We Were Told Never to Ask a Question

A collaborative marketing agency recently told us "Never ask questions on our social media Lead Gen ads."

The logic was straightforward. If you ask a question, you give people the opportunity to say no.

For a long time, marketing was built around avoiding those moments. The objective was to remove friction, control the conversation, and move people toward a decision as efficiently as possible.

And to be fair, that approach made sense when marketing was primarily about generating as many leads as possible. The problem is that today, especially in luxury markets, lead volume is often the wrong metric. I'd rather have ten qualified prospects than a thousand unqualified. In fact, most of our clients would.

A luxury real estate developer doesn't need more random people filling out forms. They need buyers who can actually purchase the property. Furthermore, a 5-star resort doesn't need more website traffic. They need guests who value the experience they're creating.

That's why we believe in asking questions. It creates leads that align with what you are selling while removing the noise. When someone takes the time to think about a question, they are immediately engaged with the brand, and those that answer no, were never, I repeat, never your customer.

Those who engage and request for more information, well…that's qualification.

In addition, people don't spend millions of dollars on a residence or thousands upon thousands of dollars on a vacation because you wrote an old-school caption selling a place with fluff adjectives. In fact, that strategy is the definition of inauthenticity.  

Instead, they buy because they align with the story, and questions help uncover that resonance. They are also more apt to leave a comment, which is the modern day focus group. Except instead of paying participants for their opinions, people voluntarily tell you exactly what matters to them.

Marketing Hub Daily states, “Social media research consistently shows that audiences engage more deeply when they are invited into a conversation rather than being talked at.”

So that's why you'll continue to see questions in our content… not because we're chasing comments, not because we're chasing engagement, and certainly not because we're trying to go viral.

We're trying to understand our buyers and increase qualified leads that align with the community. Meaning… we have one overarching goal in mind: creating the connection between the right person and the right place!