How do you know when a young millennial couple is shopping your website and dreaming about their first home? You don't, unless they self-identify. How do you encourage them to reach out so you can support their search? That's the topic of our blog post today.
We interviewed HubSpot Gold Partner Spencer Powell, with the Builder Funnel about how to develop an effective promotional landing page. "Effective" for purposes of this this article means that a landing page increases inbound leads for New Home Builder brands. The outcome of our interview is this Guide to Premium Content and Landing Page Success. If you read nothing else, listen to Spencer's answer to our first question. It's a compelling argument for creating landing pages that trade relevant premium content for a prospective home buyer's contact information, so you can get them into your sales funnel.
Marketing Blueprints: Most of our clients have invested in beautifully designed websites with gorgeous imagery of their homes. Why do you need to use promotional landing pages in addition to a beautiful, well designed website?
Spencer Powell: The answer to this question of "why a landing page?" is a good one! We recently looked back at an early client and analyzed data over 3 years that looked at leads coming into their website. The data is compelling in support of landing pages as effective lead generators. Here are the simple data:
- 5-7% of leads came through a "contact us" form
- 93-95% of prospects who came into the website downloaded a brochure, eBook, checklist and filled out information on a landing page.
- Contact us
- Schedule a Tour
- Schedule a private appointment
- Download a brochure
- Download our move-in checklist
- Download (other Premium Content - discussed below)
- Your Process of Building a New Home (repurpose from your own content)
- Kitchen Design Guide (use your existing images)
- Beautiful Bathrooms (use your existing images)
- Model Home Comparison Guide and Checklist
- Move-in Checklist
- Home Buying Checklist
- Home Design Guide - options, selections, layouts, colors
- Download e-Book for Space Planning
- Financing Your Dream Home (repurpose your content into a PDF if your brand has Mortgage products)
Marketing Blueprints: Where can Marketers get help to create this content? Many of our clients are strapped for time already.
Spencer: There are 4 good options for this which depend on your company size and resources:
- Existing Digital Agencies likely have your assets and can easily create some PDF's and a landing page.
- Builder Funnel can create all of this for you.
- Upwork has excellent freelance writers and artists who are easy to work with.
- Subscribe to landing page software. Here are a few of our favorites. HubSpot (our preferred choice, but it's more than just landing page software), UnBounce, Lead Pages. They're easy!
2.) Set up the form you are asking your prospective home buyer to complete: Enable prospects to fill out their information to receive the premium content. Once they fill it out, your landing page should initiate two other actions. A typical form asks for a first/last name, email contact and phone number at the absolute least. This way you are able to contact the person who filled out the form. At that point, we know they are interested in what you have to offer, so it's important to contact them.
- A second landing page says thank you to the prospect for engaging. This second landing page can then be used for another Call to Action. Offer your prospect the opportunity to schedule an appointment at your Sales Center. Some of them will be ready to take that next step. You won't know if you don't ask them!
- The form they fill out should also initiate an email that thanks them for engaging and reinforces the benefits of the Community you are marketing.
Marketing Blueprints: Now that you have a landing page on your site and CTA buttons in your Community content, how should Builder Marketers get prepared to take action on prospect lead forms?
Spencer: Your form needs to feed into an email or CRM that is monitored by staff who can take action and respond to prospective home buyers. This is critical. Please don't spend money investing in a landing page unless you have this part of the process in place.
The communication outreach is a simple email that might say, "Hi! Thanks for downloading our Community Brochure. Can I help answer any questions?" Be sure to put the new prospect on your email list and your newsletter list. You will want them to automatically get updates and to be invited to Community Events, etc.
Marketing Blueprints: Do you have any bonus tips for readers who are advanced landing page users?
Spencer: Yes! There is so much more than can be done to engage and talk to people digitally. Here are a few more ideas if Marketers have the time and capabilities.
- When a home shopper fills out the form, redirect them to a thank you page and the thank you page is a landing page with the download on it.
- You can then add a "step two" on the Thank You page that invites them to take further action and come visit the Community, schedule a private tour, join an upcoming event, attend a financing workshop, etc.
- If they fill out the form, you automatically have a sales-ready lead!
- Once they've filled out the form, they get specific nurturing campaigns tied into the Community. Nurturing Campaigns leverage your efforts to acquire a lead for your home buyer sales funnel.
- Re-engage your data base with a promotional email letting them know you have a new piece of premium content.
- Immediately present the content to prospects that are already part of your nurturing campaigns.
- Post information about your new premium content on your Social Media Pages.
- Write an article about your new content in your Newsletter before you send your next update.
- Write an article about your new content in your company blog.
- If you use a branded USB drive to deliver Community content, add the new premium content as a bonus.
Landing Page Checklist - Premium Content Success
Home shoppers are online researching and getting educated so that they feel comfortable with their choice of new home builder. Giving them content they can use in this process engenders trust and prospects are willing to share their contact information in return. We hope this blog post adds value to your Marketing and that you test some of these tactics to enjoy a higher volume of leads. Thank for stopping by! See you soon. Cheers! Leslie Bridges, Chief Blogger Marketing Blueprints is sponsored by Builder Promotions. Builder Promotions is a complete solution of branded products and print collateral that support the entire new home buyer journey.
You are sitting at your desk with a cup of your favorite, thinking about what you will add to your upcoming Community Marketing event to make it memorable for prospective home owners. You think you'd like to use a branded gift to keep them connected to your community after they've toured your Models and met Sales Consultants. What to do? You have a million other details to handle to be ready for your event. If this is you, read on!
Here are Five of our Favorites for New Home Community Event Marketing:
1.) We love this stylish vintage laminated grocery tote which works triple hard carrying groceries, reminding your home buying prospects about their connection to your brand and advertising your communities to everyone one else in their midst as a small billboard. Under $3 for all that promotional power! Consumers love the all-over print look on these laminated bags, proven by the many upscale retailers who currently sell laminated shopping bags in their stores.
2.) The Fidget Spinner is a hot trend right now and there's nothing like it to entertain younger family members while Parents are taking time to explore your enticing Sales Models. Under $2 with hours of entertainment value and fun. Packaging creates completely custom presentation options for $1.25 extra (min. 200 pieces). Promote schools, outdoor play space and family fun in your new home communities.
3.) Hot off the press and and arriving this month! We love this well-priced pop-up lantern for Outdoor Family Summer Movie nights in your Community. It's a reminder to prospective homeowners that their new home in your community is full of promise for making endless family memories. Under $8.
4.) Trendy soda bottle-shaped water bottles are being used by consumers everywhere. High performance construction keeps liquids hot 12 hours and cold for 24 hours. As low as $13.55 for 26 oz. bottle. (retail brands are selling this at $35+ in stores). Consumers cannot get enough of this product.
5.) If great schools are a draw for your communities, align your event gifts with Fall back-to-school promotions. These compact recycled tubes carry a pen, pencil and wooden pencil sharpener, all for $2.15. Super easy to store and distribute.
Our BP Custom Shopper (tm) team works on Home Builder Event marketing projects daily. They love shopping for you and creating a complimentary digital presentation you can use to review creative ideas. Feel free to reach out at 800-388-3565 or via email at info@builderpromotions.com if you'd like the support of a personal marketing assistant while you handle all the other details of getting ready for your event(s). And, if you love a short creative break to shop for your events, enjoy surfing our event themed stores here:
Summer begs us all to play more and relax a little. Click the links below to have a peek and have fun planning your events. 
This week I was a participant in one of the best webinars I've seen, bar none. 
Ultimately, you decide that, but here’s our list of touchpoints where a well-placed reward might nurture your next happy homeowner.
