and intention. This is Brand.

So it follows, this is where we come in.

Enter Rebecca. 

 <flexes fingers>

Ahhh, a real shot to prove my brand development chops. TPHG gave me carte blanche, an open canvas to paint a clear picture of their purpose and passion. Every leader needs followers and it was my job to give their fanbase something to connect with.

We started with a rough logo and a clunky tagline. From there, the world was our oyster. Together  — along with newly-onboarded and instantly-perfect Operations Specialist and Online Business Manager Dana Brunson, keepin’ those trains running on time — we built a suite of assets that would carry TPHG through their first year of fully-realized operations.

In partnership, we:

•  Did a deep dive into building a brand from scratch. We leaned into the Power of Positioning  and purpose while at the same time, began to document and catalog this business building in a shared, living document that would eventually become our Brand Foundations Book, an ever-growing resources that spells out, letter-by-letter, the how/where/why of marketing. (In fact, we call it “The ABC’s of TPHG.”) Folks who seek to go down the rabbit hole and learn exactly how we did what we did to build/bake the Thompson Premier Homes Group can email me to see the Brand Foundations book in its entirety.
  
  
•  Communicated these ideas to create pros and service providers to begin the multi-faceted work of generating and cataloging the branded assets that any modern business needs to conduct itself... and still command an elevated price point. For TPHG, marketing development dollars went to an incredibly talented graphic designer and a commercially-appealing and completely compelling professional video. Eyecandy that effectively communicates your brand is clutch; you’ve gotta give your people something to vibe with.
  
  
•  Planted a flag in digital platforms, customizing our suite of social media, taglines, URLS, and hashtags with as much “tphgsellsdc”, “equityiseverything”, and “thepathtoproperty” as we could spread across the internet. We contextualized these constructs with deep content.
  
  
•  Buttressed internal efforts to bolster communications efforts. From the “Hey, Agent, welcome to the team” feel-good stuff to the real-talk needed to respond to negative reviews and general disgruntlement, we developed a Brand Voice for TPHG that is smart, accessible, friendly, and supportive. Think Angela Bassett as Tina Turner: intelligent, ambitious, magnetic, self-made, empowered. We applied her everywhere and to everything.
  
  
•  Trained the trainers by hosting virtual training sessions, one-on-one professional development, and how-to resources for all things marketing. Entrepreneurial cheerleading and business advice was applied liberally, investing in the institutional knowledge of the team and “avoiding the void” that inevitably comes when the consultant is no longer there in the day-to-day.
  
  
•  Developed…..So. Much. Branded Content. TPHG has chosen to differentiate themselves on service, value, and platform. They are using real estate as a vehicle to wealth building and financial sovereignty. These are tough stories that need tellin’. It takes a clever quill to nestle TPHG values and message in the Social Revolutions and Health + Economic Pandemics of 2020. Finely tuned “bullshit detectors,” situational awareness, and the power of Google, today’s home buyers/sellers are more educated, more savvy, more woke than ever before. They have no patience for fluffy picket fences and stock photos of 2.5 middle class kids + rescue dog rounding the bend on Christmas morning, they need are owed The Truth. Real estate investing is a sure fire way to end renter’s poverty and take control of your destiny with ownership stake in your communities. In other words, stop waiting for legislation to change and start controlling the conversation. Blog posts, website content, social media posts, lead magnet, email campaigns, anything that tells the story of empowerment through Real Estate Investment.
  
  
•  Solved problems that come part and parcel with building a brand. Website, content strategy, sales tools, document development, file management… all of the things! I was there with that boots-on-the-ground support that deftly maneuvers around anything troublesome that crops up along the way and identifying opportunities for partnership and growth. (Ask me about how I solved the problem of having a website without starting one from scratch or leaning in on the very uncustomizable and anemic option from the brokerage umbrella for >$330.)

Now, Thompson Premier Homes Group has every single thing it needs to fly out of the nest of start up and build an empire.

They have the words, the images, and the ideas to make their name soar, to dominate conversations about real estate investing, community building, and wealth creation. They have relatable content that educates and inspires. They have the digital footprint and the wheels of communication on autopilot so they can stop worrying about following-up on leads and start concentrating on building value for their clients. In other words, they have a big, beautiful brand, a lighthouse for anyone who wants to be put on a path to property and prosperity.

Show me the Deliverables!

What were the results of this fine work? Well, take a look-see for yourself.

👀 Promo Video by King Productions <cheesy grin>

👀 Thought Leadership on Real Estate Investment, in Blog Form

👀 Look Inside: Ask to see the Brand Foundations, a 66pp Brand Book and Content Strategy for Teams

Laundry List

•  Branded Assets: Website, Social Media, Apparel, PowerPoint, Letterhead, Business Cards
•  Positioning Statement
•  Purpose Statement
•  Core Values
•  Lead Magnet
•  Social Media Management
•  CRM Segmentation and Scripting
•  Brand Book
•  Blog Posts
•  Internal + External Communications (onboarding, outreach, and crisis)
•  Content Marketing Plan
•  Assessment, Coaching, and Seasoned Advice
•  Vendor and Agent Liaison
•  Digital Pics & Video for Social Media

Exit through the gift shop.

Did you clock that delicious graphic design on those branded assets? I can’t recommend the studio of Calvin Crane Nelson enough. He creates 100% of my own branded graphic design, plus that of many clients. He keeps us all on brand and in our lanes. After all, he’s in the business of making your business look good. #nailedit

If you loved that video and want one for your damn self, reach out to King Productions.