By Adriana Espinosa, BDX

As the Internet of Things matures, home automation is disrupting how we interact with our homes in dramatic ways.

New home technology allows homeowners to control, program, and monitor homes to exact preferences without being there. Everything from thermostats to light bulbs to front door locks can be controlled remotely from a smartphone, tablet, and laptop/computer.

Despite the convenience in ability to control and monitor connected home appliances at any given moment, in house or remotely, not all homeowners are convinced of the benefits of this growing technology.

Dramatic increase in consumer spending

As the adoption curve matures, recent reports project huge market growth for connected home appliances over the next five years with shipments, Business Insider reported. Today there are 1.9 billion connected home products on the market. At the rate it is growing, reports estimate that by 2018, this number will reach 9 billion.

According to ABI Research, the home automation industry will reach $14.1 billion in revenue by 2018 – an estimated 11.5 percent increase from 2012. And as Forbes writer, Morgan Brennan, explains the managed subscription market (the industry’s top submarket) can anticipate a growth from the current 1.9 million annual shipments to 19 million yearly shipments by 2018.

With the integration of advanced technologies in home products, these upgraded smart homes are now hot commodities for early adopters who are ready to invest in premium products that enhance the functionality of their home by monitoring and controlling their home products with a click of a button on their smart phone or computer.

Connected products on the horizon now

Leading the way in the industry is the once mundane thermostat – a category that had been flat for decades. In the US, connected thermostats grew 107 percent during 2014. Brands, such as Nest Learning Thermostat and Honeywell Lyric, allow homeowners to pre-set temperatures around their specific schedules with access and control anywhere via smartphone or computer. This allows for an energy efficient cooling system saving homeowners on utility bills. In fact, Nest ensures savings of up to 20 percent while Honeywell warrants an average of $66 in yearly savings.

It does not stop with thermostats. Philips came out with its own programmable lighting system, Philips Hue, in 2012. As with most connected products, Hue is controlled via an app and can project a myriad of colors to best fit the mood through its LED lighting. It can even detect colors in photos and mimic lighting that best fits the color scheme in a given photo. In addition to its customizable features, Philips LED bulbs have a lifespan of 15,000 hours and use up to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. This longevity is a stark contrast to the 1,200-hour lifespan of incandescent bulbs.

Forgot to lock the door? There is an app for that too. Door locks, such as Kwikset’s Kevo and Lockitron’s Bolt, allow homeowners to lock and unlock the house from miles away by a flip of a switch on a supported app. Owners can also give third party access inside their homes remotely. This control provides much peace of mind as homeowners no longer have to worry about taking time out of their day re-checking their lock or exchanging keys as it is all monitored on an app.

Thermostats, lights, and locks are just the beginning for the smart home appliances. Homeowners can control everything from sound systems to security cameras to irrigation systems miles away from home.

Smart home technology has polarized homeowners

To gain a better understanding of shopper and homeowner opinions on connected home appliances, the BDX research team conducted online discussions with consumers around the country via its New Home Shopper Insights research panel. It quickly became clear that opinions are divided.

Home Shopper Insights panelist, Chris from North Carolina, explains why he supports smart homes. “Yes, I would consider investing in products that enable home automation. I am interested in anything that makes our lives more efficient and integrated. I’d like a system that can be controlled using our smartphones, laptops, etc. I would consider automating all of our appliances: the garage door opener, our thermostat, and the inside (and) outside lights.”

Other panelists, like Voltz from Nevada, express weariness of the connected home. “Thanks, but no thanks, to home automation systems. Houses are already complicated enough without adding more technology susceptible to breakdown, computer hacking, (and) invasion of privacy…”

The divided sentiments are a reflection of how most homeowners feel about home automation. Connected appliances offer convenience and a peace of mind of being able to control and program a home in a seemingly effortless way enticing owners to invest in this connected technology.

Building on the momentum of the Internet of Things, builders need to be aware of current market trends of connected home products as it continues to penetrate homes at a drastic rate. Awareness of home tech companies that promise data security is essential in providing quality products to homeowners everywhere.

Builders interested in conducting research through the New Home Shopper Insights panel can get more information by contacting info@thebdx.com.

 

BDX UniversityBDX hosts many free educational webinars to keep our builders up-to-speed on the latest Digital Marketing trends. If you ever have any suggested topics, we would love to hear them at Info@theBDX.com.

Here are our upcoming events for June and July — we hope you can join us!

Digital Marketing 101 for Small Builders – What You Need to Know
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
11:00 AM – Noon CST

Click Here to Register

With all of the digital marketing tools available for your business, you may be struggling with how to make sure that everything (and everyone!) is working together towards a common goal. During this session we will walk you through a digital marketing blue print for success from displaying your portfolio of work using the latest technology to understanding the marketing basics. You’ll leave this session better informed and ready to create a custom marketing plan for your business, improve your overall web presence and attract more home buyers.

Why Shopper Research Matters for Builders and How to Use It
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
11:00 AM – Noon CST

Click Here to Register

It’s easy for busy marketing leaders to discount the importance of consumer research, by saving time using “internal research” or even personal preference and judgment as surrogates for unbiased feedback from actual home shoppers. However, research is essential to long-term success and differentiating your brand and business in an increasingly competitive landscape. In this webinar we’ll review the primary functions of shopper research and explore their practical relevancy and importance to homebuilders. With the right resources, research is a quick and affordable tool to chart a more effective strategy and improve the results of your company.

Email Marketing is Not Dead!
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
11:00 AM – Noon CST

Click Here to Register

Email marketing is alive and well. In fact, in a recent study, 92% of home shoppers said that email was their preferred method for getting more information when visiting a builder’s website. But all emails aren’t created equal! Join our email expert Jon Odishoo for tips and best practices to make sure your email reaches your prospect’s inbox!

nhs-redesignDid you know that 35% of shoppers who searched for homes on New Home Source visited a builder within a week? In March 2015, NewHomeSource.com, the #1 new home site, shattered a 15-year old record with more than 1 million unique visitors in a single month. That’s the highest traffic in a month in the site’s history – and an impressive audience, given that only 529,000 new single family homes are forecasted to be sold in 2015*.

These stats are not surprising. The authoritative and complete new home listings on NewHomeSource.com offer homebuyers access to far more builders, new home communities, buildable home plans, and spec or quick move-in homes than any other resource. And with an overwhelmingly 63% of New Home Source site visitors preferring new homes, builders are connecting with highly qualified shoppers.

In addition to world-class new home real estate listings, more than 350 inspiring and informative articles, slideshows and videos at NewHomeSource.com/ResourceCenter answer important questions that new home shoppers have. Combined, the authoritative new home listings on NewHomeSource.com and this unmatched article content on new homes have clearly established NewHomeSource.com as The New Home Authority.

Are you ready to put the power of The New Home Authority to work for you? Contact BDX at info@thebdx.com to learn more about our listing solutions.

*Source: NAHB Housing Forecast, April 2015

 

A study by BrightLocal — an online agency, providing local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools — showed that nearly 9 out of 10 consumers read reviews to determine the quality of a local business, and 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from someone they know.

There is no doubt that your online reputation is important. However, many builders are not taking control of the situation.  If you’re not actively working to get new online reviews, you’re likely to see a few bad reviews overshadowing your hard-earned local reputation.

There are at least 3 reasons you should actively try to get reviews from your customers.

·As stated above, customers are looking at online reviews to decide whether to choose you as their builder. If your reviews are worse than your competition, you might lose a prospective customer.

·Reviews affect rankings in search results.  As you get more positive reviews, you will see rankings for your website increase in Google search results, as well as the rank of other sites with reviews about you.

·If you do not bolster your online reputation with honest, positive reviews, a few bad reviews may tank your reputation.

The following tips will help you get more reviews and take control of your online reputation.

1.     Meet and exceed your customers’ expectations, and provide them with a positive buying experience. The buying experience will give them something to talk about. Make sure they have plenty of great things to say about the process, and are not leaving the situation with a bad taste in their mouth.

2.     If you want reviews, you have to ask for them. Remember to follow the terms and conditions of all the websites for which you solicit reviews.  You can ask for reviews on most sites, except Yelp, and in no circumstance can you offer compensation for reviews. However, it’s always best to check the guidelines of a review site first.

3.     Determine strategic points in the buying process to ask for reviews. These opportunities will usually come at the peak of buyer excitement. For instance, customers are excited just after executing the purchase agreement and again, after the home delivery.  These are some of the best times to ask for reviews.

4.    Decide the best ways to ask for reviews.  For example, you can mention the review verbally in person, and also include a reminder in your next email with a link to the page where you’re hoping to get a review.

5.     Include links to your preferred review sites — like your Google Plus, Yelp and Facebook page — in your email signature.  For every email you send, this will subtly remind the client that they have multiple opportunities to review you.

6.    Be specific on what you would like the client to review (Sales process, Warranties, etc.), and make it easy on the client by sending them a link to the specific review site in question. To build a strong reputation across multiple review sites, ask different buyers to write reviews on separate sites.

7.    Ask open-ended, yet specific questions that are likely to lead to longer, more detailed reviews that will help your rankings. For example, you might ask, “Could you share your home buying experience on Google +?” or “Could you tell us how we did throughout the delivery process on Google+?”text-box

8.    NEVER ask specifically for positive reviews, as this violates the nature and integrity of online review sites.

9.    Turn all feedback into a review. If a customer gives you praise via email, with the client’s permission, use that as a testimonial on your website or sales collateral.

10.  Send a follow up survey to your customers. Make sure there is a place for them to leave comments along with an opt-in agreement that authorizes you to use the comments in promotional materials. You can then post these comments to the reviews section of you website.

11.  Don’t be afraid of reviews that are not 100 percent perfect. The home building process is a long, complicated and human business. Honest reviews that reveal minor flaws will feel more authentic to the future buyer.

While all these tactics are great ways to garner reviews, implementing all of them may leave your customers feeling bombarded by sales people asking for reviews. It’s crucial for you to look over these tips and choose that ones that work best for your business. From there, you can determine how, and when, to implement them into the sales process.

Developing a great reputation comes from hard work, and years of experience. However, selling that reputation in the online sphere is easy. With these simple tips, you will start to see reviews popping up throughout the web, building a strong foundation for your online reputation.  Need help managing your online reputation?  We can help! Contact us at info@thebdx.com.

chain linkIf you engage in any type of online marketing, you have probably heard of link building. You may have been contacted on LinkedIn by a company offering to build links, or seen link building sold as part of a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) package.

So what is link building?

Google and other search engines count links to a page as endorsements or votes. As a website earns quality links, its domain authority will increase making it more likely that the site will rank for its targeted keywords.

What is a quality link?

A quality link is an inbound link from a website that’s relevant to your brand, product or industry. When it comes to home builders, for example, a link from a local chamber of commerce to your site is a quality link that makes sense. However, a link from a small web directory or comment on a random blog is not the type of link search engines deem as quality.

Link building continues to be the best way to increase rank and visibility for a website, and should be a key component of any SEO strategy. Beyond the SEO gains that come from attaining new links, building links also increases brand awareness and drives potential customers to your website.

How can a home builder gain links?

For home builders, local link building is the way to go. Home builders want to send ranking signals that allow them to rank for local keywords. By getting links from local sites, Google will view this as relevant to that area. Below are a few examples of ways to build local links.

  1. Partners

Reach out to other companies you work with and ask for a link. Many businesses have a webpage dedicated to the companies they partner with. This is often an easy place for your partners to link to you. However, if such a page doesn’t exist on your partner’s website, another way to easily acquire a link is to send your partner a positive endorsement. Simply send them some praise that they can add to their website. Then, have your partner include a link back to your site by attributing the quote to you and the company you represent.

  1. Community Involvement

Chances are you are involved in the surrounding community in some way. If you aren’t, getting more involved will do a lot more for your brand than any amount of SEO. Think about sponsoring a local charity or hosting a local event. You can create a scholarship fund and give it to a local student. But no matter what role you play in your community, there’s opportunity for link building, and it’s important to create online connections within your community.

  1. Professional Organizations

Within the community, it’s important to seek out and establish an active presence amongst local professional groups such as a home builders association. Oftentimes, by becoming a member of your BMan with Digital HouseBB, local chamber or other professional organization you can gain links from relevant sources.

  1. Content Creation

Create localized content on your site in order to become a community resource. Think about your typical customer and create content that answers the questions that they might have. For example, you can create a relocation guide that will make moving to your city easier, or you can offer move-in tips that suggest the best local moving companies to work with.

Help prospective clients get to know the area by making lists of top things to do, best restaurants, etc. and be sure to interview local experts. For example you can ask a local interior designer for tips on decorating a new home. Once you create all this content, people will share it and link to it as a great resource. When you mention a business, let them know. They are likely to link to the content as well.

  1. Press Releases

Have some news to share? Create a press release and submit it to your local papers and professional organizations. You can contact your local paper directly or do a paid press release online.

  1. Citations

A citation is not always a link, but it serves a similar purpose. A citation is simply your name, address and phone number, or NAP, listed somewhere online. To build citations, claim your address on Google Local, social media sites and other directories. Make sure your NAP is exactly the same on every site and that there are no differences in abbreviations like Ct. vs. Court. A consistent NAP helps Google to identify and recall your information correctly in the search results.

  1. Competitive Link Building

Use a tool like Open Site Explorer that will show you links that your competitors are getting. Mine this list of competitor’s links, and see what links you can also get by reaching out to the webmasters of these sites.

As you can see there are many ways to build links to your website and with just a few links you should be able to start seeing results. However, keep in mind that link building is an on-going effort that requires patience. Even after links are built, it takes time to see results. Contact us at info@theBDX.com if you need help with linking building or SEO!