Head of Marketing Technology & Conversion Optimization at McMakler

Lara Dogan is passionate about leveraging technology to create impactful marketing journeys and solutions. She continually seeks opportunities to drive innovative marketing campaigns and personalized customer experiences. Currently, her role at McMakler involves overseeing its lead generation activities and content marketing      , leading cross-functional projects in an agile environment, creating personalized customer experiences based on data, and developing business cases for innovative      capabilities.

Can you provide a brief background of your career journey? What are your current key roles and responsibilities at McMakler?

When I began my career in marketing during my bachelor's degree at Vodafone I thought it would be all about traditional TV and offline campaigns. Actually I had the opportunity work across various marketing departments, including performance marketing. And soon     I realized that the focus was predominantly on search engine advertising (SEA) and display advertising     , delving into data analysis and optimization of campaigns. That was about eight to nine years ago when data-driven marketing was gaining prominence.

Seeking to explore more brand-related aspects and understand the dynamics of TV and brand campaigns, I ventured into TV brand campaigns and social media marketing. During this time, I also introduced Vodafone's first Snapchat account which was fun      However, I found that I missed the analytical aspect and the ability to measure success, especially when it came to branding initiatives. Consequently, I transitioned back to the performance marketing team, diving     g deeper into the use of data and marketing technology. My aim was to enhance relevance and personalization, ensuring customers did not receive repetitive advertisements, such as seeing the same shoe ad multiple times in a week.

"Marketing technology without customer-centricity is like trying to navigate a ship without a compass. Embrace customer feedback to steer your marketing efforts towards success, ensuring your tech speaks directly to your customers."

Following my studies, I continued my journey at Vodafone for several years, actively working on data activation and implementing marketing technologies     . Eventually, my focus shifted to personalization in online marketing and e-commerce, aiming to deliver tailored experiences to customers, both on the website and beyond.

While at Vodafone, I reached a point where I had accomplished a significant portion of what I could do in that specific context. I felt a strong desire to explore more innovative and challenging opportunities within the marketing technology realm. Consequently, I made the decision to join McMakler, a hybrid brokerage company in Berlin, operating as a widespread broker in Germany and Austria. It leverages the combination of local expertise of its brokerage and digital processes to ensure the best service possible when it comes to buying and selling real estate to make an engaging and worry free experience.           .

Upon joining McMakler, I t established the marketing technology and conversion optimization department within the company. During the initial meetings     , I observed that some colleagues are showing great interest           in AB testing, but there was a need to strengthen the strategy, tools, and data infrastructure. Much of my current work involves formulating an effective strategy rooted in customer signals and feedback, combining both qualitative and quantitative insights. We address customer pain points and develop hypotheses, particularly focusing on conversion optimization. Implementing this involves close collaboration with cross-functional teams, including product owners, developers, designers, as well as marketing colleagues, copywriters, and content managers. The success of our initiatives relies significantly on experimentation and AB testing to validate and refine our approaches. So, this is the most important part of my role right now.

As the head of marketing technology and conversion optimization, what challenges did you encounter during fulfilling your responsibilities at McMakler?

When I transitioned from working with Vodafone, a large organization with numerous stakeholders     , to my current role at McMakler, a more agile and established startup, I found it considerably easier to implement strategies and ideas. Right from the beginning on, I was presented with an enthusiastic wish list of numerous great initiatives that the team wanted to pursue. To address this, I established a structured approach, creating a backlog and prioritizing ideas based on their potential impact on addressing real customer issues. We aimed to differentiate between personal preferences and data-driven insights derived from benchmarking and other sources.

One of the primary challenges was educating the team about the importance of proper testing and optimization for marketing technology. I focused on instilling a process-driven approach and emphasized the significance of understanding the impact and feasibility of each proposed solution. We assessed whether an idea involved a simple implementation, like a pixel for tracking, or if it required more extensive development, such as creating a new feature or tool. This iterative learning process was crucial in ensuring that we were heading in the right direction collectively.

The second major challenge we encountered was data quality. Given the relative youth of our organization, we faced issues with missing or incomplete data. Addressing this was essential to ensure reliable insights and decision-making. We worked on enhancing data frameworks to ensure comprehensive reporting and analyzing whether the information we gathered served our purposes and told a coherent story.

How does your organization differentiate its marketing efforts? How do you utilize technology to optimize conversions and achieve successful outcomes?

Our organization stands out from competitors primarily due to our status as a hybrid brokerage that heavily relies on solid data. We possess a vast database, enabling us to understand precisely what customers desire and the value they seek for their homes. Our extensive data resources form the foundation of various marketing campaigns, where we prioritize educating customers about their key points of interest beyond just the price.

We take into account aspects such as property development, aesthetics, the number of brokers available, and their individual specializations. This approach allows us to expertly match customers with the most suitable brokers who excel in their particular area of expertise. For example, if someone wishes to sell a house in the outskirts of a large city, we identify and connect them with a broker experienced in selling such properties and finding suitable buyers. Additionally, we offer insights into the average time it may take to complete the sale and the average price for similar properties.

This educational process starts from the very first impression and extends through every interaction, including personal communications and email exchanges. We empower our team with comprehensive broker knowledge to support customers throughout their entire journey. To achieve this, we have developed a regional database for all customers in various locations, providing them with accurate pricing information specific to their city or neighborhood.

This seamless knowledge sharing extends from the initial impression to on-site experiences, and further integrates with our CRM system and portals. By ensuring that everyone within the organization has access to the same wealth of information, we eliminate friction and prevent any loss of knowledge between team members. This cohesive approach enhances the overall customer experience and maximizes our ability to drive successful sales.

What are some recent projects you've been involved in? How did you leverage technology to make it successful?

One of our significant achievements revolves around fostering transparency through data and numbers. Our hybrid brokerage model has proven advantageous as it leverages the extensive knowledge available in various regions through our brokers and offices in major cities. However, we realized that not all customers were aware of this vast network.

To address this, we implemented numerous regional campaigns aimed at showcasing our presence across multiple locations. We put a strong emphasis on demonstrating our local connection and introduced the faces of our team members to the customers, ensuring a personal touch. By extensively optimizing and employing technology for regionalization, we customized the first impression customers received to include their city and images, establishing a sense of locality and trust.

Moreover, we highlighted the expertise of individual brokers, such as colleagues, who excel in dealing with family houses, investment or rural properties. This early presentation of specialized expertise helped customers find the perfect match for their needs. Our approach involved meticulous testing, including the use of various images. Ultimately, we found that regional pictures and facts resonated most effectively, proving why our experts are the best in the region.

Throughout the lead generation process, we continued to emphasize regionalization. For instance, we introduced customers to the regional manager virtually, providing valuable information such as average square meter prices, selling timeframes, broker availability, and area-specific laws related to property sales. Understanding our customers' origins and their unique requirements, whether speed or achieving the highest price, played a crucial role in tailoring our services to their preferences and devices.

We also recognized the importance of mobile devices in our industry, with approximately 70% of customers accessing our platform via mobile devices. Consequently, we shifted our design focus from desktop-centric efforts to mobile-friendly interfaces. The content we displayed had to be concise, easily digestible, and impactful, considering the complexity of property sales information for those unfamiliar with the process.

Moving forward, our next priority lies in integrating data from our data warehouse and effectively presenting it to our clients. By doing so, we can continue to enhance our services and provide a seamless experience.

What would be your piece of advice to your peers?

My foremost recommendation would be to integrate both quantitative and qualitative feedback from customers when utilizing marketing technology. It is essential to craft a win-win narrative that benefits not only the company but also the customers, ensuring that the marketing technology features and tools cater to their needs. Always bear in mind that uninteresting or lackluster ads and pages are undesirable, so strive to maintain an engaging and up-to-date approach.