Adlanta Creative

Are you surprised by the new home construction trends in your own city?

Guess which house is the newbie?!

Having been in the industry for nearly 30 years, it is not often that I am surprised by trends in new home construction. The goal is to sell to anyone who financially qualifies. And, in these times of elevated interest rates and home prices the buzz is all about affordability, which typically translates to smaller homes. So, I am shocked to see the newest homes being built in my “affordable” neighborhood are 50%+ larger and significantly more expensive than my home that was built in the fall of 2022. The families shopping for homes right now are, apparently, looking for space, and have the means to afford a bigger house. And I guess that makes sense. Although there genuine efforts by cities and builders to create affordable housing, with a median price of $430,000 nationally per realtor.com, there really aren’t many homes that are affordable right now for first-time homebuyers. This hammers home the importance of knowing your core audience, building for them, and marketing to them appropriately.

There are many builders who do this well and adapt to the changing environment. One example is Arizona based Meritage Homes whose mission today is, “To design and build homes that are innovative, built with care and superior craftsmanship, which deliver enduring value.” Contrast that with their mission a couple years back, “To build move-in-ready affordable homes for entry-level and first move-up buyers,” and you can see the evolution to better reflect the current new home market.

How can you be sure you are targeting the right audience? Begin with a review of your overall marketing strategy. Do your website, sales offices, and print marketing appeal to the potential buyers you are attempting to attract? Although first-time and luxury home buyers are both seeking out their dream homes, the marketing for these two distinct groups looks very different. This is where consultation with marketing experts like Denim Marketing, Blue Tangerine, Adlanta Creative, and Bokka Group to name a few, can be highly beneficial.

Next, review your digital marketing tools, and upgrade them if necessary. If you are still using static floorplans and stick renderings, think again. Interactive floor plans, renderings, virtual tours, animations, and visualizers all play an integral role in engaging homebuyers and selling homes.

Interactive Floor Plans (IFPs) have universal appeal, and every builder website should feature them. Buyers of all demographics love to select structural options and customize their living spaces with the interactive furniture planner.

Outhouse’s new colorized Interactive Floor Plan

Quality renderings are essential for all builders as well. Black and white stick drawings are never a good option, even for the simplest of homes. Standard 3D (Outhouse Bronze and Silver) renderings are perfectly acceptable for homes at lower price points. For move-up and luxury homes, you will want to implement 3D photoreal renderings (Outhouse Gold). Luxury and custom builders may want to opt for Platinum renderings that can be further enhanced and customized.

Should your budget for digital marketing tools be a bit larger, investing in animations and virtual tours pays off in two significant ways. First, they enable homebuyers to digitally explore your homes from anywhere. Second, both are available at a fraction of the cost of constructing a model home. Your target buyer should be the top consideration when choosing which format to offer. Younger buyers prefer user-controlled virtual tours. Buyers over 50 typically gravitate towards video format animations.

Visualizer’s allow home buyers to customize interiors and exteriors

Another online tool appealing to home buyers at all price points is the Visualizer. With both interior and exterior versions available, buyers can mix and match colors and finishes to achieve the desired look and feel. The visualization process is so much easier than making selections for an entire house based on one-inch paint chips and tiny floor, counter, and cabinet samples. It also removes some of the pressure and stress from the design center visit.

Here are a couple more ideas to help you connect with your appropriate audience:

Elevate your brand with distinguished print marketing. Consider the hotel industry when investing in print—the swankier the property, the more excellent the print collateral. The manager of the high-end hotel presents you with a “folio” at checkout, not simply hands or emails you a bill. Although print appeals greatly to buyers in the luxury home market, even younger homebuyers like to walk away from the sales center with a brochure featuring their preferred floor plan and elevations at a minimum. In today’s digital world, people still appreciate a tangible marketing piece when making one of their biggest life purchases. Why not present them with something sophisticated or fun, and memorable?

A great print piece makes a lasting impression!

Today, the most progressive builders are transforming their websites with artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand and target their audience. Like that provided by openhouse.ai, AI offers home buyers a personalized shopping experience and predicts where your unique market is going with more accuracy.

So take some time during this evolving housing market to understand your homebuyer and determine if your current marketing strategy is meeting their needs. If not, consider working with online marketing experts to determine which digital and on-site tools will move the needle most with your target audience to increase your new home sales.

^{A giant wall wrap printed by Outhouse, “floating” candles, and authentic table decorations create the perfect setting for a Hogwarts themed party.}

There is a much more businessy answer to this question, but I’m going to start by introducing Darin Keezer, our VP of Operations. Most people know Darin as a number cruncher, spreadsheet whiz, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) specialist, and an all-around smart guy. Many people don’t realize he is also an expert on experiences and a brilliant party host (watch out, Martha!). Whether it be a Wizard of Oz Halloween or a Harry Potter Birthday bash, Darin and his wife Angie create the most amazing experiences for their two daughters and others. I am so jealous! With all the chatter about left brain vs. right brain – how is it possible that someone so technical can also be so immensely creative?

The bottom line is Darin and Angie know their audience and what kind of experiences they crave. With this knowledge, they put in the time, effort, and expense to create the best, most engaging experiences possible.

People crave personalized experiences. And after spending a significant amount of time sitting at home the past couple of years, we are seeking them out more than ever. In response, companies, and their marketing teams, are ramping up efforts to create unique, hands-on experiences for clients/customers. Salesforce tells us, “Brands who can facilitate outstanding customer experiences will be the ones that will differentiate themselves. And it’s not a secret to executives, as 68% of marketing leaders claim their company is increasingly competing on the basis of customer experience.”

_{Darin and his wife Angie turn their backyard into the road to the Emerald City.}

Outhouse and our digital marketing and web development partners like Blue Tangerine, Group Two Advertising, Meredith Communications, Adlanta Creative, Denim Marketing, A2 Digital Consulting, Boe Creative, Bokka Group, Evolution Marketing, Flying Orange, Kovach Marketing Pepper Glen Creative, Rhoads Creative, Wick Marketing, and 616 Marketing, and more understand the importance of experience when marketing for home builder clients. In today’s scroll through, swipe left, swipe right world, home builders need to stand out from the crowd if they want to be memorable. Experiential marketing gives a competitive edge to forward-thinking builders.

So what does experiential marketing encompass? A few general examples include:

Demos
Events and festivals
Activities and kiosks at trade shows
Unique brand experiences
Retreats

In other words, pretty much anything that actively engages clients/consumers.

_{Darin’s Halloween experience gives Tim Burton a run for his money.}

How does this relate to home building? The past couple of years have been huge for our industry. As the pace slows down, the top builders are elevating their homebuyer experience to grow sales. Static floorplans and stick renderings are out. Interactive Floor Plans, Interactive Site Plans, Visualizers, User-Controlled Virtual Tours, onsite Interactive Sales Kiosks, and community events/open houses are in. Today’s tech-savvy home buyers expect and respond most positively to experiential marketing online and in your sales centers. This interactive community map created for SoMi by Homes Built for America is a prime example.

_{Click the image to engage with the multi-layered site map, interactive floor plans, and more for SoMi, the new community by Homes Built for America.}

Here are the most significant benefits you will see if you create a more engaging website and sales center:

Increased Brand Awareness
Emotional Connection: People purchase products based on emotions — positive, hands-on experiences move them closer to conversion.
Word of Mouth: Draw potential buyers by giving people something to talk about on social media with a fun activity and a hashtag.
Lead Generation: Outhouse has designed our Interactive Floor Plans and, Interactive Sales Kiosks to deliver leads directly to your inbox. Participatory social media campaigns can generate leads as well.

Humans crave experiences. Think about that when you open a new community or redesign your website. A day at Six Flags can be fun. But, like Darin with his Harry Potter-themed parties, the best theme parks (Disney, Universal) understand people want more than a simple roller coaster. They return again and again for the experience – the interaction and emotional connections.

Outhouse has dedicated significant time and resources to developing online experiential marketing tools housed on a single Virtual Interactive Platform. Compelling on their own, our Interactive Floor Plans, Interactive Site Plans, Animations, Virtual Tours, and Visualizers are even more engaging when builders roll them all into an Interactive Sales Kiosk.

The benefits of experiential marketing are numerous. Outhouse is here to help you explore, learn how to create emotional connections with homebuyers, and discover which online and onsite engagement tools will boost your sales. Contact us today to learn more.