Thursday, July 23, 2009

Home Builders Turn to Social Media

We are beginning to see a shift in real estate public relations as builders all over the country are beginning to embrace social media as their primary form of marketing. It seems almost on a daily basis that builders are launching their own corporate blogs: Bowen Family Homes, Brock Built, Highland Homes, Sterling Custom Homes and Jim Chapman Communities to name just a few. Through their blog, these builders are able to reach a broader audience and engage their visitors with up-to-date news as well as drive more traffic to their Web site.

Of course, blogs are not the only tool builders are using to increase traffic to their Web site. We are seeing more and more builders on Facebook and Twitter as well, which is fantastic because both real estate agents and buyers utilize these social networking sites.

So, the builders are online, but how are they getting their audience to interact? Well, Bowen Family Homes and Highland Homes host contests on Facebook and Twitter in order to encourage participation. Other builders use Twitter to ask questions about the real estate industry and blogs to discuss current events. It doesn't really matter how you do it, but creating conversations is what social media is all about; so, it needs to be done in some form or fashion.

The primary reason to launch a social media campaign is to drive more traffic to the corporate Web site. Ideally, more online traffic means more on-site traffic, and an increase in sales. However, another benefit of social media for homebuilders is brand management. With Web 2.0, there is no question that your company is being discussed online (probably both positively and negatively). By joining the conversation, you have more control over what is being said and read.

It's time to follow in the footsteps of so many builders and start creating online conversations.