Meet Lauren Hybels!
Lauren works in our Kalamazoo office as an administrative and marketing assistant. She is a Kalamazoo native and lives there currently with her high school sweetheart and her two cats, Nibu and Munni! She emphasizes that knowing your audience is a crucial piece to being a successful marketer.
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Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at NAI Wisinski of West Michigan.
I was born and raised here in Kalamazoo, and I attended WMU to study Marketing. I am married to my high school sweetheart, PJ, and together we have two cats, Nibu and Munni.
In my role at NAI, I mainly create marketing material for our brokers and clients. This includes creating postcards, designing & scheduling e-blasts, community outreach, and photographing our different properties. I also help with administrative responsibilities, such as planning events and finding volunteer opportunities for our office.
When you were in school, was commercial real estate marketing always the plan?
While in college, I switched majors a few times. I first went to school for Film, then Entrepreneurship, then landed in Marketing. I enjoyed learning about marketing as it is such a broad field, and there are many avenues you can take with your career. At that time, I didn’t know much at all about real estate, let alone commercial real estate!
Upon graduating, I discovered an open position at NAI Wisinski, and I was intrigued by the industry. After learning more about the business, I decided to give it a try and I have been enjoying it since. It is fascinating to know about what is happening in my community – from new businesses coming to the area to our endless construction projects!
If you had to work in real estate marketing in a city that wasn’t in West Michigan, what would you pick and why?
I would have to say Troy. I lived there briefly, and there was always something new and exciting happening. It would be fun to work in that market and be in tune with the next big thing!
In your opinion, what is the most important quality for a marketing specialist to have?
Knowing your audience. Something that was drilled into me while in school was that not everyone is your customer. A marketing specialist needs to be able to determine their target audience and learn as much as they can about them. The more you know about your audience, the better you will be able to reach them.
What is your best piece of advice for new college graduates entering the workforce?
I would say to take your time finding a job. You must learn to value yourself. It may be exciting and tempting to accept your first job offer but remember that interviews are a two-way street. You need to be sure that a company is the right fit for you. Do you enjoy the culture? Does the company value a work-life balance? Would you be fairly compensated? Even if you have less job experience than others in the industry, you still offer value, and the right company will see that.
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Click the link below to contact Lauren for your Kalamazoo marketing needs!