Home Builders and Social Media: It's All About Visual

A recent BuilderOnLine article by Jennifer Goodman interviewed Woody Stoudemire, president of X-Factor Web Marketing, to discuss the value of social media for home builders.

One of the more interesting comments Stoudemire made was, "Home building is a visual business, so social media platforms are all good forums for showcasing homes inside and out."

CPS' Social Media Wall: Finalist, 2016 Best of IBS

Social media isn't only about communicating the visual elements provided by a new home, however. Stoudemire suggests using social media gives home builders a platform to suggest they're more than bricks and mortar -- they're what he calls "progressive thinkers."

And, social media provides a unique method for communicating a company's culture and personality, as well.  Most homebuying, after all, is local -- and that makes Facebook an important marketing tool, too.

Many builders have long focused on providing gorgeous visual marketing tools -- terrific exterior and interior product photography is a hallmark of many.  The same photos are perfect for Pinterest, Instagram and Houzz.

Why not incorporate social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram with traditional marketing copy and creative by using CPS' Social Media Wall?

You're no longer broadcasting marketing messages -- you're using the visual to encourage conversation! Millennials are just beginning to enter the new home market and one shopper notes,

         "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."

2016: What's New in CPS CRM?

Today's new home buying experience, for the home shopper, frequently isn't seen as too very different than any other retail experience. Of course, prices are a bit higher than in a car dealership or a furniture store but overall we see an interest in a seamless -- and efficient -- consumer shopping experience.

CPS CRM provides builders with a unique design and approach to manage the new home sales process through a single experience.  Bob Musa, CPS' President says, "Our job, as software developers, is to harness technology to help make a great buying experience for consumers along with a consistent, reliable and powerful back-end processing environment for the builder."

2016 CPS CRM: Seamless Integration is a keyword!

Several key concepts emerge:

• Supporting a seamless customer interaction: Home shoppers come into contact with the builder and specific communities through multiple channels -- builder website, mobile registration, 3rd party marketing sites, a developer information center and, last but certainly not least, the sales office itself.  No one wants to register multiple times, providing the same (or different!) information.  CPS CRM accepts registration from all sites, seamlessly, and recognizes when a prospect has previously registered, as well. 

• Cloud Enhancements: CPS CRM is, of course, a cloud-based system -- available anywhere/anytime.  We've added another cloud-based application, DocuSign, to our integration processes so agents can generate purchase agreements using CPS CRM and provide anywhere/anytime purchase agreement execution access for buyers -- as well as co-op agents, lenders, escrow agents and the builder -- via DocuSign. And, this is an end-to-end enhancement of the current contract wizard -- prospect registration, floorplan/homesite/option selections, loan program calculations are seamlessly integrated into the DocuSign forms.

• Enriched Back-end Processing: The new home sales, construction and document process is a series of key dates and steps.  CPS CRM facilitates sales processing with easy-to-maintain checklists along with automatic email reminders regarding pending or behind-schedule activities. 

We'll be in Las Vegas for the IBS Builders Show -- stop at Booth C2856 and we'll show you how to enhance your home builder sales process with CPS CRM!