OutThink

10 Lessons Ted Lasso Would Have for the Home Building Industry in 2023

Tabitha Warren · 08/28/2023 · Leave a Comment

*This image was taken from the official press kit for “Ted Lasso,” distributed by AppleTV+*

The final season of Ted Lasso was loved by some and flopped for many. I was one of the people who was a tried-and-true fan in the same manner that I’m a fan of the home building industry. Ted wants us to be better, happier, more hopeful people. The home building industry wants people to find a home for their family and build happy, hopeful lives there. They want us to continue to “believe” in the American dream and a place to call our own. On that note, I believe that Ted Lasso has a few more lessons for home builders. But this time around we’ll take a few quotes from the entire cast.

The series finale of Ted Lasso shows the team comes together; each has a piece of the iconic “BELIEVE” sign. They put it together. It’s ripped, it’s tattered, but it’s all there. It’s beautiful. It stands for something.

When I saw it, I saw the home building industry. It has had a several-year struggle from materials shortages to housing shortages and long waits to labor shortages to skyrocketing interest rates. Like A.F.C. Richmond, it often feels like the housing industry can’t get a win.

Many of us in the housing industry just need to take some of the Lasso lessons and above all remember to “Believe in Believe.”

You guys are more distracted than a bunch of cats playing laser tag.”
Ted Lasso

Focus on Relationships: The key point here is focus. One of the lessons from Ted Lasso is the importance of building strong relationships with clients, customers, and colleagues. In season 3, we see Ted continue to prioritize his connections with the team and work to build trust with new players like Dani Rojas. With these fictional characters as well as in home building, focus on relationships creates trust and confidence among all parties. New homes are significant investments, so home buyers need to believe builders and contractors will deliver quality work within agreed-upon terms.

Well, I don’t want comfort.”
Roy Kent

Embrace Change: The willingness of homebuilders to adapt and embrace new technologies and building practices is critical to staying ahead of the curve. By adopting new technologies, trends, and practices, home builders can offer better homes, enhance customer satisfaction, and position themselves for success in an ever-evolving market. Ted Lasso is all about embracing change and adapting to new situations. In the final season, A.F.C. Richmond undergo some significant changes as they adjust to new coaching and playing styles. This inevitably leads them to advance to the Champions League. Embracing change can make many of us champions in our own rights.

Unless it’s Animal Crossing. That sh! t’s ‘clucking’ soothing.”
Isaac Macadoo

Communication is Key: Effective communication is essential in any industry. Home builders should prioritize clear and open communication with clients and trade partners to ensure everyone is on the same page. Ted Lasso is a shining example of effective communication. Ted and the team continuously work to improve their communication on and off the field. Communication takes many different forms, and sometimes we all need to calm down and make sure we are playing from the same rule book.

Right now, y’all brains are basically in London in 1857. They’re blocked up by other people’s dookie.”
Ted Lasso

Prioritize Customer Experience: Ted Lasso understands the importance of providing a great customer experience, and builders should too. Ted works to create a positive and supportive environment for the team. He often takes them on strange and winding journeys if it will result in them understanding the process better. Ultimately, this helps them perform better on the field. Similarly, home builders should prioritize their clients’ experience, from the initial consultation to the final walkthrough. That’s the idea of the home buyer journey.

I’m a work in prog-mess.”
Ted Lasso

Emphasize Quality: In season 3, we see the team working to improve their skills and techniques to produce better results on the field. Ted Lasso is known for his attention to detail and emphasis on quality, which should also be a priority for home builders. Prioritizing quality materials and craftsmanship to ensure projects stand the test of time is a good business practice. Things don’t always have to be perfect, but we in the homebuilding industry should strive to improve every day.

Can I say a bad word? I think you’re being stupid.”
Phoebe (Kent)

Be Authentic: Authenticity is a fundamental aspect of successful homebuilding. It establishes trust, strengthens relationships, and fosters customer and trade loyalty, all of which are vital for sustained success in our competitive market. Authenticity benefits the homebuilding business and ensures a positive and fulfilling experience for the buyer who entrusts home builders with their dreams of a new home. Ted Lasso is all about being true to yourself and your values, which often involves a lot of honesty.

“Time is a construct, like gender and many of the alphabets.”
Zava

Embrace Diversity: Diversity and inclusion are essential themes in Ted Lasso, and these values also play an important role in new home construction and sales. This season, we see the team welcome new players from different backgrounds and work to create a more inclusive environment. Home builders also benefit by striving to gather diverse and inclusive teams to foster innovation and creativity. Like Ted Lasso, homebuilders will find that different viewpoints and experiences enable them to innovate, problem-solve, and attract a broader group of homebuyers.

We are now one. There is no we; there is no you; there is only we and us and the ‘wenus.'”
Zava

Collaborate: Collaboration is vital in any industry, including home building. Prioritizing collaboration with contractors, designers, and other stakeholders helps builders ensure projects are completed on time and within budget. Partnerships also enable builders to manage complex projects, maintain quality control, creatively innovate, and manage costs. I think Zava said it all.

I’ve had more psychotic episodes than Twin Peaks.”
Ted Lasso

Be Resilient: Ted Lasso is all about resilience and overcoming adversity. In the final season, the team faces some tough challenges, but they bounce back and come out stronger in the end. Home builders should also be resilient in the face of setbacks and challenges and work to solve problems as they arise. In the past year, we have faced economic uncertainties such as rising interest rates, inflation, and fluctuating housing demand. Being resilient allows home builders to adapt to these changing economic conditions.

I look like Ned Flanders is doing cosplay with Ned Flanders.”
Ted Lasso

Have Fun: Last but not least, Ted Lasso reminds us to have fun and enjoy the journey. The boys at A.F.C Richmond work hard but also take time to enjoy each other’s company and have fun on and off the field. Home builders should also remember to enjoy the process and take pride in their work while finding ways to have fun along the way.

The Mayfair – by Hampstead Living with Believe sign added

The wonder of Ted Lasso comes from within the process of growth and connection. It doesn’t have anything to do with wins and losses. Just like the continued beauty of home building should be connections and community. Connections to quality business partners and connections to the families we come together to help. We are building a community on so many levels. Community of like-minded builders and vendors. But most of all, communities of new homeowners will be proud to have bought a home from us and will want to come back the next time they purchase. I think we all need to take notes from Ted Lasso and Believe in Believe.

Code Cracking: Unlocking the Power of Analytics in Interactive Floor Plans

Stuart Platt · 08/14/2023 · Leave a Comment

You implemented Interactive Floor Plans (IFPs) on your website months, if not years ago. Maybe you have seen a report that your IFPs are experiencing a lot of visits which is fantastic; but what else can you find out? You ask yourself, what other information can I gain from Google Analytics and how can I take advantage of this data?

With Google Analytics 4 or ‘GA4’ replacing the traditional and familiar Universal Analytics (UA) platform, your second question may be, what is different, and how will it affect me?

Information Gathering

First, to gather data from your IFP’s, you need to ensure your IFP provider allows access to this data. Some, but not all, IFP providers already allow builders access to reports showing data on basic information like demographics, time on site, which plans are getting the most views, number of views, etc. However, there is little to take advantage of with this data. It is critical to work with IFP providers like Outhouse, LLC, who allow access to deeper details that provide actionable value. These deeper details include, but are not limited to:

How users found your website (clicking an ad, social media, search engines, etc.)
Popularity of communities and plans.
Popularity of specific options selected.

With this information, your Online Sales Counselors can guide homebuyers to a home that best fits their needs. Your marketing department can better budget how and where ads are most effective in gaining new traffic. Your plan development team gets a better understanding of what options are most valued by homebuyers.

Google Analytics 4 – What’s New?

GA4 may improve reports for builders in a few areas. Events are a great way to track meaningful actions on your website. One difference between Google’s UA and GA4 is that UA would count the number of ‘hits’, times a specific option is clicked and viewed. We discovered almost every home builder will find their optional Enlarged Shower in Owner’s Bath is clicked and viewed more so than any other option. From that data you might think it is the most purchased option, but that isn’t always the case. It only means it is clicked more than any other option, but not always kept. With GA4 you can more easily drill down to find what options are clicked and KEPT, giving you more accurate data on the most popular options.

Another example is that Outhouse’s Save Plan feature asks for a person’s Name, Email, and Phone Number to save their plan. However, the phone number is made optional because GA4 shows by requiring buyers to enter a phone number, many would discard saving their plan altogether. With this information, Outhouse adjusted their Save Plan feature to make phone numbers optional. In doing so, this dramatically increases the number of saved plans, creating more hot leads for builders to pursue.

Interactive Floor Plans can be the most powerful tool on your website to engage homebuyers and generate leads. When builders utilize an IFP platform that provides access to deeper analytics, they are truly gaining a better understanding of their buyers to take meaningful actions in selling more homes.

About the Author: Stuart Platt is Managing Partner at Outhouse LLC, an industry leader dedicated to providing an extensive and integrated menu of products and services to production home builders across the world. These services include but are not limited to Architectural Drafting, 3D Renderings, Virtual Tours, Animations, Interactive Floor Plans, Interactive Site Plans, Interactive Sales Office Displays, Interior and Exterior Visualizers, Graphic Design, Commercial Printing, and more. Outhouse is the ONLY company in the nation providing all of these services in-house.

How Photoreal Renderings & Virtual Tours Sell Homes

Jim Sorgatz · 04/23/2023 · Leave a Comment

Marketing insights from photos of an expedition to Antarctica

Black and white photo of two sets of jagged rocks forming a saddle. Old fence posts in the foreground. Reminiscent of a moonscape. — *Deception Island – the caldera of an active volcano. Although taken in black and white, this photo accurately represents the starkness and other-worldly feel of the island.*

With even the smallest home builders moving heavily into 3-D photoreal renderings, virtual tours, and animations, I thought it might be interesting to revisit this post from a year ago. This update includes additional information on rendering and virtual reality (VR) tools, plus new images of the latest photoreal renderings, and links to virtual tours. This also is one of my favorite posts, combining my career with my favorite pastime – travel.

A bucket-list trip to Antarctica is one of the most incredible and inspirational journeys. Seeing thousands of penguins and other animals, yet not a single plant anywhere is mind-boggling. The football field-sized+ icebergs, especially the tabular varieties, are astounding. And the monochromatic landscape is other-worldly. I came away with a desire to take better care of our planet, a greater appreciation of finding peace in solitude (this place is desolate!), and the realization I can enjoy summer when the high is just above freezing.

Colorful kayaks and kayakers in water with floating bits of ice, and dark clouds overhead. — *Kayaking in Neko Harbor*.

Penguins surrounding bright orange duffel bags on a large rock, set on a rocky beach with snow in the background. — *The inquisitive penguins.*

I also gained some key marketing insights. A recent post, Rules of Engagement, discusses the powerful lesson we learn from penguins, who are the stars of the Antarctic show. They captivate visitors as they gather stones to build nests, guard their chicks, run en masse along the beach to dive for food, and shuffle around checking out us humans. Likewise, digital marketing tools, including Interactive Floor Plans, Interactive Site Plans, and Visualizers, play a starring role on builder websites and are integral to the new home journey. Captivating and engaging homebuyers, digital tools create strong emotional connections and lead to an increase in closing sales.

A lesson also came on the importance of color and texture and how it relates to visual marketing tools like renderings, virtual tours, and animations. Against a backdrop of grey and white, the most captivating photos include glimpses of vivid color, most often provided by humans. Pops of red, orange, and yellow on ships, clothing, and kayaks look stunning in the barren landscape.

Bow of a ship with red trim cracking a giant ice sheet. — *Cracking a massive ice sheet in Wilhelmina Bay. Note the power or red.*

An expedition team, wearing bright orange and yellow jackets, on an inflatable Zodiac boat cruising through water with chunks of ice — *Traveling by Zodiac in the Antarctic Sound.*

Colors from nature include teal from glacial ice; clear blue skies; orange, pink, red, and purple emanating from the stunning midnight sunsets; bits of orange and yellow on penguin beaks, necks, and feet; and an occasional rainbow. That’s about it! What really makes Antarctica so dramatic are the textures. Smooth snow, jagged rocks, fluffy clouds. Constantly changing due to weather, they overwhelm the senses.

A black ship with red and white trim next to a giant, triangular, blue-tinted iceberg. — *Our ship, anchored next to a massive, blue-tinged iceberg.*

Blue icebergs floating in front of a rocky mountain with snow. Clouds overhead, and reflecting in the water. — *Cool blue on an iceberg and purple-tinged skies add rare bits of natural color in Neko Harbor.*

Bright orange sunset over the ocean against a backdrop of grey clouds. — *The most color at any one time, a vibrant sunset, sometime around midnight.*

And that brings us to the importance of photoreal renderings, virtual tours, and animations in new home sales. Colors and textures appeal to everyone. They move and motivate us, playing an essential role in marketing strategies. Photoreal imagry brings colors and textures to your pre-built homes. It gives potential buyers a realistic view of your homes, often generating sales before a model is ever built. 3-D Renderings are the first place to start. We still see builder websites with flat, black/white stick drawings. Yuck! These in no way engage the senses like a proper photoreal rendering.

*Photoreal rendering for Winslow Homes – daylight.*

*Same elevation for Winslow Homes – a dramatic dusk shot.*

Even more engaging are virtual tours and animations. What’s the difference? Virtual tours, like the ones for DeLuca Homes and KLMR Homes shown here, are user-controlled. Viewers click into a room and then turn the image for a 360° view. Animations, on the other hand, are video tours. Both bring your “model homes” to buyers around the world. Virtual Tours tend to be the most popular as they are more cost-effective, and most users enjoy the hands-on experience.

*Invite your buyers to discover your homes with virtual tours. Click the DeLuca Homes kitchen to explore their Mayfair plan*.

*A stunning home with spectacular views. KLMR Homes Bellos at the Summit.*

People love to explore and engage. These are the reasons many of us enjoy discovering the world. When it comes to purchasing a new home, your buyers also want to personalize. By implementing digital and visualization tools on your website, you invite homebuyers to do all three. Contact Outhouse today to learn more about our interactive floor plans, interactive site plans, virtual tours, animations, visualizers, and renderings, plus our interactive kiosks, which incorporate all.

Clouds and a rainbow between two jagged hills straddling a channel with water. — *A rainbow – the perfect ending to a storm in the Lemaire Channel.*

Print Marketing Sells New Homes

Jim Sorgatz · 03/08/2023 · Leave a Comment

People often ask us why a print company specializing in print for home builders is necessary. Heck, today, builders sometimes ask us if print marketing is still a valuable sales tool! The answer to both questions is a resounding “Yes!” We explain why in this post.

The Role of Print in New Home Sales

In a recent episode of the Digital Velocity P odcast, co-hosts Erik Martinez of Blue Tangerine and Tim Curtis of CohereOne talk with Alex Kupski and Jake Hoffman, co-hosts of the Millennials in Print Podcast, about the Power of Print in the Digital Age. They conclude, “The more channels you’re present on and the more channels you’re marketing to people on, ultimately, the more effective you’re going to be. Print, just like social, just like email, just like your website, just like a commercial on TV, is a channel for you to market on. It’s another arrow in the quiver. It’s another way to reach people you might not have before.”

Print marketing works best when paired with digital marketing. Digital marketing is often the most effective way to draw people in. With interactive site plans, interactive floor plans, renderings, virtual tours, visualizers, and Matterport tours, your website is arguably a home builder’s most potent marketing tool. But it is only effective for a home buyer’s few precious moments on your website. Print collateral, on the other hand, has a much longer life span. Brochures and floorplan/elevation minis often sit on a potential buyer’s countertop or table for weeks or months, a lasting reminder of your homes and communities. Not every prospect immediately purchases a home, so print is a great way to keep them focused on yours.

David Weekley Homes brochure with cactus front cover, and homes on the back

Data shows that print used in tandem with digital marketing is one of the most effective sales strategies as the two mediums strengthen and reinforce each other. A study by InfoTrends found that 66% of direct mail is opened, and 56% of consumers who respond to direct mail go online or visit a physical store. A recent article in SFGate offers some great tips to sync your print and digital marketing efforts:

Place QR codes on print materials.

Provide digital opt-ins for direct mail.

Include social media reviews and comments on print materials.

Include hashtags and calls to action on print materials.

Although digital and print marketing take different forms, They work together to engage customers and keep your brand at the top of their minds.

Why Use a Builder-Specific Printing Company?

The challenge builders face that is unique to our industry is the weekly sales cycle. From week to week, home prices may change, lot availability changes, and options may vary. The typical strip-mall printer is not equipped to automate this process. Outhouse built their business to serve a single industry – HOME BUILDING. We do all work in-house, from CAD for your construction documents to print materials for your sales centers. This allows all teams, including architectural, rendering, graphics, interactive, and print, to work in tandem. By doing so, we create accurate, up-to-date print materials that are consistent and coordinated with your digital marketing assets. Utilizing the latest technologies, we print and deliver materials on time every week, on the builder’s schedule. Challenge solved – you send us your edits, and we coordinate these changes across all platforms.

Professional Artwork Creation: Outhouse provides clients with the considerable advantage of having drafting and rendering services on-site, allowing coordination with the development of their artwork for all printed materials. This coordination offers clients superior accuracy, faster turnaround times, and lower overall costs.

Coordinated File Management: Another advantage is the ease of managing and coordinating all created artwork with professional digital file and asset management. All artwork is kept up-to-date, consistent, and coordinated between city design reviews, printed sales materials, large format displays, and interactive web products and services.

Superior Print Quality: Superior brand standard quality and consistency every time on every product is only possible with the coordination, color calibration, and production of all graphics, printing, and display under one roof. Unlike a mass-market printer like Vista Print, Outhouse is not a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) printer. We believe that good enough is never good enough, and we have the magnifying glasses to prove it! On rare occasions when colors are incorrect or print quality is not up to snuff the first time off the press, we recalibrate and rerun the job.

Builder-Specific Delivery: Unlike many industries, home building has a weekly sales cycle, and having your print delivered on time is critical. Outhouse understands this. We meet your deadlines your way on your weekly sales cycle.

Woodside Homes brochure with three homes

The bottom line is print marketing still plays an integral role in new home marketing and sales. There’s a reason the Outhouse Interactive Floor Plan has a save button. It allows prospective homebuyers to save their customized floor plans and print them out for further review.

What about younger generations? Retail Focus Magazine tells us that print is 30% more memorable than digital. This applies to all age groups. You need look no further than nightclubs which hand out leaflets advertising upcoming events, and university welcome packs to know that print still appeals to young people. The magazine also notes the best campaigns are when print and digital work alongside each other instead of trying to compete. A younger audience may be digitally savvy, but they still appreciate a well-thought-out hard copy campaign.

Although any printer can give you a halfway decent brochure, only a company like Outhouse coordinates your CAD, rendering, and interactive projects with your print materials and sales office displays. Even if our print pricing is a bit higher, you will save significantly more overall through efficiencies in coordination.

Woodside Homes floor plan — *When you update a plan, Outhouse coordinates the changes across CAD, print, and all digital marketing assets.*

Interactive Floor Plans Engage Homebuyers

Jim Sorgatz · 01/27/2023 · Leave a Comment

“Why do we need interactive floor plans on our website?” That is one of the top questions digital marketing experts receive from home builders. This post discusses how interactive floor plans function and why they are critical for marketing to homebuyers.

Interactive floor plan showing selected structural options, furniture layout, exterior elevation thumbnail

What is an Interactive Floor Plan?

An interactive floor plan (IFP) is a digital structural option selection aid and space planning tool that home builders use to sell new construction homes. Unlike a static floorplan with structural options displayed along the side, interactive floor plans allow home buyers to customize a home online by adding structural options, like rooms, fireplaces, porches, alternate kitchen layouts, and more, directly to their plans. With the changes incorporated, your buyers have an accurate picture of the design of their new home. Also known as interactive house plans, many IFPs incorporate exterior house renderings, dynamic (real-time) pricing for options, and a furniture planner. IFPs may also feature hotspots that link to visual enhancements like virtual tours, interior renderings, photos, and Matterport tours. Top-tier IFPs increase viable sales leads by allowing buyers to save their customized plan and transmitting this buyer information to the home builder.

Detail of furniture placement tool showing bed inside in a blue box. The box makes it easier to move small items that makes items easy to move — *Resize furniture and place it anywhere. The blue box makes it easy to move items around on smaller devices like a tablet.*

How do Interactive Floorplans Sell Homes?

Homebuyers want to know if a floor plan will work for their lifestyle. Will their furniture fit, or might they need an extra room added to accommodate their family? With many households being multigenerational, flexibility is essential. An interactive floor plan encourages buyers to customize their home. This process creates an emotional connection and increases their chance of purchasing. Bokka Group, a customer experience agency for home builders, shows that more than 90% of new home buyers say interactive floor plans play a vital role in their buying decision.

The Outhouse Interactive Floor Plan Advantage

Outhouse created the first interactive floor plan a quarter-century ago, and ours is still the best and most affordable in the industry. Our Contrado VIP Interactive Floor Plans offer robust features starting with a to-scale furniture planner. Accurately scaled furniture is essential. When purchasing a new home, buyers want to be sure their belongings will fit. There are many IFPs with inaccurately scaled furniture. To test, take a queen size bed and lay it over a standard bathtub. The width of the bed should match the length of the tub.

Close up of options pricing tool, exterior elevation preview, and tabs for furniture and electrical component selection — *Close-up of options pricing tool, elevation preview, and selectors for structural options, components, and furniture.*

The Contrado VIP Interactive Floor Plan also includes an electrical component selector, exterior renderings, and hotspots for virtual tours, visualizers, Matterport tours, and more. One of the most advanced features is dynamic pricing for structural options. This tool calculates, in real-time, options pricing as buyers make their selections. The pricing details can be client-facing or restricted to viewing by your sales team.

Our IFPs also allow buyers to save their customized plans. When they do so, the builder receives a notification with their contact information and a copy of the saved plan. Buyer data can also be delivered directly to a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) through an Application Programming Interface (API). On the backend, Outhouse clients also have access to Google Analytics for a detailed look at IFP traffic, visitor trends, top plans, and more.

Close-up of save your plan box to have plan sent to buyer and and contact info and plan sent to builder — *The save plan feature captures homebuyer leads and structural options customization.*

Finally, our interactive floor plans integrate seamlessly with our interactive site plans and interactive kiosks through the Contrado Virtual Interactive Platform. Having all your digital assets in a single app makes it easy for buyers to find their ideal home online and in your sales office.

In Summary

In today’s digital age, interactive floor plans are no longer optional for home builders. They play an integral role in the sales and marketing process. They emotionally engage buyers by enticing them to select structural options, arrange furniture, and create their dream home. Research proves they increase time on builder websites and, ultimately, sell more homes. To learn more, contact Kevin at [email protected].

New Home Sales Centers Take Center Stage

Jim Sorgatz · 01/09/2023 · Leave a Comment

Even Smaller Builders Can Have a Top-Notch Sales Office

With the slowdown in residential sales, home builders across the nation are investing in new home sales centers, or model home centers, to showcase their houses and communities. Sales centers are a great vehicle to draw homebuyers in and highlight all your homes offer. Large public builders may opt for elaborate buildouts with cabinets, multiple touch screens, and monitors, especially in larger communities. On the other hand, many small or mid-size builders may ask what it takes to install a sales center. With some creativity and an eye for design, even the smallest production builders can set up an effective sales center in the garage of a model home.

Come on in and explore. Simple furnishings, large framed panels, a touchscreen display, and an acrylic logo create an inviting, sophisticated room for the K. Hovnanian Looks sales center.

A great place to start is with signage experts like Outhouse. With experience in top-of-the-line installations for some of the most prominent builders and scaled-down designs for smaller companies, we can offer suggestions and advice on model home centers to fit any budget. Large framed panels that tell a story create emotional connections and are cost-effective. A large acrylic logo on the wall and smaller directional signs and nameplates give the room a polished look. A wrap covering an entire wall packs a punch and creates a memorable wow factor.

Large format print. A wrap with the image of motorcycle racers covering two walls in a garage. — *An inspirational wall wrap in a private garage. Imagine one like this in your sales center!*

The key to a thriving sales center is excellent storytelling and uniformity of the design elements. With this goal in mind, builders sometimes combine their sales center with a design center bringing in additional warmth and visual appeal.

A wall wrap with the image of a boy capturing a firefly in a jar. An acrylic panel with text overlays a portion of the wrap. — *Starlight Homes sales centers may have a new look these days, but this is still one of our favorite iterations. Storytelling at its finest.*

In today’s digital age, an interactive kiosk is a must. Essentially a mini-website, interactive kiosks integrate your digital marketing tools in a single app for easy use onsite at the sales center. Responsive, device-agnostic kiosks like those provided by Outhouse integrate point-of-interest maps, interactive site plans, interactive floor plans, interior and exterior visualizers, virtual tours, and animations for a seamless home-buying experience. They engage homebuyers and can be installed on any device. Even something as small as a tablet becomes a powerful sales tool. Imagine buyers customizing their home through an interactive floor plan while touring your models.

The home page of an interactive kiosk produced by Outhouse. Buttons along the side link to a Welcome page, Point of Interest map, interactive site plan, and interactive floor plans. — The Outhouse Interactive Kiosk with links to a welcome page, point of interest map, interactive site plan, and interactive floor plans. Buttons can be customized to include virtual tours, interior and exterior visualizers, or whatever else you’d like.

With a more significant budget, consider installing large touchscreen monitors to elevate the impact. Visitors to your sales center will feel like they are in a sci-fi movie as they whiz around maps, floor and site plans, house renderings, virtual tours, and more, all on a grand scale. Hang a monitor on the wall or install it in a custom cabinet or table for a more sophisticated look. Creative License International and the Temeka Group are a couple of companies that build custom furniture for sales and design centers.

Cachet Homes Arizona sales center. The complete package in a compact space. Wall mounted acrylic panels, touchscreen monitors featuring an interactive kiosk, and print collateral engage the senses.

The final element of a thriving sales center is print marketing. Although some digital marketing agencies may lead you to believe that print is no longer a viable marketing tool, statistics show otherwise:

Infographic with images representing print marketing statistics which are listed below the graphic.

95% of people under 25 years old read magazines (Top Media Advertising).
82% of consumers trust print ads the most when making a purchase decision (Burstein).
Combining print and digital ads makes online campaigns 400% more effective (Top Media Advertising).
Print drives higher levels of brand recall vs. digital (77% vs. 46%) (Newsworks).

Think about it. We go to trade shows and expos like the International Builders Show, Pacific Coast Builders Conference, Southwest Builders Show, Southeast Building Conference, and more for human connection. We meet with business associates, physically test new products, and pick up many samples, catalogs, and marketing brochures along the way. When we get home, we review those brochures in detail as part of our decision-making process. Print still plays an integral role in marketing.

A print brochure for Capital West Homes in Arizona featuring a cover with photos of a family, community landscape, and house renderings and floor plans inside. — *Print brochure with house renderings and floorplans for Capital West Homes in Arizona. The perfect takeaway for model home center visitors.*

Outhouse installs sales centers/model home centers and provides print marketing for home builders across the nation. If you’re ready to install your sales center and would like a quote on signage, interactive kiosks, touchscreen monitors, and print collateral, contact us at [email protected]. If you are unsure where to start, call the Outhouse experts at (602) 371-4394. We are here to help and can guide you in the right direction based on your design requirements and budget.

“Life Is Messy” – “Beat Your Promises”

Jim Sorgatz · 10/17/2022 · Leave a Comment

Nuggets of Wisdom from the Home Builder Digital Marketing Summit

“Life is messy. Not every home purchase comes from a beautiful situation. People sometimes buy a new home because they got divorced or someone died. If you have kids, your home is likely not perfectly manicured – you probably have toys scattered on the floor. Picture-perfect homes look great on a website, but they are not realistic. Being human is critical to building trust. Another component of building trust is transparency in pricing.”

*Stephanie McCarty from Taylor Morrison sharing her thoughts on building trust.*

Observations like these from Stephanie McCarty, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Taylor Morrison Homes, are thought-provoking. Fresh perspectives and nuggets of wisdom from a variety of home builders and digital marketing professionals are what draw me and others to events like The International Builders Show and the Home Builder Digital Marketing Summit. The 4th annual Summit in Phoenix, AZ, was the second live event sponsored by Blue Tangerine and Outhouse, LLC focusing exclusively on digital marketing. The 80+ attendees spent a day and a half learning from experts and sharing their knowledge in roundtable breakout sessions.

Thoughts to Ponder

Greg Bray, President of Blue Tangerine: “Only 20-25% of web visitors start (land) on your home page.” Wow! We spend so much time making our home page perfect. Time to go back and review our site to be sure every other landing page is just as impactful.

Thank you so very much for including me in the Digital Summit last week. It was a good event and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to hear from leaders in the industry as well as the different vendors who have innovated to make our jobs easier and more effective.
Gena, Marketing Manager
Keystone Homes

Cabe Vinson, Director of New Business Development @ Sr. Strategist at Blue Tangerine: “Good meta descriptions can improve click rates. Write for the end user, not the search engine – Google can tell the difference.” Also, “Google My Business reviews are huge, but perfect is not the goal. A 4.8 is better than a 5.0, as it seems a little more realistic.”

Mila Sorenson, Sr. Director of Marketing & Client Services at Blue Tangerine: “The big change to Google Analytics 4 is coming. Be sure to link GA4 to your Google products before that happens.” Mila also discussed using heatmaps and recording tools to see how visitors interact with your website. Very interesting.

*Bob Mirman from Eliant at one of the roundtable discussions.*

Bob Mirman, CEO of Eliant Inc.: “Be careful what you promise. Satisfaction is not the goal. It is the result of meeting promises and expectations. The only way to delight a customer is to BEAT your promises. So, set your buyer’s expectations at a level you know you can consistently BEAT, not just meet! The result – higher levels of TRUST.”

Cory Dotson, Sr. Director of Development Operations at Blue Tangerine: “Influencer marketing is much less expensive than traditional marketing.” As host of his own YouTube channel with 40K+ subscribers, Cory knows his subject well! “The biggest challenge is finding the right influencer. They don’t need to be in the same industry. The goal is to find an influencer who attracts your desired audience.”

Panelists Susan Paul from Costa Verde Homes, Sharon Baker from Camelot Homes, and Kim Ross from Christopher Alan Homes: Winter is coming – it always does. The time to prepare is when times are good.

From Dana Spencer, National Vice President of Sales at K. Hovnanian Homes: “Creating emotional connections with buyers is critical. Leveraging digital tools to create an emotional connection while reassuring potential buyers is more important now than it was 12 months ago, and we must accomplish this in a cost-effective way.”

*Dana Spencer with K. Hovnanian discussing creating emotional connections*.

One of the ways K. Hov is creating an emotional connection is with their new Looks program. Click here to check it out. I get teary-eyed every time I watch the video – it’s beautiful!

Kristi Allen, Owner of WoodCastle Homes: “It was way more challenging than I expected but also so much more rewarding,” Kristi says as she relays the story of starting her own home building company. “I also learned when faced with change you cannot be afraid to make mistakes. There are huge changes taking place within our industry, and no single person has all the answers. You have to be willing to ask questions and learn.” Kristi also inspires many through her volunteer efforts, one being the lead contractor for The House That She Built home. This project, and the accompanying marketing campaign by Mollie Elkman of Group Two Advertising, are elevating careers in construction by educating young readers, girls in particular, about the people and skills that go into building a home. This makes me wonder what else our industry can be doing to elevate careers in construction. Building new homes for families is not just a job but a major contribution to the American dream.

*Kristi Allen with WoodCastle Homes sharing her experience with change.*

A Great Relaunch of Live Programming!

With 80+ participants and presentations by more than a dozen builders and marketing experts, this year’s event was a successful reboot of live programming by Blue Tangerine and Outhouse. In addition to the inspiring presentations, attendees learned from each other through roundtable discussions. They competed in games of Kahoots for some terrific prizes provided by sponsors. The Wednesday evening mixer at Pedal Haus Brewery was also a lot of fun, offering participants a chance to mix, mingle, and build deeper connections at an offsite location and to see why downtown Phoenix is the “happening place.”

Looking ahead to 2023, we are planning a more significant event. Dates and location will be announced in the coming weeks, so watch your inbox for full details.

A big THANK YOU from Outhouse to all attendees, speakers, and sponsors. See you next year!

*Summit and Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast co-hosts Greg Bray with Blue Tangerine and Kevin Weitzel from Outhouse.*

3 Tips to Keep Marketing Momentum in a Slowing Economy

Blue Tangerine · 08/29/2022 · Leave a Comment

The economy is slowing down which makes it especially important that your marketing is up to speed. Competition is stiffer than ever and buyers are being more cautious, so how do you ensure your marketing continues to work for you? Here are three tips that will help you keep marketing momentum so you don’t fall behind:

1. Seek Out In-Person Learning Opportunities

Marketing tactics and technology continue to evolve and change, even when the economy is slowing down. To keep your brand strong and relevant, you must continue to learn and innovate. In-person learning keeps you up to date on the latest trends and introduces you to new ways to market and make connections with your audience.

Learn from industry peers and experts to keep your marketing fresh and up to date. Some of the best ideas are born out of conversation and collaboration and in-person learning provides the best opportunity for this type of growth. Summits and conferences offer not only expert advice and instruction but networking opportunities that encourage conversations that help you put the learned information to practical use.

The Home Builder Digital Marketing Summit is a unique opportunity to learn and grow in an atmosphere you won’t find at larger, mass-marketed summits. With engaging, hands-on learning, small group discussions, and networking opportunities, our summit will give you the edge you need to keep your website and digital marketing ahead of the competition.

Some of the topics and speakers you will see at the Summit:

Meeting Your Customers Where They Are – A Fireside Chat with Stephanie McCarty of Taylor Morrison Homes
Using Digital Tools to Create Emotional Connections with Dana Spencer of K. Hovnanian Homes
Buyers Navigating Change for Success with Kristi Allen of WoodCastle Homes
5 Secrets for Achieving Over 40% of Sales from Referrals with Bob Mirman, Eliant
Builder Panel: Preparing for an Uncertain Future with Kim Ross of Christopher Alan Homes, Sharon Baker of Camelot Homes and Susan Paul of Costa Verde Homes
Discover Hidden Gems in Local SEO Optimization
An Insider’s Look at How to Use Social Media Influencers to Create Buzz
5 Analytics Tools to Improve Your Website: Hands-On Learning

Take a minute to look through the full schedule and speaker lineup and see what we have in store, then get registered so you don’t miss out on this great in-person learning opportunity. You can register now using the code outhousefan for a $100 discount. This means you get your registration, including summit meals and a networking happy hour, all for the low price of $495. This is a small investment for a big return on your marketing efforts.

Grab your seat today and save $100! Register with code outhousefan

2. Dial Up Your Marketing

When budgets are tight it can be tempting to put marketing on the chopping block. Failing to ramp up your marketing efforts during an economic slowdown can be a costly mistake for the long-term health of your business. Maintaining brand recognition and providing information and visuals about your homes is vital. There are still buyers who want to buy now, an actively marketing builder will attract their attention and their business. Cautious buyers are using this time to plan. They continue to look for homes and research builders, continued marketing efforts is important to remain relevant and stay on their radar.

Increase your digital visibility. Effective SEO, robust audience lists and active social media engagement take time, you can’t flip a switch and expect immediate results. Expending effort to grow these aspects of your marketing is the only way to remain visible to your audience now and in the future.

Become a trusted resource. Look for ways to create content that resonates with potential buyers’ current concerns. Enhance your website with images, floorplans, and visual tours of the homes you build. Collect customer and partner testimonials to share on your website. Reliable, educational content makes you a trusted resource and builds relationships.

Dig deep into your analytics. Knowing where your audience is coming from, how they find you, and what they are looking for will help to refine targets and get the most out of your marketing spend.

3. Listen to Podcasts

PODCAST: DIGITAL MARKETING IS WORTH THE MONEY – JULIA MALLOZZI

Listen to this episode as guest Julia Mallozzi of Bill Clark Homes and Legacy Homes has a discussion about why digital marketing is worth the money you put into it.

LISTEN NOW

Podcasts are a great way to hear from a variety of experts and peers, providing a broader perspective and new ideas. By providing a break from the large amount of visual media we are exposed to each day, it is easier to focus when listening to podcasts and we absorb more information. Easily accessible, they provide an opportunity to engage in learning at no cost, even if you only have half an hour to spare.

The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast is rapidly becoming one of the most trusted resources for home builder marketers. Hosted by Greg Bray of Blue Tangerine and Kevin Weitzel of Outhouse, this weekly podcast covers topics that include building your marketing team, website development and optimization, brand reputation and management, selling homes online, marketing to buyers’ needs, building relationships with buyers, embracing new technology, and much more.

Winner of the NAHB Nationals Silver Award in 2022 for Best Professional Development Series, and over 20,000 downloads, The Home Builder Digital Marketing Podcast is an invaluable source of information for any marketing team.

A slowing economy can be stressful; putting the brakes on your marketing efforts can be detrimental to the success of your business. Follow these three tips to keep up to date on the latest trends and tactics and to keep your brand fresh and relevant. Have questions? Let’s Chat.

Why Should I Attend Trade Shows and Summits?

Tabitha Warren · 08/01/2022 · Leave a Comment

Imagine being a market leader when your company emerged; you held 10% of market share. A couple of years later, that number grew to 20%! But you decided that you didn’t need to evolve. You stuck to what always worked. You thought that the innovations coming out were quirky. You thought they would quickly fail because of design flaws. You had such a following of dedicated customers that you thought, “I don’t need to invest in strategic, creative marketing.”

Meanwhile, your two top competitors put millions into research. One became known for being the leader in new and exciting technologies. They developed their flaws away, vied for market share, found fun new ways to market their products, and this company nurtured “super-fans,” to quote Meredith Oliver.

Moreover, you don’t even think that some projects they are working on are real. Why would you invest in replicating innovations like that?

Some of you may already recognize this cautionary tale. This is the story of Blackberry and iPhone.

What Blackberry never learned that Mac, Steve Jobs, and iPhone did is how to pivot. Home builders could learn from Apple’s clever moves. The company not only entered a market that wasn’t their primary market. They moved away from computers and iPods and into the cell phone market. Then, they continued to pivot away from being a product company to a service company. Their phones are only secondary to the apps and services sold through their various platforms.

What does all of this have to do with the title of this blog? Well, the answer is everything. Trade shows and summits bring together top industry partners and competitors. They put research and innovation all under one roof. If your research shows that your number one competitor is blowing you out of the water regarding sales and wait lists, go to a summit they are attending. You may have a chance to discuss strategy with them or at least overhear it. Maybe they won’t be there, but some of the services they use in their digital marketing strategy will be. These events are your chance to casually talk to vendors and experts in one place. They provide the opportunity to talk to other builders using those same products and see how the services have helped them succeed.

Are there holes in your online presence? You are bound to find a solution to digital brand equity. One thing we learned at a recent summit is that Google reviews are the new word of mouth. The difference is that word of mouth disappears; online reviews live on forever. You could learn how to get that 3-star review to a 4-star.

Wait a minute, you say you aren’t using Google to maximize your online marketing yet? Do you know exactly how much revenue should be attributed to your email marketing campaign? To that last Google Ad you ran? There is going to be a speaker who addresses that. You might overhear that a sponsor there offers those services. Google is at the center of sales and marketing these days. Every company needs to know how Google reviews help their company’s Google marketing plan. Google Analytics is the place to understand those metrics. If your company isn’t using Analytics, they should be. If you don’t have staff that understands Analytics, there is a speaker to help you get started. There are also companies to run those numbers for you. Industry events give your company a place to start.

Summits and trade shows aren’t just excellent places to find solutions and to keep up with industry innovations in a competitive market. They are also a fantastic place to take new employees to train them. Did you poach a brand new OSC or sales team from another industry? They know a lot about sales but not in the home building industry. Here is where you can throw them into the deep end. They will train with you, but that new OSC will learn a lot from networking with others in the industry. They will learn about technologies. They will hear stories about what others have done wrong and what they have done right. This strategy doesn’t only work for OSCs and sales teams. Your marketing team and many other employees can benefit from summits, expos, and trade shows as well. We live in the digital age, and your marketing team needs to know how to utilize their marketing budget to bring your sales teams the best leads.

One upcoming event that offers a deep dive into home builder online marketing and sales is the Home Builder Digital Marketing Summit. Taking place September 21-22, 2022, in Phoenix AZ, full details are available here.

Tabitha Warren was an Income Tax Accountant for 15+ years. In the first months of the pandemic, she took a chance and re-careered to freelance in Marketing. She currently, and very happily, works with video and photo editing, social media marketing, and now blog writing.

Why Is Experiential Marketing Essential for Home Builders?

Jim Sorgatz · 07/10/2022 · Leave a Comment

Children at a Hogwarts themed party — ^{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.

“Learning Never Exhausts the Mind”

Jim Sorgatz · 05/02/2022 · Leave a Comment

Builder Digital Marketing Summit – Live!

September 21-22, Phoenix, AZ

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” We love this quote from Leonardo da Vinci. And learning from experts and peers is the objective of the Home Builder Digital Marketing Summit, a two-day, action-packed, educational event! Reviews from prior years’ attendees bring this point home:

“I love that you had actual builders speaking! We hear from the same people over and over…. It’s wonderful to have some new voices in our industry!“

“The Summit was thought-provoking and insightful; I took away valuable information that I could use with my team.“

“Relevant topics and a plethora of actionable processes that can be implemented to start garnering results are a win in my book!“

Our Summit is Back and In-Person!

After two years online, we are excited to be hosting our fourth annual Summit in person once again, September 21-22 in downtown Phoenix, AZ. Taking place at the Found:RE hotel, we have an exciting line-up of leading industry experts who will guide you through two days of presentations, round table breakout groups, builder panel discussions, and networking. The curriculum is designed specifically for home builders seeking to optimize website and digital marketing strategies, furthering your ability to effectively grow sales.

Learn from the Experts

Explore with us the use of digital marketing to evolve the home buyer journey. Our speakers including Greg Bray and Cabe Vinson from Blue Tangerine, and Kevin Weitzel from Outhouse, will lead attendees through discussions on the most effective online tools, SEO, lead generation, digital marketing tactics, and more. Featured speakers include:

Stephanie McCarty Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Taylor Morrison

In her role, Ms. McCarty leads brand marketing, employee, customer and shareholder communications, media relations and PR, ESG initiatives and reporting, and crisis and issues management. In the last year, she has implemented an online customer experience strategy that includes innovative, industry-leading customer acquisition tools and products—establishing Taylor Morrison as a differentiated, progressive brand and helping to move the future of home shopping forward.

Dana Spencer National Vice President of Sales K. Hovnanian Homes

Ms. Spencer has been in the home building industry for nearly two decades beginning in 2003 with Pulte Homes, Pardee Homes, and Woodside Homes, generating over $70 million in sales in her career as a sales consultant. In 2011, Dana relocated to Arizona moving into sales leadership. In 2018 she was recruited by K. Hovnanian Homes to serve as Vice President of Sales with the Arizona Division. Six months later, she was promoted to her current role as the National Vice President of Sales where she leads the corporate sales efforts, initiatives and strategies on a national level.

Bob Mirman CEO and Owner Eliant, Inc.

The mission of Mr. Mirman’s 37-year-old firm Eliant, Inc. is to assist consumer-driven companies in systematically delivering an extraordinary experience to every customer, thereby turning delighted customers into referral generators. Eliant has provided international customer experience monitoring, training, and consulting for over 1,600 homebuilders and major mortgage and escrow firms across the U.S., Canada, and the Middle East. They also provide customer experience management services for BMW, Toyota, Beckman Instruments, IBM, and many others.

Network with Other Builders

Valuable learning takes place not only when we listen, but when we actively engage with each other. Alongside presentations are round-table discussions, builder panels, and an evening networking event. These opportunities to interact with each other help participants see how the knowledge we gain can be put to practical use.

Take Away Valuable Information

The valuable expertise packed into these two days will help you turn up the volume on your digital marketing. Whether you need to fine-tune your existing strategy or decide what first steps you should take to get your homes online, you will come away with new ideas, questions answered, and some great new business contacts. We can’t wait to see you there! Learn More & Register

Inclusion Sells

Jim Sorgatz · 04/18/2022 · Leave a Comment

Black and white page depicting men at sea

Although I have always been a big proponent of inclusion, a photo I recently stumbled across on a clothing website really got me thinking about the topic and its relation to new home sales. In the world of fashion – old comes long before age 30. It’s rare to see models who are middle-aged, heavy, or imperfect in any way. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like pretty!

Orelebar Brown is a men’s clothing brand I had never heard of. But on their website, I see a handsome, older man with wrinkles, greyish hair, and a surfer coolness. The little voice in my head shouts, “I want to be THAT guy!” Yeah, there are the younger, handsome 20-year-olds in the background of the same page, but there is just something about the confidence and life-well-lived attitude this man exudes. And, he is probably the most representative of a buyer who can afford the $200 t-shirt – this is an expensive brand!

As a company that prides itself on a culture of acceptance and diversity, our marketing team at Outhouse has noticed a recent shift by many famous brands to be more inclusive. In the fashion world, Victoria’s Secret now features plus-sized models. MAC cosmetics has their transgender cover girls. Even Gucci recently launched a campaign featuring all-black models. Many other brands are also thinking outside the box to present advertising that is much more inclusive. The bottom line is we want to see happy people that look like us. We all can’t be cover models. And sometimes, that inclusiveness needs to stretch beyond looks. People with limited physical abilities, including those who are visually impaired or blind, want to “see” themselves in advertising as well.

The move towards inclusion holds true for the housing industry as well. This topic is increasingly top-of-mind for builders and builder marketing agencies. Late last year, an episode of The Sales & Marketing Power Hour hosted by Outhouse friends Carol Morgan of Denim Marketing, and Kimberly Mackey of New Homes Solutions, focused on ”Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” In a recent post on LinkedIn, Jennifer Cooper of Evolution Marketing, the featured guest on our April 27th “Sales Office of the Future” webinar, shared an article about Old Navy letting TikTok write its spring ad campaign. In the post, Jennifer queries, “What happens when you ask your customers what they want to see in an ad?” In another post, Andrew Bazan from Lennar shares a Bloomberg article, “Removing Resumes From Hiring Process Can Improve Diversity.” Hmm…this an intriguing idea!

Although the Fair Housing Act stipulates that models used in advertising must represent both majority AND minority groups, a random review of home builder websites shows plenty featuring primarily happy, healthy, young, white families with a mom, dad, and 2.5 kids. This vision of America may appeal to many, but it certainly is not representative of our country’s demographic make-up. It also sends a subtle message of exclusion, most likely not intentional, as builders are typically happy selling to any buyers who qualify.

Our industry is in a tremendous period of growth, so appealing to the broadest range of home buyers may not seem of paramount importance. But the tide will turn again at some point. Builders whose websites and ad campaigns draw a diverse group of buyers will better position themselves to prosper as we head into the next inevitable downturn. So, take a look at your website and marketing. Do you see yourself? Do you see friends and neighbors? Do you see the family down the street who may appear slightly different? If you are missing anyone, now is the time to make adjustments—your marketing matters. Even if you are a luxury builder, those families buying first-time homes today may be looking for more upscale homes tomorrow. According to the Prophet Brand Relevance Index, top brands like Apple, TED, Bose, Android, and Fitbit are human-centered. “Brands are finding success in our new normal by connecting with us as humans—by appealing to the head and the heart.” And, we achieve connection when people see themselves, the vision of themselves they are trying to achieve, in our marketing efforts.