I spend a ton of time on builder websites. I like to see what home builders are doing in their marketing and I make a lot observations. Some good ones, some bad ones and some train wrecks. The other day I came across a builder site and wanted to look at their pics & floor-plans. I was greeted with this message.

Hmmm, I thought. “What it the world? Why would they do this” I asked myself. My initial thought was that they were trying to cleverly build a mailing list by having this requirement so I took a pic of this text box and posted it to Facebook asking for the opinions of other industry pros and the consensus was that this was indeed a train wreck.
Then I got an email from Lisa Pool from Penn Homes and she made so many great points about this issue that I asked her to share them as a guest blogger. So without any further ado, I give you Lisa Pool.

Lisa Pool
Builders spend on average $10,000 per plan to have it developed and put in place within the organization. Marketing of these plans is included in that expense. Putting a valuable asset on the web where anyone including the competition can take it, develop their own version of it and then build it without spending the money frightens many builders, especially smaller ones. It is a valid fear. We have had it done to us even within the last two months.

However, the truth is this: if someone wants your plans, they are going to get them. Anyone can walk a home under construction with a tape measure. Anyone can shop you at a model. Anyone can request a floor plan be faxed to them and anyone can go into your model with a video camera.

The other truth is this: after a while all homes look the same. Three bedroom homes have three bedrooms and two baths, occasionally a powder. Front load, rearload, side load etc. Kitchen with cabinets oooooooh this one has an island and granite. The reason buyers take notes when out with a realtor is because they can’t remember one home from another. So what makes one home stand out from the others? What makes a buyer make that final selection? That is what you have to key in on.

The buying cycle of a new home purchaser has extended, correct? People are shopping online for convenience reasons: time of day, work schedule, personal weekend schedule, kids soccer games on Saturday, church on Sunday, family chores. People shop online for the same reason people walk into the model and say they are just looking for decorating ideas. Sometimes they are, sometimes they just don’t want to be pressured to purchase something they aren’t ready for but are beginning to consider.

Websites are virtual models. You want everything easy to find and see, but ultimately you would like them to ask a question, to engage in the process somehow. You want them to come back if they are just starting to look. You do NOT want to be ruled out because of self imposed barriers.

So where is the balance? How does a builder protect his investments and still keep a prospect engaged?

How about the option to set up a portfolio of designs with their own personal customizations like paint colors, brick, furniture, or merely this optional bay window and side loaded garage? To set up this portfolio you ask them to set up a profile. This profile then allows the builder to gain much more usable insight as to who is interacting with their website. The marketing department can then send accurate segmented marketing materials that match the buyer profile such as blog material or how-to emails with track-able links bringing them back to the site. This will allow the marketing department to drip campaigns with sticky track-able marketing to further segment the market so that when the buyer reaches out for further information the sales team can “see” who this person is before they actually meet in person.

This type of buyer information is much more valuable in the long term than a mere email address that can be faked leading the marketing dept to waste time and resources on bad data. Opt-in and verified opt-in is much more usable. I’ve used the “how did you find us” method at contract and when they first come in the model but the truth is, they rarely give the correct answer. Even on the Internet I get bad answers. I asked one person and she insisted she got it from a source we don’t even have. I knew she came in via Newhomesource.com. She said she came to us from a site called “The Bluffs”. That is sort of true, but not quite.
Emails sent with pictures and links have given me more insights into this same buyer. I know what she is interested in based on her responses. Things like cooking, gardening, financing options, decorating and schools.

I would also tell a builder like the one you shared about that I score my leads and not with the traditional ABCDF methods. Certain actions and interactions on the internet detail a buying cycle that I can watch. As they reach certain milestones I can test the score by moving the buyer into the next profile. Their reactions to this new material will tell me how strong they really are and if I need to decrease the score again.

Selling to Internet buyers is like fishing. You have to bait the line and tie it on tight. When the fish bites you set the hook. Then you reel them in slowly or fast depending on their reactions, sometimes loosening the line, sometimes reeling it in as fast as you can. The ones that give you a real phone number and address, don’t even bother to score. They are ready, willing and able. Send them to the sales dept IMMEDIATELY and stay on top of them. They may as well be in your model already with a pen in hand. It’s just a few details they need to work out.

I love the profile idea. Great input from a seasoned professional.
Thanks Lisa!