KW ELITE & OREC MARKETING REQUIREMENTS
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Why & Where Do I Need to Be Compliant? • Required Brokerage Info & Text Size • Ready-to-Use Compliance Images
Print Media Sizing & Yard Sign 30% Red Rule • Online Logo Sizing & Styles • Marketing vs. Paid-To Names
Domain Names & Email Addresses • Websites • Personal Facebook Profiles • Facebook Business Pages • Other Social Media
Video Marketing • Lead & Info Capture Forms • Contests & Give-Aways • Acknowledgement of Marketing Policies
Why & Where Do I Need to Be Compliant? • Required Brokerage Info & Text Size • Ready-to-Use Compliance Images
Print Media Sizing & Yard Sign 30% Red Rule • Online Logo Sizing & Styles • Marketing vs. Paid-To Names
Domain Names & Email Addresses • Websites • Personal Facebook Profiles • Facebook Business Pages • Other Social Media
Video Marketing • Lead & Info Capture Forms • Contests & Give-Aways • Acknowledgement of Marketing Policies
Why & Where Do I Need to Be Compliant?
The purpose of OREC's marketing compliance guidelines is to protect the public from any illegal, bad-faith, offensive, etc. marketing efforts, AND to make all marketing clearly indicate to OREC AND the public which brokerage the agent is licensed with in case of a complaint. KW Elite's own guidelines may be more strict than OREC's in order maintain Keller Williams brand continuity, and to make sure agents are well-within the guidelines set forth by OREC. The purpose of this page is to educate Keller Williams Realty Elite associates on making all of their marketing efforts compliant with OREC, KWRI, and KW Elite's guidelines.
RULE OF THUMB
An agent's marketing (print, online, social media, etc.) should ALWAYS...
1. Make it EXTREMELY clear that they are an agent licensed with Keller Williams Realty Elite, and...
2. WHERE KW Elite can be contacted in case there is an issue/complaint with the agent's marketing.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
- Agents must acknowledge the guidelines set forth on this page, AND register ALL of their online & social media marketing outlets with KW Elite using the Acknowledgement Form linked on this page.
- Agents must notify KW Elite of new online or social media outlets for marketing compliance review with the Marketing Approval Request Form.
- It is each agent’s own responsibility to be compliant with the guidelines on this page. The KW Elite Leadship Team does not review marketing materials UNLESS the agent specifically requests a review using KW Elite's Marketing Approval Request Form.
- This page satisfies OREC's required duty of the brokerage to notify & train agents on marketing requirements.
- The KW Elite Leadership Team reserves the right to disable any agent's non-compliant KWRI-provided technologies (eEdge websites, KW websites, eAgentC websites, KW Whitepages profiles, etc.) Your myKW account may be accessed (and your password changed in order to access your account) by the KW Elite Leadership Team in order to disable any KW technologies not compliant with OREC or KW Elite policies.
- An agent's failure to make any marketing effort compliant (printed, online, social, or otherwise) will result in release of his/her license from KW Elite.
- Agents may be required to pay ANY & ALL fines incurred by themselves, the brokerage, AND the broker due to failure to comply with these requirements.
WHERE IS MARKETING COMPLIANCE REQUIRED?
Anywhere YOUR NAME is marketing real estate, KW ELITE'S NAME & INFO needs to be there with you.
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EXAMPLES
PRINT MARKETING
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TANGIBLE MARKETING ITEMS
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ONLINE MARKETING
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SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Only if used for marketing your real estate business...
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Required Brokerage Info, Text Size & Coloring
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REQUIRED BROKERAGE INFO
Whenever possible, always try to include the following four components of required brokerage info in proximity to your info in any marketing...
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MINIMUM REQUIRED INFO
If you're constrained by space, you must include at least the following two components of required brokerage info in proximity to your info...
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LOGO & TEXT SIZING
BROKERAGE & AGENT INFO PLACEMENT
- The KW Elite logo should be about 1/10th the height of tall media or 1/4th to 1/3rd the width of wide media. (See Print Media section.)
NOTE: For sizing purposes, the KW Elite logo includes both the capital KW ELITE and Keller Williams Realty line below it. - The office address and office phone number should be at minimum the same height (or larger) as the Keller Williams Realty line in the logo.
- The franchise disclaimer should be no less than half the height of the Keller Williams Realty line, and still large enough to be readable.
- All required brokerage info should be large enough to be read from a reasonable distance, or be similar in size to other surrounding text.
BROKERAGE & AGENT INFO PLACEMENT
- All four components of required brokerage info should appear in reasonable proximity to each other (See Ready-to-Use Compliance Images).
- Required brokerage info should be in reasonable proximity to agent’s information (directly below or same side, if possible)
COLORS FOR READABILITY
- Color of required brokerage info text & KW Elite logo should significantly contrast with the background so that all text remains visible/readable (e.g., do not use a red KW Elite logo on a red background, or gray text on a dark background).
- Required brokerage info text should be as dark or as light (or moreso) as the Keller Williams Realty line in the KW Elite logo.
- For official KW colors, refer to the KW Elite Modern Logos page.
Ready-to-Use Compliance Images
You can use these images below to satisfy most marketing compliance guidelines. Drag any image below to your computer's Desktop to download. All text should remain readable at a reasonable distance, and any images below that include the KW Elite logo should fulfill the logo sizing requirements explained the Print Media section or Online Logo Sizing section (depending on which media they'll be used).
NORTHWEST OKC OFFICE
NORTHWEST OKC OFFICE
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YUKON OFFICE
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LAWTON OFFICE
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WOODWARD OFFICE
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Print Media Sizing & Yard Sign 30% Red Rule
PRINT MEDIA SIZING
YARD SIGN 30% RED RULE
- For tall media, the modern KW Elite logo should be about 1/10th the height of the design (large enough to be stacked about 10 times vertically across the design).
- For wide media, the modern KW Elite logo should be about 1/4th to 1/3rd the width of the design (large enough to be placed about 3 to 4 times horizontally across the width of the design).
- All required brokerage info should be readable at a reasonable distance, and fulfill the sizing proportions in the Required Info & Text Size section.
YARD SIGN 30% RED RULE
- KWRI requires all yard signs to include a minimum of 30% coverage of KW Red (Pantone 200) color.
TECH TIP: How to Check Logo Size & KW Red Coverage
You can place a 10x10 grid over the entire area of your design, then count the number of grid areas to check for logo width/height and KW Red coverage. The KW Elite logo should be as tall as one grid area for tall media (yard signs, flyers, etc.), or as wide as 3 to 4 grid areas for wide media (business cards, billboards, etc.). You could also stack the KW Elite logo 10 times vertically or about 3 to 4 times horizontally across the design to check for logo sizing.
ODDLY-SHAPED MEDIA
Due to the wide variety of print media & tangible item shapes, these guidelines may need to be reasonably adjusted for marketing pieces that are exceptionally tall, wide, or oddly-shaped such as tall or wide banners, pens, car wraps, etc. Requests for a staff review of ANY design can be made at marketingapproval.kweliteokc.com.
You can place a 10x10 grid over the entire area of your design, then count the number of grid areas to check for logo width/height and KW Red coverage. The KW Elite logo should be as tall as one grid area for tall media (yard signs, flyers, etc.), or as wide as 3 to 4 grid areas for wide media (business cards, billboards, etc.). You could also stack the KW Elite logo 10 times vertically or about 3 to 4 times horizontally across the design to check for logo sizing.
ODDLY-SHAPED MEDIA
Due to the wide variety of print media & tangible item shapes, these guidelines may need to be reasonably adjusted for marketing pieces that are exceptionally tall, wide, or oddly-shaped such as tall or wide banners, pens, car wraps, etc. Requests for a staff review of ANY design can be made at marketingapproval.kweliteokc.com.
Online Logo Sizing & Styles
- The minimum width for the KW Elite Modern and Classic Linear logos for use online (websites, social media, etc.) is 200 pixels wide.
- The minimum width for the KW Elite Classic Stacked logo for use online is 100 pixels wide.
- Acceptable KW Elite logo styles are are Modern, Classic Linear, and Classic Stacked.
- Acceptable color variations can be found HERE (Modern) and HERE (Classic).
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KW ELITE MODERN LOGO
at 200 pixel width |
KW ELITE CLASSIC LINEAR
at 200 pixel width |
KW ELITE CLASSIC STACKED
at 100 pixel width |
Marketing vs. Paid-To Names
OREC'S MARKETING NAME VS. PAID-TO NAME POLICY
§605:10-7-8.4. Managing broker, broker proprietor or branch broker’s corporation or association formed for the purpose of receiving compensation
(1) The corporation [an agent's LLC or paid-to name] or association shall not perform any act requiring a real estate license and shall not hold itself out [market itself] as engaged in such activity.
IN OTHER WORDS...
You may not advertise or perform any real estate activites under the same name you receive commission payments to.
You MUST register with OREC any & all names you'll market your real estate business as AND any names commissions will be paid to.
Violations of the above policies will result in a monetary fine to the agent, their broker, AND the brokerage.
EXAMPLES OF BEST PRACTICES VS. VIOLATIONS
NOTE: OREC's policy is very open to interpretation, so the examples below are KW Elite's interpretation based on a reading of OREC's policy with clarification from OREC's Executive Director and Investigator.
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MARKETING NAME
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PAID-TO NAME
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BEST PRACTICE: Make sure your Marketing Name is completely different than your Paid-To Name so that there is no possible confusion between the name of your public, real estate practice and the entity that receives commission payments.
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Susan Smith, REALTOR® ...............................
Smith Team Realty ........................................... SearchOKC.homes ......................................... The Smith Homes Group ................................. The Susan M. Smith Real Estate Team ........... |
Happy Homes, LLC
SmithCo, LLC Susan Smith, LLC Susan Smith Commissions S.M.S., Inc. |
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POSSIBLE VIOLATIONS: Tend to occur when both marketing-as and getting paid-to in your personal name with only differences in one or two words distinguishing between the two. Avoid these by using different, distinct words among the two names.
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Susan Smith Real Estate .................................
Susan Smith, REALTOR® ............................... The Smith Group Real Estate ......................... |
Susan Smith Commissions
Susan M. Smith, LLC The Smith Group, LLC |
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STRICT VIOLATIONS: Occur when both names are exactly the same, or when only LLC is used to distinguish the names, or when a "brand name" (a name that is not clearly a personal name) is used in both names.
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Susan Smith Real Estate ................................
Smith Team Real Estate ................................. SearchOKC.homes ......................................... SearchOKC.homes ......................................... The HomeCo Team .......................................... The S.M.S. Real Estate Team ........................... |
Susan Smith Real Estate
Smith Team Real Estate, LLC SearchOKC.homes SearchOKC.homes Commissions HomeCo, Inc. S.M.S. Commissions |
MARKETING & PAID-TO NAME REGISTRATION PROCESS
- Submit any potential Marketing and Paid-To names to KW Elite for guidance & review FIRST!
Email the KW Elite Leadership Team to request a review of any possible Marketing and/or Paid-To names. The staff will review your names for any potential OREC violations. Please make it clear which names you're submitting are Marketing Names vs. Paid-To Names. - Register your public, real estate business Marketing Name with OREC.
After review & approval by the KW Elite staff, register any & all names you will publicly market your real estate business as with OREC using this form, and include the $100 fee. You should never receive commission payments in this name! - OPTIONAL: Create a private, corporation/LLC "Paid-To Name" with the Oklahoma Secretary of State.
If you choose your commissions to be paid to a corporation/LLC/business entity via a federal tax EIN (rather than your legal name via your SSN), you must register that entity name with the Oklahoma Secretary of State for a one-time $100 fee, then a $25 yearly renewal fee. You may NEVER market your real estate business as or publicize this name as a real estate-related entity! - Inform OREC of your registered Paid-To Name.
After registering your commission payment entity with the Oklahoma Secretary-of-State, notify OREC using this form (there is no fee for this). - Inform KW Elite of all registered Marketing and/or Paid-To Names.
Email the KW Elite Leadership Team with any & all Marketing Names and/or Paid-To names that you've registered with OREC along with your federal EIN.
A NOTE ABOUT DOMAIN NAMES
Domain names used only for the purpose of pointing to a website do not need to be registered as a Marketing Name. However, if you choose to include your domain name specifically in your public, real estate business name (such as The SearchOKC.homes Team), then you MUST register it with OREC as a Marketing Name.
Domain Names & Email Addresses
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DOMAIN NAMES
KW TRADEMARK Due to trademark rights, agents may NOT purchase & use domain names with kw or kellerwilliams included in them. The only domains agents may use that include kw in them are your eEdge or KW-provided websites: yourname.kw.com or yourname.kwrealty.com. The official policy can be found here: mykw.kw.com/kwintranet/getWebsite.action |
ALLOWED KW DOMAINS johnsmith.kw.com johnsmith.kwrealty.com CUSTOM DOMAINS WITHOUT "KW" or "KELLERWILLIAMS" ARE ALLOWED johnsmith.com johnsmithokc.com reddirthomes.com wkrealestate.com |
NOT ALLOWED KW DOMAINS kellerwilliamshomes.com keller-williamshomes.com weskennedykw.com weskennedy-kw.com kw-realestate.com kwproperties.com kwservices.com |
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REALTOR® TRADEMARK
NAR only allows the use of realtor in an agent's domain name if it's preceded by your full name. It cannot be be paired with a phrase. |
ALLOWED REALTOR® DOMAINS
johnsmithrealtor.com johnsmith.realtor |
NOT ALLOWED REALTOR® DOMAINS
bestokcrealtor.com number1okc.realtor |
MORE INFO
- For possible exemptions or clarifications to KWRI's domain name policy, contact legal@kw.com.
- .realtor Domain names are purchasable here: www.get.realtor.
- The REALTOR® trademark online usage policy is explained here: www.nar.realtor/letterlw.nsf/pages/internetuse
- This article from Zillow, Be Careful with Your Domain Name, explains more.
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EMAIL ADDRESSES
KW TRADEMARK Due to trademark rights, agents may not create & use email addresses with kw or kellerwilliams included in them. The only email addresses agents may use that include kw in them are your KW or eEdge email addresses: yourname@kw.com or yourname@kwrealty.com. |
ALLOWED KW ADDRESSES johnsmith@kw.com johnsmith@kwrealty.com ADDRESSES WITHOUT "KW" or "KELLERWILLIAMS" ARE ALLOWED john@reddirthomes.com weskennedy@wkrealestate.com |
NOT ALLOWED KW ADDRESSES johnsmith-kw@gmail.com johnkellerwilliams@yahoo.com john@keller-williamsokc.com john@kwhomesokc.com |
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REALTOR® TRADEMARK
NAR only allows the use of realtor in an agent's email address if it's preceded by your full name. It cannot be be paired with a phrase. |
ALLOWED REALTOR® ADDRESSES
john@johnsmithrealtor.com john@johnsmith.realtor johnsmithrealtor@gmail.com |
NOT ALLOWED REALTOR® ADDRESSES
john@bestokcrealtor.com john@number1okc.realtor bestokcrealtor@gmail.com |
Websites
The requirements below are for any agent-owned or agent-managed websites directly associated with your real estate business, such as...
HEADER REQUIREMENTS
FOOTER REQUIREMENTS The four required brokerage info components below must be present in the footer of EVERY page of your website...
MORE INFO
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WEBSITE COMPLIANCE EXAMPLE
Click to Zoom
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Personal Facebook Profiles
If you use your personal Facebook page for ANY real estate marketing or promotion of your real estate business (closings, open houses, sharing real estate-related articles, etc.), your profile must meet the following two requirements...
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
RECOMMENDATIONS
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PERSONAL FACEBOOK PROFILE EXAMPLE
Click to Zoom
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Facebook Business Pages
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
RECOMMENDATIONS
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FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE EXAMPLE
Click to Zoom
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Other Social Media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.)
Due to the the wide number of differences in social media profiles, the following requirements should be included to the fullest extent possible that the profile allows (e.g., inserting the office address and office phone number in a profile's About or Description field if the profile doesn't provide an Address or Work Phone Number field).
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
RECOMMENDATIONS
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
- The KW Elite logo in your Cover Photo at a minimum of 200 pixels wide.
- The office address in your profile's Address, About, or Description field.
- The phrase Affiliated with Keller Williams Realty Elite, (405) 948-7500 in your About or Description field.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Use your own phone number in any personal or cell phone number fields.
- Include the office phone number in any Office or Work Number fields, if possible.
- You should NOT include any references to Keller Williams or KW Elite in your profile name, business name, page title, and/or custom page URL. These can be difficult or impossible to change on some platforms, and all required compliance is taken care of in other areas of your profile info anyway.
Video Marketing
COMING SOON
Lead & Info Capture Forms
COMING SOON
Contests & Give-Aways, etc.
For detailed guidelines on contests & give-aways, agents should refer the OREC License Code & Rules Handbook at OREC's website. However, in short, contests, give-aways, raffles, drawings, etc. are allowed as long as they DO NOT REQUIRE the purchase of a home.
CONTEST APPROVAL
All contests & giveaways valued over $200 should be reviewed for approval by the KW Elite Managing Broker. Requests for a staff review can be made at marketingapproval.kweliteokc.com.
CONTEST APPROVAL
All contests & giveaways valued over $200 should be reviewed for approval by the KW Elite Managing Broker. Requests for a staff review can be made at marketingapproval.kweliteokc.com.
Summary & Acknowledgement of Marketing Policies
- It is impossible to account for every potential marketing piece or social media outlet. The policies above are imperfect, and serve as CAUTIOUS GUIDELINES.
- Agents should NEVER stray from these guidelines on their own. Any time a Keller Williams Realty Elite agent feels an exception should be made to the guidelines above, they MUST present it to a member of the KW Elite leadership for approval. Thoughtful consideration will be given to all requests.
- In short, the intent of the guidelines presented here is that all of an agent’s marketing should make it clear that they are an agent with Keller Williams Realty Elite, and WHERE KW Elite can be contacted/found in case there is an issue with the agent's marketing.
