With 10.4 million monthly visits originating on mobile devices, Trulia is releasing a new ad platform that will allow advertisers/homebuilders to place geolocated ads on the most trafficked pages of the Trulia smartphone app and mobile website.

Mobile banner ads will appear above search results mapped by zipcode and will show a contact name, phone number, and photo.

Why is this such a big deal?

• 30% of Trulia’s weekend traffic is from mobile devices
• Homebuyers searching on mobile are 60% more likely to take the next step
• Mobile searches have grown by 250%

However, it’s about more than advertising to mobile users—it’s about offering content specific to a user’s geographical location and tapping into the buyers who are most likely to visit your communities and homes.

Click here to learn more about Trulia’s new geolocation
mobile advertising platform.

It’s no secret that homebuyers are using their smartphones and tablets to conduct new home research and to find new homes while visiting neighborhoods. With ownership of smartphones and tablets skyrocketing, mobile advertising has now become an effective way to create brand awareness and generate sales.

Here’s some recent news about mobile trends we wanted to share:

• Tablet owners say they are less likely to use a laptop or desktop computer after purchasing their tablet.

• 70% of mobile searches result in action within one hour.

• What works in traditional online advertising will not necessarily be successful with mobile campaigns.

What’s the conclusion we can draw here? It’s that if you haven’t started seriously considering mobile advertising, now’s the time. Mobile is where you want and need to be to connect with savvy new home buyers on the go—and now at home as well.

Click here to learn more about how you can use mobile advertising to connect and engage the right buyers to generate real results.

What inspires people to buy your product? Chances are, it’s the very same thing that motivates you to build that product.

According to Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action,” people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. It’s a concept he refers to as The Golden Circle.

Every company or organization knows what they do, most know how they do it—but very few, Sinek says, know why they do it.

A real world example? Take Apple.

Apple is a successful, innovative company with loyal customers. What sets them apart from other computer companies? Instead of simply saying they make great computers, Apple starts with their why—challenging the status quo.

Apple’s goal—and your goal—is not to do business with everyone who needs your product, but rather people who share your “why”. This is especially true for a purchase as important and personal as a new home.

Your “why” gives your customers something to relate to, it encourages them to act, and can lead to greater brand loyalty. It’s also what truly sets you apart from other homebuilders.

What’s your “why”?

Click here to read more about The Golden Circle, or click here to watch a video where Sinek shares more on this concept.

On Friday, several NDG Communications team members and I attended the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit on Intelligence & Insights on the Future of Communications at Gannett headquarters in McLean, Virginia. We learned some interesting new things and found affirmation about the effectiveness of tactics we’ve begun to employ for our clients—and ourselves.

For example, when it comes to online content, presenters reinforced the importance of micro-targeting—the more focused and relevant the conversation, the better the engagement and response. Make your messaging so specific to your target audience that they not only read it, they start to see themselves in it.

In terms of social media engagement, we were reminded of just how critical it is to talk to and about your prospects. Research has shown time and again that when companies talk about themselves, engagement drops. But, talk about your buyer—what’s important to them, what’s trending in their world, what keeps them up at night—and watch engagement go up!

Click here to learn more about the event.

Infographics are hot on the marketing scene right now. An infographic is an eye-catching graphic representation of information, trends, or statistics. Whether for real estate, healthcare, or any industry, infographics can make facts and figures much more interesting.

Lately, I’ve had the pleasure of designing a number of new infographics, including this one detailing some fun facts about our agency’s culture.

How can you make infographics work for you? First, the text in your infographic should be brief, representing the basic facts and figures you wish to convey. Second, successful infographics offer intriguing titles and perspectives about topics that draw people in. Third, effective infographics are presented in a visual style that delights and inspires.

And when it comes to building links and generating online publicity, infographics have the power to take your message viral, especially on social networks. Marketing doesn’t get any better than other people spreading your message for free, and infographics are one thing that people definitely love to share.

Click here for more insights into how infographics can be a smart and cost-effective vehicle for marketing your brand.

Are you looking for the best and most cost-effective way to promote your services and real estate listings?

See how Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and others rank from a realtor’s perspective at InmanNext Agent.

As this new article reveals, 88% of homebuyers use the Internet in their home search, causing many of the above websites to flourish, but which one is best for you and your clients’ needs?

Click here to read the full story.

With consistently warmer temps, sunshine, and blue skies, the plants here are blooming, and most of us here at NDG Communications are spending our time after hours outside enjoying this wonderful weather.

From taking walks with our pets, to barbecuing with friends, and shopping for beautiful flowers and fresh produce at area markets, the fun is really just beginning here in the Washington, D.C. area. And, being so close to our nation’s capital is a major plus this time of year as so many of us enjoy seeing the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin, in addition to visiting our bountiful area parks and museums, and even riding bikes along the National Mall.

Other NDG team favorites:

• a nice picnic outside, complete with snacks, games, and best of all, kickball
• golfing, fishing, and riding dirt bikes with the kids
• going to the beach or pool
• canoeing on the Potomac River
• visiting wineries

What are your favorite things to do this time of year?

Still trying to convince prospects that it’s time to buy? Here’s huge news: homebuyers can now own a home for the same price as renting—or in some cases, even less. Affordability is at an all-time high, and the cost of renting will soon exceed the cost of owning for many people.

According to Trulia’s newly released Winter 2012 Rent vs. Buy Index, homeownership is more affordable in 98 of the nation’s 100 major metropolitan areas, with Honolulu and San Francisco as the only holdouts.

The Winter 2012 Rent vs. Buy Index tracks renting vs. buying affordability based on asking prices for rental and for-sale homes between December 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012.

Ready for even more convincing news? Click here for more on national—and even some localized—renting vs. buying trends, or click here to view an interactive chart displaying each city’s index value.

Micro-blogging service Twitter turned 6 years old this week (though the service was actually launched to the public four months later).

Many people, myself included, were “Twitter naysayers” when the service first rolled out. With a majority of users at the time employing Twitter as a public diary of banal topics, and with the only access to the platform via a desktop web browser, it was difficult to imagine Twitter ever being more than just a niche social network.

But in six short years, Twitter has become a staple in many people’s lives, having become the locus of their communications—socializing, newsgathering and vetting, and general information sharing. Today, Twitter has 140 million users and delivers 340 million tweets per day, up 40% from just six months ago.

Instantaneous interconnectedness is what Twitter serves its users, and in turn, the world. And perhaps one of the biggest reasons for this success was the massive and unrelenting rise of mobile technology.

Twitter truly was born for mobile, before there was a mobile web world. It’s easy to forget, but Twitter was launched almost a year before the very first iPhone, before mobile apps, and before the “mobile technology” culture that has grown exponentially over the past few years. It is highly likely that Twitter could never have become the valued property it is today without mobile integration.

As a result of Twitter going mobile, the service can be accessed anywhere at any time, meaning fresh news and sharing can happen almost instantaneously. In fact, big news often breaks first on Twitter now, before it could ever be reported via radio, television, or even mainstream news websites.

So, happy birthday, Twitter. You’ve changed the world for the better, improved communication between individuals and groups, and even aided revolutions that overthrew oppressive regimes. Not bad for a six-year-old.

We’re excited to announce that NDG Communications client Kitty Hawk Land Company‘s Viniterra community in New Kent, Virginia, was featured in the Virginia Golf Report this month.

The article highlights the environmentally sustainable community and its two “glistening centerpieces”—The Club at Viniterra designed by Rees Jones and New Kent Winery.

Click here to read the entire story.