Your prospective homebuyers are narrowing the field before they even let you know they’re looking. At this point in their journey, their experience of your brand rests on one thing: Your marketing.

Of recent homebuyers, 100% used the internet at some point in their home search process. This means that based on the websites, social media, advertising, and other marketing in front of them, they’re deciding if your brand makes it to their shortlist.

Let’s make sure it does.

Your brand must outshine the competition. It needs to pique the curiosity of the people who will love your offering and nurture them toward the next steps in the homebuying journey. Your marketing must earn your customers’ trust and confidence from the first brand encounter.

A customer-centric marketing strategy that incorporates the following steps will go a long way in setting you up for sales success:

 Know your customer. Revisit research you’ve invested in. Talk with people who have recently purchased in your communities, and those who did not. Learn about their specific experience and what they think of your brand. Tap sales teams for insights. The better you understand your customers, the more on-point and powerful your messaging can be.

Go beyond demographic data to understand attitudes and motivations, and let that inform your positioning.

Revisit the strategy. Does your marketing reflect brand guidelines? Do activities align with the overall marketing plan? Make sure you’re still firmly anchored in your marketing strategies, or adjust either the strategies or the work. 

What’s performing and what’s not? To maximize the selling season, reevaluate the budget for what you need and where you need it. Where do your customers spend their time, and are there other platforms or approaches you might consider?

Evaluate every touchpoint. Today’s homebuyer is making a significant financial decision. If you lose their trust or disappoint them at any step in the process, you lose them. While we can’t control everything about their journey, we can create a clear path that builds confidence and trust along the way.

Review social media, search ads, websites, emails, and every other touchpoint to identify opportunities to improve the connection. Ensure helpful resources and information (especially concerning financing and the buying process) are readily available.

Audit the website. What’s the customer’s first impression? Is it easy to find plans and pricing? Are floor plans and photography fresh and up-to-date? When was the homepage copy updated? It’s time to retire anything that isn’t eye-catching, inspiring, and undeniably going to hold your next customers’ interest.

Also check links, load time, update plug-ins, and otherwise maintain the site.

Zhuzh your look. Replace outdated photos and videos with fresh visual assets for your website, social media, emails, and other marketing needs. If you’re hosting events, hire a photographer to capture residents enjoying life in the community. Inventory aerial videos, amenity center and model home walk-throughs, new model photography, lifestyle photography, etc., and make a prioritized plan to update as appropriate. Get both horizontal and vertical imagery, so you can customize per platform.

Be consistent. Continuity counts, and social media is no exception. Compare the brand presence on your social pages to your website and other marketing and advertising. Are logos and colors the same? How about descriptions and links, photography, messaging, and voice? While a brand may take a more casual approach on social media, it should still be clear to the customer that they’re interacting with the same brand. Any disconnect there, and trust can take a hit.

Real buyers ask real questions on social media. Do you have a consistent, professional approach to responding?

Ensure on-site success. Will the address on the website and wayfinding signage get them where they need to be without issue? The all-important exchange with the sales professional aside, how’s the welcome center or sales office experience? Is the space welcoming and comfortable, and are brochures and other materials stocked and current? What new collateral might help the sales team be more effective? Walk the community and every model with the critical eye of a prospective homebuyer, noting anything you might improve.

Study the competition. Shop them online and on-site. These insights will help you better understand your buyers’ perspective when they compare other communities with yours.

Invest in yourself. Podcasts, webinars, and other online resources make it easy to learn. Network with industry professionals—in person or on LinkedIn. They need to solve some of the same issues you do. People in this industry tend to be helpful. Got questions? Just ask.