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With increasing numbers of young consumers
beginning their condo search online, the time has come to
give them what they are looking for. Spare time is in short
supply with this demographic. They want, and expect, to
be able to do their “running around” from the
comfort of their computer. And so they should!
To properly market anything online, you
need to start by putting yourself in the position of your
customer. What would you hope to be able to find on a developer’s
website if you were looking to buy? A flashy presentation
complete with soothing music and unrelated stock photography?
No? How about a duplication of the expensive direct marketing
piece you received in the mail? Not that either? What I
hoped to find was a list of the residences still available
along with their corresponding floor plans and prices. After
a year and a half of hunting for the perfect condo, I am
yet to be assisted by a site such as this.
In many industries, information is treated
like a precious gem that must reside closely to its keeper.
For those wishing to access it, they must venture to well-guarded
quarters and witness it in its true splendour. A bit dramatic
perhaps, but if one considers the real estate industry as
an example, I believe the point is well supported.
In the context of the condo industry, why
should people working long days with limited spare time
be forced to drive out to a sales centre to collect information?
We could just as easily be provided the information online
and instead directed to the sales centre as qualified leads.
This is especially true when you consider that often there
is little to see anyways by virtue of the fact that our
“new home” is, at present, just a deep hole
around the corner.
Most condominium developers now have some
form of website and have begun to market this presence by
adding their web addresses to their printed collateral,
direct mail pieces and bill boards. This is a great first
step in raising awareness of the website. The next step
is delivering on the expectations of your customers when
they visit the site.
Creating a great website starts with clearly
articulating the site’s objective. For instance, if
we determine the goal to be an increased number of qualified
leads to the sales centre, we can create a framework from
which to evaluate the elements required on the website in
order to achieve this measurable.
To ensure your product effectively reaches
your target audience it is imperative to provide the same
information online as you do in your sales centres. If people
who are able to view the available suites online choose
to visit the sales centre, they represent the ideal qualified
lead. These people recognize that the developer respects
their time. They have had time to consider the purchase
and they liked what they saw enough to come in and see more.
Even if they don’t find what they are looking for,
you have captivated your audience during the time they have
spent on the site. This presents ample opportunity to employ
other relationship building tactics such as:
- Marketing other active development projects
- Inviting visitors to sign up for first hand news about
future projects
- Asking visitors questions (e.g. What were you looking
for today that you were unable to find?) in order to better
serve them in the future
The Internet provides us with a number
of advantages over traditional mediums we have used to market
space with in the past. That said, the advent of online
marketing doesn’t spell the end for traditional print
efforts. Print is still an important vehicle to “drive
traffic”. This traffic, however, should be well served
whether we visit the sales centre or the website.
Unlike the “one time” nature
of print, the Internet has the potential to provide up to
the minute, current information, and, compared to the cost
of print, the Internet represents a very nominal investment.
Internet technology has made great strides in the past year
with respect to “content management”. In simpler
terms, it is now easier and more affordable than ever to
have a website that anyone in your organization, with the
most basic of computer knowledge, can update.
Statistics Canada reports
that over 76% of Canadians under the age of 35 are online.
Now, let’s again place ourselves
in the position of the consumer. Imagine a website that
listed every available residence in the building that you
were interested in. This list would include suite-specific
details such as price, exposure, floor plan, and elevation
drawings. In the past a site such as this would have been
good for the first morning (perhaps) before the information
became outdated. With improvements in content management
systems, such details can now be updated instantly as changes
occur, without the need for any programming or coding on
your website. Sales representatives can also use a site
like this internally to make sure they are always working
with the most current information.
In my industry, technology changes overnight.
Each day brings with it new software, hardware, tricks and
gadgets. What seems to remain the same day in and day out
however, is the importance of simple customer relationship
management principles. Make it easier for your customer,
and you make it easier for you. Information is a powerful
tool you can use to differentiate your company from the
next. By that I mean it’s not what you know or what
you have necessarily; it’s what your customers know
you have. Protecting information is no longer an option
to help your sales staff close. Today’s consumers
are informed (or want to be), prior to signing any dotted
line. So give them what they are looking for by giving them
what you or I would look for in their position.
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