Liven’s creative director Alina Kester, who is also a member of the company’s board, talks about real estate marketing in times of crisis and explains why they currently only channel their marketing funds to Estonian media.

I recently read an article by Peep Sooman, a member of the board of Pindi Kinnisvara, in which he says that the figures for real estate transactions and employment in April give little reason for rejoicing. In April, a total of 397 apartment ownership transactions were made in Tallinn. At the same time last year, the number was 797, in March this year it was 699. People feel constricted and they are postponing transactions if possible, because there is a lot of uncertainty. First, the feeling of security disappears, then the acquisition of durable goods and real estate is postponed and the number of transactions decreases. How is Liven as a real estate developer doing? What is your attitude with regard to the market?

Liven is doing very well. Based on our customers’ feedback, we have a rating of 9.04 out of 10. It shows that we are doing something right, but also that there is some room for more improvement. At the moment, we have not cancelled any projects because of the coronavirus pandemic, and everyone will receive their homes on time.

In terms of sales, the market is not the most active at the moment, but if the country is in quarantine and people are asked to stay at home, it is only logical that no transactions take place. Real estate is not an essential commodity and it doesn’t matter if there are no sales for a few months. It is natural that such decisions will be postponed until the situation is resolved. Rather, it would be strange if there wasn’t any decrease in sales.

Liven considers itself successful even during the emergency situation – how have you accomplished this feat?

A 2018 Mckinsey pointed out that companies which implement design at the management level tend to be successful. The entire product and service design process must be well thought out, and marketing activities can only emerge from there – this is the way to achieve lasting success.

Of course, with a good agency, it is also possible to conduct strong one-off advertising campaigns. However, in order for the cooperation to run smoothly, the marketing agency should have significantly more knowledge about the company’s area of operation than can be communicated in just one or two briefings. This precludes the situation where there is a bright concept behind the beautiful marketing campaign, but the company’s own employees do not believe in it. A good marketing campaign represents the company, not the marketing agency.

Apart from communication, I believe that our success so far has also come from a constant desire for improvement. We do not compare ourselves to competitors, but to ourselves. We try to be better every day.

What works in real estate marketing?

The core of marketing is universal in every field, and in answering this question, a good point of reference is Simon Sinek’s golden circle, which consists of three parts (What? How? Why?). The easiest way to approach this is to talk about what you are doing. For example, Liven creates stylish homes with well-thought-out layouts.

Next, it becomes more interesting to answer the question of how you do it. Liven creates with soul – in addition to architects, interior architects and other specialists, we also involve homeowners in the process in order to create the most suitable homes for them. It is one of the biggest purchases of a person’s life, and unfortunately there are many homes in the real estate market that cannot be customized to one’s liking. When buying a car, the list of accessories is many times longer, shouldn’t it be even more detailed when it comes to buying a home? Of course it does.

Finally, the third and most important question is why do it at all. From my perspective, in some ways this is the most important question, yet it receives too little attention in marketing these days. When it comes to Liven, we have an answer – it is the belief that a home must have a soul. So that it would be good place where to live and prosper. A good example – there should a space, where children can paint and craft. It does not require a lot of space or luxury – on the contrary, luxury can sometimes limit creativity. Liven’s answer to ’why?’ is that we want to be able to live soulfully in our homes.

Once you’ve reached the “why?” question and successfully answered it, people will believe in you and vouch for your ideas. So yes, honesty works in marketing and if customers believe the same thing you do, it’s easy to communicate with them.

You direct your marketing funds to Estonian channels – why did you decide to do so?

Yes, we also directed the part of the budget that would otherwise have gone to Facebook and Google ads to Estonian channels. We did it already in April and now also in May. The decision was made on the day we learned that wage reductions had commenced in Estonian media outlets. This is probably the least we can do to support local media and businesses. We also prefer local design firms, when making gifts for home buyers. I know that we are not the only ones making such choices, and I hope that many other companies will opt for the same.

What are Liven’s marketing channels?

My personal favourites are the oldest and most difficult to implement, namely word-of-mouth advertising and well-functioning email marketing campaigns. The fact that we organize housewarming parties once the homes are completed, can probably count as marketing. I think that events like this will increase our recommendation rate, although we organize parties primarily so that people can get acquainted with their neighbours before they move in.

Which reminds me of a story concerning word-of-mouth advertising. A few years ago, we sent 4 people introduction materials of building under development. You know, take a look and tell us what you think. 5 people responded back. So yes, recommendations are one of the greatest assets in this area.

At the last customer event, it turned out that people are following our Instagram account. We share completely unplanned and impromptu daily stories about the office work, team trips (ugh, the last one was a long time ago) and pictures of homes being completed. Such a simple and sincere approach seems to work.

This year, we have used more local digital publications, as well as print advertising than ever before. With the help of MIXDi we will also have cool outdoor media solutions later this month.

How will MIXD help you in marketing? What exactly do you do together?

At the moment, with the help of MIXD, we started promoting our homes in Väike Tallinn, which is located in the city centre, but you can live there as if it was a small town. New projects are also underway, in particular a campaign to raise Liven’s brand awareness. Perhaps I’m getting a ahead of myself, but I am thrilled with the concept of our TV clip, which will reach viewers soon enough.

Can you give some examples of your marketing activities where you stand out from the competition?

I don’t have anything dramatic examples, I’d still like to emphasize the point of being honest – we’ve filmed our clients in their new homes. This is the best marketing, I believe. Today, no other real estate developer has pictures of the finished homes, usually they just showcase demo apartments or empty rooms. Our videos and pictures are the best to way build trust and prove that you can create a great home with us.

MIXD is a member of the Estonian Marketing Association (TULI). MIXD operates at the crossroads of advertising, creativity and technology. It offers the customers significantly more than production and media planning. It helps brands grow their businesses sustainably through new technology and analytics, taking full advantage of the opportunities that technology offers. It is an interdisciplinary hybrid agency focused primarily on growing a brand’s return of interest.
TULI unites all marketing professionals who are interested in raising their professional level and being one of the most vigorous thinkers in the field.
TULI currently has 77 companies.

Silja Oja, TULI