Let's Put Some Spring into Your Sales/Leasing Office!

Spring Mean Sales!

Spring might finally be here and with it: Spring Selling Season!  No matter what you're selling, says Amy O'Connor of Shore Consulting, Inc., people like buying in the spring. Buyers are ready to shake off the last days of winter and ready for something new!

From a visual vocabulary to virtual curb appeal!

Where to start? Amy is clear: the key to spring selling success is starting strong!

CPS adds: Work to Create a Great Buying Experience!

You want to be your customer's #1 choice; what can you do to make that happen? First, embrace the idea that home shoppers visit your office because they're interested in buying one of your homes.. in many cases, today!

Next, we'll suggest that it makes sense to start looking at your sales office as a customer does. What will help you stand apart so the home shopper rates your community #1?

Consider: Virtual Curb Appeal

What are you doing to create a great buying experience? From the minute a prospect drives (or walks) up to your office, they're using all of their senses to evaluate the experience...from smell to sight to touch!

 SalesTouch uses visuals to appeal to home shopper emotions!

Mollie Elkman, a Philadelphia-based marketing expert, reminds us that pictures offer "virtual curb appeal."  Why not build on standard imagery and Go Interactive to make your office stand apart and grab home shoppers' attention? An interactive touch presentation actively engages prospects from the minute they step into your sales office and can continue the conversation with interactive floor plans, the ability to select and place furniture inside your homes and e-brochures.

CPS offers SalesTouch, the interactive touchscreen system for both large and small (think tablets) screens. We're here to help you kick off (and up!!) your Spring selling season.

Builders: Add Drone Photography to Your Social Media

Saw an interesting statistic today:

Drone listings receive 60% more leads than traditional photographer listings!

The stat was accompanied by this thought:

The most important element is to capture the energy!

SalesTouch: capturing the energy generated with drone imagery!

Wouldn't you agree the same thought applies to a new home community, master plan development or multifamily property?  Your marketing collateral needs to speak to your buyer's emotions and there's no better way to encourage a home shopper to start considering how your community meets their needs than visual stimulation.

Home building is a natural for visuals -- telling a story inside and out.  Most builders utilize still photography in brochures and on their website. Have you considered upping your WOW! factor and adding drone photography?

Take a look at the downtown Richmond image used in the John Marshall interactive touchscreen system -- add in a "Try it!" highlighting specialties -- and who wouldn't want to start exploring how to be a part of this energy?

A recent article notes there's a fundamental shift happening in the real estate industry -- just as videos changed the music industry, professional video is transforming the internet and real estate industry. Consider that thought: there's a profound change and corresponding consumer expectation underway. We all need to include, at the minimum, an analysis of how drone photography might improve current visuals.

And, if you'd like to consider adding drone imagery to a SalesTouch interactive touchscreen presentation highlighting your community, any of us at CPS can assist.  Or, expand the use with our Social Media Wall combining traditional marketing copy/images with shared social media content.  We're able to capture the energy initiated by drone imagery and translate it into an engaging, interactive exploration of your community!

Social Media Marketing & Homebuilders: Turn the Funnel Upside Down

Spencer Powell had a great article in TMRDirect highlighting why social media works for homebuilders; you can read it here.

Social Media Turns the Marketing Funnel Sideways!

Powell suggests social media is somewhat of a game-changer in the marketing world. Previously, the traditional marketing funnel described client acquisition, conversion and retention.

Today, Powell suggests there has been a pivot to focusing on retention.  Social media has created a process for consumers to interact with a company's media platforms and obtain as well as spread information through digital word of mouth.

It used to be that word of mouth engagement was a slow, individualized process -- and it utilized traditional media (newspapers, magazines, broadcasting) as well as actual conversation!

Today, builders are able to effectively start a conversation and disseminate information using visuals in social media.  Some of the more popular uses -- in addition to images of your homes (inside and out!) include:

• Post Community Updates  -- Your home shoppers want information so let them know about Grand Openings, community activities, Phase Openings.
• You might see a "Check Out My New Home" image in return!
• Highlight Neighborhood Events -- Sharing information about the local area gives a sense of the area -- which is key to purchase decisions.
• Should encourage local area businesses to get involved with your community!
• Give a "Behind the Scenes" Tour -- Here's another way to showcase your homes as well as the building process.
• Showcase a Field Manager providing a walkthrough!

Social Media Wall Starts the Conversation!

Take a look at CPS' Social Media Wall bringing social media platforms inside the sales and information center.  Your home shoppers have a single location to check out recent posts & Tweets as well as traditional marketing images and copy -- and add their own.  They're now part of your conversation!