Lance Sonka

Multiply your efforts by marketing new home properties to local affinity and social groups.

Individuals and companies that offer specialized services serve "niche markets" and usually well compensated; and usually at a premium price compared with those who attempt to be everything to everybody.

The truth is, there are just too many different types of groups and the individuals that belong to them, to effectively target and reach them all.

At the highest level of skilled selling, resides a secret ingredient that reaches far beyond any other forms of marketing - social networking.

Networking with members of a local trade association might induce a favorable response for your sales proposition.

Web 2.0 and social media platforms may make it easier to identify these groups and classes of individuals via the internet, ultimately it is your responsibility as a sales professional to penetrate and assume an active role within the group's identity.

Here are some examples of affinity groups that you might consider targeting when you are planning your next new home marketing campaign:

• Bankers, Loan Officers, Insurance Agents
• Accountants, Lawyers, and Doctors
• Real Estate Professionals
• Local Union, Rotary, and Business Counsels
• Social Service Providers: Police, Fire Dept, Emergency Crews
• School and Church Staff
• Small, Medium, and Large Business Owners and Management Teams

Initially, it may appear difficult to get inside the circle of influence within these groups of prospects.

Once you are able to build a few relationships from within these groups, you'll find the same strength in numbers that once worked against you, can now be leveraged for new home sales via referrals.

Now home buyers can now tell Google which sites to show them search results from.

According to Google, "The preferred sites feature lets you set your Google Web Search preferences so that your search results match your unique tastes and needs. Fill in the sites you rely on the most, and results from your preferred sites will show up more often when they're relevant to your search query."

Example:

A potential client is searching new home listings online.

They only want to view specific listings like "open houses for new construction" and not resales. They might add home builder websites like SheaHomes.com, KB.com, spechomes.com, and other sites to their list of preferred Google search terms.

In this fashion, when a search is performed for home builder models, results from those websites on the preferred list will return first. The preferred sites feature sort of acts like a filter or aggregator, which means you might as well flush all of your new home marketing efforts down the drain!

Only kidding, your real estate blogging efforts will most likely trump the average internet user!

This is why...

In order for this new feature to work, one must be signed into their Google account. Preferences and settings will have to be modified to enable the feature. According to Google, it will parse your browsing history and offer some suggestions as to which sites you might add to the list. (Featured listings?)

Once you've added a list of sites, you'll see a little indicator in the search results that lets you know that that particular result came from your list.

Feel free to read more about it here.

New home marketing and web 2.0: social community networking plus shared info equals trust.

1. On the Internet, perception of trust initiates a buying relationship.
2. That relationship can then be leveraged to influence a favorable buying decision.
3. The sales cycle continues with the informed buyer leveraging relationships with other information seekers, thereby potentially influencing another favorable buying decision.
4. New Home Marketing 2.0 is the resulting outcome from the trust built with shared knowledge.

New Home Buyers desperately need information about the homes that you sell.

The closer that the new home buying prospect gets to the information they seek, the faster they travel through the sales cycle. Additionally, the less information received by home buying prospects will equate to a longer buying decision.

All efforts must be made by home builders to remove obstacles and informational road blocks between home buyers and the info they need to make a favorable home buying decision.

If the desired information found at the "core" of the buying decision is found to be accurate and true (regardless of profit to the seller) the decision to purchase your product has already been made... justified by the shared knowledge found.