Embarking on a digital marketing journey for your home building business can be a game-changer. Done well, your marketing will not only build trust, but also bring in solid leads. Let's dive into some savvy online strategies for home builders.
Nail your first impression
Trust First, Build Later
Let's face it - the building industry has a challenge: trust. Prospective customers seek assurance from the get-go making trust-building a critical consideration. Here are some ways to nail that first impression:
- Maintain a consistent market presence.
More recognised players tend to be more trusted. To achieve this, establish a consistent market presence with consistent branding, campaigns and messaging. - Transparency paves the way.
Show off your certifications, qualifications and a trail of solid reviews. Set-up expectations around your build process up front and you'll help prospective homeowners know that you're not just building homes; you're building dreams backed by solid qualifications and established processes. - Showcase your craft
Maximise imagery on your website by incorporating virtual tours of your construction process or finished build. Let customers peek behind the scenes by sharing snippets of your build process on social media. - A series of conversations
Builders tend to face a longer lead time compared to other industries and for this reason, you'll want to deploy strategies to help keep your business 'top of the pile'. Nurture leads over time using a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM), email flows, and segmentation. Segmentation techniques can help you identify serious prospects and weed out the timewasters.
Your online presence becomes an extension of your craft - a chance to showcase the homes you build, a trail of satisfied clients and solid expertise. By prioritising trust in your online strategy, you'll not only nail first impressions but also set yourself up for stronger client relationships.
build awareness you exist
Storytelling
At the awareness stage of the purchase cycle, we need to make people in your service area aware that you exist. This content tends to be about warming prospects, inviting them to 'learn more' rather than a harder hitting, 'call now'.
- Organic social media
Your projects tell a story, and social media is your online story book. Use captivating visuals and narratives to draw in your audience. Think of your content as a chapter of your story that compels your audience to learn more. - Social Media advertising
These ads tend to be outcome focused. For example, a simple carousel ad like example below. These allow prospects to cycle through a portfolio of your work. - Public Relations
Public relations can help you score a feature in a reputable publication, making your business appear more reputable too not just for readers, but also to search engines. - YouTube ads
Showcase your work on relevant videos. Make your first 3-seconds count. If you're a home renovator, you could target interior design inspo' videos in your service area, if you're a home builder you might target videos like Grand Designs.
Avoid wasting spend and get advice specific to your business by working with a professional on your campaign setup.
Attract those ready-to-build
Consideration Marketing
Consideration marketing targets prospects who are already actively looking for a service like yours. The prospect is active in the market, seeking out services to fulfil their construction vision. Because these leads are ready to rumble, it's often where builders go first. However, if the builder hasn't done any of the previous work to secure their brand perception, these leads can be less trusting and therefore more expensive to convert.
- Have a clear offer.
Ads don't have to be super pretty to work but they do need to be clear. Clear in messaging, clear in the choice of font and colours, and clear in that the imaging used helps articulate the message itself. I've seen ads for building services that have pictures of women randomly sipping wine on the stairs, handwriting on black backgrounds which can barely be read, or simple too much text. These are poor performers compared to say a straightforward picture of a garage for a garage building service, like the Aldinga Home Improvements carport ad pictured below. - Be present when prospects search for your services.
If you're a home renovator in Melbourne, and someone types in 'home renovator in Melbourne', you want to be in the search results, right? The most guaranteed way to achieve this is to pay for it - search engine advertising is one of the strongest means to secure leads with high intent. Many builders are heavily dependent on Google advertising - established builders allocate around 8k/month, a smaller builder at least $1k. Competition means that the cost to secure those inquiries can be high, but if your sale value is in the thousands, it's worth it. You may be interested in reading Are Google Ads Worth It For Small Business? - Retarget those that need you.
Hit those already considering your service with irresistible offers. You can use Google and Facebook ads to retarget those that have made enquiries in the past but haven't yet 'converted'. - Master your Google Business Listing
Your Google Business listing will help you come up in search results if somebody is looking for your particular construction service offering 'near them'. Check your business is in the correct category and add relevant categories to boost performance. Your listed location is important, as are your reviews. If you're confident most customers will leave you a high rating, pop your review request wherever you can - for example in your website header, your email signature, and invoices. An automated email process is a good way to do this.
Lead management
Transforming Inquiries into Sales
Nobody likes a tyre kicker, and home builder leads for can be a time-drain. Often people expect a quote straight off the cuff when there's a stack of work you need to do behind the scenes to confirm the price. Here are some hot tips to help stave off the timewasters and capture the best leads for your business.
- Website landing page excellence
Ensure your landing page mirrors your ad's promise. A seamless transition not only boosts performance. The quality of your landing page will affect delivery optimisation on online marketing platforms, as well as how qualified your leads are. This is so critical to your return on ad spend that some marketers refuse to run ads to a poorly designed page. Think your page needs some work? You may be interested in landing page design services or this guide on websites for homebuilders. - Quality content leads to quality leads
The most qualified leads will be from those that already feel like they 'know' the business. An example of a business that helps prospects get to know them online is Sydney home builder Marvel Homes. The YouTube channel reveals the faces behind the business, helping prospects get to know the team and answering common questions. The more familiar a brand, or those behind the brand are, the faster the prospective customer will trust the business, leading to a faster close. - Create low commitment meet and greet opportunities.
Court your leads. You wouldn't marry a blind date. Webinars, home tours and free initial consults are all ways for people to get to know you before committing to you. Different demographics will prefer different means. - Automate Lead Nurturing
Email marketing can drip-feed tailored content for serious prospects and weed out timewasters. Unsure how to set this up? You may need email marketing services. - Ask serious questions
Serious prospects have answers. Ask them upfront where they want to build, if they have land, about their budget. This not only filters out those that aren't quite ready, but also shows that you mean business. I've included how this can be done in website forms below.
Summary
Digital marketing for home builders is not just about ads; it's about building a connection. Align your ads and website with your audience's dreams, keep it crystal clear and watch your business thrive.
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