Thinking Like a Consumer with Nobu Hata

In the digital era, marketers have become accustomed to a variety of new metrics: traffic, clicks, likes, opens, shares. But while such metrics can certainly help real estate professionals measure the success of a campaign or the quality of a lead, the most important metric is also the oldest: action.

In many ways, the convenience of the web has made it even harder for agents and brokers to convince real estate consumers to get up from behind their laptops or smartphones and take real action. Hundreds of coaches, classes, and startups claim to have found the new, innovative answer to more conversions. Yet real estate professionals’ greatest asset may be more conventional than they realize.

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I love this business, and I don’t want to see us go the way of the cabdriver.

— NOBU HATA

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It should go without saying that the National Association of REALTORS® is a major force in the real estate industry. For some, however, it’s not always a welcome one. But Nobu Hata believes the NAR can be a force for positive change, especially when it comes to digital marketing. As Director of Digital Engagement, Nobu helps agents and brokers on the ground understand how digital is changing the way they work, and what they need to do to be successful. “As technology changes, so does a broker’s value proposition to agents and to their community,” Nobu told us. “I love this business, and I don’t want to see us go the way of the cabdriver.”

Nobu certainly understands the challenges facing today’s agents: he spent seven years selling homes in Minneapolis before joining the NAR in 2012. Now, Nobu spends his days monitoring the latest trends, speaking at conferences and events, and educating real estate professionals about what it takes to stay competitive in today’s market. For Nobu, it all starts with taking the data that many agents take for granted and producing content from it. “[The ability to] act based on the data that you’ve accrued with a website…is just a fantastic thing,” Nobu explained. “Use a site to act.”

In this interview, we sat down with Nobu to talk about how new agents can audit their online presence, and what it takes to create valuable content that gets consumers out from behind their computers.

– Matt & Seth