e-marketing » NDG Communications, Inc.

In celebration of National Bike Month, we wanted to recognize our resident cyclist and fellow NDG team member, Steve Wilk!

Steve first started riding seriously in 1988. Shortly thereafter he joined the Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club, as well as the Snow Valley Spring Water Team.

Although he used to race, these days Steve prefers the occasional century ride. Last fall, he participated in the Sea Gull Century, a hundred-mile ride throughout the scenic roads of Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Unlike other sports, cycling doesn’t require a tremendous amount of skill or investment to get started, and it has great health benefits. It’s also an easy way to reconnect with the community, all while helping our natural environment by reducing our carbon footprint.

For Steve, the greatest benefit of cycling is being able to meet new people and see new things!

Click here to learn about other members of the NDG team.

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.

As we continue to explore social media marketing, I got to thinking about Klout—a service that measures your social web influence and scores you based on your Facebook and Twitter activity.

The service has many benefits. For brands, the service identifies your most influential topics and, more importantly, helps you build brand awareness by connecting with more influential people.

In addition, you can offer influencers a perk, then—assuming they like it—they will likely spread the word through their social networks. Since people generally value others’ feedback and recommendations over traditional advertising, that social share is great for your brand.

Currently, the makers of Klout are working to measure activity on Facebook pages, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress, Last.fm, and Flickr.

Klout is not the only service out there measuring social web influence. There’s also Kred and PeerIndex, to name a couple. Click here to read about similar tools.

Curious to know which homebuilders have the most Klout? Click here.

Over the last few weeks and months, the NDG team has been busy developing an incredible website for Brookfield Homes. The new site illustrates the Brookfield Homes’ Design is the Difference concept when it comes to their homes, floorplans, and communities. With an abundance of well organized, buyer-centric information, the new site makes it easy for prospective homebuyers to find everything they need in one spot and truly discover their very own “How, Why, & Where” with B rookfield Homes.

We are proud to have worked with the wonderful team at Brookfield Homes on the development of their new website—offering more convenience for their customers when researching a new home purchase.

Click here to check it out.

Earlier this week, Facebook announced that Timeline for brand pages will be pushed live on March 30.

One benefit to the new layout—photos will become a main focus. According to Dr. John Medina’s book, Brain Rules, “we learn and remember best through pictures, not through written or spoken words,” meaning better and faster brand recognition and engagement.

The purpose of the Facebook brand page will be less about selling and more about telling an authentic story and sharing your company culture. This is another opportunity to express what makes your company unique and build an emotional connection with fans.

Here are a few things you can do to prepare:

Start thinking about your company’s cover photo. It’s the perfect spot to showcase a new product or promotion.
Go through your company’s history and mark milestones to share on the timeline and show a more complete story.
Make sure all of your information, photos, and videos are up to date.

Check out the links below to learn more about Facebook Timeline for brand pages:

NDG Communications, Inc.

Tag Archives: e-marketing

Celebrating National Bike Month

Inspiring Others to Act

Which Realty Website is Best for Your Marketing Needs?

Warm-Weather Fun is just Beginning!

New Home Affordability Makes Owning Less Expensive than Renting

Brookfield Homes Launches New Website