Can your marketing control the housing market? If only. But there’s plenty you can accomplish with strategic marketing that’s going to serve you well as the market continues to shift. Of course, you’re on top of things. And while this checklist doesn’t cover it all, maybe it will help you find a place to take things up a notch.
What Homebuyers Need From Your Brand Today was about listening to your homebuyer customers’ needs – online, in person and making your content messaging “about them.”
This time, it’s all about you.
How does your brand show up?
No brand presence is perfect, but this isn’t the time for weak links. Scour the website and your community for how potential buyers may encounter your brand. If you aren’t looking your best, we get it. But fix it now – because that’s what your competition is doing.
Website – desktop and mobile
- First impression
- Load time
- Test everything. Everything.
- Does the home page need to be refreshed to respond to the market?
- Do all links, forms and CTAs work?
- How easy is it to find a home or neighborhood?
- Are plan photos and descriptions compelling and accurate?
- Does the content, blog and otherwise, tell a strong and differentiating brand story?
- Is your Realtor® section what you need now?
Search – organic and paid
- Where do you show up, and for what?
- Who/what ranks higher than your brand?
- How might a buyer search to find you, and are you findable?
Reviews
- We know, it’s not always easy. But it’s important.
- Google, Facebook, Yelp, BBB, Zillow, etc.
- Are reviews being monitored and efficiently responded to?
Facebook – organic and paid
*If you don’t know how to view Facebook paid ads, scroll to end of this blog.
- Does content align with your brand strategy?
- Header image – is it current, and is there a description and link?
- About information – is it up-to-date?
- Content quality – is it on-brand and more than “just another builder post?”
- Do the links and CTAs work?
- How are community comments being managed?
- Is there a smooth handoff to a sales agent?
- Description
- Grid quality
- Do images inspire, delight, motivate?
- Link tool – do you have one and does it work?
- Highlights, Reels – are they current?
YouTube
- Header image
- Video quality
- Playlists
- Descriptions
- Is it optimized to drive traffic?
- Links – do they work?
- Are there other videos you can add?
Traditional
- Billboards
- Print ads
- Signage – onsite, models, amenities
- Fence wraps
- Print ads
Read to shop?
Unless you’ve done this recently, it’s time to secretly shop your online and onsite experience – from social channels, chat and email signup to phone calls and model home visits. You need to know what your prospective customers experience – and how that stacks up to what they find with your competitors.
A deep dive into how your customers experience your brand right now can go a long way in helping prioritize your marketing attention. And can help your team keep selling houses as we go into the last half of the year.
Wick Marketing has served builder and master-planned community developer clients for 27+ years, in good markets and the more challenging ones, too. We’re here to be your thinking partner, strategy team and the ones you want in the trenches with you. Reach out to Barbara at barbara@wickmarketing.com or (512) 479-9834 if we can support you. We’d love to help!
*How to view active Facebook ads for any page:
- Navigate to brand’s Facebook page
- Scroll down to “Page Transparency”
- Click “See All”
- Scroll down to “Ads From This Page”
- Click on “Go to Ad Library”
