Tag Archive for 'new home sales marketing'

NDG’s Red Hot Online Marketing Strategies from IBS 2010

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by
NDG
on January 25, 2010
in advertising, e-marketing, marketing, new home marketing, new home sales marketing and real estate marketing
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A huge thank you to all who attended the Red-Hot New Home Sales and Marketing Solutions seminar with Myers Barnes and Jim Adams at this year’s International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. We appreciate your time, and we’re confident that if you employ the tactics we outlined in the program, your team will achieve online marketing success in 2010!

We know it seems overwhelming but, with a solid plan of action, and a commitment to seeing it through, your online presence will begin to pay measurable dividends.

IF YOU MISSED THIS YEAR’S SHOW: A complete PDF of the Red-Hot New Home Sales and Marketing Solutions presentation is now available for you to download at your convenience here.

And of course if you ever need help, NDG stands ready to create real solutions to your online marketing and advertising problems. You can reach us anytime at our website, on our Facebook Fan page, or by calling (877) 889-1848.

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Making Online Video Work for Real Estate

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NDG
on February 26, 2009
in articles
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Over at the FUTURE OF REAL ESTATE MARKETING blog, there is an excellent article on how best to use video in your online marketing. 129.5 million people watched online video ads at least once a month in 2008, and that number is rapidly rising. Guest blogger Kurt Weinsheimer shares the six simple rules of online real estate video that will help you achieve a real competitive edge during tough economic times.

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Relocation in 2009

Published
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NDG
on February 24, 2009
in articles, marketing, new home sales marketing and real estate marketing
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Relocations are a big untapped market for many real estate firms. The recent National Association of Realtors Profile of Buyers and Sellers provided statistical data that indicated a strong correlation between the relocation market and Realtors (as opposed to homebuilders, developers, or others).

Our Conclusions regarding Relocation:

• Realtors have the best access to relocation buyers

• Buyers are five (5) times more likely to make their first contact a Realtor rather than a builder

• 11% of all home purchasers cited Relocation as the primary reason for a home purchase

ANALYSIS AT-A-GLANCE

Method of Home Purchase:
• 81% - From a real estate agent or broker
• 54% - Of new home buyers used a real estate agent or broker
• 10% - Directly from builder or builder’s agent

First Step Taken During the Home Buying Process:
• 33% - Search for homes via the Internet
• 17% - Contacted a real estate agent
• 03% - Contacted a builder or visited a model home

Resources Used When Searching for a Home:
• 87% - Internet
• 85% - Real estate agent
• 22% - Homebuilder

Where Buyers Found the Home They Purchased:
• 37% - From the Internet
• 33% - From a real estate agent
• 07% - Builder or builder’s agent

Internet Resources Used:
• 60% - Local metropolitan MLS websites
• 48% - Realtor.com
• 46% - Real estate company websites

DATA SOURCE:
The 2008 National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

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Today’s New Home Buyer

Published
by
NDG
on February 12, 2009
in e-marketing, marketing, new home marketing and new home sales marketing
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Things are Changing Fast.

Here are some fast facts from the National Association of Realtors on how new home buyers are shopping, and their expectations:

Buyers are now 1000% more likely to find the home they purchase on the Internet than in a newspaper.

Buyers are now 3200% more likely to find the home they purchase on the Internet than in a real estate publication or magazine.

Buyers are doing more research: 16.5 weeks in 2008, compared to 12.1 weeks in 2007 and only 6.4 in 2006.

Buyer expectations for online response have increased: 68% expect response within an hour, and 96% expect with in 4 hours.

The new home shopping and buying experience is now largely an Internet experience. If the experience you’re offering your prospects isn’t clearly superior to that of your competitors, isn’t it time to Get Real about your online sales and marketing?

Data courtesy NAR 2008 Buyers and Sellers Profile

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Real Estate Industry Expert Myers Barnes Publishes New Book

Published
by
NDG
on January 28, 2009
in marketing, new home sales marketing and real estate marketing
. 1 Comment

Industry expert and one of NDG’s most respected mentors Myers Barnes has just published his latest book, New Home Sales in a Nutshell.

Myers is the guy that everyone in new home sales turns to for training, inspiration, and the insights that help turn average salespeople into true super-achievers. His new book delivers truly effective strategies for success in a challenged market. We’re confident that New Home Sales in a Nutshell will have new home salespeople closing sales like clockwork, and happy to give our endorsement of this leading industry figure and his exceptional new book.

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NDG takes GOLD at the Nationals Awards

Published
by
NDG
on January 22, 2009
in Awards, new home marketing, new home sales marketing and real estate marketing
. 2 Comments

The Nationals is the nation’s largest competition for new home sales and marketing, and is presented by the National Sales and Marketing Council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). This year, NDG received a Gold Award for our work for the Kaine Homes website, in the category Best Website for a Builder.

Prior to the new website’s launch, the previous Kaine Homes website received approximately 3,000 visits per quarter. The new website has been promoted via email, print, direct mail, corporate collateral, and even via social media sites such as Youtube. Site visits rose to approximately 6,000 in the first quarter after launching the new website, and recently measured approximately 12,000 discrete visits per quarter.

We’re happy to share this recognition with Kaine Homes and very proud of our achievement of the Nationals Gold Award.

Click here for a complete list of the 2009 Nationals Awards Gold Award Winners.

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REACHING OUT TO REALTORS, Part 2

Published
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NDG
on January 22, 2009
in advertising, marketing, new home sales marketing and real estate marketing
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In this post, we continue our discussion of how to properly reach out and engage Realtors in your sales process.

Remember, what the realtor wants more than anything is more REFERRALS. Even with cash incentives, the realtor may feel compelled to pass on some or all of this benefit to their client to get that coveted referral. So if you can structure a program that offers the realtor other incentives in addition to bonuses and good commissions—such as trips to a spa, or travel gifts—you’ll provide a spectrum of rewards that will help you attract more realtors.

And, if you can provide just as many rewards for the realtor’s clients such as upgrades or additional options, or help with costs or down payments, you will have given the realtor every reason to bring clients to your property.

Contact is also very important—It’s not enough to have just an introductory event and send out an occasional postcard. Create events that encourage realtors to bring their clients to experience what your community has to offer, and do them more often. Provide give-away gifts or drawings that reward both the realtor and client for attending.

Always remember: Providing incentives is the key to successful realtor outreach, and that without realtor participation, you’re missing possibly more than 50% of your potential sales.

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Reaching Out to Realtors

Published
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NDG
on January 20, 2009
in marketing and real estate marketing
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Here are some cold, hard facts about New Home Sales in the 21st Century: Nationwide, more than 50% of all new home sales have been through a realtor. In fact, some builders have seen his figure rise to as high as 90% over the past year. Why is this the case?

In our challenged marketplace, with the overwhelming negative press the economy and the housing market have received, prospective buyers are now simply afraid, and feel that they must have representation to help them buy a home, and protect them from what they perceive as predatory sales people. This perception, while not often based in reality, is not one that will go away any time soon.

So, to market new homes, we must have a complete and easy REALTOR OUTREACH PROGRAM that clearly tells the realtor two fundamental facts:

First: What’s in it for the realtor? Offer clear incentives—a co-op percentage, bonuses, and any other incentives like trips, etc—real motivators for the realtor to bring prospects to your property, and put them right up front in all of your outreach.

Second: What’s in it for the realtor’s client? What can you do to help with price reductions, closing costs, financing, etc? And can you offer more options or upgrades?

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Show Me the Way, Part 2

Published
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NDG
on January 15, 2009
in marketing, new home sales marketing and real estate marketing
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By following some basic rules, we can ensure that we see real returns on our signage investment, ensure that we’re giving sales staff everything they need to get traffic flowing, and remove any room for excuses. Here are some more fundamental rules for making sure that we get the most from our signage.

TEMPORARY SIGNAGE:
These signs, while temporary, are absolutely invaluable for driving traffic. They include A-frames, flags, spinners, etc, with messages such as “Now Open”, “Event Today”, “Decorated Model,” etc, and they should all naturally list the property name and contact information including phone number and website address should those interested not have time to stop for your event.

PROXIMITY BILLBOARDS:
Outdoor signage like billboards can be very cost-effective. Rather than using these signs as branding for your company’s offerings and lifestyle, etc, these should be used as very large “directional” signs that are simple, basic, and to the point: “OPAL POINT / NEW TOWNHOMES / NEXT LEFT” and of course, again, you must include the property website address.

READABILITY & CONSISTENCY:
Finally, what makes signage effective is ensuring that it is engaging and attention-getting while also being easy to read, easy to pull the essential information from (see the criteria for “Entrance Sign” in our last post), and ensuring that all signs are consistent—that is, that each clearly looks like it came from the same property. When signs do not appear to be all from or for the same property, they are confusing to the prospect. And, consistency helps build recognition, further maximizing your investment.

There are of course more kinds of signage, and things you can do with them, but these are the essentials you must follow to make sure your new home sales signage is really working for you as hard as possible.

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Show Me the Way: Effective New Home Signage

Published
by
NDG
on January 13, 2009
in marketing and real estate marketing
. 0 Comments

What brings traffic? Quality websites that are optimized for search engines to find easily. But beyond that, the second biggest source of traffic is still the most fundamental and traditional type of advertising: Signage. We often make many excuses for why traffic is down, and usually the culprit that sales people point to is “poor signage.”

By following some basic rules, we can ensure that we see real returns on our signage investment, ensure that we’re giving sales staff everything they need to get traffic flowing, and remove any room for excuses. If your website is pulling qualified traffic and your signage is too, then the only thing left for salespeople to do is close the deal. No more excuses. Here’s how NDG Communications makes signage work as hard as possible.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF NEW HOME SALES SIGNAGE:

THE ENTRANCE SIGN:
The entrance sign must be highly visible, easily readable (even at 55mph+), share product type, amenities, phone number, and most importantly, the website address.

MODEL/SALES CENTER SIGN:
The model or sales center sign must include model name (if applicable), hours of operation, phone number, and again, most importantly, the website address.

DIRECTIONALS/BANDITS:
Directional routes should be well mapped out. Directional/wayfinding signs should help buyers find your communities and capture buyer interest in your property. These signs also let “drive-by” prospects know there is a home on the market in the neighborhood. The signs should be clear and easy to read; 20×24 is recommended. And, the routes should be driven every weekend to ensure proper placement of signs.

Stay tuned for the second half of this article.

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