Employee Interview: The Birth of a Real Estate Web Marketer!

02/11/2025

Employee Interview: The Birth of a Real Estate Web Marketer!

Member Interview

Employee Interview: The Birth of a Real Estate Web Marketer!

Written byKen Suzuki

When I was a child, I lived in London for five years and in New York for three years because of my father's work.
As a child, moving was a fun event for me, but looking back now, I realize how difficult it must have been to find a home abroad and to move there.
After graduating from college, I joined an insurance company, and in 2007, I decided to start a completely different line of work, the real estate business, and founded Higher Ground.
Although we support our Japanese clients in their search for a home by working closely with them, we are especially committed to helping foreign nationals to have a safe and satisfying real estate transaction.
We are not only a real estate brokerage, but also a remodeling business and a rental property management business, so we would like to be your one-stop shop to help you and your family with your real estate needs in Japan.

A Web Marketer Has Joined Our Company!

Until now, our customer acquisition has relied on organic search from Google and Yahoo!'s search engines.

Without depending on advertisements, we have been focusing on strengthening the power of several owned media we operate.
By improving the quality of the content and steadily increasing the number of articles, we have worked hard with the hope of meeting future customers.

That said, compared to around 2009 when we launched our owned media, the number and quality of attractive websites introducing properties have increased significantly.
Lately, we've begun to feel the limitations of relying solely on repeating the same strategies for customer acquisition.

Even with staff who post wonderful photos and articles every day with great care, and no matter how talented the sales team may be, it becomes meaningless if the company cannot increase its ability to attract customers.
And above all, it has been a frustrating few years, as we have confidence that our service is the best possible for our customers, but we’ve been unable to raise its awareness.

I was starting to think that it was time for our company to hire a staff member who specializes in marketing, and then, fortunately, Tanji-san, who had been with us from 2015 to 2018, decided to return as a marketer.

She may not be a top-tier professional marketer, but with her return, I’m excited to establish our own approach to real estate web marketing.
This time, I’d like to discuss various aspects of that!

By the way, when you start something, unexpected obstacles often come up, whether it's budget-related, speed-related, or technical challenges, and many issues are brought to the surface.
But for now, before we begin, I can freely talk about a bright future, so I thought I’d write an article about it for the sake of looking back on the journey with excitement someday in the future.

Interview with Ms. Tanji

【Ken】

Could you give us a brief introduction about Ms. Tanji?

She joined the company as a part-timer when he was 22 years old, and at that time, she worked in the Owned Media Editorial Department (which, at the time, was a small company with fewer than 20 employees, so we didn't have specific departments and it was just called "office"). She was responsible for photographing properties and writing articles.

After about six months, I asked him to become a full-time employee, and from there, she transitioned to a permanent position. I have fond memories of her contributions both at work and during company drinking parties.

After leaving Higher Ground at 25, could you tell us what kind of work you've been doing since then?

【Tanji】

After leaving Higher Ground, I switched to a nationwide beauty clinic, as I’ve always had a passion for beauty. I was assigned to the marketing department and worked mainly as a director for web production.

Later, my department head, whom I highly respected, decided to start a marketing support company specializing in beauty clinics. She was someone who patiently mentored me when I was still inexperienced, so I wanted to repay her for her kindness by joining the company she founded.

Fortunately, right after joining, I was entrusted with managing marketing for a newly opened clinic, and for over three years, I focused on supporting that clinic's marketing efforts.

If I were to go into detail, it would be a very long story (laughs), but I was involved in a wide range of tasks such as competitive analysis, customer analysis, brand strategy, digital marketing using websites and social media, planning campaigns and events, pricing menu items, improving reservation systems, and even going around nearby stores to ask them to place flyers… Of course, I couldn’t do everything by myself, but when I look back now, I realize I gained so much experience.

【Ken】

Yes, that's right. Even after you left, I’ve been meeting with you once a year or so to catch up on how you’ve been doing. Since you originally worked on content creation for our owned media at Higher Ground, it was only natural that you would go on to have a successful career in marketing.

Now, there are three main reasons why I wanted you to come back and lend us your strength, and I’d like to share them with you.

The first reason is about passing on the company’s culture. In a small-to-medium-sized company with only a few dozen people, turnover is often high, partly due to the nature of the industry. However, at our company, we have had a few staff members who came back, and the greatest benefit of that is that they know the company's culture and philosophies from the past. They can pass that on, even without needing to say much. This is truly invaluable.

The second reason is that you’ve always been involved in content creation (in our case, shooting properties and writing articles). There are many people out there who are experts in web marketing, but at Higher Ground, we’ve had staff members who have put a lot of effort and passion into content creation. If an external person comes in and doesn’t understand the challenges of the production side, they might lead the team only with textbook theories and traditional methods, which could bring about some difficulties. Of course, for marketing, the textbook theories and traditional methods are the right way to go and should be the shortcut to success, but because you have experience in content creation, I was confident that you could guide the company in the right direction while maintaining harmony within and outside the team (laughs).

The third reason is leadership. When you were with us previously, you already played a leadership role in content creation in your early twenties. Over the six years since then, you’ve developed your professional skills and gained knowledge and experience as a marketer and director, which has made you even more qualified. I wanted to bring you back and work with you to focus on web marketing with your enhanced skills, so I enthusiastically invited you (laughs).

Previously, there was another staff member who had a similar level of enthusiasm. After contributing to content creation for about four years, they handled human resources, general affairs, public relations, and marketing, helping the company transform in its own unique way. But this time, you, Tanji-san, will be the first staff member in our company to specialize in marketing. So, how would you like to contribute in your new role?

【Tanji】

I’ve been away from the real estate industry for about six years, so catching up on industry knowledge is my immediate priority. However, I believe that the fundamental concepts of marketing I learned in my previous job will be applicable here.

Questions like, “How can we get more people to know about us?”, “How can we increase reservations?”, “How can we improve customer satisfaction for those who visit?”, “How can we encourage repeat customers?”, and “How can we make customers want to recommend us to their family and friends?”

In my previous role, I approached these kinds of challenges in various ways, constantly experimenting and learning. For me, the main goal at Higher Ground is to "increase customer acquisition." It’s easier said than done, and there’s a lot to be done in order to achieve it. I want to work closely with the CEO and the owned media editorial team, tackling the work together and making a solid effort.

On a different note, I’ve now reached a point where I’m considered mid-career, so I want to be a role model for the younger staff at Higher Ground. It’s not like I’m overly confident about it (laughs), but I’ve been helped, taught, and mentored by many bosses and senior colleagues throughout my career, and now I want to be someone who can have a positive influence on the younger generation.

【Ken】

That's right. We have many staff members who join without prior experience, and there are also quite a few women in the workplace. So, someone like you, Tanji, with your experience, can really provide great inspiration to both the younger and fellow colleagues. You’ll be a great mentor and someone they can turn to for advice, offering a sense of security and support!

As we move forward, we’ll all work together, experimenting and figuring out our unique approach to real estate web marketing. I have no doubt that, in a year’s time, we’ll see clear results (laughs). At Higher Ground, we don’t stop until we succeed, so let’s work hard together!

The information in this article is based on sources and data deemed reliable; however, its accuracy, completeness, and timeliness are not guaranteed. Circumstances may differ from those at the time of writing due to changes in laws and regulations. This article provides general information on the article’s theme, and readers should consult experts in the relevant fields regarding the applicability of real estate investment, loans, taxes, and other systems to their individual situations. Higher Ground Co., Ltd. assumes no responsibility whatsoever.