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A young PM director is using a mixture of Instagram photos and handwritten letters to build a rent roll from scratch.
Real Estate Precinct director Jess Mazzocato told Residential Property Manager she now has 183 properties under management after opening her doors in March 2014.
Ms Mazzocato started the Brisbane agency aged 21, five years after entering the industry.
Ms Mazzocato said she has quickly been able to build a local presence by combining networking with social media.
She makes a point of eating all her meals at different local cafes and restaurants. She then uses Instagram to share photos from those venues so that she simultaneously builds relationships with the proprietors and increases her exposure.
“You go for a coffee and you take a classic selfie of you and the coffee, then you check in at that cafe, you tag that cafe, you hashtag that cafe, you hashtag the suburb – you hashtag everything,” she said.
Ms Mazzocato said the business also does a lot of direct, old-school marketing such as mail drops. Everything that goes out of the office is hand-written and the envelope is never branded.
The reaction to the agency’s handwritten notes has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Ms Mazzocato.
Everybody who phones her is sent a handwritten letter, with a business card and a scratchie, which she said is appreciated by her suburb’s older demographic.
Ms Mazzocato said her age has been a challenge when trying to secure new business.
“I guess you just can’t let it get you down. I have lost business before because people want somebody more experienced.
“However, I say 'You can get a 50-year-old PM or you can have me the director, who is so passionate about what I do that I have started my own business’.”
Ms Mazzocato said her authenticity often convinces potential clients to do business with her agency.
“A lot of BDMs are very scripted, whereas I can walk in there and I love what I do and people can see that.”
