Online real estate website, Lamudi, has launched its Lamudi Academy in a bid to offer online marketing training to agents and individuals who use its website.

The Academy is geared towards providing individuals and real estate agents with technical knowledge for maximising their presence on the internet.

Ms Akua Nyame-Mensah, Managing Director of Lamudi Ghana, told the Ghana News Agency that it was expected to better equip agents and individuals listing on Lamudi and to improve their chances of generating leads.

She said online marketing had assumed an important role in modern times due to the growing proportion of the world’s population who used the internet.

She said in Ghana, the mobile data penetration rate was a little over 59 per cent in December 2014.

The Managing Director said this high figure indicated a huge potential for sustained growth.

“As internet use becomes more widespread, it is expected that more individuals will be incorporating the internet in their daily activities,” she said.

Ms Nyame-Mensah said marketers and businesses needed to ensure they had a visible presence online, and the real estate industry was no exception.

She said currently, Lamudi Ghana had over 7000 properties listed on its website, and providing good customer service to those house-hunters had grown increasingly important.

“The need to break the mistrust customers have of real estate agents has also assumed an important role in the realm of online marketing,” she said.

She said the online real estate portal sought to enhance agents’ customer service while equipping them adequately for the online community.

“Lamudi is not only concerned with providing a platform for buyers and sellers in the real estate industry but ensuring that the highest standards are always maintained,” she said.