5 Tips for Creating Registration Forms

The Registration Form is the make-or-break moment an real estate Internet marketing campaign. Here are a few tips to creating effective Registration Forms:

1. Just require the basics – first name, email and zip code
2. Yes, Zip Code! Discovering where your Buyers are coming from will help you plan you future marketing. Learn more about this strategy.
3. Keep It Simple – as simple as possible. Create a Registration Page in HTML that is compatible with the major web browsers.
4. Give users the ability to “tab” through the forms.
5. If a user skips required info make it as easy as possible for them to complete the Registration Page.

Here’s a great article to learn more about Registration Forms.

Need a review of your Registration Form? Send us an email right now!

4 Steps in Effective Search Engine Marketing

As the housing market takes a slide, more and more developers are looking for cost-effective methods to drive sales opportunities. For most projects, Search Engine Marketing (also called Pay-Per-Click) is a no-brainer.

Note: This post is geared to those somewhat familiar with Search Engine Marketing. If you’re marketing a real estate project without Search Engine Marketing, shoot us an e-mail right now.

• Keyword Buy - look for broad, more expensive keywords. These keywords will provide a high number of clicks. Keep in mind that a 1% to 2% click-through rate is pretty good. You’ll need 50 clicks for 1 registration if your campaign is on point.

• Ad Message - When it comes to developing your advertising message (the few words under your Web Site’s name), stick with price and location to attract qualified prospects.

• Landing Page - Now that a qualified prospect has clicked your ad (and cost you money) be sure to send them to a Web site 100% designed to encourage a registration. Click here for a perfect example.

• Registration Page - We could write a 100-page post on this topic, but the key is to ask your prospect to give information that will help you find more buyers. Questions about their hobbies, lifestyle and current residence is a good start

Want to know more? E-mail us right now and learn how to manage your database of registrations and extrapolate key data to discover more about your buyers.

No One Should See Your Project’s Website

The most important step in the sales process is having someone to buy!
The goal of driving traffic to a website is to have a potential buyer call, e-mail, send a letter… anything that initiates the sales process. Sounds pretty elementary, right? Then, as marketers, why do we invest in driving traffic to information-loaded project websites?

When was the last time someone bought into your project after visiting your website?

Drive traffic to an emotionally-loaded website designed for one purpose—getting a potential buyer to call, e-mail, send a letter… anything to initiate a sales opportunity where your sales team (not a website) can do what they do best—sell!

Oh, and after your sales team has initiated the sales process, it’s okay to send the buyer to the project’s website.

How much Branding is enough for Condos?

The right mix between branding and lead generation is a tough find when beginning a pre-sales campaign for a new construction condo project.

A great article about branding condo projects just came across our desks. The Multi-Housing News quotes several ad execs and developers harping on how important building a viable brand is to the sucess of a project. And frankly, we couldn’t agree more.

Here are a few takeaways from the MHN article:

• Branding is an essential element of differentation
• Branding should encompass all the senses - taste, smell, hearing, feel and of course seeing
• Looking at the marketplace (your competitors) and seeing what is missing and reflecting the wants of the target market is the foundation of a brand.
• Branding is a business model, not a marketing model.

Once again, we couldn’t agree more. But our clients frequently come to us looking for a branding strategy and a quick bump in their sales opportunities.

Our advice? There are several ways to attack both of these fronts congruently:

1. Streamline the branding process by focusing on the key differentiator. (We call it a “Brand TakeOFF” - learn what this by e- mailing us now)
2. While developing the brand, test and re-test messages with “blind ads” using cost-effective marketing techniques.
3. Incorporate your stronger, successful marketing messages with the key differentiator.

This method has proved to deliver strong, sales-driving, marketing campaigns within 3-5 week. While some marketers may insist on an extensive 3-6 month research and brand development period, many developers look to marketers to sell units as quickly as possible.

Five Must-haves for Highly Effective Landing Pages

1. High production value: This immediately adds a sense of comfort and credibility to your site.
2. Lifestyle imagery: When we view a Web page, our eyes are automatically drawn to human faces. Use images of people that closely match your target market to instantly create an emotional reaction.
3. Location and price range: Use broad price ranges and locations to give just enough information to entice a registration.
4. Amenities and features: Your property’s unique selling points set it apart from others. A landing page should clearly indicate exactly what special features are included at your property.
5. Call-to-action: Create a sense of urgency, enticing your viewers to learn more about your project before it’s too late, and ask them to register! Make registration as easy as possible for potential buyers with a single “click-through” link that directs them to your property’s registration page. Incorporate multiple “Click Here” buttons for easy navigation and to maximize immediate registrations.

That’s it! Remember, the objective of this type of Web site is to encourage a buyer to register. Save your floorplans and other specifics about the project for later in the sales process.

Additionally, this approach has proven to be 2.5 times more effective when generating leads through Search Engine Marketing.

Ready to learn more?

Take our quick and easy survey for an analysis of your marketing.

Why We Don’t Like “People Models” in Renderings

Yikes. This condo marketing tactic backfires for some not-so-appealing publicity.

Check out these photos of a defaced billboard.

Thoughts on Condo Marketing

Seattle, a market flooded with new condo developments,  Matt Goyer at Urbnlivn.com offers this advice on how to “make him and his friends want to buy.”

1. Listen
2. Speak from the heart
3. Create a Web site that doesn’t suck

Check out Urbnlivn.com’s post titled How Condo Marketing has gone Wrong

Higher Demand for Wider Spaces? Use 3D Floorplans.

Target Aging Boomers with More Accessible Spaces.

Builders and designers are noticing a growing number of buyers that are searching for homes they intend on living in for the rest of their life. Active Adults want to make sure the amenities will fit their lifestyle now and later.

RealEstateJournal.com mentions the growing trend of Active Adults in search for wider doorways and entryways within homes.

The 2007 International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida showcased these new trends:

• Wider Doorways

• Larger Shower Entries

• Wider Hallways

Marketing the extra space is easy, but aging boomers will have questions.

Answer these questions visually by:

• Show the Extra Space – With the use of upgraded and stylized 2D and 3D floorplans, buyers are able to visualize the amount of space they will have. Floorplans show buyers that furniture placement will not be an issue and they still have more accessibility. This is a great way to compare the space with that of an average home.

• Allow Them to “Experience” the Spaciousness – Potential buyers are able to “emotionally experience” the projects’ extra space with the use of virtual models. Active Adults can virtually walk through the wider spaces and see the extra space - while agents explain the home.

If builders are constructing the extra space, what can you do to showcase it?

Showcase your extra space with 3D Floorplans! Contact blog@renderings.com.

5 Steps to Developing a Real Estate Project’s Position

Whether your project is 20 row homes in Washington DC or a 20-story condo tower in Texas, positioning is absolutely necessary to deliver a clear marketing message to buyers.

In marketing, the term “positioning” can be simplified by answering the question: What is the one thing that makes your project different from the competition?

A product’s position is the foundation to its brand. And just like a brand, every product has a position in a consumer’s mind. It is the role of the marketer to ensure the position is clearly communicated, desired by an audience of potential buyers and is effective in driving interest and ultimately sales.

Here are five steps to consider when defining a real estate project’s position:   

1. Start by asking the internal stakeholders.

• How would the developer, architect and key personnel describe the project?
• What do they want buyers to think about the project?
• How is this project similar to what other projects the developer may have done in the past?
• Is there carry over from past successful projects that compliment the current project?

2. Match the position with the buyers.

• Why would they want to buy into your project? Ask them.
• Does this project’s position match the reputation of the developer and architect?
• Why does the position appeal to your customers?

3. Take what the competition will give.
The competition may be the area of greatest influence on what your project’s position becomes. If they offer tall, you can offer short. If they say red, you can say blue.

• Has your position already been taken?
• What has your competition ignored?
• Is their an opportunity to steal a position from the competition?

Auto Manufacturers Have been Positioning since Day One
People’s brains can only have one leader or favorite in a particular category. Take a look at the automobile industry as an example. There are over a dozen automobile manufactures marketing their product in the US and all of their products accomplish essentially the same thing. However, through branding, the automobile becomes something more. How would you describe a Volvo compared to a Kia? A BMW compared to a Jeep? 

• Which automobile brand is most like your project?

4. Back up the position with the product.
An attractive position is transparent and believable. Jeeps are known for their off-road capabilities because of their large tires, suspension and overall ruggedness. BMWs are great handling cars because of their German precision engineering.

• What features of your project backs up your position?

5. Communicate.
We can’t stress enough that, in marketing, we have one shot to communicate a clear position to our audience. Your project may have a laundry list of wonderful amenities that no one else can offer but it’s imperative that this is communicated in an easy-to-understand way.

One of the key areas where Buyers will learn your position is in the project’s tagline.

Below are a few automobile brands. Test these manufacturers branding effectiveness by matching the tagline to the correct brand. 

• Kia
• Jeep
• BMW
• Lexus
• Chevrolet
• Ford
• Volvo

1. An American Revolution
2. The Power to Surprise
3. The Ultimate Driving Machine
4. Bold Moves
5. The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
6. For Life
7. Have Fun Out There

Want to dig deeper? We recommend this Forbes.com article.

Ready to hear expert advice on how to position your project? Email Renderings.com right now!

Answers: Kia=2 ; Jeep=7; BMW=3; Lexus=5; Chevrolet=1; Ford=4; Volvo=6

We win a MAME!

Cost-conscious. Results-driven. Award-Winning Creative!

Renderings.com recently won an award for producing the region’s best printed direct mail piece at the Major Achievements in Marketing Excellence Awards dinner in Orlando, Florida. We are proud to have won such a prestigious honor, which is a tribute to our industry expertise and the innovative creative.

Winning a MAME Award provides entrants with vital third-party acknowledgement on the superiority of their product or service. The direct mail piece we developed was for Waterside on Lake Crescent, a luxury condominium community in Crescent City, Florida. Our submission wowed a panel of out-of-town judges, comprised of respected industry leaders, with its compelling message and eye-catching, environmentally friendly design.

Check out the work here: Waterside DM