March 11, 2024

Developer and Builder Marketing Mistakes

By Denscty Collective · 7 minute read

Marketing real estate developments and new homes to buyers can be challenging for developers and homebuilders. Where do you start? And how do you sidestep common pitfalls? Denscty Collective has experience in this area, so we’re sharing the top 10 builder developer marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. Failing to build and communicate an impactful brand identity.

You need to start here. Clearly define what you want your brand to communicate to your target markets. Write it out. Then, build your unique selling proposition (USP) that differentiates your company, products, and services.

Consider the brand identity as your foundation. If it’s sturdy, you have something to build upon. If not, your brand will come tumbling down around you.

The brand identity consists of the elements that represent you: logo (including the design and colors), website design and content, marketing materials, graphics (online, print, signage), and social media messaging. One of the common mistakes we’ve seen in real estate marketing is the misuse of a logo, like changing the typeface, squeezing the graphic to fit a space, or altering the colors. You might not think this is a problem, but the mind registers subtle changes. Imagine if you reached for a Coca-Cola can and noticed the color was wrong. You’d hesitate, right?

The same holds true for your brand’s messaging. Be consistent. Never compromise on your mission or USP.

Whoever is in charge of your marketing should act as your company’s brand police. Put them in charge of overseeing every message and visual to ensure this common marketing mistake doesn’t happen to you.

2. Skipping components of an integrated marketing strategy.

An integrated marketing strategy for a builder or developer utilizes multiple channels for communicating to your target market. Think of your marketing plan as a jigsaw puzzle and each channel is a piece. Maybe you think videos or social media aren’t important, so you skip over them in your plan. And then there’s a gaping hole in your big picture.

Every aspect of an integrated marketing strategy works with the others. Graphics and text build on each other. The videos you post on social media drive traffic to your website, and vice versa. Your email marketing builds on your brand identity and presence from another direction.

Remember, buyers receive messages in myriad ways. Some might count on testimonials and referrals to find the right property. Others use organic searches to get started. The job of builder developer marketing is to cover every channel.

3. Sticking with an underperforming website.

A website is not a one-and-done proposition. You shouldn’t set it up, turn it on, and walk away. Your buyers are looking for engaging, dynamic content. They want to find information easily and quickly.

Does your website succeed in lead generation? Are the site’s visitors engaging with you? Are they moving through your site or exiting quickly? Which pages have more traffic than others? Is the content updated on a weekly basis?

Your website is most often the first place where prospective buyers research your company. What are they seeing? If they’re looking at it on a mobile device, does it fit on their screen? Do the pages load quickly? Can they click around to find information without a struggle? A buyer who doesn’t know your company will not tolerate an uncooperative website.

You can diagnose the health of your website by reviewing the metrics:

visitor sessions
new sessions vs. return sessions
traffic source (direct, referral, or organic)
average time on page
average session duration
page views
pages per session
bounce rate (leaving the site)
conversion rate (completing an action, like requesting information)

These insights will provide you and your team with actionable data to maintain a high-performing website.

4. Ignoring SEO as an ongoing necessity.

An organic search is when someone types keywords into their browser and the search engine delivers results. Your objective is to reach the first page of these results when a prospective buyer is searching for a product that matches yours. If you go beyond the first page, it’s unlikely your possible customer will find you. Think of all the leads you’re missing!

Ignoring search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most common builder developer marketing mistakes we encounter at Denscty Collective. Some of the components to effectively boost SEO for builders are:

Include your targeted keywords and phrases on every page.
Add alt tags to all images, including videos.

Refresh your site with new content regularly (e.g., blogs with keywords and new listings).
Make sure your company name is on every page (you’d be surprised how often this is missed).
Incorporate a means for engagement on every page, like “Contact Us”, “Sign Up” or “Download This Report”.
Embed both internal and external links.
Update your Google My Business profile for local SEO.
Optimize the load speed of every page.
Make the site mobile-friendly so it appears correctly on a mobile device’s screen.

If you need help with your SEO for builders’ and developers’ websites, Denscty Collective can help.

5. Neglecting to analyze metrics and apply actionable data.

It’s one thing to gather data and something entirely different to analyze and apply it. In addition to the website metrics listed above, you have data on physical traffic to your Marketing Analytics homes and/or development, demographics of who’s visiting and who’s buying, conversions, engagement, lead generation, and more. You can gather metrics on your competition and compare your numbers to theirs.

By analyzing the metrics available to you, you’ll learn where to adjust your marketing strategy and plans. You’ll make decisions based on data, not guesses or assumptions.

6. Underestimating the importance of social media.

Too often, builders and developers who don’t use social media dismiss it as a viable channel in your marketing strategy. Here’s your chance to strengthen your brand visibility so that when a follower is ready to buy, your name is top-of-mind.

Use social media—like Facebook/Meta, TikTok, and Instagram—to build relationships through your posts and comments. Generate conversations with people who can refer your company to buyers. Share buyer stories, showcase your properties, and provide updates on developments. With an ongoing social media presence, you build trust. And trust leads to relationships which can ultimately translate into more buyers and sales.

Another great advantage of social media is its ability to target specific demographics and interests. With advanced targeting options, you can reach potential buyers based on their age, location, interests, and more. This allows you to tailor your messaging and content specifically for them, increasing the chance of engagement and conversions.

It's important to note that social media is not just about self-promotion. It's also a valuable Markeing & Sales tool.

7. Lacking a content marketing strategy.

Content marketing encompasses various messaging channels, such as blogs, emails, social media, and videos. It combines these to support your brand identity and USP and provide buyers with the information they need and want.

Rather than post content randomly, determine the messages that support your overall marketing strategy. Identify the components that are necessary, where they should be offered, and in what format. For example, you decide to create a video of a new home. What do you do with it? You upload it to your website, but don’t stop there. Post the video on social media and your YouTube channel, email it to leads, and post a blog on your site with the link embedded.

Content can also include lead magnets, items that you offer in exchange for a person’s contact information. It should be informative, like a first-time homebuyer’s guide to building a home. A lead magnet doesn’t need to be lengthy. The intent is to educate your buyer and build their trust in your knowledge and desire to help.

Content marketing strategy provides you with a measuring stick for all materials, keeping you on target.

8. Omitting videos from your content.

Like skipping social media, excluding videos is a far-too-common builder developer marketing mistake. And videos are so easy to do now with a smartphone!

Consumers love watching videos—from laughing at silly cats to learning new skills. Look at YouTube. Approximately 83% of U.S. adults use this popular video platform.

So why is it a mistake for builder developers to not utilize video marketing? For one, videos are highly engaging and can capture the attention of consumers more effectively than written content or images alone. With the rise of short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, people have become accustomed to consuming information in quick, bite-sized formats. Videos also allow for more creativity and can showcase your product or service in a dynamic and interactive way.

Moreover, video marketing has been proven to increase conversion rates. According to a study by Wyzowl, 84% of consumers say that they have been convinced to make a purchase after watching a brand's video. This is because videos can provide a more comprehensive understanding of a product or service, allowing potential.

Not sure what to video?

Educational videos that provide important information to your target audience—like understanding mortgage pre-approval or reading a floor plan
Video tours of your homes or property, including drone footage
Testimonials from buyers
An interview with a staff member, such as a design professional or salesperson
Video feature on an area’s features and benefits
A message to your target market on your company and its mission
Coverage of a community outreach event or project

Start using video and track the metrics. They might just surprise you.

9. Limiting messages to sell, sell, sell.

No one likes to be sold. They want to be nurtured along the path to purchase, not shoved. When every message you communicate is “Buy this!” you alienate your audience. You demonstrate that you see them only as a number, someone for transaction instead of interaction, which is what they want.

Understand where the person is sitting within the sales funnel. Are they ready to buy or still considering? Do they even know whether they want to buy? Tailor your messages to their current position and focus on educating them sufficiently so they’re comfortable moving to the next stop in the funnel. This will build trust and establish a relationship with your audience, making them more likely to make a purchase in the future.

It's important to strike a balance between promoting your products or services and providing valuable content that your audience will find useful. Instead of bombarding them with constant sales pitches, mix in informative blog posts, helpful how-to videos, and engaging social media updates. This not only keeps your brand top-of-mind, but it also positions you as an expert in your field.

Additionally, track the metrics of your messaging to see what resonates most with your audience. Are they clicking on links to read more about certain products? Do they engage more with educational content than promotional posts? Use this data to refine and improve your messaging strategy.

10. Assuming you and your customer have the same buying behaviors.

We’ve left this for last on the list of the top 10 builder developer marketing mistakes. You’ve either built your company or contributed to it. You know the strengths. It’s easy to have tunnel vision and think everyone sees what you do.

When we’ve conducted market research for builders and developers, the results often surprise them. Their perceptions often didn’t match those of their target market. Or they had no idea how competitors were viewed by buyers (either good or bad).

Objectivity is crucial to successful builder developer marketing. Trust a professional who can see your company from an unbiased perspective. We hope you’ll consider Denscty Collective as your marketing partner. We offer a full range of marketing services for builders, developers, and real estate professionals. Contact us to explore your opportunities with Denscty Collective so we can prevent you from making all of these builder developer marketing mistakes.