With new tools and technology to rely on, marketing has come a long way in the past ten years. Here is how home builders can grow their list of leads and close deals faster.
1. Start Marketing Before Construction is Complete
The importance of a well-rounded marketing strategy for home builders can’t be overstated. Traditionally, many builders wait until completing their project before listing it for sale. The rationale for post-construction marketing is that potential buyers need a physical structure to see and touch, as visualizing the space from two-dimensional floor plans can be difficult.
We’re in a different age today—technology has made pre-construction marketing so easy and affordable that home builders simply can’t afford to market before a project is completed, or even started.
2. Create an Engaging and Valuable Website
Think of your website as your virtual office and showroom. Just as your physical presence must make a positive first impression, so must your website. It’s important to make sure that your website is:
- Easy to find. Most buyers find websites through search engines by entering keywords describing exactly what they want. Your website must be designed for maximum SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
- Simple to navigate. Internet users have brief attention spans. If your site is slow to load or hard to explore, you’ll quickly lose your viewer and a potential sale.
- Mobile-friendly. Much of today’s audience access the internet through their mobile device. If your website design is not optimized for a small screen, you could be missing a huge potential audience.
- Informative. Make sure your content is valuable and interests your viewer. Keep the “about us” part short and sweet.
- Visual. Show potential buyers what you have to sell instead of telling them. Use visuals like 3D renderings, virtual tours, and pre-staged imagery.Unless you’re proficient with web design, you’re more likely to achieve an optimized internet presence if you have a professional build your site.
3. Use High-Quality Photography and Aerial Imagery
Photography equipment gets more sophisticated every year—and your images say a lot about your product and professionalism. Make sure that what you are visually presenting has been captured professionally.
Drones are an amazing addition to real estate marketing. Aerial photography used to be expensive and difficult to accomplish in urban locations, but today, you can hire a professional drone operator who will produce images from all sides of your project. This is a remarkable way to display what’s for sale, helping potential home buyers appreciate not only the building but also the entire surrounding area.
4. Commission 3D Architectural Renderings
Photorealistic architectural renderings are one of the biggest marketing breakthroughs for home builders. It’s no longer impressive to present two-dimensional floor drawings or a flat artist conception of a future building’s façade. Now, three-dimensional renderings are phenomenal at taking lifeless images and turning them into something a buyer can visualize.
5. Create Pre-Construction Virtual Tours
Traditional video tours are like online open houses. Marketers use a video camera (or the camera on their smartphone) and walk from room to room, perhaps narrating as they go.
But video cameras don’t work for pre-construction marketing, as there’s nothing yet to see. That’s where computer-aided modeling comes in. For a small investment in your marketing budget, you get a big payback in having a virtual tour organized. It’s just a step beyond going from a 3D rendering to make your project virtually come to life. A talented producer can walk potential clients from front to back and from top to bottom.
6. Set Up Virtual Staging
Every real estate agent knows that furnished homes sell easier and bring higher prices than cold, empty houses. That’s why builders invest in properly staged or appointed show homes. Builders and realtors often spend thousands of dollars on furnishings, fabrics, and artwork to make these staged presentations as attractive as possible.
Did you know you can do the same thing in a virtual show home? It’s possible to stage a virtual 3D presentation that can pass as the real product. Advanced software lets you choose from a wide variety of pieces and colors so you can show your pending project in a perfectly staged setting. And the best part—other than convincing a buyer to close early— is that you won’t have to dispose of expensive, actual staging once the sale is done.
