This week Hannah Bowen, Marketing Manager at Delph Property Group, runs us through a week in her working life. To suggest another senior media or creative figure for A Week In My Life, please email david@prolificnorth.co.uk.
Monday 3rd July
It’s the start of a busy week of planning, as we’re preparing for an event on from July 21st to 23rd at our new Hallmark development in Manchester’s Green Quarter. I’m actually a real morning person, so an early wake-up call on a Monday doesn’t phase me at all.
First thing I like to catch-up with the sales and marketing team. It’s a small team – there are only four of us – so we rely on each other to work out what’s in front of us for the week ahead, and what we need to do to make those things happen.
If we’ve had some sales over the weekend, we’ll spend time updating the property portals online and our own website, and ordering new signage. This means we can keep prospective buyers updated on how many properties are still available and is one of the things I love about working in property marketing – the fact that things are constantly moving forward and you see first-hand the results of marketing.
At the moment, we’re also working on a luxury show apartment in Leicester called Aria, which we’re all excited about. There are lots of elements to pull together before its launch in early September, so it’s important for us to get that time in the office together – it can be tricky when you’re on the road a lot.
Monday night is gym night for me. I like to get it out of the way early in the week, so I go and get my butt kicked by a personal trainer. Beforehand I dread it; during the session, I wonder why on earth I’m putting myself through it; and afterwards I feel great!
Tuesday 4th July
I’m constantly finding the best ways to reach people looking to invest in the North, and there are plenty of them out there. I like to spend a morning reviewing various media channels and keeping up to date with property news, looking at opportunities in Manchester and Liverpool.
For those who have shown an interest in one of our apartments, the aim is to make sure life is super-easy for them. To do this, I’ll collate everything they need and present it in a useful, engaging way so they can make an informed decision. Property is a huge investment no matter who you are and we’ve got a real mix of customers. It’s important that they have all the information they need at the click of a button or the turn of a page.
Wednesday 5th July
Today I’m working with a designer on a virtual reality headset that we’ll use at the event later this month. Before and after each event, I like to review the experience to focus on how we can innovatively market our off-plan developments.
I’m always amazed at how good VR is for giving people a sense of size and space. When you put on the headset, you are in that room – you can say to yourself ‘my TV would fit there’ or ‘my sofa would look amazing in that space’. It’s difficult to get the same impression from a floorplan.
Wednesday night is always dinner and drinks with the girls. I try to grab at least one night a week to catch-up with friends.
Thursday 6th July
I have an early start to get the train to Liverpool today, where our Orleans House development is, and will use the train journey to catch-up on what’s happening in the city. The development is almost complete, just some snagging left to do, but interest in the apartments is high and we’re already 40% sold.
Before we started working on Orleans House, I hadn’t spent that much time in Liverpool, but I’ve loved getting to know it for this project. It’s probably been one of my favourite projects to date, because there’s just so much to discover here in the city. I always treat myself to lunch at a Scandinavian café just down the road from the development.
This evening, I’m going straight back to Manchester for a meeting with the marketing and sales team that is working on the Hallmark event.
Friday 7th July
This morning, we take another look at the VR, getting the sales team to road-test it and to check if it truly answers some of the most frequently asked questions they receive from prospective customers.
After this, I’ll be meeting with our PR team to catch-up on activities to promote the event and review general media reporting on the property market in Manchester and across the UK. We work closely together to ensure that our messages remain relevant in such a fast-changing market.
Following the PR meeting, I’ll spend the last few hours of the working week checking through emails and organising a plan of action for next week. Although the main focus is The Hallmark event, I’m already turning my attention to a Merseyside focused campaign to drive consumer interest during the quieter winter months.
I want to ensure I can dedicate time to this next week, speaking with media contacts about their plans for autumn and winter, and what their readers and users are particularly interested in. Once I’ve done this, it’s time to enjoy Friday evening.
