If your brand isn’t active on social media, you’re already missing out on high-quality leads. Over half of today’s home buyers use social media to aid in the home buying process. If you’re ready to take advantage of this cost-effective and engaging digital marketing trend, keep reading to learn how savvy homebuilders drive leads using social media.
Why is Social Media Effective for Builder Marketing?
Given that 63% of home buyers use social media to assist in their home search, this outlet is one of the most lucrative digital marketing tools available for today’s homebuilders. Social media is an always-on option that not only gives homebuyers the chance to engage with their preferred homebuilders and properties online but also share their favorites and gather real-time feedback from co-buyers, family and friends.
Many shoppers are on social media from the beginning of their journey. At least 49% of home buyers use social media as a tool very early on in the research phase of home shopping. What this means is that today’s homebuyer is cutting out the middleman using social media directly to make critical home-buying decisions.
Which Social Networks Should Homebuilders Use?
According to recent research, 60% of home shoppers found builder marketing content on social media useful. That’s no small number! Each of the following social platforms have its own special features and nuances that help propel your homebuilder marketing forward.
Regardless of which media you use, all of your social posts should incorporate a call to action that points your buyers to the next steps in the home buying process (especially your builder website).
One of the best features of using social media for lead generation is built-in analytics which tell you at a glance how your marketing efforts are paying off. For example, Twitter provides detailed analytics for your followers and activity. Let’s briefly look at each recommended platform.
Facebook is the largest and most well-known social network operating online today. Facebook caters to casual users who spend more time networking with family and friends, sharing life stories. Use Facebook to share long-form content and create business pages, as well as groups to facilitate community engagement.
Instagram, another popular social network, caters to a different social crowd. Instagram is a fast-moving visual content platform, excellent for sharing high-quality renderings, walk-throughs, and other stunning images to catch your homebuyer’s attention. Use Instagram to share medium to long-form content.
Twitter is a user-friendly network catering to a professional audience of over 330 million monthly active users. Twitter is a fast-moving medium that businesses can utilize to boost brand awareness and sales. Use Twitter to share short-form content, high-quality images and community polls.
Final Thoughts
Now that you understand the basics of why you should be using social media to drive more well-qualified leads, here are four ways to leverage social media and keep those hot leads rolling in!
1. Manage your brand – Tell your homebuilder story to show your audience who you are.
2. Share content – Impart useful content related to the home buying process and brand-specific information.
3. Share experiences – Provide a way for buyers and agents to share their experiences. Gauge your customer’s sentiment around your brand by monitoring critical conversations and audience engagements.
4. Engage with followers – Ask and answer questions of your followers directly to learn what their most critical home buying pain points are.
What not to do – One thing not to fall victim of, and plenty of builders do, is to overload your content with ‘Buy Now’ initiatives. We all want to highlight our new model homes and current upgrades & promotions, however, such a small percentage of your current home shoppers are in the ‘Buy Now’ phase of their journey, so you risk the content not being relevant or even worse, turning them away from your brand.
BDX provides custom social media solutions designed to meet your marketing goals which ensures you are only paying for what you need. Our services include an in-depth discovery call, management of owned social media channels, Facebook Ads management, and impactful reporting to monitor your success. Ready to get started? Contact a BDX digital marketing expert today!
