Marketer will provide AI-driven lead generation solutions to Extensa, the leading Belgian developer

Extensa’s portfolio includes larger suburban residential communities, mixed-use developments and urban regeneration, and their flagship projects are Tour & Taxis (Brussels) and Cloche d’Or (Luxembourg). Marketer will be a dependable and visionary partner in supporting their marketing activities for continued success and growth.

In relation to this new agreement, we have interviewed Sonja De Greef who is Head of Sales and Marketing at Extensa. She is always looking for ways to improve Extensa’s marketing and sales operations, and in 2019 she was awarded Most Innovative Marketing Manager within Real Estate in Belgium at the evolve19 summit, organized by Prompto+Around Media in collaboration with Barco.

Extensa is a well-established name in the Belgian property market and abroad, what have been the key factors to your success?

Only a few real estate developers can speak about a success story based on more than a hundred years of sustained integrity and an obsession for quality and creativity. What differentiates us and makes us a leader by example are the spirit of co-creation, entrepreneurship in our teams and partnerships, and maintaining a long-term vision with respect for people and nature. We aim to tackle the challenges ahead, turning them into opportunities. In this vision lies the promise of a better life and work environment.

As the real estate market constantly is evolving, what are the top trends you think we will see over the next few years?

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every industry, but perhaps none as surprisingly as real estate. Triggered by social and financial changes and stimulated by low interest rates, a record number of people have bought homes during the pandemic. Increasingly desirable due to more time spent at home are dedicated office space and personal outdoor space such as a terrace or a garden. Furthermore, we see an increased consciousness about the ecological footprint: proximity to public transport and schools, local shopping, green areas and sport infrastructure are also very important when making a decision to buy a home.

What are your main motivations for using data and technology going forward? And how do you envision Marketer will help you achieve that?

Understanding the profile of buyers by collecting data about their interests, age, gender and purpose of their acquisitions, helps us in developing more aligned with the market trends.

We communicate with our buyers through a digital community platform, some of our sales were achieved through full digital services and 360° virtual tours. Technical problems can be logged with a picture through an application and immediately dispatched to the designated problem-solver. Without data and technology, we would simply remain in the dinosaur era and that’s not our ambition. Sometimes, we do need to ‘educate’ our customers in the beginning to help them adapt to the technology, but once they get used to this new way of communicating, they appreciate the benefits.

I found in Marketer a partner that inspires me to positive implementation of all our accumulated data by using it in innovative marketing techniques, google algorithms, profile look-alikes, and so on. The first results are promising because we are reaching other categories of leads compared to traditional marketing campaigns. What I liked about the Marketer Team is their understanding of marketing mechanisms and their willingness to go that extra visionary mile with us.

*Extensa is owned by Ackermans & van Haaren (AvH), a Belgian diversified holding company, listed on Euronext and part of the Bel20 index. Extensa and Leasinvest (also owned by AvH) have recently merged into a new strong business combination in both real estate development (retail, offices, residential) and property management.