Imagine working from home and utilising your professional skills to build a business that has served clients for over a decade. That’s been my reality.
Covid came and went, but my business model stood strong. If you’re a property professional, there’s a lot to learn from running a business without always needing to meet face-to-face. That’s the power of the internet.
30 years of the commercial internet
The internet has been evolving since the start of my career. It began gaining commercial traction during the dot-com boom in the late 1990s. I was already working in marketing when I got my first opportunity to help businesses navigate this new frontier. Back in 1998, we were discussing websites, intranets, and extranets, which was long before “digital” became the buzzword it is today.
Building my service business from the ground up
I’ve used content marketing and social media advertising to grow my marketing agency. My business model is similar to a buyer’s agency or property management firm. We don’t get the benefit of piggybacking off property campaigns the way sales agents do. My clients don’t pay me to promote the fact that they’ve launched a new website or rebranded (unless we do a PR campaign, of course).
The power of content marketing and digital advertising
Content formats have evolved, but the core idea remains the same: blogs (articles), vlogs (videos), and pods (podcasts). When I worked for a global accounting and consulting firm, we were early adopters of live streaming. I recall live reporting on the federal budget around the year 2000, essentially the equivalent of LinkedIn Live or Facebook Live of its time.
Early video streaming – the year 2000
That first video stream was nerve-wracking. The video buffered constantly, and I sat at my desk with teeth gritted and fingers crossed. The idea was to offer real-time commentary from technically savvy auditors and tax accountants, helping clients interpret federal budget updates.
Video today – the year 2025
Fast forward to today, and my kids create and share their own videos with ease. We live in a mobile-first world where the smartphone is a Swiss Army knife of digital communication. So, how do you leverage today’s tools, including AI and new media platforms, to grow your business?
Running a real estate marketing agency remotely – the year 2016
In the early years of Hoole, Zoom meetings felt foreign to clients. I’d spend the first 15 minutes of every webinar helping people install the software. Looking professional and tech-savvy was part of the job.
When the world turned upside down – the year 2020
Then Covid hit. Suddenly, the idea of running your business from home became the norm. Video calls, QR codes and remote working tools became second nature. The technology learning curve was fast-tracked, and real estate professionals had to keep up.
Back to the present day
Now it’s 2025. Some of you are still in expensive offices with large teams. Others have adopted remote support, utilising virtual assistants (VAs) and external specialists to accomplish their goals. The landscape has shifted.
Digitalising your business and your sales team
So, how do you grow your business digitally? With blogs, vlogs, and pods! Blogs help build your authority and expand your website beyond just listing properties. With voice dictation and AI, writing blogs has become much easier.
Breaking the mould and standing out
If you want to stand out, you need a voice. Society loves stories. A blog makes you a published author. A vlog makes you a TV presenter. A podcast makes you a radio host. These formats let you share advice, offer insights, and educate your prospects.
Your brand is your advice, with your personality
The magic lies in your advice and personality, distributed through email, social media, Google ads and AI search engines. Whether your audience is local homeowners or interstate property investors, digital channels let you reach them at scale.
The yin and yang of online marketing
Content creation paired with online advertising, wrapped in your brand’s style and voice, is the most effective way to build trust at scale. Blogs are like books in the Google library. When someone searches, your content shows up, especially if you’ve shared real stories about clients and transactions.
Your back catalogue is evergreen
Your past content serves as the foundation of your digital presence. Vlogs offer polished, digestible advice. They show that you know what works, what doesn’t, and what mistakes to avoid. They help your audience make smarter decisions.
Over the past nine years, I’ve created more than 400 pieces of content across blogs, vlogs, webinars, keynotes and digital strategies. I’ve made it my mission to educate the real estate industry on how to use digital channels to attract clients and generate leads.
Give value before asking for business
The best client relationships start with value. Don’t wait until you’ve been hired, start helping now. When you do that, people choose you not because you’re the cheapest, but because they believe you’ll maximise their return.
Use your voice to demonstrate your value
Podcasts and videos allow people to hear your voice and gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts. You can share tips, strategies and experiences in a way that builds connection and trust.
Who makes up your brand?
Bring your team into the spotlight. Think of your business like a band. You might be the lead singer, but every team member plays a role. Together, you create a standout experience for your clients.
At Hoole, we’re now in our tenth year. I’ve spent 25 years in digital marketing, with 20 of those focused on the real estate industry.
Meet the leadership team:
Showcase your real estate knowledge ahead of being engaged
Real estate is a service, not a product. Your prospects can’t test-drive what it’s like to have you support them, so the best solution to giving them insights on how you can help is to share tidbits of information over time. Through your digital presence, your content, and your videos they can get to know, like and trust you.
Letting an unqualified VA run your marketing is like asking your receptionist to do your tax return. You need experts across strategy, creative and digital channels to get real results. AI today still only serves as a tool in the creator’s toolbox. Unless you have editorial skills, marketing skills and creative skills, you will not be able to get the best out of these large language models. They still have a long way to evolve to replace the masters of their trade; they are still at the apprentice stage.
Make it easy for people to reach you
Let people connect with you quickly. On my website, you can request a free one-hour marketing review and strategy call. Or test me by calling my mobile number (listed in the footer of my email) and see if I answer. As a business owner, I strive to always answer the phone.
Don’t blend in. Stand out.
If you only rely on standard property campaigns, you won’t stand out. Everyone uses the same tech, the same listing sites, and the same templates. It’s your message, your personality, your knowledge, experience and how you explain your value that makes the difference.
You’re not selling the property (because that belongs to the client). You’re selling yourself. Your process. Your unique value. Your strategy. Your insights.
So tell that story. Through blogs, vlogs, and pods.