Market Proof Marketing: Home Builder Marketing Insights

Kevin Oakley, Mike Lyon, Jen Barkan, Andrew Peek,  Jessie Suggs & Julie Jarnagin recorded a special episode of the podcast LIVE while at the 2022 International Builders' Show in Orlando, FL. They share their favorite moments while at the IBS and note their biggest takeaways.

IBS 2022 AKA the rise of Online Sales Specialists! We had such a great time celebrating all the Nationals Silver and Gold winners. We were so proud of clients winning gold for Online Sales Specialist of the Year (Kendall Pashak). Online Sales Rookie of the Year (Olga Walker) and the Online Sales Team of the Year (Red Door Homes of the Carolinas). But it wasn’t just all Nationals getting all the buzz. There was a lot of talk about how the role of Online Sales is changing, morphing. It was great to see by the representation in sessions how far we have come as an industry. 

This year three things kept echoing from conversations and educational sessions:

1. Agreement that “buy online” is something to watch and work toward but nothing to obsess over. We have to let consumers digitally shop the way they want to before we can really make true progress.
2. Technological growth is coming like an avalanche for our industry. I have met with nearly a dozen incredible startups that are trying to solve real problems with real solutions. I can’t wait to introduce them to everyone!
3. Leads and appointments aren’t a challenge, but appointment-to-sale conversion is getting harder. Expect this to continue as interest rates claw higher. Marketers need to keep leaning into everything they can control in order to give your sales teams a leg up against the competition.

Wasn’t really sure what to expect going into IBS this year, but WOW!  What great energy I felt as I walked the halls, attended education, and chatted with industry friends. Our customer’s experience from the top of the funnel all the way through was the resounding takeaway from the sessions I attended - and it all starts with the Online Sales Specialist.  So proud of how far this role has come in the industry and even more importantly, that each aspect of the sales/marketing/online ecosystem was touched upon…even in the On Your Lot presentation by the brilliant Dawn Dantzler.  

Major highlights for me personally were:

1. Sharing the stage with some of the brightest bad-ass marketing women in our industry as we discussed the hot topic of lead quality over quantity.

2. Watching our amazing online sales specialists bring home the hardware at the Nationals.

3. Learning from our very own, Julie Jarnagin, as she blew minds with her wisdom in her Tech Bytes session.

Catching up with old industry friends and partners and making new ones.

Trying to win ECI’s Harley Davidson!  And having fun with Brad Heubert on his live podcast, Bricks & Sticks, from the upstairs tower of ECI’s booth overlooking the show! 

And lastly, hanging out with my DYC Fam.

What a turnout! There were great sessions that I was able to attend at IBS. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that there were sessions specifically dedicated to online sales. In years past, online sales was a portion of content within some of the sessions, but now there are specific online sales sessions- how great!

The content was excellent- one of my biggest takeaways was the fact that customers want to be met where THEY want to be met. Each person is different and each process is different but there is one thing in common and that's the customer experience no matter how you get there!

Aside from the content, it was really great being able to attend The Nationals Awards to the many deserving professionals and companies that made their mark on the industry over the past year. We were able to mingle with peers- both new and old friends! Overall, it was an amazing experience to see things begin to “normalize” with in person communication. I can’t wait for next year and to witness all the changes and growth new home construction will face. 

What a great Builder Show! I am sure like others, expectations and excitement was quite high after the past few years we have had not only in the industry but also, we as people and navigating the pandemic. I thoroughly enjoyed connecting with like-minded peers, both new as well as those who I have known now for quite some time.

Throughout the show what really stuck out to me was that tactics, tools, and strategies evolve over time. We *must* keep up with those. However, the principles of what we – as Marketers need to do, does stand consistent over time. So before thinking…” we need to invest in more video content” or “we need buy online!” – we must consider why we are doing something. What will more video content do? Do we need buy online? Is that what buyers want? Before spearheading your next big project, take the time to consider why this project is important - What will it do for your buyers?

While there are tens of thousands of attendees at the Builder Show, the little corner of Sales & Marketing in Home Building is a tight-knit group that is very welcoming and supportive. I encourage anyone who has not gone to the Builder Show, to do what they can to attend this coming year!

I attended a wide range of education sessions, and all of them touched on the importance of content and using it strategically to meet changing needs of home buyers. Dawn Dantzler with Tilson Homes was on an excellent panel about on-your-lot builders. She talked about how educational content and videos helped their buyers navigate the complicated process of on-your-lot building. Carly Sickles at M/I Homes and Beth Russell at Stylecraft Homes spoke about making sure your content communicates the right expectations for the current market. During a session for “buy online,” presenters talked about the importance of considering what kind of content customers would need to make those decisions online. As we approach a constantly changing market and implement new technology, we need to think about what kind of content will engage potential homebuyers and meet the needs of home shoppers.

Bonus Links

Market Proof Marketing Podcast Ep 189: The Value Of Video Marketing Content with Dawn Dantzler

Market Proof Marketing Podcast Ep 112: Build-On-Your-Lot Marketing with Dawn Dantzler

Supporting Partner

The Market Proof Marketing Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Opendoor. Opendoor partners with homebuilders across the country in over 2,000 sales offices and has helped help generate more than $2 billion in new construction home sales. Visit Opendoor.com/doyouconvert to learn more about how you can partner with Opendoor. 

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode. More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, and Jessie Suggs compare the buying and selling experiences of buying a new car when you aren’t specifically shopping for one and how it relates to home buying. They talk about what buyers want, and don’t want, from the Buy Online process, supply chain issues will still be a major issue in 2022, Facebook losing daily users, rising interest rates, and more!

• Jessie recently went to get her tires rotated and ended up trading in and buying a new car. She shares her buying experience and how her aunt attempted to recreate the experience but it didn’t go as planned.
• Andrew shares a story around a builder who is selling homes in a master-planned community but their own personal community page to drive traffic is lackluster and has minimal content around the lifestyle buyers can anticipate. 
• Kevin shares a funny story behind an owl graphic that a sales trainer shared regarding people trying to sell the “finished product” and not show the work at needs to happen before you can “drawing the rest of the damn owl”

Supporting Partner

The Market Proof Marketing Podcast is brought to you in partnership with Opendoor. Opendoor partners with homebuilders across the country in over 2,000 sales offices and has helped help generate more than $2 billion in new construction home sales. Visit Opendoor.com/doyouconvert to learn more about how you can partner with Opendoor. 

In the News (16:50) 

• Do You Like Peaches? (https://www.doyouconvert.com/blog/do-you-like-peaches/)
• Online Sales Academy - Happening In-Person - Dallas, TX on March 30-31, 2022 (https://onlinesales.doyouconvert.com/sales-academy/)
• WHAT HOME BUYERS WANT—AND DON'T WANT—FROM THE BUY ONLINE PROCESS (builderonline.com)
• A Major Homebuilder Sees No Improvement Coming To The Supply Chain In 2022 (bloomberg.com)
• Home builders are desperate for quick and inexpensive materials, so they're turning to Home Depot and Congress for help (businessinsider.com)
• APPROXIMATELY 762,000 NEW HOMES WERE SOLD IN 2021 (builderonline.com)
  
• Social Media Hashtags for Every Day of the Week (marketingprofs.com)
• Facebook lost daily users for the first time ever last quarter (https://www.theverge.com)

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode. More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

• How Opendoor is involved in over 40 fast-growing and hot markets across the country.
• How Opendoor has changed since it originally started.
• How Covid-19 helped Opendoor embrace the innovative move to virtual home assessments.
• 71% of Opendoor Sellers surveyed said that they would want to sell their homes to an iBuyer.
• 75% of buyers are expecting are going to buy a home using some sort of digital tool
• Over 100,000 customers transact with Opendoor.
• How Opendoor offers a 9-month window of flexibility for buyers moving into a new construction home from their builder partners.
• The story of a Tampa family that sold their home with Opendoor and loved their experience so much that their father sold his home and moved down the block from them.
• The story of a single parent who was purchasing a new construction next-gen home so that she could move in with her father and how she was able to utilize Opendoor's “late checkout” feature.

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode. More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Andrew Peek, Jackie Lipinski, and Bryce Baker discuss how new home builder marketers could apply the gardening term “sleep, creep, then leap” to their own growth and why you always want to keep growing your knowledge roots deeper. They give 6 tips on how to prepare for the International Builder Show in Florida for 2022 as well as what not to do. Plus they talk about digital photo authentication and what builders can do to protect their images, the top 5 social media predictions marketers for wrong in 2021, and google kills FLoc and replaces it with Topics. 

• Jackie shares the gardening term “Sleep, Creep, Then Leap” and how it applies to new marketing professionals.
• Bryce reflects on the start of the year and she wants to give you a friendly reminder to take a step back and give yourself grace and to use this time to brainstorm for ways to improve a process vs changing the plan completely. 
• Andrew is getting influenced and inspired by influencers plus he shares some tips on how to prepare for IBS from what the DYC team has learned over the years.

In the News (13:56 ) 

• 5 Social Media Predictions Marketers Got Wrong Last Year (hubspot.com)
• New Feature Alert: Instagram now lets anyone "remix" any videos on Instagram (instagram.com)
• The First Standard to Assure a Photo’s Authenticity Has Been Created (petapixel.com)
• Google kills off FLoC, Replaces it with Topics (techcrunch.com)

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode.

More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Subscribe on iTunes > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-itunes

Follow on Spotify > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-spotify

Listen On Stitcher > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-stitcher

A weekly new home marketing podcast for home builders and developers. Each week Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, Jackie Lipinski, Julie Jarnagin, and others from Do You Convert will break down the headlines, share best practices and stories from the front line, and perform a deep dive on relevant marketing topics. We’re here to help you – not to sell you!

• How incredibly specific topics help when creating video content. Including a 10+ minute video of Owner Eric Alaird doing math on a whiteboard and how it racked up over 10,000 views on youtube.
• Why Tilson continues to answer every question that they receive on their Live Videos (even the bad ones).
• Metrics that matter: Their videos have collected over 1.6 million minutes of content viewed in 2021 alone.
• The power of descript.com and how they use it for their video content.
• Why Tilson prefers to not gate their content.
• & More!

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode. More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Kevin Oakley, Julie Jarnagin, and Samantha Matlock share examples of phishing scams you should be aware of that scammers are utilizing in an attempt to get access to builders' ad accounts and how you can take steps to prevent your accounts from getting hacked. Our advice: Never click on any links within an email from “Facebook” that says you have an ad “violation” to review, know that Facebook will never notify you via the messenger app that your ads have a “violation” or issue to resolve, and always have 2-factor authentication turned on for every user who accesses any of your business accounts. 

• Samantha goes experimental with an old-school marketing tactic for a 55+ community and shares the results on how it went.  
• Julie’s seen an uptick in scammers attempting to phish home builders and shares how to prevent getting hacked. 
• Kevin shares his analogy of why some people can riff with different types of music and how it compares to marketing. Plus Kevin will be speaking at the Builder 100 event in May and what takeaways attendees can expect from the panel. 

In the News (23:58)

• International Builder Show - Orlando, FL on Feb 8-10 (buildersshow.com)
• Join Do You Convert at the 2022 International Builders’ Show (doyouconvert.com)
• TEXAS AND FLORIDA LEAD U-HAUL’S TOP GROWTH STATES FOR 2021 (https://www.builderonline.com)
• Stop Fetishizing Old Homes Whatever your aesthetic preferences, new construction is better on nearly every conceivable measure. (amp-theatlantic.com)
• Investors are paying millions for virtual land in the metaverse (https://www.cnbc.com) 

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode.

More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Subscribe on iTunes > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-itunes

Follow on Spotify > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-spotify

Listen On Stitcher > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-stitcher

A weekly new home marketing podcast for home builders and developers. Each week Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, Jackie Lipinski, Julie Jarnagin, and others from Do You Convert will break down the headlines, share best practices and stories from the front line, and perform a deep dive on relevant marketing topics. We’re here to help you – not to sell you!

Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, and Jen Barkan dive into "The Coming Soon Community Playbook for Online Sales Specialists", Jen Barkans's latest blog that gives crystal clear instructions on what steps Online Sales Specialists need to take when they have a new home community launching soon. They also discuss easy wins companies can take to make an exceptional customer experience, why you are who you surround yourself with, and some recent marketing experiences that went wrong. 

• Jen and her husband are officially in their motorcycle crews and she shares their motorcycle “road names.” 
• Andrew wants to make sure that you’re surrounding yourself with like-minded people who want to better themselves. 
• Kevin shares why the packaging of marketing matters and how it applies to his recent bad experiences with AT&T and his Sony TV’s experience.

In the News (19:17)

• The Benefit of Clear Goals for the New Year (probuilder.com)
  
• The Coming Soon Community Playbook for Online Sales Specialists (doyouconvert.com)
• Two Industry Experts Forecast Their Predictions For 2022 (builderonline.com)
• Why all your coworkers who quit are about to come back as ‘boomerang employees’ (cnbc.com)
• FHFA to Impose Hefty Upfront Fees on Second Home Purchases (nahbnow.com)
• Online Sales Academy coming March 30-31, 2022 in Texas, yeehaw! (onlinesales.doyouconvert.com/sales-academy)

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode.

More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Subscribe on iTunes > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-itunes

Follow on Spotify > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-spotify

Listen On Stitcher > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-stitcher

A weekly new home marketing podcast for home builders and developers. Each week Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, Jackie Lipinski, Julie Jarnagin, and others from Do You Convert will break down the headlines, share best practices and stories from the front line, and perform a deep dive on relevant marketing topics. We’re here to help you – not to sell you!

• Why it’s always beneficial to hire people with graphic design skills
• Devon’s role as one of the only female executives at Estridge Homes
• How to be fearless in marketing with data
• How to not only set buyer expectations but your internal teams expectations as well when selling homes
• Devon shares what she believes are to be the biggest hurdles to overcome 
• & more!

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode. More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, Becca Thomas discuss events vs. goals in google analytics and what you should and should not track on your website. Plus they dive into Zillow adding SharePlay, TikTok now being the most visited website on the internet, & Kevin also shares his experience moving into his new home! 

• Becca would like to remind everyone to review your website’s conversions goals you currently have set up in google analytics.
• Andrew shares his experience purchasing Crumbl cookies.
• Kevin gives an update on moving into his newly built home, including moving in early and how he had to do a walkthrough with his kids. 

In the News (18:18)

• Events vs Goals - Telling Stories With Events & Tracking Leads With Goals (doyouconvert.com)
• Zillow adds support for iOS 15’s SharePlay, so you can look at homes together from your studio apartments (theverge.com)
• U.S. home prices surge 18.4% in October (cnbc.com)
• TikTok tops Google as the most visited website on the internet (cbsnews.com)
• Online Sales Academy coming March 30-31, 2022 in Texas, yeehaw! (https://onlinesales.doyouconvert.com/sales-academy/)

Questions? Comments? Email [email protected] or call 404-369-2595 and we’ll address them on the next episode.

More insights, discussions, and opportunities in the Market Proof Marketing Facebook group.

Subscribe on iTunes > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-itunes

Follow on Spotify > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-spotify

Listen On Stitcher > https://now.doyouconvert.com/mpm-stitcher

A weekly new home marketing podcast for home builders and developers. Each week Kevin Oakley, Andrew Peek, Jackie Lipinski, Julie Jarnagin, and others from Do You Convert will break down the headlines, share best practices and stories from the front line, and perform a deep dive on relevant marketing topics. We’re here to help you – not to sell you!

• Ananth’s significant success rate with virtual community launches and how he has now proven himself as one of the best New Home Marketers when it comes to virtually launching communities.
• Hubspot tools that he sees value in and uses on a regular basis, including the Work Flow, Marketing Automation, the Meeting schedule tool.
• The benefits of Hubspot integrating with Zoom and Calendly and how to use them when launching a new community.
• What marketing automation can do currently and may be able to accomplish in the future. 
• Ananth shares which companies have helped EYA with their Digital Presale Community Launch Process, including Earnnest and Focus360.