Social Media for Businesses Done Right: Martell Home Builders
Many companies have jumped on the social media bandwagon, but not all are doing it right. The good news is that some are using social media in unique, creative, and successful ways. One such company is Martell Home Builders.
Martell used to rely on real estate agents to advance their business, but since they started using social media, they’ve created a direct-to-consumer model and have been able to cut out the middlemen.
His online marketing efforts began with a strategy that used primarily blogs and focused on meeting the needs of his customers by writing articles such as “14 Must-Have Tools for New Homeowners.” They increased their readership by providing an opportunity for people to subscribe to blog posts via email.
They also placed GPS tracking devices in their contractors’ vehicles so that clients always knew where the contractor was and thus reassured clients.
To make the home building experience more social, they put up photo galleries of houses being built. This allowed homebuyers to watch the home’s progress and also allowed them to share their excitement with friends and family. This not only pleased their customers, but also provided an opportunity to gain social proof and visibility through photos posted online.
Martell added the Facebook Like Box to his website. This widget updates in real time and pulls content directly from Martell’s Facebook page whenever they have a site visitor. The Like box is also a great opportunity for social proof because it shows how many people have liked your page.
One of the best things about the Facebook Like Box Widget is that website visitors can become a fan on Facebook without ever leaving a website! Being able to like a Facebook page without ever leaving a site is a great way to encourage visitors to stay on a site longer.
Providing photos of the houses as they were being built and letting clients know where the contractors were at all times were creative ways to build trust with their clients.