X Factor Marketing with Justin Havre: How To Generate Unlimited Leads Through Strategic Brand Marketing

Wendy Forsythe
May 22
5 min read

How Justin Havre Built a Real Estate Empire with Domain Names, Airport Billboards, and Smart Marketing

This blog breaks down the main marketing ideas that helped Justin Havre build one of Canada's most successful real estate businesses.

1. TREAT DOMAIN NAMES AS BUSINESS ASSETS

"I made them an offer of $250,000. And they said, no, not for sale. Made them another offer of $300,000... Then I made them an offer of $500,000. And again, they declined... And I made them an offer of $750,000."

Justin doesn't see domain names as just a marketing expense. He sees them as business assets that grow in value while bringing in leads.

MAIN IDEAS:

Pick the Right Domains

Focus on location-based names that naturally attract search traffic
Choose domains that match how potential clients search for properties
Look beyond your personal name to geographic terms that will stay relevant

Don't Take No for an Answer

Be ready to make multiple offers over time for valuable domains
Keep in touch with domain owners even after they say no
Use vision boards and other techniques to stay focused on what you want

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Build a collection of domains for different purposes and audiences
Create multiple websites that help clients at different stages
Think of domains as long-term investments you could sell if needed

In Justin's Words "I have multiple websites in my marketplace... I decided to diversify my website assets. I have justinhavre.com as my branded website, and I run calgaryhomes.ca, which is a website that ranks incredibly well. It's kind of like my own Zillow machine."

2. USE BOTH YOUR NAME AND YOUR LOCATION

"When they can go into a listing appointment and they just close the laptop, say, I don't need a presentation, just where do I sign? That to me is what a brand is."

Justin uses both personal branding (his name) and location branding (Calgary) at the same time, knowing they do different jobs in attracting and converting clients.

MAIN IDEAS:

They Work Together

Your personal brand builds trust and recognition
Your location brand captures search traffic and claims territory
Together they create a stronger market presence than either alone

Use Each One for Different Purposes

Use personal branding for relationship-building channels
Use location branding for discovery-focused channels
Each has its own job and shouldn't be randomly mixed

Invest in Both

Put marketing resources into both your personal and location brands
Measure how each brand performs separately
Adjust your investment based on what drives different types of business

In Justin's Words "I think for anyone in a location dependent business, like we are in real estate, that combination of personal brand name and location dependent branding is often overlooked."

3. PUT YOUR MARKETING WHERE THE MONEY IS

"People that travel have money... It is definitely a conversation piece. And that is what you want when it comes to any advertising campaign."

Instead of spreading his marketing everywhere, Justin finds high-value locations where qualified prospects naturally go and creates memorable ads there.

MAIN IDEAS:

Pick Locations Carefully

Find where affluent potential clients naturally gather or travel
Look for places with concentrated traffic of your ideal clients
Focus on quality of audience over quantity of impressions

Make People Talk About Your Ads

Design marketing that people will mention to others
Create memorable impressions rather than just visibility
Success is when your ad becomes a conversation topic

Look Where Others Don't

Find marketing opportunities others haven't thought of
Be willing to spend more on fewer, more strategic locations
Think about the context where your marketing appears

In Justin's Words "It's kind of a funny story... the president of the airport was asked, 'Hey, is your airport for sale?' Because they saw [my billboard]. That is what you want when it comes to any advertising campaign—people talking about it."

4. GET COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE

"As an introvert, I'm sure there's many people that can relate to being uncomfortable seeing your own photo. I'm no different."

Justin isn't naturally outgoing—he purposely pushes beyond his comfort zone when the business benefit is worth the discomfort.

MAIN IDEAS:

Focus on Results, Not Feelings

Think about business outcomes rather than personal comfort
Make visibility decisions based on impact
Connect marketing choices to specific business goals

Remember Who You're Doing This For

Use your commitment to your team and clients to overcome hesitation
Recognize that leadership means setting visibility examples
Let your purpose be stronger than your discomfort

Take Small Steps Forward

Gradually increase visibility in ways that expand your comfort zone
Acknowledge discomfort while taking action anyway
Each step makes the next one easier

In Justin's Words "My commitment to the people that I have an honor and privilege to lead—it is my challenge to myself to push myself out of my comfort zones and provide more opportunities and to build a brand."

5. MINE YOUR DATABASE BEFORE CHASING NEW LEADS

"A lead stays in our system for a certain timeline before they typically transact. And there's a lot of untapped opportunities in there."

Justin focuses on getting the most value from existing leads rather than constantly chasing new ones, understanding the journey from first contact to transaction.

MAIN IDEAS:

Understand How Long Real Estate Takes

Know the typical timeline from first contact to transaction
Recognize that many leads need longer nurturing than most agents provide
View your database as a future business pipeline, not just current opportunities

Stay in Touch the Right Way

Develop systems to maintain contact through the full decision timeline
Create different approaches for different lead types and timelines
Set up consistent touchpoints to prevent leads from falling through cracks

Get More from What You Already Have

Calculate the true value of each lead over its full lifecycle
Cut spending on new lead generation in favor of better conversion
Measure conversion rates as the true sign of marketing success

In Justin's Words "I've been part of generating over 450,000 leads in my career. And the one thing that I'll say is that less is more... they can actually cut down on their ad spend. They just got to do more work and go deeper with what they have."

APPLYING THESE IDEAS TO YOUR BUSINESS

Each of these strategies shows a different way to think about real estate marketing. They challenge the usual approach and focus on smart thinking rather than just following trends.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Domain Names: What location-based domains would be most valuable in your market? How could you start building a collection of digital assets?
Dual Branding: How well balanced is your current marketing between personal and location branding? Where are the gaps?
Strategic Locations: Where do your ideal clients naturally hang out in your market? What physical locations would create the most strategic visibility?
Comfort Zone: What marketing activities have you avoided because they make you uncomfortable, despite their potential impact?
Database Value: What percentage of past leads have you stayed in touch with? What is the potential value of your existing database if properly nurtured?

FINAL THOUGHTS

"I knew that I needed to do marketing in order to generate opportunities. The teacher said, 'Look around this room and in two years time, there's only going to be two of you left in this business.' I'm like, 'What am I signing up for?' If the failure rate is so high, I got to figure out something to generate leads and opportunities."

Justin's success comes from a fundamentally different approach to real estate marketing. Rather than following what everyone else does, he built strategic assets, balanced personal and location branding, created ads people talk about, pushed beyond his comfort zone, and got the most value from his database.

These aren't just tactics—they're a complete marketing approach that builds lasting competitive advantage.