Digital Marketing interview
Halfway through March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic effectively halted the real estate industry in the Lower Mainland, leaving many to believe that the real estate selling process would be substantially impacted in the near-term. Despite the initial shock of the first lockdown, our industry professionals proved to be incredibly resilient. Many actively selling projects reopened with newly established cleaning protocols and a switch to appointment-only showings. The buyers needed to take the extra step of making appointments online, rather than just showing up on a whim, leading to more highly qualified prospects walking into the presentation centre. However, for those buyers that seemed to be a little more reserved, much of the sales and marketing had to shift online. Virtual realtor events, Zoom webinars, Facebook and Instagram Live, became the go-to-digital channels for the industry to connect with homebuyers. Many of the prospects that participated in the virtual events tended to be more qualified leads as well. The homebuyer was spending more time being thoughtful about the product they wanted to look at and buy.
Overall, the real estate industry has been plodding to adopt new technologies, see disrupters, or substantially change the way its sales and marketing operate over the last decade. The status quo was good enough to get by as the local market was organically strong. Covid-19 has put technology at the forefront of our industry. We’re likely to see sustained changes to consumer behaviour and how we can support them through various services such as sales and marketing, appraisals, legal, and mortgage lending. All service providers will need to continue adapting to new ways of operating. MLA Canada has invested in online tools like a new CRM, virtual sales platforms, apps and a more robust online presence. We’ve adjusted, and we’re not going back. More consumer buying trends will happen online, and more big data will become available to the industry than ever before. Deeper and on-demand insights will help make more intelligent decisions on the consumer journey like product preferences, trending locations, and more precision targeting to reduce wastage on ad spend, etc.
Brad Laviolette is Corporate Marketing Manager at MLA Canada and Digital Branding Instructor at BCIT. Brad leads and inspires his teams and students to create marketing that matters. He has over 15 years of marketing and digital marketing experience that spans multiple industries, including real estate, automotive, and fashion. Brad focuses heavily on brand experience and strives to create successful communication strategies that convert into leads and sales. His areas of expertise include strategy, branding, communications, and digital marketing.
Data. Technology. Creativity.
Connecting Dots In A Digital Labyrinth.