In today’s episode of Digible Dudes Podcast, David and Reid are joined by special guest Michelle Smith, who is the director of digital strategies at Lincoln Property Company. She joined Lincoln Property Company about four months ago after working with Greystar Real Estate. Michelle has been working in the real estate/property industry for over ten years. In this episode, we discuss what it’s like to be a property marketer in an ever-changing industry and how Michelle got into the industry.
In the first section of the episode, we talk about how we met Michelle and how she got into the property industry 11 years ago when she was in college. She was studying for a graphic design degree while working in Bath and Bodyworks when her brother, who was a student property manager, suggested that she give an apartment leasing a shot. So, she got started here. In her final year, she was lucky enough to be recruited by a real estate company for marketing. She went on to be recruited by Greystar and then Lincoln Property Company.
In the next section, We chat about what it’s like to be a property marketer at the past, present, and future, especially with the heavy development of digital advertising in the field over the last few years. She talks about advertising in the industry 11 years ago, where we did not have CRMs or have a lead management system with tracking phone numbers or emails to populate. There were also no syndication tools or paid advertising plans. We talk about how it’s very rare when you find a property or a client that doesn’t have a syndication tool or a CRM to track their leads as a result of new advertising platforms that emerged in recent years.
We go to talk about how Michelle’s clients are well informed in the field at present compared to a few years ago due to blogs and information you can now find on the web. We talk about how some major companies in the industry have begun to merge and whether this will cause a monopoly or be beneficial overall. Further, we discuss the transformation of the industry with geo-fencing and fair housing coming into play.
We finished off by discussing and sharing our thoughts on hot takes in the industry. The costs, benefits, and influence of Social media, paid and organic search, and marketing packages having to Google my business and SEOs and how it affects her clients and what they choose. We also discussed any other guests we should have on the show!
[7.17] Michelle’s story – how she got into the industry while in college studying for a graphic design degree.
[9.15] Gaps in Knowledge – Whether there are gaps in knowledge in the industry and addressing them.
[16.13] Evolution of The Industry – The past, present, and future of the industry with the development of digital marketing.
[ 20.47] The Modern marketer – The role of a marketer in the industry and how it’s changed over the years.
[30.08] Mergers, Acquisitions & Monopolies – The merging of marketing companies in the property industry and a discussion on the creation of monopolies.
[44.37] Opportunities – New opportunities in Michelle’s new job and mistakes she’s made in her career.
[1.03.47] Working with Vendors – Michelle’s Pet Peeves as a marketing manager and working with different vendors.
[1.06.35] New Concepts – What you should keep in mind about new data concepts such as geo-fencing and fair housing.
[1.24.08] Digital Marketing Influences- Social media influence, paid and organic search, and marketing packages with SEO and GMB.
[1.36.01] Budgeting – Budget constraints when advertising properties.
[1.43.00] Final Thoughts – Michelle’s role models in the industry and any new guests on the show?
