Month: September 2010

At BDX, we are constantly monitoring traffic across our entire network. This month we wanted to share some interesting information with you about the traffic on NewHomeSource and Move New Homes — the top 2 new home websites. Which BDX markets saw the largest gains in traffic this month?

Take a look at our Top 10 list below… some of the cities on the list might surprise you.

Top 10 BDX Markets Gaining Traffic From September to October 2010:

1.       Milwaukee, WI

2.       Pittsburgh, PA

3.       San Francisco, CA

4.       Naples, FL

5.       Colorado Springs, CO

6.       Allentown-Bethlehem, PA

7.       Dallas, TX

8.       New York, NY

9.       Detroit, MI

10.     San Jose, CA

If you have any questions about this list or are interested in finding out more about listing your homes with BDX, please email info@thebdx.com for details.

BDX now gives builders access to 9 of the top 10 general real estate websites

Austin, TX – September 2, 2010 – Builders Digital Experience (BDX), leading provider of digital marketing resources for builders, announced today a recently signed distribution agreement with HotPads.com, a map-based housing search engine and listing service. As a result of this agreement, builders who list their communities with BDX will now have their homes included on HotPads.com at no additional charge and expanded distribution to the site’s two-million monthly visitors[1].

“We are excited to partner with HotPads.com as their preferred provider of new home listings for their dynamic site,” said Tim Costello. “It is our deep relationships with companies like HotPads that allow us to deliver greater online marketing value to our builders and give them the confidence in knowing that when they list their homes with BDX, they have the Internet covered.”

HotPads.com joins the extensive BDX network of leading websites – a network that reaches over 40 million potential new home buyers2 each month. With just a single listing with BDX, builders are not only gaining exposure on NewHomeSource and Move New Homes, the #1 and #2 new home listing sites in the nation, but also hundreds of other leading real estate, new home, general news, newspaper and social network websites.

“HotPads constantly strives to provide our housing shoppers access to high quality housing listing information,” says Douglas Pope, co-founder of HotPads.com.  “Partnering with BDX allows HotPads to bring our housing shoppers together with new home developers giving them more housing options and a better search experience.”

The award-winning HotPads.com is known across the industry for its innovative mapping technologies. The site features over 3.5 million homes for sale and empowers visitors to search for their next home by location.

For more information about listing new home communities across the Internet with BDX, builders can visit www.thebdx.com or email info@thebdx.com.

[1]SOURCE: Hotpads.com

Pardee Homes recently launched a new display campaign that caught my eye. The creative invites viewers to click on the banner to see what owners of Pardee Homes are saying about their homes. I like these banners because it’s a clever integration of traffic acquisition and social media. For years, we’ve been espousing how online media is different than traditional formats. The direct response model of online should pull in customers actively seeking new homes and give them a reason to click.

Social Media is also a different tool. Unlike online or traditional media, social media is a forum for advocacy. Consumers already familiar with a brand will praise, critique and share their experience with friends and family. People have been doing this off-line for years–and capturing ‘Word of Mouth’ has always been a marketer’s Holy Grail. That’s why I like Pardee’s new campaign. The placement and CTA drive traffic, but also allow potential home buyers to view comments from current Pardee Home owners. The home owners who participated in the videos are now advocates and serve as a third-party referrals for the brand. As I watch the videos, I know these are real home shoppers — and while they’re obviously speaking on behalf of Pardee, you can hear the sincerity in their voice. That speaks volumes.

This campaign also opens the door for even more interaction. For example, builders could ask recent homebuyers to respond to new customers interested in that builder’s communities. In my view, a forum moderated by a builder’s current home owners would have a much stronger impact than speaking with an on-site sales rep. As the influence of social media continues to grow, more consumers will rely on these types of referrals as compared to more-typical corporate positioning in other forms of media. I’m excited to see Pardee take the first step and invite existing and new customers to join in the conversation.

For more information about Display Marketing Strategies contact Thane Tennison, Advertising Manager for the BDX, or contact your local sales rep for Realtor.com pricing and availability in your market.