Network With Realtors on Active Rain

We all know about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the other big social networking sites.  But did you know that there is social networking site dedicated to the real estate industry?  Active Rain is a powerful social networking site with thousands of Realtors who are on Active Rain looking to network and connect with other real estate industry professionals.

As a builder, you have a huge opportunity to network and connect with Realtors in your area and all over the country.  Go to Active Rain now and create a free account.  Get involved in the community and start networking with Realtors in your area.

Home Builder Internet Marketing- Find Out Who’s Searching

The Google External Keyword tool is a powerful search engine marketing tool, that allows you to see how many keyword searches go on in your area.

Wondering if there are people searching for homes in your area?  Watch this video to find out how to use the Google External Keyword tool for your business.

Ever Wonder How Google Pay Per Click Works?

Understanding how Quality Score works and how to optimize your Google AdWords campaigns, can have a powerful impact on your Click Through Rates and the amount you pay per click.

In this video, Google Chief Economist Hal Varian, explains how Quality Score works and some great tips on how to get the most of our your PPC investment

Your Most Powerful Marketing Asset

It is so easy to get overwhelmed with all the awesome marketing tools, ideas, and possibilities that are out there because of the Internet.  It seems like every day there is some new online service or software being launched.  It can be a full time job trying to keep up with all the latest and greatest internet marketing strategies.

These tools have completely revolutionized the way we view and think about home builder marketing…Not only that, but  they have allowed small builders to even the marketing playing field with the big boys.  I’ve seen small regional guys, with a tenth of the marketing budget of a big builder, with better websites and online presence.

Even though these internet marketing strategies are exciting and cutting edge,  there is a very powerful marketing asset that most builders have been naturally developing, but haven’t leveraged for their own success.  It’s not as “sexy” or innovative as internet marketing , but if used properly it can be the most powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.

You Are Probably Sitting On A Gold Mine

Without doing a lick of lead capture or internet marketing, the most  powerful marketing asset you already own is your current list of  home owners ,  Realtors , and other industry contacts.  Think about it for a second…what is the best kind of lead you can get?  A referral of course.  So who better to give you a referral than the people you’ve done business with in the past?  If you’re not actively  and consistently marketing to your list of contacts, you are missing a MASSIVE opportunity of capturing more referrals and increasing your sales.

That’s why one of the first things we do with clients is organize their contact database and put them on a system that makes it easy for them to communicate with their current contacts.  The result is almost magic…website traffic, leads, and customer interaction immediately go up.

So are you taking advantage your company’s gold mine?  If you’re not, make a goal to begin doing something today.  Start small.  Send out a monthly or quarterly enewsletter.  If you don’t like writing, hire someone to do the writing and manage the process for you.    It’s powerful and it works.

Internet Marketing is Overrated

If you’re a home builder, you’ve heard all the reasons why you should be doing internet marketing.  After all 90% of home buyers start their home search online and there are thousands of people searching for homes in the areas you probably build in.  Even though the Internet has become a powerful marketing medium, most builders who try internet marketing usually fail miserably and waste money in the process….there is a very simple reason and ironically it has nothing to do with the Internet or the number of people searching for homes online.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

The search numbers are staggering.  I have done keyword analysis for home builders all over the country.  I’m stunned by the sheer number of people looking for new homes in even the smallest of metro areas.   So if people are searching for new homes online in record numbers, why are builders who are doing search engine marketing, pay per click, blogging, etc are not getting the results they want?

Simple.   Internet marketing by itself is overrated.  In order to be truly successful online, not only do you have to be in front of the thousands of people searching online, but you must also have a way of capturing leads and converting those leads into sales.

Stop Spending.  Start Planning

I’m amazed at the amount of money that builders are spending on websites, search engine marketing, and other online marketing services without having a system  in place for capturing and managing the leads.   It’s like sky diving without a parachute.  You can do all the training, you can learn all the techniques, you can have the perfect jump out of the plane, but if you don’t have a parachute all that other stuff isn’t going to matter…the result is going to be predictable.  Similarly, you can have the best SEO guy, you can be a Social Media guru, or blog until the cows come home..without lead capture and lead development you will fall flat.

So before you spend another dollar on any kind of marketing initiative you need to ask yourself some very important questions:

1.   Is my website structured and designed to capture leads, or is it just an online brochure? Will the people who I have spent money to get to my website have an easy way to submit their info and contact me?

2.  What am I going to do with the lead once I receive it?

3.   Do I have a system and/or the man power in place to follow up with those leads over a long period of time?

If you can answer and address these questions, you are on your way to online marketing success.  I’ve seen it first hand with clients.  After implementing some lead capture and lead management strategies, I’ve seen clients double and triple their leads without spending a dime more in marketing.

So go ahead, take the plunge into internet marketing…but don’t forget your parachute