HouseSo you’ve invested in high quality renderings and photographs! Congratulations! So… do you hear any crickets chirping? Having great art is a vital start- but you really need to start promoting your renderings and photographs through several different outlets to maximize your efforts and create some buzz. Get your houses and creative photography SEEN. Here are some tips that so you can make your renderings and photographs go viral!

  • Get Pinning! Pinterest is a GREAT way to showcase your images and organize them by different categories. Pinterest users are incredibly active spending nearly 15 minutes a sitting on the site and over 80% of them are women. This is great news considering that nearly 91% of all US home purchases are determined by women! Be sure to add photos from all of your floor plans- variation will ensure a large follower base of individuals who may only be pinning pictures of stunning kitchens or luxurious bathrooms.
  • Instagram, Facebook, TwitterChances are, you already have a presence on all of these sites. However, are you using them correctly? Hashtags (#), or for the non-millennials the pound sign, is a great way to keep your images organized and improve virality. But remember- hashtag etiquette varies between these sites. For Instagram and Facebook- it is a good practice to use multiple hashtags to convey the feel of your photos. But on Twitter- it is a best practice to only use one.
  • Timing is KEY! Research has shown that there are some peak times to post to social media to really get the most of your posts, tweets and pins. For instance, according to SurePayroll.com, the best time to post to Facebook is between 1-4pm resulting in higher click-thrus. Twitter’s window of opportunity tends to be Monday-Thursday between 1-3pm. Saturday mornings are the sweet spot for Pinterest. Since social media is likely a key component of your customer engagement strategies- post at these best times to maximize your reach!
  • NewHomeSource “Home of The Week– The best of the best photos are showcased on New Home Source’s Home of The Week that includes a high-quality slideshow that are full of facts about the home and surrounding area. So how do we choose the next “Home of The Week”? If you think one of your homes has what it takes, make sure your NewHomeSource.com listing is up to date with photos of exceptional quality. Not only will it help you to be considered for the next email, but will also help drive and engage traffic on your listings.
  • NewHomeSource TV– Why not go a step further and show off your homes in video? NewHomeSource TV is the perfect way to target the most important demographic that influence home purchase decisions- women! NewHomeSource TV, the companion television program to the leading new home website NewHomeSource.com, provides a glimpse of the latest floor plans, design trends, green features and neighborhood amenities from the new home builders across the country. Architects, designers, contractors and other experts will also contribute to the show by highlighting the more subtle benefits of today’s new homes, such as modern construction techniques and the lower cost of living that comes with owning a truly new home. And with NHS TV expanding into even more markets this fall- now is the time to be a part of the action!

One of the most appealing things about new construction is the constant photo-ready qualities of both the inside and outside of the homes. They are pristine, brand new and oh-so inviting. Invest in renderings, video and photography and then start promoting them to showcase your homes! Contact us today at info@thebdx.com if you are ready to invest in the big picture.

NAREE 2014 Award CeremonyWe are so very pleased to announce that our very own Patricia Garcia, BDX Content Manager, and New Home Source received the Gold Award for Best Newsletter on Friday night at the 64th Annual Meeting of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) in Houston.

This is the pre-eminent award for real estate journalism. The program honors excellence in reporting, writing and editing stories about residential and commercial real estate. A panel of judges from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University selected winners. Patrick S. Washburn, a former news reporter and editor and a professor emeritus, chaired the panel.

More than 300 journalists from leading media and industry leaders from around the nation attended the event. Patricia and Jay McKenzie, BDX Director of Content, were both panelists at the event. Patricia also represented New Home Source ably in a fast-paced series of three-minute Meet the Press interviews. Leaders of realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, Homes.com and several MLSs and brokerages were present as speakers, panelists and attendees.

In presenting the Gold Award to Patricia Garcia for the New Home Source Home of the Week eNewsletter, the judges stated,

“This e-newsletter offers far more than its home of the week feature. It covers the hottest trends from cool gadgets and gizmos to the future of the mortgage interest deduction.”home of the week newsletter

In the above photo, Patricia has just received her well-deserved award. Standing between Jay and Patricia are Ken Harney, a columnist for New Home Source, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and many other leading newspapers across the nation. Next to him is Michele Lerner, a frequent contributor to New Home Source, New Home Source Professional, Fox News, The Washington Post and REALTOR Magazine.

NAREE is a non-profit journalism organization founded in 1929. A list of all award winners can be seen at: http://www.naree.org/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=Association%20Headlines&refno=151

Congratulations, Patricia!

leadsYou’ve made an investment to drive leads to your business, but do not stop there! Implementing a strong lead follow-up process is critical to getting a strong return on your investment. This is especially important since the home buying cycle has gotten longer and many shoppers will take 9-12 months before making a purchase decision. Continually nurturing leads throughout the sales cycle is critically important. Read on for helpful tips to connect with buyers from click to close.

Did you know that 48% of sales agents never follow up on a lead that comes in? This is a huge missed opportunity for your sales pipeline! Can you afford to not engage with these potential buyers? 25% of sales agents will only make 2 contacts with the home shopper. If a buyer is not planning to make a purchase decision until 9 months down the road, 2 contacts is simply not going to cut it! 80% of sales are made between the 5th and 12th contact. Call and email multiple times – you will thank us later!

Tracking Leads
How are you keeping track of your leads? If you sell more than 50 homes a year, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a must. There are many cost effective CRM solutions available today such as Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Sales Simplicity, Sales 1440 and Builder Trend. These systems allow you to track and nurture leads in an efficient and organized manner.

Following Up
Time is money and the quicker you follow up the better first impression the buyer will have of your company. When you respond to leads within 15 minutes of submission, you are 4 times more likely to contact and qualify the lead. Having an internet sales counselor or someone that is dedicated to monitoring the online leads is a great way to make contact in a timely manner.

In your first initial contact make sure you use a catchy subject line, personalize the email by using the customer’s name, include links to interactive media, have a strong call to action (i.e. come to an open house or make an appointment) and include all contact information so the customer can choose any which way they would like to connect with you. Above all else – keep it professional!

Nurturing Leads
As we mentioned previously, since the buying cycle is longer, you will need to nurture the leads that come in for a much longer period of time. BDX has great content and messaging for builder clients to use from the Start Fresh. Buy New. initiative that shows why buying a new home is better than resale. It is important to highlight the benefits that a new construction home provides: the low cost of ownership, quality construction, energy efficiency and better floor plans. Remember, your competition isn’t the builder down the street, it is resale homes.

Interactive content keeps prospects engaged and builds trust in your brand. To accomplish this, use videos to tour the community, highlight company history or showcase green features. Videos don’t have to be of high production quality and can even be done from your phone.

Additional ways to nurture leads throughout the sales cycle include:

  • Adding the prospect to your community e-newsletter
  • Create social media campaigns targeted to home buyers to get them to engage with your brand
  • Invite prospects to open houses/community events

Implementing some of these simple tips will keep your homes and brand at the top of your buyer’s mind when they are ready to purchase. Be sure to check out our recent webinar for more best practices and strategies for following up.  Also, see this article from online marketing expert, Mike Lyon, about how to turn online leads into buyers.

Unsure if your lead follow-up strategy is making the mark? Contact BDX at Info@theBDX.com today for an assessment.

 

computer-click In an effort to make accessing BDX marketing materials easier, we have transitioned the Partner Marketing Kit from the HBA Portal to the BDX.com. Now all you have to do is visit http://www.thebdx.com/hba-Partner-Kit to find articles, webinars, advertising templates and consumer facing content from our Start Fresh. Buy New. campaign. The site can also be located by visiting theBDX.com and going to the BDX Quick Links in the top right hand corner of the page > HBA Partners. And the best part is there is not a login for you to remember!

If you would like to request a customized piece of collateral, please contact Ashlei Valles at AValles@thebdx.com.

As you know, signing up for listings on the HBA site, New Home Source and Move New Homes is free AND if the builder upgrades to the full BDX bundle we share that revenue back with you. Signing up for a free listing is quick and easy, by filling out the form at www.theBDX.com/Free.

Check out the new site today and be sure to book mark it! http://www.thebdx.com/hba-Partner-Kit

Please note that since all content has been published on theBDX.com, we will no longer be adding or updating materials on the HBA Portal site: hba.thebdx.com.