The Good:  they realize the need for content to participate in social media channels. The Slightly Disturbing:  the apparent lack of focus and plan to make content meaningful and effectively distributed for buyers. (sigh)   

KEY POINT: To create marketing strategy & content that works, you need to begin by returning to the center of what marketing and business is about –The Customer.

“who is our buyer?”

In the home building industry where I spend a lot of time, you hear a lot about the ‘young professional couple‘, ‘young family with kids‘,’ mature family‘ and the ‘empty-nesters‘.  Now we also hear about ‘multi-gen‘ where aging parents move-in or 20 to 30 somethings move-back (or never leave-yikes!).

But what do these few words really tell place designers, marketers  and other ‘meaning-makers’  in creating product and content that is really valued by customers?  These ‘customer descriptors’ are so generic that they are slipped into hundreds of marketing plans for communities across the country and few ever notice that the customer targets never change.

This stereotype approach to buyers is true of  too many companies across categories.

THE RESULT: Generic and shallow communications that are meaningful to no one.

what is a buyer persona?

“Buyer Persona: (n) a composite sketch of the real people who buy, or might buy, products like the ones you sell. It should go beyond traditional demographics and delve into behaviors, motivations, likes/dislikes, etc..”

A good buyer persona conveys enough information that designers and writers can create products and content with empathy for the intended buyer – not in terms of being a set of statistics, but as a real-life person.  It’s about his or her worldview, not you or your product.

why use buyer personas?

Marketing changed when social media channels (blogs, forums, review sites, Facebook, Twitter etc.) entered the picture and marketing moved to 2-way conversation, rather than broadcasting of messages (more on that here). Now brands are expected to talk with people and be human in what they say & how they say it.

Buyer personas help brands be more personal and authentically address specific needs of specific types of people. They shift marketing efforts away from broadcasting product and company-centric messages and towards providing useful, customer-centric content that a person would actually find valuable.

KEY POINTS:  1)  It’s not about the product, it’s about the customer and the relationship. THEN – it’s about the sale and/or the referral.  2) Buyer Personas help you create engagingly relevant content and to know where to promote it.

how to create a buyer persona

 STEP 1:  Identify Your Most Common Buyers and Potential Buyers

First,  take stock of what buyer insights you have and what you are missing. Begin by identifying your key customer segments. Review your current buyer, shopper and other market information.  Typically buyer trends in life stage, demographics, motivations and behavior will emerge.

Next, give a descriptive name to each group of key targeted buyers and briefly note life stage, demographics, geography, motivations and other behaviors observed  in online forums; through social media; anywhere. Include insights and feedback from sales and customer service in this initial exercise.  [NOTE: For real estate developers and homebuilders, geo-demographic reports such as Nielsen’s PRIZM or Experian’s Mosaic can be quite helpful here.]

HINT: Keep in mind that you will need to generate meaningful content and experiences for each buyer persona. Given your marketing capacity, try to realistically narrow your number of buyer personas as much as possible by focusing on the most important customer segments to your business.

STEP 2: Get Up-Close & Personal With Buyers

Now your research becomes more qualitative. Interview customers (preferably who bought within the last 30 to 60 days), prospective customers and if possible prospects that purchased from your competition.   The goal is to vet and refine the initial assumptions of Step One and bring greater dimension and insight to each profile.

Interviews. For each buyer persona conduct at least five 30-minutes interviews and more if you can as the larger your sample set, the more credence your data will have. At minimum ask to record the interview and if possible film it. The nuance and emotion of how people answer is very telling.

SOME SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR BUYER INTERVIEW GUIDE:

The Buyer’s World Beyond What Your Company Does.  Basically, the goal here is to discover what their life is about right now. Tell me about a day in your life. What is it like during the week? What about weekends? What is important to you?  What would you say are the main challenges you are dealing with at this point? What do find motivating?  What trends are influencing them?  What are your top 3 favorite things to do?

How The Buyers Life Relates to the Product You Provide. What does [home] mean to you? Here we want a couple of very open-ended questions about the category and/or product you provide. Let them take it wherever they want. THEN – you can add in other product questions if you like.

The Buying Process.  What happened on the day you decided to look for a [home or other product ] this?  What process did you go through to find potential homes?   How did you narrow the options down?   What criteria did you use to evaluate the options?  How did we fare against the competition by those criteria? What influenced you in purchasing? [NOTE: if you haven’t read “How people really shop”…you should.]

HINT: In this section, we are looking to understand how they shop and where they get their information as it directs where we promote. So, if needed be prepared to ask clarifying questions regarding media, including if they read blogs, forums or are active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or other social networks.

What haven’t I asked you that I should? Probably the best question of them all.

STEP 3:  Create Your Buyer Personas.

Analyze the information gathered and craft your buyer personas to be easy to understand and useful. In sharing the personas with designers and marketing teams, consider incorporating buyer video and/or audio from your interviews for greater insight.

FINAL THOUGHT: Everything about your marketing efforts should be tied to personas. They are foundational to brand communication and experience design. Marketing today is personal and about the customer. Brands need to be able to see the world through their buyers’ eyes to be effective and Buyer Personas are the first step.

Thanks for stopping by & to get greater insight into your buyers -Let’s talk. Also,  I’d love to hear your perspectives Weigh in below or catch me on Twitter at @HollyHM2 . Until next time – Cheers!

HM-2 | marketing development

context is where brand perception starts

Consider a new residential community that recently opened in Orange County. It is called Lambert Ranch, located in Irvine and developed by The New Home Company.

From those two sentences, the established brands of Orange County and Irvine (if you are familiar with Southern California) are influencing what you think about Lambert Ranch. The New Home Company is a newer brand and unless you know the “who” behind the company, the first impression may be that they create generic and perhaps even pre-fab houses. This may form the initial context of the Lambert Ranch brand for many people.

Now, let’s add in what people have been saying about Lambert Ranch.  A little time on Google and there is not that much there. A few press releases, a bit of bashing on some housing forums, social networks are rather quiet and the website a touch generic.  So that area of influence was rather un-influential.  

The Marketing. Most of the outreach effort for Lambert Ranch focused on public relations and email communication. Then there is the banner on the property…right next door to competitor Portola Springs.  The homebuilder wisely used tracking URLs in their efforts and I would bet this banner diverted more than a few would-be Portola buyers to wait for Lambert Ranch.

The number of homebuyers visiting Lambert Ranch that grand opening weekend was about 3,000. The New Home Company sold out of their first phases and the activity continues strongly as of the time of this post. So that worked.

experience clarifies perception

I had just left Lambert Ranch which had its official grand opening the weekend before and was absolutely “blown away” by my experience.

“Why did I love that place so much?”

“Because you were expecting another Irvine subdivision” replied a colleague.  She was right. From my online sleuthing, I just wasn’t excited to see this community. It felt like another Irvine new home neighborhood opening. Nice entry. Nice Parks. Nice Pool. Nice Homes and somewhat small yards…again.

It is hard to describe experiences as you feel them and they are personal.  So some pictures (with MORE on Pinterest)…

Drove up…human sign people at each intersection (√ check). nice gate house (√ check). pavers up the entry road (√ check)…and then it changed.

Lambert Ranch feels like character – but not the type an architect, landscape architect or nature achieves alone. It’s the sum of the nuances that make the total.

Details like -

…the grasses waving in drifts under the mature pepper trees,

…the quiet trail behind the Ranch House (swim & event center),

…the lemons on the trees in front of the Ranch House, when you know this place just opened and the activity everywhere (even the inventive driving felt positive)

…the architecture that deftly conveys timeless authenticity in craft and blends indoor with outdoor life gorgeously.

—-

...the quiet hum, excitement and freedom of people exploring as they felt they wanted to. Explorations of  backyards, balconies, side door entries are all encouraged. Trap-fencing has been banished and replaced with hedges that let you escape as you like.

...the legacy trees that were preserved in place mandated using mature plant material in the new area to bring balance.  

The Result : This place feels like a neighborhood in an older city – but everything is new.

cosmopolitan irvine?

I’ve been hearing Irvine described as ‘cosmopolitan’ for awhile, but never felt it. Irvine has a very strong brand for me and ‘cosmopolitan’ wasn’t it.

At Lambert Ranch, to hear the different inflection in the voices wandering quietly through the homes and along the streets feels worldly. At one point a man paused unexpectantly in a doorway as his friend called out to him one last detail in a language that I couldn’t quite place.  When startled by the traffic jam he was causing, he quickly apologized in a local’s English. It was inspiring how he balanced two cultures so gracefully.   Cosmopolitan Irvine? Yes.

delivery builds brand perception & equity

Upon driving out of this place, the brand of  ‘Irvine’  and ‘The New Home Company‘ was changed for me. However, the brand of  ’Lambert Ranch‘  had taken a dramatic 180° turn in my mind.

The developer had delivered a story that was much more than another subdivision in Irvine. The story of Lambert Ranch is a story of design. The passion and care to pursue it and the love so many people have for it. It’s similar to the brand of Target, but with homes beginning in the $900,000s – it is obviously not for everyone.

Key Point: What you tell people via advertising may set an initial brand expectation. However, ‘who you are & what you do’  creates sustainable brand perception. Faced with a budget constraint, invest in being great over ‘telling people how great you are’.

FINAL THOUGHT: With 21 homes reserved, the first two phases of Lambert Ranch are sold out. They will be releasing 15 more homes very soon. I asked the sales people, if they believe they have already met the people who will purchase this next release. The answer was the same for all -a quiet smile and polite “yes we have an interest list that’s rather long”.

—————-

Beyond Worth a  Visit:  Lambert Ranch 

More interior & exterior images (that are not as good as a real life visit) – are on Pinterest here. Your thoughts are always appreciated, or let’s connect over on Twitter at @HollyHM2.  Until next time…feel free to share and best wishes.

DISCLAIMER: I work in the building industry, but have never worked with The New Home Company or Lambert Ranch in any way. This post was not solicited and simply candid observations. 

HM-2 | marketing development

traditional marketing [1-to-many]

Traditional marketing was based on a company interrupting a lot of people’s attention spans and telling them about how great your product was [1 - communicating to- many].  For the most part people would believe you and some would even take you up on your offer.

This approach worked..ages ago when people were less connected to information & unable to easily talk with other shoppers about options and brands.  Now – it mostly doesn’t work. Yet brands still cling to the old methods & logic. [I say mostly because there are methods of advertising that work today.]

Today there are several companies that use the NEW channels of social media with the OLD methods of  ”talking at” people. This is not a transitional method of marketing. It is a waste of money. For those who are especially strong in their sales broadcasting, not only can they be ignored, but they can also negatively impact their brand equity.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Traditional Marketing on Social Media channels is NOT Social Media Marketing.

2-way conversation [1-to-1 in front of many or privately]

Now technology has opened up communication and publishing one’s thoughts to the world is just a click of a button. Why just listen when you can tell them (& everyone) what you really think?  Consider that closely. 

EXERCISE: On a gorgeous weekend morning, read your brand’s blog, Facebook page, Twitter profile …

Honestly – was it interesting? Did you last a half hour?

If you were interested, chances are your brand is actually talking with people and you personally found it fascinating. Congratulations it appears your brand has the knack for being social in social media. 

Done well social media marketing  demonstrates why your brand is relevant to people and positions your brand to receive more referrals and sales. Connect well with one person at a time in social media spaces and many many more will be touched by your positive effort.

If you lasted 10 minutes or less, chances are you are marketing on a social media channel and broadcasting  fabulous product features at people.

BOTTOM-LINE: If you didn’t enjoy your brand’s content, what makes you think anyone else will?

Now…off the soap box. Thanks for stopping by and would love to hear your thoughts here or let’s connect on Twitter @HollyHM2. 

NEXT TIME: Buyer Personas: how brands  ’get personal” or  ”where to start to create great content”.

HM-2 | marketing development

Here Jonathan Mildenhall, Vice-President, Global Advertising Strategy & Creative Excellence at The Coca-Cola Company explains how “Coke will leverage the opportunities in the new media landscape and transform one-way storytelling into dynamic storytelling hoping to add value and significance to people’s lives.” 

I believe the videos outline brilliantly how Coca-Cola will move from “Creative Excellence” to “Content Excellence.”

Also, the fact that Coke has lifted back the curtain on their long term brand strategy via YouTube shows that they mean it & their efforts are already underway.

coca-cola’s Content 2020 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LerdMmWjU_E?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

why share this?

• to say “marketing is now content-driven”. This 125 year old icon is dealing with it and so can you.
• to show how ‘brand strategy’ starts with a greater meaning and embraces business objectives. These aren’t just buzz words – it is a valid business concept.
• to inspire you in innovation that embraces market trends; moves beyond formulaic approaches; and makes your brand increasingly relevant and interesting.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiwIq-8GWA8?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Thanks so much for stopping by and I’d love to hear what you think. Comment here or give me a shout on Twitter at @HollyHM2.  

As always – if you enjoyed this post – please share! Until next time – Cheers ;)

HM-2 | marketing development

some notes

While strong on fundamentals, a few “misses” & thoughts on the graphic…

• LinkedIn…the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 150 million members. This network should be included as it is strong for recruiting and  ”B to B” marketing. Consider in 2011 57% of businesses reported acquiring a customer via LinkedIn- a higher % than Facebook &Twitter.  (source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2011)

• Pinterest…Just because, “Pinterest Hit 10 Million U.S. Monthly Uniques Faster Than Any Standalone Site Ever”  doesn’t mean it has earned a place in the graphic. This is a newer (& addicting I’m exploring this one) site that is still shaking out. Definately could be a HUGE game-changer, but we’ll see.

• Objectives… while the “Pros” column touches on how the social media channel is strong, a bit more on how it works best in a marketing application would have been nice. Jumping into anything with out a clear objective is rather ridiculous imho. (Also, saying “we just need to have a presence”…isn’t a valid objective- no matter how many of competitors are in the space.)  [For more on marketing objectives in 2 more great infographics...click here.] 

• Blogs…A blog is a social media channel which probably deserves a mention. Similar to LinkedIn - 57% of businesses reported acquiring a customer via a company blog.  (source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2011). That said, some companies are dropping blogs due to the time and resources to maintain and are substituting in Facebook –  which isn’t a good idea in my opinion and a topic for another time.

Key Thought…  Today  marketing requires authentic connection and social media is here to stay.  So be strategic in your approach and where you participate  – do so remarkably well. Enjoy!  (click below to enlarge graphic)

HM-2 | marketing development

Part of “a great place” - a series of engaging spaces for consideration…and perhaps inspiration for the people who build places everyday. 

“How much design is too much design?” - the on-going challenge in building any product, including places. At the end of the day, development is a business and a major economic driver with employees, suppliers, contractors and yes – a profit requirement.

Bottom-line- New places need to “pencil” and the art is finding the balance of aesthetic design to financial feasibility. On one side- the “finance guys” don’t like risk & cheaper feels so-less-risky. On the other side- the “marketers” like to sell a product that people will actually find interesting & well…boring or ugly is so-less-sell-able.

That said, at times going beyond the known in design creates a powerful brand that people find engaging and value (think Apple). The Result: premium pricing, faster sales and lower promotion costs.

consider 1111 lincoln road

This much-lauded Miami project by Robert Wennett  brings together high-end architecture by Herzog & de Meuron with the lowly parking garage for a mere $65 million (NY times 1/11).

This complete re-imagining of a parking use responds brilliantly to the context of the property. Parking rates here are almost 400% the area average ($4 hour per car) and $12,000 -$15,000 (per event).(NY times 1/11).

design

First a brief recap of the land and the context when acquired in 2005. 

• The developer’s property (59,889 S.F.) outlined in red 
• Existing building with Brutalist architecture to remain.
• South Beach climate is warm, tropical (with storms) and outdoor living oriented.
• Famed pedestrian Lincoln Road outdoor mall almost adjacent to land.
• “Quirky zoning regulations in the city made it profitable to build a large garage.” - (NY Times 1-23-11) 

The model to the right is of an initial possibility. This less costly – concept may have appeared a great, safe answer to a “finance guy” – which would have been a shame.

Enter Herzog & de Meuron. The architects saw an opportunity. They set out to redefine the parking garage experience into more of a “car salon” with shops, bars, event and housing components.

The massing of the garage was increased to match the existing building. The garage is airy and open responding to the climate and in contrast to the existing building, which brings a certain balance to the overall project. While garage height and cost to build increased significantly, the 255 parking spaces allowed did not. The multi-use programming of the project provides additional revenue streams.

Luckily for the developer, the City redeveloped the block of Lincoln Road adjacent to the property into an extension of the Lincoln Road outdoor mall. That obviously added incredible value & facilitated prime retail into the  ground level of both buildings.

brand

Once the decision was made to create a mix-use architectural statement of this caliber and incorporate it into the famed South Beach Lincoln Road lifestyle a brand began to develop of an uber-cool, high-profile international icon capable of attracting high-end leases, selling million+ condos and renting “parking space” for $12-$15K per event. The brand of 1111 Lincoln Road began at the design stage of development.

Promotion. 1111 Lincoln Road garnered international editorial press both online and offline. However the amount of user-generated content online is a huge component of the marketing mix and always focused on design – building the brand of an “uber-cool” design icon. For the truly interesting, social media is powerful.

The developer marketing by TCBC /NY stayed consistent with the brand by visually mimicking the architecture as much as possible and conveying “Modern. Fast. Adaptable. and Sensual.”  Intentionally they built brand equity in 11 11 Lincoln Road that supported all uses -”retail, residential, dining and parking experiences”. 

On the events. While most of the weddings, wine tastings, private parties and corporate events take place on the 7th floor of the garage, Ferrari used the 5th, 6th & 7th beautifully. Note: the 11 11 brand of high design, modern, fast, and sensual is in the same brand personality space as Ferrari – a strong synergy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaQQ7UA4Xs?rel=0&w=500&h=284]

Worth a visit: 1111 lincoln road developer website  & HM-2 Pinterest board for more 

So do you love it..or not so much? Weigh in below or catch me on twitter at @HollyHM2. [If you would like an invite to Pinterest let me know below or on twitter - always happy to help ;) ] Coming soon…more on Pinterest – 10 million strong & growing.

_________________________________________________________

Interested in marketing innovation…  

Click here to get our new whitepaper  ’3 steps to…marketing a planned community’  

HM-2 | marketing development

So why is this the first thing I write in what is supposed to be an inspiring marketing blog on the latest best practices out there?

Well – it’s a bit of tough love if you will.  As the building industry cautiously ramps up – things are tenuous at best.  We can’t change the economy and demand…but we can stop hanging on to old methodologies and throwing cash out the window – metaphorically speaking.

traditional marketing – used alone – doesn’t work any more.

Traditional Marketing practice “pushes” a message out to targeted consumers with the goal of catching their attention and inciting an action. (Examples: cold-calling, print & on-line advertising, TV & radio advertising, outdoor, direct mail /  e-blast to purchased lists and trade shows.) Here a company tells people why they should buy that product now, Now, NOW.

There was an intense shallowness in these customer relationships of the past and this seemed to work more-or-less for years. Until, of course it didn’t…and still doesn’t.  

[Interesting Note: the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer found that over 70% of consumers in the United States feel advertising lies.] 

Used alone, traditional marketing’s results were on the decline years ago and it would be insane to again follow only traditional techniques. 

Interestingly, I’ve seen traditional “push” marketing ["buy my product"-"buy my product"]  used almost exclusively in Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and blogs. It not only doesn’t work there – it actually goes the extra mile and annoys people. 

Just because it’s a social media channel – doesn’t mean that’s how it’s being used by companies. Indeed, I’ve been watching a builder with a “social media staff” & a budget PUSH messaging  ["Grand opening at __" - "Get a home for only $___" -"Grand Opening Today..."] across social media without a break. It’s like watching a car accident in slow-motion. Painful.

Bottom-line -  Using only “push” marketing techniques in isolation should earn a ticket to the asylum.  However, integrating traditional techniques into a larger marketing strategy & mix… well that can be downright synergistic. 

there are other areas that make me wonder these days

• Still not having a defined brand experience strategy, when everything is more transparent and personal than ever before in history. Seriously…many companies just “wing it” .
• Still not using analytics and data regularly to improve marketing return and customer experience. Is it really “ok” today to not actively pursue improvement? Do equity partners feel this way?

last word..

Innovation. There are so many opportunities to be remarkably great. The developers and builders that pursue those opportunities will become the next market leaders.

HM-2 | marketing development

On December 27, 2011, the Conference Board released their latest on Consumer Confidence. The trend over time is what is most telling. How volatile confidence is today is startling.  

2011 started off strong – only to peak in February and then decline through October.  As we head into 2012,  to have any good news on this front is – surprising and we’ll see.  Today, the Index is momentarily climbing.

 After two months of considerable gains, the Consumer Confidence Index is now back to levels seen last spring (April 2011, 66.0). Consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions improved again.

Looking ahead, consumers are more optimistic that business conditions, employment prospects, and their financial situations will continue to get better. While consumers are ending the year in a somewhat more upbeat mood, it is too soon to tell if this is a rebound from earlier declines or a sustainable shift in attitudes.” - Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center

10 years of consumer confidence

 The graph below provides a perspective using the  U.S. Consumer Confidence Index over the past tumultuous decade.

Some of the major events of the era are noted to illustrate their effects on how people feel.  For example,  when the US experiences a new war,  natural disaster, or other severe crisis, the index gauges the reaction and eventual recovery. What it doesn’t show is how this process changes people and how they process value.

Key Take-away: To early to tell if this is a meaningful trend. Stay tuned.    (click the graphic to enlarge)

 Worth Visiting: The Conference Board

HM-2 | marketing development

BOTTOM-LINE: Marketers need to understand how people shop today and align their activities accordingly to be most effective. 

the traditional funnel

This outdated model was developed before the prevalence of the internet when there was a barrier to information. Consider: Consumer Reports was a trip to the library and advertising was actually considered somewhat trustworthy.

1 - A person will “recognize a need” and actively begin shopping.

2 - People start with a large number of potential brands in mind. Being in this “Top of Mind” group of brands is the pay-off for “branding advertising”.

3 - Next people enter into a consideration phase. Here they compare features…no make that benefits – and methodically subtract  brands in consideration until… This is when marketing pummels people with “push” advertising telling them why their brand is best…and it worked for a long time. 

4 - Eventually, people emerge with a decision and purchase .

McKinsey & Co.’s Consumer Decision Journey

2008 – 20,000 consumers – 5 industries – 3 continents

You have to love our friends at McKinsey & Company as they always go BIG. In this study, McKinsey illustrates exactly why the Traditional Funnel no longer applies and how marketing should purposefully address the different stages of the consumer decision journey. 

It begins with triggers that set people on the path of purchasing.  (There are huge ideas here for real estate… ;)

STAGE 1 – Initial Consideration. People start off with certain brands in mind. Interestingly, there are not that many brands included in this initial consideration set. (Ranking the highest was Autos at only 3.8 brands.) (Getting into the Initial Consideration set  is the pay-off for all that “branding advertising” marketers invest in. It seems wasted, until people are triggered and then remember you. However, this is only the beginning. If your marketing stops here  – OUCH!)

STAGE 2 – Active Evaluation. Here people add and subtract brands as they evaluate what they want.

People aren’t just starting with a fixed pool of brand options and then whittling it down from there. They are starting with a small net and then expanding it to consider more brand options.  (It’s in Active Evaluation that a new brand can enter in and knock an Initial Consideration competitor out of the running. If you’re not active in Stage 2…)

And to make things even more interesting, 67% of the information used in Active Evaluation involve consumer-driven marketing touchpoints (reviews, recommendations, past experiences, in-store interactions). Only 33% is company-driven. (So marketers would be well-advised to learn how to influence those consumer-driven touchpoints. Content marketing anyone? Social Media anyone? Experience Focus perhaps? Are you budgeting appropriately?)

STAGE 3 – Moment of Purchase. Ultimately, people emerge with a decision and purchase. It may be made on-line, in a store, or in a sales office.

STAGE 4 – Postpurchase Experience. After experiencing what they purchased, people will use the information to generate more consumer-driven information and the cycle continues.

Google’s Zero Moment of Truth.

2011 – 5,000 consumers – 12 industries – 1 continent

Rather than approach the purchasing decision journey from the consumer behavior perspective, Google look’s at the shopping dynamic through the lens of a marketing model by P&G.

Stimulus. Mike is watching some history show and sees a commercial for a camcorder.  He thinks, “That looks good.”

Shelf (First Moment of Truth). He goes to his favorite electronics store, where he sees a terrific display for that same camcorder. The packaging is great. A sales guy answers all his questions. He buys it.

Experience (Second Moment of Truth). Mike gets home and the camcorder records brilliantly, just as advertised. A happy ending.

(This is a  very MadMen’esque model  in my opinion.)

Now Google’s study identifies a fourth shopping step and  shows “where influence takes place as shoppers move from undecided to decided.”

STEP 1 – Stimulus. Something appealing prompts people to start on the path to purchasing.

76% of the shoppers said that Stimulus activities shaped their decisions. Topping the list of information shoppers sought out (or prompted them) are:

(Candidly for real estate, I’m on-the-fence as to what this really says and am more drawn to McKinsey’s concept of a “Trigger”. However, this does speak to getting into the Initial Consideration set. Also, as much of this list revolves around traditional interruption marketing, make sure that your efforts are not traditional and cause a reaction. Safe…is oh so risky.)

STEP 2 – Zero Moment of Truth [ZMOT]. This is that ” grab the laptop/tablet/phone moment” when people start researching options.

84% of the shoppers said that ZMOT activities shaped their decisions. Topping the list of information shoppers sought out are:

(Note: Hubspot puts search engine use in purchase research at 73%  and strongly favors organic over  PPC.)

STEP 3 – First Moment of Truth [FMOT]. This is that last metaphorical in-store deciding-moment of staring at a shelf and making the final choice.

77% of the shoppers said that FMOT activities shaped their decisions. Topping the list of information shoppers sought out are:

STEP 4 – Second Moment of Truth [SMOT]. The experience of what they purchased. From that people will use the information to inform others..and the cycle continues.

————–

LAST THOUGHT:  Active, uncontrolled research now drives the critical stage of the shopping process and marketers need to respond to that.

Worth a Visit:  McKinsey & Company’s Consumer Decision Journey

   Google’s Zero Moment of Truth

Thanks so much for stopping in and I’d love to hear what you think. Comment here or give me a shout on Twitter at @HollyHM2.  Until next time – Cheers.

HM-2 | marketing development

Last time, we discussed how people use social media channels in real life …AND that by “going with” the culture & purpose of each channel, companies can build valuable relationships, brand equity and ultimately revenue.  (click graphic to enlarge)

The following builds on that concept. Enjoy!   ———

Below are a few of the brands in real estate that really “get social media” and why they are so engaging.  (To find these inspiring examples, the following were reviewed:  public builders, 2010 JD Powers listed builders for Southern California and their top regional builders and more.)

some social homebuilders…

LENNAR (National) - Hard to imagine that anyone would deny that Lennar leads in social media for this category. Over 87,000 people ‘Like’ them on Facebook and 94,000 follow on Twitter. However, that’s not why the nation’s 3rd largest homebuilder is listed here (but it sure doesn’t hurt!)

Responsive.  Be polite and even gracious. With 94K Twitter followers, Lennar still makes a point of always acknowledging when their content is shared. That’s huge and it increases sharing tremendously.  I have not found this consistency with any other brand managing this size of a following. Sure – Lennar has resources, but the fact they choose to invest here speaks volumes of their commitment to social media.

the test… I ran a small, highly unscientific Twitter test this past Saturday of 14 major homebuilders. Lennar responded first in an impressive 20 minutes (78% of the sample never responded…a social miss).

The Twitter stream below shows their “thank you” to me and others for sharing Lennar in some way. (Note: the first “tweet” is at the bottom). In 5 minutes, 3 people happily responded back. This brief, polite and likable exchange…resulted in Lennar’s name being positively shared with a network of 9,311 people in just those 3 tweets.  Lots of small positive gestures add up in how people feel about your brand and it’s perfectly on-culture for Twitter. 

[Hint: By grouping people together, Lennar acknowledges people, while courteously minimizing the impact on followers.]

Transparent. Don’t hide from the negative. On Lennar’s Facebook page there are some good comments & some that make me cringe. The point is – they don’t take down the bad comments, they work with them. Building a home is much more complicated than say making a shirt. There will be a few really unhappy customers at all times. It is the nature of the industry.   How those customers are worked with – is the difference.

Also, Lennar allows people to post directly to their page and inserts personality.  With your page open to the masses, you lose some control – but “control” has been gone for some time now. Let people have the option to take the conversation where they want to and your page will be more interestingly real. 

National & Local.   “Corporate” and local profiles can be synergistic. These dual levels of profiles can “play off each other” in the social space and make the brand feel like a team.

This shows really well on Lennar’s website. [Their social media listing page feels more "personal" to me, than the traditional text listing.]  

Also there is a subtle unity of voice among the divisions (some much more successful than others) and they are able to draw content from the work done at the national level, which is substantial.

Bottom-line:  The divisions expand reach tremendously and provide real LOCAL context and personality. After all, homebuilding is a local business. [Lennar is active on: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Multiple Blogs...and more.]

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PARDEE HOMES (Regional CA/NV) - The first time I really took note of Pardee was years ago when I saw one of their demo rooms on ‘green’ features in a home (aka their SmartLiving platform). I believe they were one of the first homebuilders to seriously integrate sustainability into their brand and with social media the innovation is continuing.

Innovative Programs. Create valuable content for target audiences. Pardee has developed some strong support programs for Realtors and homebuyers working through the challenges of this market and qualifying today. The programs play out nicely online and are positioned well when shared in social media.

[Hint: By crafting  a variety of  tools to help their target audience, Pardee's offers provide real value - not just the opportunity to be marketed to.]

Integrates Content Type. Blend your content & don’t over-sell in social media. Pardee does a good job of blending their promotional content and helpful resources – with interesting items related to their business or the social channel they are on.  It’s a nice combination.

Educate. Have a complex product? ‘Show & Tell’ works great on YouTube.  Pardee does a great job of “lifting back the curtain” on what it takes to build a home, what to expect from customer service, etc. This is about helping customers and shoppers with their research, rather than going for the entertainment angle.  [Pardee Homes is active on:  Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Blog]

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A few more impressively social builders that I’ve come across are:

KB Home (National) – KB is transparent on Facebook, innovatively uses real-time event streaming and brings celebrity & education to YouTube.  [KB Home is active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube]

Charter Homes (Regional/PA) – From being mobile friendly, personal, integrating content well and testing niche platforms like Instagram, Charter Homes is always innovating. [Charter Homes is active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blog]

Lennar Atlanta (Division) – First I really tried not to include Lennar again, but this division is so good at being personal, responsive on Twitter & Facebook, creative use of YouTube, and great integration of promotions across channels…well here they are. [Lennar Atlanta is active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube ]

bonus: a social place…

VALENCIA (CA) - Valencia by Newhall Land re-launched into the market about two years ago with a “vibrant” campaign that has been playing out primarily on Facebook and in real life promotions (As of October, it appears they are now starting to focus on Twitter too.)

Bold & Interesting. Valencia’s ‘Awesometown’ campaign was a big, bold, and unapologetic “high-five” for life in Valencia. Engaging, fun, sort of obnoxious and crafted to resonate with families in social media, which it did.

“Awesometown” started off as a HOT neighborhood (& industry) controversy that actually made the news. Today local residents & businesses have added “Awesometown” to their vocabulary, as seen in the local Ralph’s cola display and all over social media.

On Facebook various contests and colorful content keep Valencia from fading into the background and the engagement high on their page.

Embrace the Local Area. Blur the line of who your audience is to capture synergy on the channel. A community doesn’t end at the developer’s property line. It’s the schools, businesses, the social groups – it’s everything.   Valencia allows people to post directly to their Facebook page and fosters synergy for all aspects of community. As a result, they come across as an active participant in the fabric of that area.  [Valencia is active on:  Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Blog]

FINAL KEY POINTS:   Be Responsive • Be Transparent (no editing the uncomfortable) • Match Content & Communication Style to the Social Channel. 

So…Who did I miss & what makes them great?  Do you have a different opinion? Would love your comment here – or over on Twitter @HollyHM2

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*DISCLAIMER: “Years ago I worked at a Lennar Land division, have done business with Newhall, and have connected somehow with each of these brands – & hundreds of others – on social media and in real life. The comments are solely my candid assessment of activity in the social space only and uncompensated. ”   

HM-2 | marketing development