“I need my website updated; I need a new website created.”

It’s been very exciting!!!! Plus, then you add social media in to the mix, and there is a flurry of other opportunities. I completely agree, that a good website is extremely important to have these days. A bad website can do a lot of damage; it definitely needs to be professional, and it needs to be a decent representation of your business. And, we all know people are tied to the web – Duhh. But, before you spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars on a redesign, or a spankin’ new site, make sure that it is critical to your sales process or your company’s growth. Does your website really play an integral part in landing new business or some other vital function to keep your business moving forward? Is there a huge missed opportunity because you don’t have a good website? Does your current website hurt you – turn business away? Does your site capture valuable leads that sales staff can work?

There are a ton of ways a website can be a big benefit, helping to bring in additional dollars, but if all it is is a glorified brochure, than you probably don’t need to be investing in a web revamp right now! If you have a basic site that does what it needs to do, even if looks a little 90′s or even 80′s, just make sure it’s worth the investment – not just a cosmetic make-over but an upgrade with substance. Also, if you don’t have enough bucks to extend beyond the redesign into marketing, you may want to rethink your decision to beef up or build the site. You can have the most gorgeous, interactive, engaging website in the world, but if you don’t drive anyone to it, or if it’s not built to good search engine standards, than fooey. What’s the point? IT’S NOT, IF WE BUILD IT, PEOPLE WILL COME process; you must show people the way.

Because a website can be a big undertaking, all I am saying is make sure it’s worthwhile – how do you know if it’s worthwhile – ask yourself, will it make you money? And that doesn’t mean just e-commerce. That can mean, with CEA for example, does this site accurately convey our capability as an agnecy, does it showcase our fine work, does it show our personality, expertise and company culture well enough that someone would e-mail us or call us? For an agency, these things are extremely important. Our website is a porfolio piece, and if our site wasn’t up to par, it could seriously injure us by giving the wrong impression. So the legitamacy thing, the need to impress thing, the collecting contact info thing – all vital to our business. We also market it online and in traditional advertising as well. Our website’s analytics system helps us better understand if our ads our working. That’s why we invest in our website; because it’s vital to our way of life. But to just have a beautiful trophy in the closet where no one ever sees it, well, than it becomes just another piece of not-so-important junk.

There is a psychological factor that comes into play when using personalization in marketing. People want to feel special, unique and understood. Marketing that plays on those emotions makes your company more favorable in buyers’ eyes. Personalization marketing campaigns allow you to tailor your message to each individual, pressing their hot buttons and piquing their curiosity. The buyers feel like you are really getting personal with them and know what they want, which reinforces their bond with your company.

While the product has many names, the best way to define Variable Data Printing (VDP) is personalized printing. It’s a form of digital printing that allows you to get personal with direct mail by playing on the needs and desires of each consumer, and communicates one-on-one with them.

VDP permits text and graphics to be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping or slowing down the printing process. People like to see their name. It grabs their attention leading to an increased response of 10-15 percent on direct mail campaigns.

Your mailer is designed with a basic layout displaying your marketing message. Each piece is then printed with a different person’s name and graphic that will appeal to the individual. For example, the mailer might say something like “Jill, join us for our model grand opening at ABC Community.” The piece might have the same layout as the others, but a few of the graphics are tailored to appeal to Jill’s interests that have been determined through a targeted list and database. It might have a photo of a specific model home that she would be interested in and lifestyle graphics that play on her emotions as a female.

Now you know about personalization and variable data printing, but how do you use these tools to enhance your marketing campaign? With a new four- letter word- PURL. A PURL is a Persistent Uniform Resource Locator, more commonly referred to as a URL or web address. Its function is to point the consumer to a customized landing page instead of directly to a company website. Consumers receive this personalized URL mainly by email or direct mail.

How many times have you gone to a general website and weren’t able to find what you were looking for? A PURL will help eliminate frustration and wasted time by leading consumers to the information they want to see, when they want to see it. What better way to get them plugged in than delivering it to their door! Studies have shown that over 80 percent of potential homebuyers start their search online, and nearly 33 percent of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online. Offering personalized web addresses provides them with the option to do both.

Here’s how it works. Jack receives a VDP mailer that invites him to type in his Personalized URL for more information (i.e. jack.hammer.abcbuilder.com). After typing in the PURL, he ends up at a landing page built specifically to match the direct mail piece that was personalized for him. Jack will then confirm his contact information and answer a few survey questions about what he’s interested in and boom… the next page that pops up has exactly what he was looking for; a specific community with a floor plan and amenities in his price range. Jack is also able to register for additional offers and promotional items as well. It’s faster, it’s easier and, most importantly, it saves Jack’s activity for additional
follow-up.

The hardest part of spending marketing dollars is actually seeing your return on investment (ROI). Studies have shown that there’s $122 ROI per $1 spent on marketing with PURL campaigns, indicating that they work. And the best part is they produce almost immediate results by tracking exactly who visits the web destination and what they’ve clicked on. This real-time data is used to send you comprehensive reports with campaign response rates, visitor patterns and detailed lead information allowing you to follow-up with sales leads as they come in. With traditional ways of marketing, it is difficult to track these results.

Times have changed and marketers need to know immediately what’s working and what’s not. They can’t wait months to find out. After all, there are such things as minute rice and instant pudding, why not instant leads?

It’s time to get real. People don’t communicate like they used to, and our marketing has to cater to that. Companies should not only be looking for new ways to get in the door of their consumer, but ways to interact with them. Everyone is looking to increase response rates, so why not put your money where your mouth is? Stand out from your competitors, be unique, and get personal!

Is this the best strategy to weather through the storm? The simple answer is no. In the current economic environment building name recognition and brand loyalty is crucial to empowering consumers to buy. Maybe its time to do some flood control with our marketing efforts by investing in a multi-channel advertising approach as opposed to fishing for the cheapest bait and hoping to get some bites.

A multi-channel advertising approach is the best strategy to reach consumers. It’s important to spend money on traditional advertising like billboards, radio, television and print to drive consumers to a web site. Once a company has saturated themselves in the market than social media is a viable option to continue promoting the business and attracting new business. Social media takes time to build relationships encouraging people to check out the company’s new Facebook, blog and Twitter accounts. The Internet has made unbelievable amounts of information accessible, but it also has contributed to the information overload consumers complain about, so it’s important to provide relevant information.

Now is the time to put a strategic advertising campaign in place. With so many businesses cutting their advertising budgets, think about the market share available. Also several media outlets are running specials or have discounted rates. Consumers are eager to hang up their rain coats and begin spending during sunnier days. Already, they have begun paying closer attention to their mailboxes and inboxes looking and researching for the best deals. A successful marketing campaign does not mean you have to purchase the Rolls Royce limited edition. Smart companies are advertising with al carte options that appeal to their mission.

So before allowing the rising water to swallow up advertising dollars, think about investing in a marketing plan that will have financial survivors shopping again.

A: Let’s face it, we’ve all run from traditional media. We’ve watched the real estate sections in our local papers shrink down to next to nothing. Our budgets have been butchered and our hands have been tied. Yet we are still expected to sell homes. That’s our job.

So how do we do it with such limited resources?

Today, we’re hearing more and more about social media, the next ‘big thing’ in brand marketing. It seems you can’t read a magazine or watch the news without hearing something about Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or blogs. Some sales and marketing professionals pass this off as yet another trend or fad that’ll be replaced by something else in the near future… maybe even as early as next week.

People said the same thing about the Internet 15 years ago.

Most people in the homebuilding industry tend to want to shy away from social marketing because it’s a tough thing to wrap their heads around. And that’s easy to understand because the very essence of social media flies in the face of conventional sales and marketing techniques. What successful social marketers need not only to understand but also to embrace is that today’s consumer is all about relevance—they’re looking to hear from people who understand what they are interested in, what they’re concerned about, what their aspirations are or what they love.

Translation: In the world of social media, sales pitches, price points, etc., are going to make you look bad.

Getting Started
There are a few things to keep in mind once you have made the decision to enter the world of social media:

• • Take your time—take your time to a) get used to the way things work and b) watch what others (i.e., your competitors) are doing. This will help you become more comfortable.

• • Keep it up—once you have made the commitment and started building your social media strategy, you have to keep it up. The more active you are, the more relevant you become.

• • Change your outlook—many marketers both In and outside the building industry are afraid of sites with user-generated content because they could become subject of very open and honest criticism. Challenge yourself to tackle such challenges very publicly as an open demonstration of your dedication to customer service—those who follow you online will take note of your responsiveness.

• • Use your imagination—go to sites like Facebook and Youtube to see what other builders have done. Don’t be afraid to borrow a concept and make it your own.

• • Keep it simple—whatever you say or do, make it easy to understand. Twitter limits ‘tweets’ to 146 characters for example. Consumers who participate in online communities are quick to filter out irrelevant messages.

• • Define yourself—Think about the best sales person you’ve ever met, or develop a set of qualities your ideal salesperson would have, and build your social presence on that premise. In many respects your website is your online face of your brand. Your social media persona becomes your online brand voice.

Best Uses of Social Community Sites
In traditional media such as print, television, radio, outdoor, each medium is best suited to a particular purpose, and the creative designed to support each one is different. The same applies to social media. Some sites, such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, are best used for developing a mass of followers and friends. Sites like Flickr and Youtube are better suited to generating a viral buzz. Here are some examples of how you can use some of the more popular sites to keep your name out there and gain fans.

Youtube
With millions of clips uploaded and viewed daily, how many of us have not gone to youtube.com to watch a funny clip or a music video? Now how does a homebuilder with no budget fit in that corner of cyberspace? Here’s a very simple example: One sales person we met went out and bought a $300 digital video camera. After a potential buyer leaves his community, he goes back to the model they were most interested in. He tours the home while giving a running narrative. He goes back to his office, uploads the video to Youtube, and sends the client a link in an email saying, “Hey there, it was great meeting you today. I’m sure you saw several homes in several communities today, so I wanted to send you a link to a video clip I shot of the Blakesmore model we toured…” By doing that, the sales person a) followed up, b) reminded the customer that he paid attention to what he liked, c) clearly stood out from the other communities they may have toured that day.

Do you have TV commercials? Post them. Do you have a closed-loop video playing in your showroom or model center? Post it. Have video footage of someone in your company conducting a home buying seminar? Post it all. Just make sure it’s not too long (5-7 minutes max) and make sure the quality is relatively good. You’d be surprised what people find interesting.

Twitter
As mentioned earlier, Twitter is best used to direct people to other sources for information. To become a most effective “tweeter”, you need to follow a lot of people, and you need to get people to follow you. Once you’ve created your account name (make it easy to identify—like ABCHomesDallas), search for people in your market territory—start with Realtors, or local news reporters for example—and start following them. Try to build up a network of at least 100 people that you follow in your first week. Then start getting people to follow you by ‘tweeting’ regularly with information such as links to:

• Blogs about the homebuilding industry you find interesting
• Online articles about home buying trends that consumers might find useful
• Your youtube clips
• Your facebook page

Remember, each tweet is limited to 146 characters, so try to include just a quick introduction such as “Here’s a great article about new home sales” and then paste the link. To keep the length of your links down, copy the original link and go to www.tinyurl.com and paste it in its converter. It will create a brand new URL that is significantly shorter. The more frequently you post and the more relevant the information you post, the more people will actually start following you, and that’s when you know you’re doing it right.

Facebook
The Mothership of all social media sites, Facebook has skyrocketed in both members and in cash value. Originally created as a Myspace for 20-somethings, Facebook has evolved into a sprawling online entity where friends can reconnect and keep in touch, and where brands can connect and talk to people who love them. In the consumer-to-consumer world, Facebook creates a forum in which people become friends with one another. In the business-to-consumer arena, brands give consumers the opportunity to become fans. To get started, search the site for current and/or recent home buyers and ask them to become fans. Next, turn to your prospects and Realtors. As you continue to grow your fan base, continue to give people a reason to check in with you—promote a webinar, post a why-buy-new video, field a survey, link to your blog. Just keep active and stay relevant. For instance, Jim Dietch of Tampa Bay’s Southern Crafted Homes has a fan base of just over 300 Facebook members, and has already attributed sales to his social media activity.

If all of this seems overwhelming and complicated, don’t worry. You’re certainly not alone. There are some fantastic resources online that can help give you more and more insight into the best practices of social marketing, and more and more books are being published every month. Countless companies conduct webinars—often free of charge—every week. So dig in, get connected and make friends and earn fans. You may be surprised to see just how many people really like you.

I’ve been getting lots of calls and emails from people wondering what is working in this tough market for new home sales. Several of my clients have done very well with their campaigns by utilizing our PURL technology. I have a recent case study I would like to share with you and explain the benefits of using PURLs. In addition to the instantaneous lead follow-up and outstanding tracking capabilities, this is the highest performing cost effective marketing technique available today. I’ll be giving a webinar later next week so if you care to check it out, just click on the link below.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/550382608

In this economy, I do feel that marketing is extremely important, and that doesn’t mean spending a ton to advertise and get your name out there. If you do choose to advertise, here are my five, somewhat random thoughts that you should consider:

1. Define a budget.
Before you decide to advertise, make sure you have a do-not-exceed budget in mind.
A lot of times, clients will call and ask for a plan or ideas before they have a budget. Chances are, you will get a proposal that far exceeds what you had anticipated spending or what you can afford. With a budget in hand, the planning and strategy process is much more concise and accurate.

2. Define a measurement of success.
If you commit $5,000 to a campaign, what would be a positive return on investment, and be realistic with your goals. The best way of setting realistic goals is to have some knowledge of the cost per “sale.” Make sure to share these goals with your marketing partners and your staff. Everyone needs to understand the company’s expectations and objectives; otherwise, you’ll never be able to measure success.

3. New business acquisition.
It will be important to understand when going after new business that the time investment and also the monetary investment will be greater. For people that don’t know you, it’s a much longer selling process. Another important point is you have to know who your target market is in order to go after new business effectively; otherwise you’ll be shooting blanks and wasting resources.

4. Leverage your database.
It’s surprising, but a lot of businesses neglect the potential for a successful database. Meaning, every customer, every meeting, every unit of traffic should be put into a database. Now, you can buy fancy software to track leads and sales, but really all you need is excel. Keep a running list of your past clients and new ones, their names, address, email, phone, what they purchased etc. And, try and keep this as clean as possible. Marketing to people that already know you, and better yet, have “used” your services or product in the past are golden! In comparison to new business, your database will have a shorter response time, and take less money to convert.

5. Always have a LIVE person answer your phone during normal business hours.
(ESPECIALLY IN TODAY’S MARKET!)
This is very important. For some reason, in a bad economy, even though everyone understands that people are losing their jobs, that companies are under-staffed and having to wear multiple hats, the expectation of better customer service is greater! Remember, that customers’ attention spans and patience levels are oftener shorter, and nothing is more annoying than an automated message. Sure, you can find the person you want to talk to you if you have their extension, but who really has that number? Whether it’s a cell phone you have strapped to you at all times, or whether all the employees chip in to answer the phone, make availability a priority. They can’t, and a lot of times won’t, buy from you, if they can’t talk to you.

Within a month, I had written my first national TV spot for SunJet Airlines (which shortly thereafter filed for bankruptcy—no fault of mine, I might add). Over the next four years, my fellow right brainers and I brainstormed and concepted our way to win over one hundred awards for creative excellence. We basked in our quirkiness. We celebrated our zaniness. We turned “the pit” into anything but the pits.

But then one day, all of that changed.

You see while my right brain was busy being all creative and stuff, my left brain secretly somehow had been playing its own little game. During client pitches, my left brain was paying attention to the research and the numbers and the statistics—all those things that made my right brain want to turn in to Jell-O. My left brain somehow taught itself how to connect those numbers to reason. My right lobe discovered my left lobe’s betrayal and they’ve been at war ever since.

My former creative partners insist that I have gone to the dark side.

But how can they? How can they not see the beauty in what true research tells you? Whether it’s a focus group or a mall intercept or a trend article or a fully blown-out quantitative target segment analysis or segmentation study (OMG, I’m drooling!), research tells a marketer so much. Not just about who your target is, but also about their media consumption, their interests, behavioral patterns—even the messaging that they’re most likely to respond to.

The right side of the brain, aside from tuning out all things numeric or analytic, doesn’t like that. Research brings out its defensive side, and the two sides argue.

RB: Well that takes all the creativity away.

LB: How so?

RB: I wanted to use a talking baby.

LB: The research shows that most women in our target demo expect to start a family within the next two years. Why can’t you use a baby?

RB: Well… because… because… well, it’s just not as much fun if it makes sense!

LB: Besides I think a TV spot like that would be great based on our media schedule. Our research tells us that we should be placing spots on networks like WE, Oxygen, HGTV, Food Network, Lifetime. They’ll LOVE your talking baby.

RB: Well that media plan isn’t very creative.

LB: Whattya mean?

RB: Well you didn’t really create it, did you? That ‘research’ of yours did all the work for you.

LB: I did plenty of work! I mean all those data fields didn’t cross-tabulate on their own!

RB: Ooh! Big word man!

LB: Look, why don’t we float the idea past a focus group to see if you’re on the right track?

RB: NO!

LB: Why not?

RB: Remember that last focus group when that one lady said she didn’t like the creative?

LB: Yes.

RB: I didn’t like her.

LB: Yeah, well, we ran the campaign anyway because you wouldn’t stop whining and it was a flop.

RB: When did you become… such a… such a… boobie-head?

LB: Boobie-head? Is that the best you can do, word boy?

And so on.

So anyway, when you’re trying to figure out your next campaign, take some time and do some research. It can make everything from your creative to your media planning and public relations strategies much more successful and on-target. Doing it right isn’t free—but if you take the time to work with someone who understands how to structure a research project effectively, the return on investment can be staggering.