Q: Our marketing budget has been scaled back significantly and I’d really like to keep our company’s name out there. I keep hearing about social marketing, but I don’t really know much about it. How do I get started?

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.