At BDX, we have some pretty amazing people on our product teams. As part of our month of Marketing Madness, we’re taking the time to get to know them a little better and this week we spotlight our Website team. This talented crew is responsible for creating and building stunning websites for our builders that also showcase many of BDX’s other media and interactive products. Here are some of their favorite builder client stories and also a couple of fun facts about team members.
Team Members:
Rebecca: Sr. Manager, Retail Products
Kayla: Website Engagement Manager
Lorna: Website Engagement Manager
Hannah: Lead Implementation Coordinator
Janice: ISP Engagement Manager
Elena: SalesMaxx Engagement Manager
Debbie: Kiosk Engagement Manager
Team Song: Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons
Team Motto: Never let well enough BE enough!
What is your favorite room in your house and why?
Rebecca - My kitchen/living room! I have an open floor plan and love to watch hockey while cookin’ dinner - Go Flyers!
Hannah - My favorite room in my house is my office. It’s painted a light blue with some barn wood accents. It’s also my reading and painting room. My escape!
Janice – Backyard deck – I love sitting outside with a glass of wine and watching the sunset!
Elena – Our living area – it has a high-end AV and a fully stocked bar…never need to leave home.
When we’re able to travel again, where is the first place you want to go?
Rebecca - I’ve always wanted to visit Lake Tahoe!
Debbie - I want to go to California and see my parents! It has been almost 3 years since I’ve seen them and I really miss them.
Kayla - The Pacific Northwest has been on my mind for a while during quarantine. It would be nice to get outdoors in such a beautiful place after being cooped up for so long!
Lorna - I will go ANYWHERE! But I guess I would really like to go to Vancouver since I had that planned last year, but didn’t get to go.
Last TV show or series you binge-watched?
Kayla - My family and I are currently binging all of the Marvel movies using the Disney+ Groupwatch Feature. It is a great way to safely stay connected while we are apart. J
Elena – Attack on Titan
Hannah – The Blacklist
Janice – Big Sky – it rocked!
Q&A
Tell us a “Cinderella Story” – your favorite or funniest client story
Rebecca - This one is hard – it seems like all of our clients become old friends quickly and we always share lots of laughs! One that still makes me chuckle is when we were all getting used to Zoom Meetings at the beginning of quarantine, a builder used their personal Zoom account that they use to keep in touch with family. Their Zoom name ended up displaying as “Big Pappa-Sizzle” and stayed that way during the entire meeting. It was so awesome – and we still giggle together with the client over it today!
Kayla & Hannah – loved working with the Perkins Group on several of their development websites. It is a team of two sisters who complement each other and truly have the funniest dynamic. They came to the BDX office (pre-pandemic) several times and working on their websites felt like I was hanging out with my girlfriends. The website build went flawlessly and they were so happy and grateful they took our entire team out to dinner.
Tell us about a “Buzzer Beater” - a client/project that positively surprised you. What was the result?
Rebecca - I would have to say a recent website launch for VeraLux Homes. They challenged the team to develop new webPremium features that we didn’t have before – and we are in love with the outcome. This was the best example of listening to our builders as a team and ensuring the site is chock-full of engaging CTAs and user-friendly BDXLive-driven Community pages.
Kayla - I would say working on the website for Multi Area Development, located in Canada, was one of the most personal, impactful projects I have worked on. It challenged me to rebuild their current site, which was quite large, while also working on multiple product and CRM integrations. We’ve continued to develop this relationship and support them as they grow and sell out of their communities.
Janice – SJV Homes had ordered one map and then an additional two more but we just couldn’t get the colors to their liking. So, we went unconventional and I loaded the maps into the console so that they could play with the colors until they found just the right ones. They were so happy that they ordered five more maps!
Tell us about a “Bracket Buster” – the toughest challenge/obstacle a client has brought to you that you were able to complete in the nick of time.
Debbie - One of my clients had her boss move up their grand opening date for the new phase of their community. They needed everything done by Friday which left me less than 2 days to get map changes assigned and completed, as well as nine pages of kiosk content updated. It was a challenge but got it all done and everyone was happy.
Hannah - My toughest was stepping in and taking Southvine Homes across the launch finish line. It was a Friday and they wanted to be live by Tuesday morning but still had many changes and content to add. Thankfully, they were great to work with and so supportive of our efforts. I was able to get all of the content and changes done and the site launched on Tuesday, right on schedule!
Lorna - One client had a particular vision in mind, and provided mock-ups with functionality that didn’t yet exist. I remember being nervous, not sure if we could complete all of the requests in their timeframe. But our team was able to add new functionality and implement it quickly, and the client ended up loving their site!
What is a “Slam Dunk” strategy or tactic builders can do in 2021 that can make the biggest impact?
Rebecca – Make sure you have interactive assets online that let buyers explore/play/dream about their new home from the comfort of their couch! Full-service systems like BDX’s DreamWeaver allow shoppers to create their profile with a builder and choose everything from the lot to the cabinet colors and then save as favorites – all before setting foot in a model home.
Kayla - Short and sweet, content is key. The visual and virtual content on a builder’s website and listings have such a huge impact not only as a sales tool but as an online portfolio.
Lorna - Builders should evaluate their websites to make sure they are user-friendly and intentional, especially on mobile. Just because a website is responsive, doesn’t mean it’s created with the user and experience in mind. It’s important to think of the buyer: how would they shop? Where would they look for a form, button, etc.?
What should builders avoid to prevent an “Upset”?
Rebecca - Make sure that your website doesn’t go stale! Be sure to also give love to other parts of the website that don’t normally get enough attention - keep testimonials up to date, make sure photo galleries are showcasing your latest work, and last but not least, change up that homepage. Whether it be new imagery or a video – make sure to show your buyers that the website is a crucial place for the most up-to-date information.
Kayla - I think communication and transparency are always key. I went through the new home build process in the last five years and while there were some minor hiccups, it was the communication that made me feel secure in my decision to build new as opposed to going the resale route. Overall, the process was seamless because of the constant communication and transparency along the way.
Lorna - Builders should have a great website with helpful content. If the site isn’t robust with useful, clear content, the buyer will move on.
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