It’s a common question and I’m sure there are some people that would say, “All of them!”  Just like with print advertising, too few impressions won’t give you the impact you need. One business card ad in your local paper won’t give you the same bang as a full page spread.  Conversely too many impressions can be overkill. Do you really need a full spread, every month to be noticed and convey your message? Probably not.
At BDX we won’t sell a builder more than 30% Share of Voice (SOV) or 30% of total impressions per market. At that level a builder is guaranteed to appear on every page above and below the fold and from the data we’ve seen even at this volume campaigns still perform well. Meaning that performance at 15% is the same as at 30% but with just fewer clicks…

Shortening the Ad Window To Improve Performance

However, we have seen performance suffer on campaigns with too small a SOV if not properly managed. For the BDX that means shortening the window on our smaller buys. We’ve found that we can drive more clicks for our smaller buys by reducing the advertising window to  15-20 days instead of a full 30. It equates to more impressions per user and stronger performance overall.

The Impact of Good Creative

I’ve consistently seen that creative is the strongest driver of performance and even a small campaign can perform well. Once you’ve established the right site and the right message it’s easy to scale.

In Summary – Focus On Frequency

With the right site, high frequency appears to be the right move. We’ve seen a similar trend in our retargeting and the performance of our VAN advertisers (who advertise across a network of vetted real estate websites).  Our retargeting audience is self-qualified and we’ve seen high frequency against narrow windows have very positive results. Builder advertisers on the VAN are successful because in addition to a large SOV these ads reinforce the builder’s listings on those websites which also improves conversion.

For me when testing new sites I think you can learn a lot in a one month flight and a strong SOV. In the end you’ll know where you stand or if you need to tweak your message.  I recently heard of a builder who will cut the number of websites they advertise on by 70% in 2012 choosing to focus on those few that drive the greatest value.

If you have questions about marketing strategies or advertising with BDX contact Thane Tennison, Advertising Manager for the BDX Network.

Almost every day I receive a phone call from a potential home buyer looking for information on a new home they found while shopping on Realtor.com.

This morning it was a man looking for a home in Wesley Chapel, FL. Yesterday it was a woman interested in a home outside of Philadelphia. I find this surprising because the only way the consumer can find my phone number is by leaving the listing and selecting the Contact link for corporate information.  I know they’d prefer to call the broker but they can’t find the broker’s phone number, email address or website. These potential home buyers are forced to find another solution and I can hear the frustration in their voice when they finally end up talking to me.
Working in an industry that is always trying to maximize site conversion and improve lead performance, I find this surprising. How many customers do you know who will take the extra steps to find an office phone number?  Most will simply leave and move on to another home that’s more accessible.  Those who continue to search and ultimately call the wrong place are probably the very consumers that the builder/broker really wants to reach. Clearly, they’re motivated and looking for information.  It makes me think of all the homes that don’t get sold because we make it hard for the consumer to connect with us.

Realtor.com offers builders and brokers a product to remedy this. Their Company Showcase listing is the easiest way for a builder to enhance their listing and drive more meaningful activity to their onsite sales agents. It’s an essential and affordable solution for anyone listing a home on the MLS.

Listings that are “Showcased” have a number of benefits over standard listings. Most notable is Contact Information above the fold and prominently displayed. With a Showcase listed property, consumers can call, email, visit a builder’s website or complete the lead form.

Other features include the ability to display up to 25 photos per listing– 4X the number of photos displayed on a standard listing.  Showcase listings also allow builders to include links to their social media sites and include a Rider Sign on the Search Result Listing Pages.

The Rider Sign allows builders to brand their listings on Search Result pages by prominently featuring a logo and headline on each listing. Since Realtor.com is the largest real estate website in the world and endorsed by the National Association of Realtors this feature alone provides tremendous value. It means your listing and business will be seen by more home shoppers than anywhere else.

I know many builders are always launching new sales promotions and offering discounts to entice buyers.  Could the solution really be as simple as including your phone number and email and making it easy for the consumer to call you?  After all, they were already on the world’s largest real estate website shopping for homes in your market and price point.

If you have questions about marketing strategies or advertising with BDX contact Thane Tennison, Advertising Manager for the BDX Network.

Tracking Ad PerformanceHow do you measure the success of an advertising campaign in traditional, offline media? This is something advertisers and media companies have struggled with for years. The question: “What is the value of a billboard or a newspaper ad to this exact customer?“ can be very difficult to answer.

However, in the online space it’s never been easier to map and track the entire buying process. Marketers can see where their consumers are coming from and what actions they take.  You can identify trends common to site visitors that convert and optimize your site and marketing strategies accordingly to improve performance.

I find this process of analysis and optimization to be fascinating and insightful. However,, many of the advertisers I work with fail to measure the success of their banner campaigns. I’m often asked to just link to the homepage with no forethought on measuring performance after the click.  After all, some ads work better than others right?  As a publisher I’m constantly looking for ways to improve my site’s performance. Our entire team works hard to ensure the high quality of the traffic we receive.

MEASURING PERFORMANCE

Appending the click thru URL to your display campaign is an easy way to attribute action to the banner.  Google’s URL builder (Link) works with Google Analytics where you can set campaign goals and compare performance.

Why not just track “referring sites”? With online advertising you may not be able to track performance as a “referring site” because most ads are served through ad servers independent of the host website. Banners from NewHomeSource.com, for example, may appear as 247.OASRealMedia or Double Click. For banners on an ad network like our Vertical Ad Network (VAN) it can become even more complex as the ad passes through multiple ad servers. Using an appended URL is the best way to accurately measure performance.

It’s also important to define your campaign goals. This sounds very basic, I know, but if you’re looking for leads, does your ad take the user to a place where they can complete a lead form?  If the ad says “Find New Homes in Austin” does it link to the Austin market page?  Managing the consumer’s expectation of what they’ll receive when they click is very important to improving your performance on the front and back end.

Finally, recognize that not all consumer actions are equal.  You can get cheap, low quality traffic but it may not convert.  You’ll likely need to invest more dollars to persuade a consumer to complete a lead form as opposed to printing driving directions, especially if the lead form is lengthy or hard to find.

For advertisers on the BDX, we’ve consistently found that users who click on builder banners on from our site have a lower bounce rate, view more pages, and  are a better quality prospect overall for the builder. All of these are stats that can help a marketing manager document their campaign’s success.

If you have questions about marketing strategies or advertising with BDX contact Thane Tennison, Advertising Manager for the BDX Network.

 

If you’ve been following any of the news in online advertising, you’ll see that Google has been making an aggressive push to further its display advertising business. Already recognized as leader in organic and paid search advertising Google’s next frontier is display.

Display ads allow for the pull strategy of Internet marketing but have the same benefits of traditional advertising. i.e. I was exposed to a billboard and now that brand is top of mind for future purchase or action. In online marketing that’s referred to as View Thru, and there is a tremendous amount of evidence to show that it has a positive effect on a consumer’s search and purchasing behavior.

A report we reference often is from ComScore which shows an increase in branded keyword search and direct traffic to websites from advertisers who use display ads even though a consumer may not have clicked on the banner. i.e. I saw an online banner for a builder, didn’t click but later went Google and typed in that specific builder’s name, not just a ‘general’ search term. On, NewHomeSource we’ve also seen a lift in lead conversion from builders who advertiser with banner ads reinforcing ComScore’s findings.

With Google seeing significant value and opportunity in the space, shouldn’t you? Or maybe this whole online thing is still a fad.

For more information about launching your builder Online Advertising campaign contact Thane Tennison, Advertising Manager for the BDX.

Thane Tennison
Ad Operations Manager
“Harnessing the Power of Collaboration”

11900 Ranch Road 620 North
Austin, TX 78750
Direct: 512-651-8903
Cell: 512-787-7083
Email: ttennison@builderhomesite.com <mailto:ttennison@builderhomesite.com>

www.thebdx.com

newhomesource.com

newhomes.move.com

The Builder Vertical Ad Network is a new program developed by the BDX. Much like a builder can maximize their reach by listing on the BDX’s distribution sites the Builder Vertical Ad Network is a way for builders to maximize their exposure for display advertising by utilizing one point of contact for multiple targeted and tested websites. Contact us to get started.

Through our relationship with key distribution partners we have secured premium positions for display advertising on real estate websites that feature New Home listings. This represents a great opportunity for builders to enhance their listings and drive additional traffic back to their website. From the analysis we’ve conducted on NewHomeSource.com, we have identified a lift in leads from builders who also run display advertising we believe the same holds true for other sites.

The BDX advertising team does all of the work, managing placements, optimizing performance and providing reporting. This means that a builder can advertise with the BDX and have banners on multiple websites but only work with 1 point of contact and contract under one insertion order. Advertising across the Internet has never been easier for builders.

Current websites within the BDX Ad Network include Movoto.com, Blockshopper.com, HomeFinder.com, HotPads.com and BDX consumer retargeting.

Because we test and vet performance for each of our partners before inclusion into the network the BDX can offer a performance guarantee of .12CTR and can help with creative services utilizing the best practices from top performing builder campaigns. Download our one pager on the Builder Vertical Ad Network to learn more.

To get started listing on the first advertising network designed to help home builders contact Thane Tennison, Manager of Advertising for the BDX or your local sales rep.