Episode 07
Discover how top real estate marketers drive results with tips and techniques you can apply to elevate your own campaigns, featuring Harcourts CMO, Trent Sutton.
Episode
Overview
Real estate marketing can be complex, but the lessons go far beyond property. In this episode, Trent Sutton, CMO of Harcourts International, shares how to balance performance marketing with brand investment so every dollar works harder.
He walks through a practical, digital-first approach that any marketer can learn from: moving spend to the channels that deliver results, keeping a smart brand-to-performance balance, and using data to make better decisions without getting stuck on rigid attribution rules.
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Watch EPISODE 07
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Welcome to the Black Box of Media
00:44 – Introducing Trent Sutton, CMO of Harcourts International
03:06 – Effective Marketing Strategies for Real Estate
04:56 – Importance of SEO in Real Estate Industry
07:20 – SEO vs Pay-to-Play: Finding the Right Balance
10:25 – Allocating Leads Across 1000 Offices
15:32 – Lessons Learned: Refining Marketing Approaches
19:41 – Data-Driven Decision Making in Marketing
20:40 – Understanding the Full Funnel Feedback Loop
23:20 – Engaging Consumers: From Passive to Active
27:20 – Justifying Brand Investment in Marketing
30:47 – Insights from the Compound Creativity Study
34:20 – Structuring High-Performing Marketing Teams
38:18 – Achieving Optimal Outcomes in Marketing
42:00 – Educating Businesses on Digital Media Strategies
45:30 – Overview of Harcourts Reach
52:10 – Marketing Attribution and Tracking Techniques
52:30 – Measuring Marketing Performance Across the Funnel
56:15 – Key Advice for Marketing Leaders in 2025
58:29 – Connecting with Trent Sutton Online
Key
Takeaways
- Search-first paid strategy drives higher-converting leads, shifting investment from social to search improved lead efficiency.
- Brand and performance must co-exist (60/40 split). Brand builds trust and supports long-term conversion velocity.
- Small, agile teams win. Clear roles + rapid content creation + insight-driven reporting.
- Don’t over-rely on first/last-click. Instead, centralise performance data and let objectives guide attribution choices.
- Harcourts Reach moved the needle with strong adoption, +44% web traffic YoY and faster, higher-value property sales.
Guest Profile-
Trent Sutton
Trent Sutton is the Chief Marketing Officer at Harcourts International, steering brand and marketing strategy across 11 countries and nearly 1,000 offices. With over 20 years at powerhouse brands like McDonald’s, the NRL, and McGrath, Trent combines big-brand vision with performance-first execution to deliver measurable results. Known for turning complex marketing challenges into actionable strategies, he’s passionate about building trust, driving growth, and inspiring teams to achieve market-leading outcomes.
UNVEILING THE SECRETS OF
HIGH-PERFORMANCE MEDIA
ADVERTISING
Join your host, Aleisha McCall, as she lifts the lid on the hidden strategies of
high-performance media advertising with top experts, revealing actionable insights
to help you cut through the noise and drive real results.
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