In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Andres Figueira interviews Ferran Belmonte, VP of Growth Marketing at June. June is revolutionizing the rental market in major US metros by creating a flexible, technology-driven platform that serves students and young professionals seeking mid-to-long-term housing solutions. Through innovative approaches to automation, data-driven testing, and strategic partnerships, Ferran has built a marketing machine that addresses the complex needs of international students and young professionals navigating America’s rigid rental market. His journey from hotel operations to retail marketing to prop tech showcases how cross-industry experience can drive breakthrough marketing strategies in traditionally stagnant sectors.

Topics Discussed:

• Building automated marketing systems with limited startup resources

• Leveraging A/B testing to validate sales team insights and optimize conversion funnels

• Creating human-centered communication in an increasingly automated world

• Developing strategic partnerships that evolve from transactional to collaborative relationships

• Managing remote marketing teams across multiple time zones and cultures

• Using AI and virtual rendering technology to scale visual content cost-effectively

• Implementing pixel discovery tools for high-intent user retargeting

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Humanize Automated Communications for Higher Performance

June discovered that automated emails designed to appear from real people significantly outperformed branded corporate emails across all metrics. By testing identical copy with different formatting – one from “Andres” versus corporate-branded emails – they found that human-seeming communications cut through the noise of over-automated marketing. This approach treats automation as a delivery mechanism rather than replacing human connection entirely.

Transform Sales Feedback into Measurable Testing Opportunities

When June’s sales team reported better performance from leads with phone numbers, Ferran didn’t just implement the suggestion – he designed an A/B test. Half of users saw an optional phone number field, half didn’t. The test confirmed not only increased phone number collection but improved conversion rates throughout the entire funnel, validating the sales insight with hard data before full rollout.

Build the “Be Lazy” Philosophy into Process Optimization

Ferran instills a “be lazy” mentality in his team when approaching recurring processes. The framework: First, question if the process is still needed. Second, if it is needed, automate it. This systematic approach to process evaluation ensures human resources focus on high-value activities while technology handles repetitive tasks, crucial for resource-constrained startups.

Evolve Transactional Relationships into Strategic Partnerships

June transforms vendor relationships into collaborative partnerships by moving beyond simple buyer-seller dynamics. Starting with listing placements, they build trust through regular communication, joint problem-solving, and QA collaboration. This evolution unlocks additional opportunities like email campaigns to subscribers and blog content collaborations that wouldn’t exist in purely transactional relationships.

Use Exit Surveys to Optimize Lost Lead Recovery

Rather than simply accepting lost leads, June implements targeted exit surveys asking single questions to different user segments about why they didn’t convert. This creates a continuous feedback loop for identifying and fixing conversion barriers while keeping the survey burden minimal to maximize response rates.

Leverage Virtual Rendering to Scale Visual Content

Managing thousands of rental units, June uses AI-powered virtual rendering instead of professional photography for most listings. Their testing showed that furnished virtual renderings dramatically outperformed empty apartment photos in conversion rates, even when clearly labeled as virtual. This approach scales visual content creation while maintaining performance, with AI handling simpler units and designers managing complex spaces.