SMC - Marketing

Feeling like a needy chick?

By: Melissa Stockstill, WCN Interactive

You sit. You wait.

They used to call.

They don’t anymore.

Where did they go?

So you eat an entire box of chocolate and wait some more….

If you are feeling like a needy chick there might be a reason. The reason is not that the customers are gone. They just aren’t where you expected them to be.

They are in your email inbox.

In today’s busy world, most of us don’t have time to pick up the phone. We have become a nation of voice-mail-leavers, so used to not speaking to people when we finally do pick up the phone to call.

So, email becomes the preferred method of communication. The beauty of email is that after working all day and then coming home to take care of the family, shoppers can sit down when they are all put to bed (including their husbands) and leisurely read/send emails. They can do it on their schedules and at their own pace.

This usually happens between 8 - 10 pm.

The challenge is that in this world of instant gratification, they expect a response within 2 hours or less. This is a golden opportunity for builders who are looking to differentiate themselves in a challenging market.

A few builders have figured out that an internet sales person is the solution to this particular problem. The ideal candidate should have excellent written communication skills and be internet/email savvy. They should be able to assist fielding leads from the builders’ site and listing sites like Move.com and set appointments for the sales staff at the model homes. Of course, it goes without saying that the internet salesperson should work a schedule that can accommodate the greatest number of internet leads (based on the info above; that more than likely means second shift).

More and more builders are beginning to realize that emails are no longer an inconvenience in between potential buyers cruising a model home. They are the new source of qualified leads. Each email represents a customer who has shopped that builder online for at least 3 months and is ready, willing and able to be a closed sale.

Are you ready?

Internet marketing and real numbers

There are few things that can send chills down a professional marketer’s back.

Advertising? Isn’t that what Darren from Bewitched did? He would look at a product and come up with a snappy slogan, a print ad and there you go. Insta-success!

Many of the hallmarks of advertising come from the 1960’s- like print ads and 30 second TV spots- are the go to solutions for many builders and marketers today. Savvy marketers know that today’s market place demands more from marketers because we are competing for the attention span of a consumer who is constantly bombarded with messages.

Those who know best how to do more with less have updated their marketing tool kit to better communicate the benefits and features of builders’ homes.

Surprisingly enough, not every builder has one. According to the Institute of Residential Marketing, over 80% of prospects shop online for their homes. It takes months before buyers even contact the model centers after careful shopping.

Not only is a website the keystone of a solid marketing plan, but it is also the most trackable. Good marketers know their web analytics like unique hits per day like the back of their hands. Solid strategic decisions can be made based on analysis of your web trends like when to launch a new promotion.

In the 90’s the online mantra was, build it and they will surf. Today’s internet is filled with so many sites that optimization is a necessity if your prospects are going to find your site. In simple terms, optimization means how high you rank on a page if someone ‘Googles’ your company or industry. It is also an ongoing process because the search engines periodically change the criteria they use to rank websites (and each major search engine like Google, Yahoo, and MSN use different criteria).

While some industries may be behind the power curve in SEO, according to According to The Wall Street Journal some forward-thinking expecting parents are even optimizing their children’s names to ensure that their kids won't face too much competition in securing a high search rank. What's the perfect baby shower present for a soon-to-be newborn that has already been search-engine optimized? Buy the Web domain that matches their name.

Direct email is quickly overtaking direct mail as the method of choice for marketers who are looking to deliver customers highly targeted messages. Marketers can rent email lists, but it is more cost effective to develop your own list using your website to solicit prospects to sign up for more information. From this point, marketers should segment the list into various demographics (e.g. age, gender, etc), develop targeted emails, and create a compelling reason for the prospect to remember the builder or even visit a model home.

(Caveat: Make sure that you do your research and are in compliance with SPAM laws before undertaking a direct email campaign.)

This is just a sampling of some cutting edge marketing techniques that are garnering results in the marketing and building industries. There is an appropriate time and place for traditional marketing and advertising techniques; but in today’s marketplace it is important to use every method available to reach out to your prospects and give them one more reason to choose you.