Inbound marketing can be an effective tool for home builders. According to data from Hubspot 42.2 percent of companies using inbound marketing increase their lead-to-sale conversion rate, and 49.7 percent of companies using inbound marketing increase sales within seven months. But what is inbound marketing, and how can a builder use it?
Inbound marketing is the act of aligning online content with your customer’s interests. Builders can do this by developing an online presence through their home builders website and social media accounts to attract the type of people they want as customers. But even without a large online presence, builders can still use inbound marketing techniques to cultivate leads and get new customers. To prove it, here’s a hypothetical.
Say a potential home buyer discovered you—through print, referral, your home builder’s website or Hoodle—and has contacted you to talk about a home. Congratulations! Your efforts have paid off! This is your chance to stand out from the other home builders and make a connection with your potential customer. You can use these manual inbound marketing techniques to cultivate your lead and turn your potential buyer into a happy customer.
Get to know your home buyer
Start a conversation with your home buyer. Ask what he or she is looking for in terms of price, features, style and area. Doing this gives you insight into the buyer’s thought processes and builds a connection with that person. How buyers answer these questions also tells you how serious they are about using your services.
Today, buyers are generally more educated about the requirements to build a home. But as a home builder with years of experience, you can still act as a friendly voice of authority by offering tips and suggestions. For example, if a buyer wants to build a home to support a five-member family, you may want to suggest that they consider adding more bathrooms, larger bedrooms or different appliances. The buyer will be grateful for the advice and will remember you for it.
Ask how they found you
Keep track of how people find your business. If you’re paying for a form of advertising, but no one mentions learning about your company from that source, you know to spend your money elsewhere.
Share information, and keep it
Getting your potential customer’s name and phone number are no-brainers—but don’t forget email. Share your email and online information as well. Tell the buyer how they can best contact you. Give them links to your home builder’s website, to pictures of your past homes or to your Hoodle page.
Cultivate your lead
Builders should stay in touch with serious potential leads and continue to provide new information to them. Follow up on first contact within 24 hours by email. Thank the potential buyer for contacting you and for their interest in your work. Once again, send them your contact information and links to photos of your past projects and your home builder’s website. Mention that you plan to get back in contact with the buyer by phone or email in a few weeks to check in and offer additional information.
It may take the potential buyer weeks or months to decide on a builder. During that time, make sure to stay in contact with the buyer, either by email or phone. Keep the potential buyer informed of new projects you’re working on that may be similar to their own. Offer to meet in person and give a tour of a similar home. Do NOT repeatedly ask if they have chosen a builder. Be casual about the process. The point is to build trust, ease worries, and continually supply the buyer with new information.
Also, keep in mind that if you already have a home builder’s website, Hoodle page or other way of collecting data and contact information, many of these techniques can be automated through calls-to-action on your webpage. Cultivation can also be automated through scheduled emails. Several websites and email providers offer this service for free.
These techniques help builders become part of the home buyer’s decision-making process. By being part of the process, the buyer is more likely to trust you and work with you to build the best home. And in today’s world, trust is as important a factor to a home buyer as paint colors. Become an active, defining figure in a home buyer’s process and watch your business grow!
For more information about inbound marketing and how it benefits home buyers, check out these sites:
5 Reasons Inbound Marketing is the Wave of the Future
Home Builder Marketing that Captures and Cultivates Leads
93% of Companies Using Inbound Marketing Increase Lead Generation
photo credit: 3D Realty Handshake via photopin (license)
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