FIGARODIGITAL.CO.UK
Q & A
James Kydd is Marketing Director at
Purplebricks.com, which describes itself as ‘the world’s fi rst 24/7 estate agent’. He tells us why digital businesses must retain the human touch
JAMES KYDD, MARKETING DIRECTOR AT
PURPLEBRICKS.COM
Q: Purplebricks adopts a disruptive approach to estate agency. What role does digital play in your overall marketing strategy? We’re a hybrid estate agency, offering the full service of a traditional estate agency with the added benefi t of a unique software platform that makes life a lot simpler and the whole process more transparent. Digital is very important to us – ours is the fi rst model that truly embraces digital technology for sellers and landlords. We also use traditional media (TV is core to our marketing strategy) as a means of driving natural search. We’re only four months old, so are still experimenting with which digital channels work best.
Q: Purplebricks operates 24/7 and a lot of traffi c comes to the site outside conventional working hours. Does that pose any specifi c challenges? The site and the software platform have been very robust to date with no major issues. If people do have questions or want help, then we also have a brilliant call centre in Southend that operates 24/7, so there are no real issues from an operational point of view. Getting people used to the idea that they can do things at any time day or night is a challenge but one that we’re rapidly winning. People do think it’s too good to be true.
Q: What specifi c steps have you taken to get users engaged with the site and the service? We’re very active on social media, and not just from Purplebricks’ head offi ce. Each of the ‘Local Property Experts’ (our version of estate agents but without the branded cars or an offi ce on the high street) have their own Twitter accounts and post local content in the form of blogs which appear on Google+. We also use Twitter and Trustpilot as customer service tools, so it’s fair to say that we see social media tools as a vital part of our marketing strategy. Michael Bruce, our CEO, also writes a regular blog for the Huffi ngton Post.
Q: How important is mobile to you, and how do you approach your mobile offering?
We have now introduced a programme of A/B tests on specifi c content on the site, so we’re confi dent that we’re optimising it bit by bit. We did a vast amount of testing before we went live, but what we’ve learnt since being in market has helped us develop the customer offering much more quickly.
About half our traffi c comes from mobile/tablets, so we’re living proof of the dual screening phenomenon. We design our website specifi cally for mobile and the level of engagement shown by mobile users shows that this has been a very worthwhile investment. Mobile will only increase in importance for us.
THE BEAUTY OF AN ONLINE BUSINESS IS NOT THAT IT’S ONLINE, BUT THAT IT ENHANCES THE
Q: Do you have any advice for others seeking to take traditional high street businesses or services online? The really clever thing about Purplebricks is the recognition that people want the reassurance of human beings when it comes to selling or letting what is - for most people - their biggest asset.
This has made the online
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE”
Q: What’s the biggest digital challenge the company has faced so far? The biggest has probably been working out whether our conversion rate is good or not. We based our forecasts on intelligence from PHD, our media agency, but the reality is that no one has ever done anything like Purplebricks before, so it was very diffi cult to forecast.
42 issue 22 october 2014
platform less scary for people. Online agencies that have eradicated human beings have so far met with much less success. The beauty of an online business is not that it’s online, it’s that it enhances the customer experience. If it doesn’t, then
don’t bother. And every business needs marketing. The fact that Facebook reached critical mass without any overt marketing is the exception to the rule rather than the norm.
purplebricks.com
INTERVIEWS COMPILED BY JON FORTGANG
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