Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a changin” and that is certainly true of the news coming out during the past few weeks. If you are a property developer or builder with homes in progress or communities under development, you might wonder if these changing times are the right time to be spending money on marketing. The strategy experts at Gilbert & Sheppard firmly believe it is.
Once this time of crisis is over, we want you to be in the best possible position to meet the surge in demand for new homes – especially in light of all-time low interest rates. Keeping a robust and effective marketing strategy now is the best way to make sure you’re ready when the times finally stop “a changin’.”
Especially in dramatic times such as these, prospective buyers are looking for companies with the ability to weather a storm. To show your customers that you are viable and strong, you need to maintain a strong online presence. This includes being available to answer questions and assist home buyers right now and as we move forward.
Before C-19, consumers were already spending more time online than watching TV. Now that so many are required to shelter in place and/or work from home, the volume of online users has rapidly escalated. This captive audience provides your business with a huge opportunity for online engagement. Creating authentic stories about how your community lives, and about the new homes that are available, will resonate strongly with an audience thinking a lot more about what makes the “perfect home.”
Now is the time to create a well-crafted integrated marketing strategy designed to put your company’s best foot forward for the long term. The effectiveness of this strategy relies on a continued and tactful online presence, including the use of your social platforms, website, landing pages, and digital ads. In fact, during these turbulent times, your website and social media channels will play an even greater role in building and sustaining a relationship with your buyers than any other kind of outreach.
While technology can’t and shouldn’t do all of the work of positioning and selling a new home community, it can equip a community’s sales team with tools to stay engaged with a prospective buyer and facilitate the home buying journey from A-to-Z.
At Gilbert & Sheppard, we use teleconferencing, video conferencing, and document sharing platforms to facilitate our daily business operations. Many of these tools are available for free right now and can make interacting with your prospective clients easy and seamless. If you need guidance on how best to implement these tools, we can help! We are happy to talk you through the basics to help your team become more comfortable with the online tools that are available.
All of us at Gilbert & Sheppard believe we are helping others live better lives by inspiring consumers to choose the lifestyles, homes, and services our clients provide. At the same time, we are helping our clients by ensuring their digital and traditional marketing strategies are working effectively to inform and influence buyer engagement.
When the pandemic has subsided, we want you to be positioned to quickly move forward. Give us a call if there is anything we can do to help you and your team adjust your marketing strategy to meet the changin’ times. Our team is here for your team.