Before the pandemic hit, travel was key for us. In fact, the company more or less counted on it. Not just domestically to attend events, but internationally to gain new business and build our brand.
With Aussie expats the core component of our client base, we knew we needed to meet with them face to face. Doing so allowed us to propose our property solution and develop enough trust that they would be willing to let us devise investment strategies and purchase family homes on their behalf.
Richie and Michael flew to all the expat hotspots – Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, and other parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia – to attend expat expos and networking events, and book meetings with prospective clients. Now, with the support of our Growth Manager, Jack Bailey, most of our business development is done from our office in Sydney.
Our growth strategy has undergone a major pivot, to say the least. Where we once depended on in-person interaction to flaunt our wares, we’re now relying on Zoom, digital advertising and social media to reach our target market.
Lead generation campaigns across LinkedIn and Facebook, along with paid social media on Facebook and Instagram, are now intrinsic parts of our strategy. The change is nothing short of drastic, but there’s a lot of advantage to marketing ourselves remotely – not least the ability to reduce costs on international flights.
The process of transitioning to digital advertising and marketing has allowed us to reflect on how we want to portray ourselves against other similar companies. We’re focusing more on the uniqueness of our product offering and brand, as well as our image and voice, to help us stand out online and reach new groups of people we previously wouldn’t have been able to meet in person.
In a more analogue way, we’re also finding that our reach is expanding more organically, as referrals become a key driver of new business. Talk of our company is spreading through community groups and circles of friends, which we believe is one of the best ways to build brand trust; the power of word of mouth can’t be underestimated.
Interestingly, we’ve also noticed a shift in the briefs we’re working on. While many of our clients are still keen to establish and grow their property investment portfolio, we’ve had a surge in buyers looking for their forever homes. We put this down to the fact that many expats are returning to Australia in light of the pandemic and are looking to settle here for the foreseeable future. We’ve long excelled in finding family homes, but this trend is definitely strengthening our ability to do so – and making this part of our business more robust.
All of this is not to say that we won’t return to our original growth tactics. The primary challenge of conducting everything online is that it doesn’t offer us the chance to add a personal touch to our pitches. As a business that places high priority on excellent and personalised client support, that element of intimacy is crucial to us.
We see the future of Milk Chocolate’s success as incorporating a mix of old and new. While we certainly recognise the advantages of remote marketing, we also know that nothing beats face-to-face interaction. And, like the rest of Australia, we simply can’t wait to hop on a plane again and travel to a more far-flung destination.
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