As a homebuilder, you can’t let online marketing be an afterthought. Once you have completed the heavy lifting on a project, starting with renderings, land surveys, permits, on through the entire scope of a project, do not think that with the Certificate of Occupancy in hand, your job is done. Remember that in today’s arena, digital marketing for homebuilders is an essential lifeline to remaining competitive, gaining new clients and selling homes.
What Does Internet Marketing for Home Builders Entail?
A simple 411 would be to break it down as follows; Website, Blog, Email Capture, Social Media and an effective CRM. Will this expenditure just be another line item expense? The answer is no. On the contrary, it will add to your bottom line when done right. Internet marketing for homebuilders is a radical must.
Start with a website. Write a weekly blog and post it on your site in a prominent space. Use keywords in your blog posts in order for search engines to pick you up. You might be feeling like you are not a writer, so why should you have a blog? Write about what you know! Remember that your audience is looking to you for insider information. You have insight to offer into such things as the local real estate market, the manner in which best to work with contractors, interior designers that you can personally recommend, the sturdiest surface for kitchen counter-tops. The list goes on! Make the blog succinct.
Capture emails. One way to do so is to create a “learn more” or “sign up” call to action on your website or your Facebook page. Voilà, you have captured a lead. Linking to this email capture page from each blog post is a good way to turn interested browsers into potential buyers. This strategy should be an ongoing effort as a business owner.
Next, post your blogs onto your social media. While the list of choices for social media is growing, it would benefit you, as a homebuilder, to have at least a Facebook business page and a Twitter account. Daily active users on Facebook in June 2016 were 1.13 billion. Using Twitter as a B2C platform ranks second behind Facebook, worldwide, to generate business leads.
SEO for Home Builders
Now you’re on a roll. Visibility is the goal. To make the exposure to your site and blogs most effective, you must employ SEO (search engine optimization) in order for Google and other search engines to index your site and rank you high in “organic” search results. This is “free,” even though you have to pay with time or money to develop a good campaign strategy. To achieve this, research the most relevant keywords in your industry. Employ them not only embedded within the content you write, but more importantly you should write around them. In other words, create content based on what your consumer would be searching for. Get to know your customer and put yourself in their shoes. Imagine what you are offering and make a list. If your niche is high-end luxury condominiums in Miami Beach, keywords might be “spacious,” “amenities,” “concierge,” “luxury,” “rooftop pool.” To validate your research, there are free keyword search tools such as Wordtracker, Google AdWords, Wordstream, among others. Back check your list, modify as necessary, and start to write.
For further reading on homebuilder marketing, download our free homebuilder marketing guide below!
