Home Builder Digital Marketing – 2021 And Beyond

What a time we are living in! With all the uncertainty, plus a tumultuous election year, projecting the future feels like a slightly lower-stakes game of Russian roulette.

As tired as the phrase is, the pandemic and its aftershocks have truly landed us in a “new normal.” Hence, the temporary pivots many businesses have had to take are most likely going to be necessary for long-term survival. 

And home builder digital marketing is no exception. To stay on top of the evolving landscape and continue to see the good kind of numbers rise, builders need to take risks and adapt quicker than competitors. While the pandemic was an unforeseen event (and understandably sent many companies into a spiral), we now have the benefit of some added clarity.

Simply put, this is where we are. And the smart move is to get down to business and exceed your goals through proactive strategies.

“If you are not in touch with your intuition, you cannot be successful. Data is great. But sometimes, even when you have all the data in the world, if you don’t follow your gut, you won’t discover the true potential and be able to recognize critical opportunities.”

Arianna Huffington

Risk is an essential part of innovative and revolutionary ideas. Of course, raw data is a central component for measuring success, but stepping out on the ledge of new ideas is what’s going to boost the raw data in your favor.

Keep reading below to discover how you can maximize your home builder digital marketing efforts over the short and long term with 5 tactics and predictions that will put you ahead of the rest: 

1. More Human-To-Human Online And Semi-Virtual Experiences

The contactless anxiety brought about by COVID-19 won’t evaporate overnight. And this could be exacerbated by the fact that the virus itself may not altogether disappear anytime soon, either.

Mandatory mask-wearing and the constant reminder to social distance are front and center for most people who venture out into the Wild West that is public spaces. So what are you to do?

Experiences like chat, video sales calls, virtual tours, and other forms of connecting “face-to-face”—albeit virtually—are most likely here to stay. It's our job to start viewing this as an interesting opportunity, and not as an irritating problem to half-heartedly react to.

If nothing else, current circumstances might simply be a clearer-than-ever incentive to more precisely meet the market where they already are. By the end of 2020, it's estimated that 20.4 billion devices will be connected to the Internet.

On the whole, finding ways to connect virtually could provide more opportunities to meet with customers that you might have otherwise missed out on. This is because developing these types of tools is likely to boost your online presence. And online presence, as you know, is paramount in the digital age. It’s worth the effort to develop these semi-virtual experiences so they are streamlined in a way that feels intentional— not like an afterthought.

2. Expect A Rush To Capitalize On Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Optimization (SEO)

We predict that content-driven inbound marketing is going to explode. As people realize how valuable a high-ranking blog post can be, they will want to maximize the effort to compete for rankings. This could be good news bearing quite a challenge.

As the competition increases, it will force innovation and higher standards, which are always a great thing. But it will also mean investing in skilled collaborators who can deliver the capabilities you need to ensure you’re hitting your numbers.

We expect this same rush to capitalize on:

• Paid Search (PPC) Marketing
• Google reviews and maps
• Apple maps and reviews 
• Yelp
• Other review and ranking websites

Carrying this knowledge in your back pocket is powerful, especially if you act on it now. According to one survey, 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine.

Whether it's paid or organic traffic, there’s no time like the present to make as significant an impact as possible through a strategy that combines expertise, risk, and a head start.

3. The Need For Digital Brand Differentiation Will Continue To Rise

As digital markets begin to saturate with companies trying to dish out the best online branding and marketing, standing out from the rest is of the utmost importance. If someone doesn’t have a reason to stick around, they will move on to someone else who will give them something to care about.

Take a look at this post for insights on how to measure if your website is doing its job.

At Milesbrand, we're genuinely excited about this one because it’s what we do best. We build brands, but we aren’t exactly in the “brand-building” business. We are in the value creation business. Our entire goal is to extract your brand’s DNA and build a world centered around that elusive molecule, and then present that to the right people.

With the current state of things, seeing something with your own eyes isn’t always possible. So how can you allow someone to see into your brand without their ability to absorb the experience in person? By creating a story around your brand online using modern, digital best practices.

From the tagline, to the logo, to the value proposition written on your homepage, you need to be memorable. You need to showcase what you do, how you do it, and above all, why you do it in the first place.

You need to understand your Brand DNA, the most compelling element of your brand, to differentiate yourself from the rest.

4. Brands Will Set Themselves Apart With More “Build and Buy” Options Online

We know national builders are already starting to invest a ton of money into creating online builders and configurators. Those investors are reading the current climate and jumping on what seems to be a natural progression of how things will be done remotely. This is an excellent brand differentiation strategy—high risk, high reward.

Check out this 10-step real estate branding guide for differentiating from the competition.

Just like building a new car online, or any other type of customized product that leans heavily on the ability to see the product, creating an online builder is an effective way to allow consumers to “see” what they are buying without having to walk through it.

The Motley Fool, a company founded on the idea of “making the world smarter, happier, and richer,” reported in 2016 that a product that's customizable online had the potential to sell for a 30-50% higher premium than a product in-person. Imagine what those numbers look like now, during a pandemic, where online purchases are exploding out of necessity and fear.

5. The Utilization of Omni-Channel Home Builder Digital Marketing

With consumers rapidly shifting between different platforms (Connected TV, mobile phones, tablets, computers), creating consistent messaging across these platforms is a powerful way to reach your audience.

When it comes to home building, you’ll need to manage messaging across:

• Physical locations and traditional advertising
• Mobile and desktop websites
• Google maps and other review websites
• Email marketing
• Social media platforms (both paid and organic)
• Any other spaces where the consumer engages with your brand

This requires strategy, the knowledge base to achieve omni-channel marketing in the first place, and the ability to evaluate and track the success of these cross-channel campaigns continuously.

Final Thoughts on Modern Home Builder Digital Marketing

Brands can resist the new world we've entered, or they can take advantage of this opportunity. While few saw it coming this quickly, perhaps it's time to revolutionize the home building industry. There is no certainty about what will or won’t work. But what is certain is that everything is always changing. Trends become trends because someone took a risk and tried them.

If you want to extract your Brand DNA, get bold, and transform your story into a digital experience that differentiates you and drives revenue, contact us today.