Month: January 2013

By BDX Guest Blogger, Carol Morgan, mRELEVANCE

Any good homebuilder or business person knows that giving away something for “free” is a great way to entice new potential customers or even keep current homeowners happy. No matter the size of the gift being given away, people flock to free. However, we all also know that nothing in life is truly free, including social media. Yes, technically, social media is still free to use, but as time has passed more and more sites are converting to a “pay to play” model. And, since they have your business relying on them to connect with buyers and drive sales, chances are, you’ll end up forking over the money to keep on playing.

Look at Facebook for example, builders heavily rely on this social media giant to reach new homebuyers, connect with current homeowners, share information and more. Lately though, you may have noticed that it seems like fewer fans are engaging with your page. It isn’t your mind playing tricking on you; engagement has been limited. Now that Facebook has become a publicly traded company, they upped the ante by creating new promoted posts and advertising campaign features. Unless you’re willing to pay (an amount that is decided by you), then chances are you will continue to see less traffic and less engagement to your page.

You may be thinking to yourself that you’ll never buy in, but if spent wisely, this money is a solid investment. Statistics have shown that 16 percent of fans are reached organically on average per post on the site, and this number increases by 40 to 150 percent through paid advertisements.

An example of one business that is using this to their advantage is Atlanta Real Estate Forum. A product of mRELEVANCE, this Atlanta real estate news site has been promoting their weekly radio show posts for $10 a day, three days a week. In that time, radio show downloads have almost doubled, page likes are up significantly and these posts are reaching more than 50,000 people.

But, Facebook isn’t the only site that is “cashing in.” Twitter has started promoting users to pay for tweets and Tumblr charges for highlighted and pinned posts. They’re getting away with this because they know you’ll keep coming back for more, and of course, they’re in the business of making money too.

If your business is looking to effectively monetize your social media program in 2013, visit www.MarketingRELEVANCE.com to learn more about how we can help you.

Email Marketing For Home BuildersBy BDX Guest Blogger, Carol Morgan, mRELEVANCE

Wish there was an easy way to keep prospective, past and current clients updated on your company? Newsletter eblasts are a great way to spread you important information quickly. Email marketing campaigns reinforce brand, increase customer loyalty, help your company stay top of mind and even help with referrals for new prospects. Emails are also a great way to drive traffic to your website, blog, social media sites and your sales center.

Before you get started on your next email marketing plan, there are a few things to remember. First, you need to make sure your email pieces are catchy and creative, so that customers will not only open them, but also remember them. It is also important to integrate these emails with your overall marketing strategy. Companies can easily do this by providing links to various online assets. Finally, your emails need to be mobile friendly. The majority of emails are read on a mobile device, and if yours doesn’t display properly, it will more than likely go straight to the trash.

Once you have your content planned, you will need to consider your target audience and the frequency of which you plan to send these emails. You don’t want to send too many emails! Send just enough for them to remember you. Many experts suggest that sending emails at two week intervals or even once a month is sufficient. You’ll have to find out what works best for your company in terms of maintaining audience loyalty. If you offer a rewards program for Realtors, you should also consider offering specials and incentives in these eblasts.

In the end, the goal is to run a successful email marketing campaign, so you’ll always want to offer fresh eblasts, update your autoresponders and perform internal audits to make sure everything is running smoothly. You can also gauge your success through the metrics offered in email programs such as Constant Contact, Mail Chimp and iContact.

For good examples of strong email marketing campaigns, check out the ones offered by The BDX and Marketing RELEVANCE.

By BDX Guest Blogger, Carol Morgan, mRELEVANCE

Statistics have proven time and time again that home listings with photos sell faster than those without, which is why many homebuilders are rushing to sign up for new image-based social media sites such as Pinterest, Houzz and Instagram. And, with Instagram’s announcement of their newest feature, web profiles,  builders who aren’t utilizing this hot new tool should definitely add it to their to do list for 2013.

If you ‘re a little behind on the times as to what Instagram actually is, that’s okay. Now is the perfect time to catch up. Instagram is a free photo-editing and sharing app available on both Apple and Android devices. Users are able to snap a new photo or choose an existing photo, enhance it with editing tools and unique filters and then share it with the world. The app’s announcement of their new web profiles will only enhance the company’s strength because it will make it even easier for you to share your creations with more people.

So, how can homebuilders and agents use Instagram to help them sell their homes?

  • Give to new life to old photos by applying the app’s funky filters to them.
  • Snap photos at community events, throughout the building process, of new homeowners and of your homes and communities in general, then enhance and share them.
  • Run a contest. Ask people to take a photo of their favorite part of their home or your community and tag you in the caption to be entered to win a prize.
  • Share your Instagram photos through your other social media profiles.

Of course, promoting your Instagram presence will now be even easier thanks to the new web profiles. Make sure to include an Instagram social media button on your website, so that homeowners and buyers will know where to find you!

If you’re thinking of running an Instagram promotion or need help managing your social media presence, contact Marketing RELEVANCE.

By BDX Guest Blogger, Carol Morgan, mRELEVANCE

Is your home building business overwhelmed by social media? Many of you probably didn’t even hesitate before you answered, “Yes!” And, that’s completely understandable. In today’s society, builders now have to worry about more than just their website and sales center looking good. You also have to worry about Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and every other social media site that your customers could possibly be looking for you on. However, just because a social media site is the latest and greatest or you have one or two potential customers on it, this does not mean that your business should actively use it. As with everything else you do as a home builder, social media takes time and dedication to build a product you can proudly put your name on.

Contemplating joining that new social media site you just read about? Stop! There are a few considerations you need to take into account before loading your profile picture. First, are any of your buyers actually using this new network? If the site is popular among your customers and competitors, then it might be worth your time, but if not, don’t waste your valuable time and resources. Second, is the site suited to your content? For example, joining YouTube won’t do you any good if you don’t actually have any videos of your communities or ads to share. Next, is there any SEO benefit to being on the site? Finally, do you think this site will actually last or is it just a passing fad? Not every single social network is going to stick around, so make sure the ones you choose are unique and simple enough that they stand a chance of survival.

Ultimately though, your company blog should remain at the center of your social media marketing strategy.  Blogs provide a stable syndication hub for content. Additionally, they allow for better search engine optimization, help you to reach a wider audience, are more controllable and ultimately have a longer shelf life than other social media sites. Essentially, blogs are the starting point from which the rest of your social media content should come from, which means social media should never become more important than maintaining your company’s website or blog.

Social media is worth the time and effort as long as you know that the audience you are trying to reach is there to hear you. If you are a homebuilder looking to improve your social media marketing strategy or need help getting your blog up and running, contact Marketing RELEVANCE.

Carol Morgan Flammer is managing partner at Marketing RELEVANCE and author of BuilderBooks best-selling Social Media for Home Builders 2.0. Find her on Google+