Does Your Marketing Program Include Clienteling?

Clienteling is the blending of digital and physical worlds in order to maximize the customer experience.

Brick-and-mortar retailers have had a fair amount of experience putting together physical point of sale contacts along with ecommerce and back-end CRM touch points. Homebuilders are just starting to put together end-to-end sales channels.

Think about your CRM system: does it include information derived from a prospect's web visit (registration, for example, including which floor plan is of interest or what makes up their purchase motivators)?

Utilizing that "back-end" information is part of what is called a prospect's omnichannel experience -- no one, in other words, wants to have to verbally repeat what has already been input in a digital encounter.

iPads and Kiosks: alternative tools for "self-starter" prospects

When you have a be-back prospect, can you retrieve previous discussions?

Do you offer different types of on-site shopping experiences?

Some home buyers like talking with sales agents, walking through models, taking a site tour, reading a brochure.

Others, suggests Matt Rhodus in a recent Innovative Retail Technologies article are "self-starters" who may not want or need a salesperson's assistance initially but do want an enriched shopping experience.  Having an interactive kiosk or iPad presentation provides that alternative information-gathering experience -- which is much more rewarding for them than passive signage or static information.

Some buyers want immediate feedback from their on-site visit.  That's where the text follow-up with a video really pays off. Others want to take home your brochure to browse later.

Rhodus suggests understanding your individual customer and responding to their unique needs is key to creating a best in-class buying experience.  Having multiple tools, digital and physical, in place and available to your sales force is what facilitates your clienteling!  CPS has been providing sales and marketing solutions for 30 years; let us help you enhance your clienteling experience!

Homeshoppers Are Leaning Green -- How Are You Leaning?

Think back over recent new home sales....do you recall buyers where price wasn't the key motivator in the purchase decision?  We're all  familiar with the Big 3:  Location, location, location and you probably had buyers focused on other factors: schools, a specific floor plan, job relocation.

Let Buyers Know You Lean Green!

It might be time to add "green" to that list of key motivators -- particularly for certain buyer profiles.

There's an interesting Home Innovation Research Labs article in Builder suggesting there are  4 Types of Buyers Motivated by More than Just Price.  You can read the article here.

Only a small percentage of consumers, the article suggests, can be considered "super greens." However, there's a significant segment considered the "persuadable middle" that are interested in living a greener lifestyle but either don't know how or think it will be too expensive.

Who makes up this "persuadable middle" and how are you able to lean green to help persuade them? Let's focus on two buyer profiles making-up the persuadable middle:

Women: That's a fairly significant buyer profile! Key is that women tend to lean green as they are interested in health living options and the well-being of their family.  And, we've talked about the influence of women in home-buying decisions, previously! Key persuaders: imagery, relatable stories and information.

Millennials: Here's the oft-promised, up and coming buying segment! The authors suggest: These buyers aren't motivated to buy a high-performance, energy efficient home because they will have lower utility bills.  Rather, they want to buy a high-performance, green home because it is the right thing to do. Key persuaders: easily accessible and relevant information.

How can your marketing programs and agents respond to the persuadables? We'll suggest two strategies: adding an interactive system illustrating how and where green is found in your homes (you're making green easily accessible and visual) and using CRM to highlight prospects indicating green interests for targeted followup (more easily accessible and relevant information).

CPS can help you create and use specially designed marketing  programs that lean green!

Millennials and the "most convincing advertising"?

Just saw an interesting blurb:

"The most convincing advertising of all is seeing your own friends buying, wearing and using the product.  We engage with our peers through social media, I've bought countless items because of what I've seen on Instagram alone."

What do you think?  

Wendell Falls, NC - Social Media Wall

Many argue that millennials use social media not only to keep in touch with their circle of friends and family but to document experiences through photos and text.  

Historically, individuals enjoyed seeing their interests gain traction from their surrounding social circle -- whether friends, work colleagues or family members. 

Technology has enabled that process to embrace ever-widening circles and become an influential source of information, product marketing and influence.

Take a look at CPS' Social Media Wall combining traditional marketing copy and images with social media messages from Twitter, Pinterest, etc.  

The result: a dynamic marketing channel projecting vibrant and ever-changing messages -- many of which are created by your audience.

The Wall attracts attention by the very aspect that it responds to an audience need for new information. Trade static, passive signage for a continuously evolving set of photos, copy, video and customer-submitted (and curated) messages -- and watch the level of consumer engagement grow!

Making the Transition from Mobile-friendly to Mobile-first

Kim Garst, writing in The Huffington Post, notes that it is hard to argue that social media has changed the face of digital marketing -- or marketing overall, for that matter.  She suggests that companies are finally accepting the fact that they MUST have a digital strategy to succeed.

One component of this marketing shift is the importance of mobile.  Garst suggests that the importance of mobile has transitioned from a "mobile friendly" website to utilizing mobile in every aspect of marketing including blogs, emails and social media posts.

Mobile website is the first step!

What can that mean for a new home sales person?  You'll want to consider how to catch the attention of an audience that is "on the go" either literally or in their use of mobile devices.

Jeff Shore, an expert new home sales/marketing, suggests agents use short, cell phone videos as a follow-up to prospect visits. Why not pre-record a quick introductory video for each of your models? Then, couple a short text message highlighting key points from the prospect visit with your cell phone video.

Text message?  As a way to followup with prospects?  Mobile means text for many -- and studies suggest the more quickly you're able to reach out to a prospect, the better  chance you have for meaningful contact.

The immediate text message with video gives you the third critical mobile component: personalization. 

There -- you've made the transition to mobile-first -- and, satisfied today's home shopper's need for information, delivered quickly and efficiently!