It's a well known fact that in most markets, Realtors can multiply sales efforts for new home builders. So, how do you engage Realtors and influence them to bring prospects to your new home communities? Builders use every kind of event marketing concept to bring Realtors to their new home communities. As everyone knows, the goal of these events is to help Realtors see why a new home may be the best solution for their buyers and to experience, first-hand, the benefits of a beautifully designed new home community in their marketing area.
Now that we're into the new year, we thought it would be a good time to share a brief round-up of content pieces that address the Builder and Realtor relationship. We hope these provide some marketing inspiration for the new year.
- What do Realtors think about when they make the decision to show your new home community to their prospects? Builderonline.com addressed this question by publishing a list of 15 things Realtors want Home Builders to know.
- If you are trying to break through the marketing noise directed at Realtors in your region, you may be interested in this article from Professional Builder about the 5 Ways to reach out to Realtors.
- BDX is a treasure trove of content about all things Builder Marketing. This webinar about Why You Need Real Estate Agents is one of the best we've seen and it's as current today as it was a year ago when I first wrote about it in this blog.
- www.newhomesourceprofessional.com is a website hosted by BDX that is devoted to Realtor content and education. Topics include: New home 101, Why Show New, How to Sell new and The Building Process. Referring Realtors to this link is one simple way to support them immediately.
- Sales Teams go to Broker and Realtor offices regularly to be part of their internal meetings. They often drop off business gifts.
- Smart Builders treat Realtors like customers and educate them about how they build along with the value their new homes offer.
- Quality over quantity. 10% of the Realtors bring 90% of the business. Builders target the high producing Realtors.
- All Builders find creative ways to welcome Realtors to their Sales Centers. This includes everything from monthly lunch meetings to VIP wine tastings.
The BP Custom Shopper™ team is also loves anything that promotes the gourmet kitchen and great room spaces that new homes offer. There is no doubt that the open concept style, combined with thoughtful design is a knock out benefit to the right home buying consumer. This contemporary gourmet cookbook includes a custom-designed insert page to give Realtors an overview of your community while they are enjoying the well-known Food52 gourmet recipes designed for today's busy professionals. It's a way to showcase the open concept gourmet kitchen/great room living spaces new home builders do so well.
Because so many Realtor Gifts need to reinforce the educational value of a Realtor event, our team loves this journal with a custom promotional page to communicate about the benefits of a new home and your specific community attributes. The journal itself provides a simple tool for jotting down notes about your new home community during your event or meeting.
Thanks for stopping by. Check out our BP Custom Shopper™ page for a turnkey event digital marketing event checklist. Digital marketing experts and Hubspot Partner at the Builder Funnel designed exclusive content for our clients. We hope that it helps you simplify the process of growing the right RSVP list for your Realtor and Prospect events.
Cheers!
Leslie Bridges, Chief Blogger
Marketing Blueprints is sponsored by Builder Promotions, Inc. the leading builder-centric e-Commerce platform and group buying service. Builder Promotions centralizes and consolidates purchases of marketing supplies used to support the entire new home buyer journey. BP Custom Shopper™ is a signature service of Builder Promotions.
Pacific Highlands Ranch, San Diego, CA
In the context of new home marketing, a flag's main purpose is to create movement that attracts prospects. Secondarily, they identify your brand and differentiate your Community from others in the area.
Lastly and most importantly, flags are important signage that direct visitors to your Sales Center and Models. As digital shoppers begin to align with your brand, it's important to ensure they can find you easily in what often is a sea of new home communities built in expanding and crowded regional markets.
Here are the main design components and flag styles used by our Home Builder clients. These serve all three purposes; signaling, decoration and signage.
Flag Designs: Flag Styles:
Custom Builder Flags Custom feather flags (138" x 27")
American Flags Vertical Adbreeze flags
State Flags Horizontal rectangular flags
Solid Color Accent Flags
Buyers often mistake flags as permanent signage when they are in fact a perishable product. They are often at the mercy of mother nature and that is why its important to refresh them every 3-6 months. Everything from intense sunshine (Florida/Arizona) to high winds (northern California) to hurricane weather (gulf coast), can impact the life of a flag. The good news is that by far, flags are one of the best brand investments because they cost pennies on the dollar for each brand exposure. This is especially true of poly flags which create movement and attract the eye with the slightest breeze. Gone are the days of a heavy nylon flag wrapped around a flag pole hiding your brand. Europe has been ahead of the curve on this for years and most builders have shifted to the Poly flags because they do the job better, last as long as nylon and are 
If you are using the smaller rectangular flags, the math is even more compelling - 30 3' x 5' flags at $10.95 each or a total of $328. That's 22 cents per brand exposure for 1500 visitors over 90 days.
Signage is permanent and flags are perishable. It's important to refresh flags and recognize that they are dollar for dollar, one of the best values there is in brand advertising for new Home Communities. Builder Promotions has a JIT (just-in-time) Flag program that helps you manage your needs and keep community merchandising fresh, cost-effectively. Flags can be shipped to communities directly or to installers locally.
Thanks for Stopping by! We appreciate you sharing your time with us.
Cheers!
Leslie Bridges, Chief Blogger
Marketing Blueprints is sponsored by 
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:
Welcome to Marketing Blueprints, a blog of Builder Promotions. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a quick read about the marketing value of "refreshment".
Refreshment is such an easy way to create delight. It's a gracious way to say "welcome please stay awhile". And it can be an effective marketing tool too. Builders are using refreshment in many creative ways to compliment their events. One quick scan of my Builder Instagram account tells me that Builder Marketing teams are using everything from the Summer BBQ to Food Truck Festivals to draw crowds to their community events. They offer bottles of water or hot beverages to help home shoppers relax and enjoy wandering through a Sales Center. If you look to the retail world, savvy marketers are finding ways to provide refreshments in stores to keep shoppers looking. Here's one of my favorite examples.
There's also a better than a good chance that they are pushing through their house hunting "list" very efficiently so that they can be finished in time for their children's game or social event that evening. How can you borrow a page out of the Pirch playbook to encourage them to "stay awhile"?
One BP client recently purchased their own branded Tea and Hot Cocoa packets to make people feel welcome during the winter season. Another uses a Popcorn machine to keep the youngest family members entertained, and they brand the fun with their own custom popcorn boxes. These are small ways to make visitors feel welcomed and provide a little refreshment too. We think it also buys a little extra time with prospects because they get refreshment at the Sales Center rather than departing for the nearest Starbucks.
By leveraging gorgeous Builder photos, water bottle designs become another delivery point for rich lifestyle images of your communities. It's another way to welcome your visitors and offer much needed refreshment in a busy day of house hunting.
While we love Pirch's espresso bar idea, we realize you may not be ready to hire a full time Barista at your Sales Centers! Here's a list of budget-friendly refreshment ideas to help prospects enjoy their experience at your new home community:
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. 
We've launched our own 
I am thrilled that Mobile Apps can be designed to support a portable work lifestyle. Builder Marketers are constantly on-the-go. Here are some benefits that make our App a fun addition to your virtual office:
