You may have noticed that the BDX has begun sending out our Hot Homes E-blast in select markets. We’ve seen requests regarding how to get a placement in our market-specific emails. As a result, I’m writing this as a simple explanation of the process that we take to creating and sending them out, as well as tips to getting your hot homes listed with each release.
Let me preface this by saying that our goal is to do good by both builders and home-shoppers alike, meaning that the BDX will place no favoritism upon any one builder when choosing what offers are best and will give no preferential treatment to any builder for any reason. The end goal is simply to get the maximum amount of homes listed for all interested builders and to get those homes sold to interested customers.
The Hot Homes eblast is a free service for our builders and is distributed monthly in 12 major markets. As the program develops we plan to roll out additional markets. The program is designed to promote those homes that builders have identified as ‘Hot’ and to help advertise Special Offers and Promotions listed on NewHomeSource.com.
In creating these eBlasts, I compile a list of the best Hot Home deals by market directly from the website. Any Hot Home or Promotion that is compelling and I believe will drive consumer action will be considered. With this in mind, any listing that is not completely filled out (i.e. has an empty description or title), or only includes filler such as an address or “schedule an appointment” has little chance of being included. They are less compelling and have shown to have a lower click thru rate. Both the description and title of your Hot Home should be completed to the best drive consumer action. Also, ALL CAPS and using excessive amounts of !!!’s has not shown to improve clicks or performance.
In contrast, I find that the offers that have the strongest performance in terms of click-thru action have strong call to actions in pricing point, home description or evocative imagery. For example, titling your home something as simple as “Own a New Home for as low as $679 a month!” has show strong performance and will drive traffic. In direct comparison, using something generic like “Affordable Monthly Payments” would not receive as strong of performance. Home-shoppers like numbers. Tell them why your pricing points will appeal to them.
In addition to low-cost promotions other offers are also compelling to consumers. This can be achieved by saying something as simple as “Only 2 Lots Remaining” or evoking a strong image of what makes the house stand out above other local homes. Examples such as “Huge Gourmet Kitchen with Granite Countertops” have also seen strong response rates.
For information about adding Hot Homes & Promotions to your listings on NewHomeSource.com contact your Account Manager to take advantage of this free service.
–Jamie Lintner
Using banner advertising in conjunction with your BDX Listings is proven to increase the number of leads you receive by up to 40%. But not all ads are created equal. These companies have implemented strategies designed to draw in the consumer and encourage action. Choosing just 10 banner ads to highlight wasn’t easy — there are a lot of good examples to choose from. But these companies really caught our eye for their innovative uses.