When it comes to online marketing, there are a lot of fads that come and go, from MySpace to Google+. They start with a bang and some gain traction and others do not.
When you manage your online market campaign from the sales funnel out, it’s much easier to view each of these trends as what they are: simple additional tools for the toolbox. Whether or not they work depends on your goals and what part of the sales funnel you are trying to focus on.
However, occasionally new trends come along that have powerful, immediate, and actionable benefits for home builders who are trying to attract, nurture and convert leads. These trends require that we pay attention, and move to make adjustments to add them to our marketing mix.
One of those trends is Pinterest.
Pinterest is a social platform that enables users to pin and share photos of their interests and hobbies, as well as share, comment on, and follow photos and boards of other users. The site was named as a Top 50 Website by Time Magazine and recently topped 11.7 million unique users in a single month.
So what are some specific benefits for home builders? Here’s just a few reasons to consider adding Pinterest to your online marketing mix:
Showcase Your Homes
They say a picture is worth a thousands words, and that is certainly true when it comes to creating an emotional connection with potential buyers online. Pinterest offers a fast, easy and effective way to leverage the hundreds of thousands of dollars that you spend on your model homes to capture more buyers online.
Create boards by community, by plan type, or by room type. (See this sample of real estate boards by Halstead Property.)
Go Viral
Pinterest, like Twitter, brings a democracy to the viral nature of the web. Just as Twitter is about the quality of the idea or information (regardless of source), the share-ability of Pinterest is based solely on the value of the visual. Do you build the most beautiful master suites in town? Pin it. Let the users of the Pinterest community share it for you (with your name attached to each re-pin).
(Although it’s true that Facebook offers ways to “like” and comment on home builder photos, it’s not nearly as fun.)
Reach More Women
For me and for many women that I know, Pinterest is hard to put down. Pinterest meets the needs of women homebuyers because buying and planning for a new home is a highly creative process for women. Posting photos of models, interior finish options, and inspiration homes are all great ways to appeal to women.
Often buyers – and particularly women – think of their next home for months, even years, before they buy it. Ask many women and they’ll pull out a file (or a binder, or vision board, or a file on their computer) of photos of home interiors organized by room, rugs, floors, faucets, and details of their home that they envision long before they register on your website or walk into your sales center. By feeding buyers those resources and images (and adding more), you can build a relationship during the planning process that informs and influences a buying decision.
(See samples of real estate idea boards.)
Increase Website Traffic
According to a recent report, Pinterest is driving more traffic than Google+, YouTube, Reddit and LinkedIn – combined. The study shows that traffic driven by the photo sharing site is nearly on par with Twitter. This is particularly powerful for builders, who rely heavily on visuals to capture online shoppers and convert prospects to sales office visits.
Trends come and go, and not all of them live up to the hype. However, Pinterest shows some real promise in helping home builders connect with potential buyers online.
Like all online marketing (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, PR, SEO), Pinterest is one tool that can be used effectively as part of a comprehensive, overall home builder online marketing program.
2 Comments on "Why Home Builders Should Pay Attention to Pinterest"
We’re still testing the waters but we agree that Pinterest will be an easy (and fun!) way to showcase pictures of our new home designs while being an invaluable tool for new homeowners as a way to share visual ideas and inspiration to create their new DREAM HOME. Check out our boards: http://pinterest.com/essexhomes/
Beautiful boards! It’s interesting to see how different builders are using Pinterest and how buyers engage. Thanks for stopping by the blog – always value your insight!