There are 2 reasons (and only 2) why you’re not getting leads online. As a home builder, it’s essential to your company survival to fix these.
The first reason is the most obvious and the easiest to fix. But the second reason… is the most challenging and it’s also the hardest to fix. I explain them both below…
Reason #1: You aren’t getting enough visitors to your website.
(This is the easiest to fix)
How to get the right visitors
By now, this is pretty common knowledge.
You generate visitors to your website by using either Free or Paid strategies.
The closer you can target your ideal clients, the better – which is why every successful home builder uses both paid and free methods.
Paid ads will allow much better targeting, but free content will also generate some leads and sales, though your efforts will be more time intensive and a little more of a shotgun approach. Meaning, you’ll share content and the majority of people who see it aren’t even thinking of building, but some may be.
This isn’t new, but if you’re not driving visitors to your website with a clear strategy, then it’s time to start.
But perhaps you have tried spending money on ads or sharing on social media in the past and you didn’t generate any leads, leaving you out of pocket financially or spending a lot of time with nothing to show for it.
If that’s you, it’s because you haven’t sorted the #2 reason out yet which I share below.
Free ways to get visitors
(In order of priority)
Image screen shots are from real client campaigns (below)
Organic ranking positions 1-3 are the most valuable (yellow).
The more keywords on page 1, the more website visitors you can generate
Paid ways to get visitors
(In order of priority)
Generating leads from google ads is a great way to ensure continuity of work
Generating website visitors should translate to signed contracts and profits for your company.
1610
70
14
4
$3.2M
Reason #2: Your website isn’t compelling enough to get people to pick up the phone or fill in your contact form.
(This is the most difficult to fix)
Be compelling
If prospective clients visit your website – in many cases, even a brand new website – then leave… you must ask yourself why.
WHY?
WHY DID THEY LEAVE?
Before I answer that question, lets first agree on what a prospective client is;
- They have a block and it’s located within your building zone
- They have available finance and a budget that suits your price range
- They are ready to start the design & building process
- They are looking for the right builder to build their home
If the website visitor ticks all those boxes BUT DOES NOT CONTACT YOU, there has to be a good reason.
They weren’t compelled to speak to you.
To highlight this point further, I want to share an example with you that might give you even more insight than I can put into words…
If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you would have seen multiple display home villages (show homes). Lets use a typical village as an example;
This village has 15 homes built by 15 different builders.
On average, 3-4 of those homes will be great sellers. They’ll be way out in front of the others in terms of sales numbers.
On the other end of the scale, there will often be 1 (or more), that are underselling – meaning the builders aren’t making enough sales to even cover the costs of keeping the display home open.
Why does this happen?
There are a lot of different reasons this could happen, but here are a few:
- Feeling*
- Price (too high, too low)
- Quality
- Look/Style
- Layout/Floor Plans
- Inclusions/Exclusions
- Poor sales staff (lets assume this isn’t the case)
Assuming some of these items are similar to the other homes (4×2, modern elevation, similar price range and inclusions) the #1 reason why a client chooses one over the other is the feeling they have while in the home.
How someone feels when they walk through a display home has a direct correlation to sales.
If you haven’t been to a display home for a while, go out next weekend and walk around. In some homes you’ll hear the following;
- “Oh wow”
- “Oh I love this”
- “Come and have a look at this!”
- “Beautiful”
Take some time to observe people and you’ll notice they’re standing there, motionless, looking at an area. In their mind they are picturing themselves in the home… perhaps how their furniture will look… perhaps how they’ll enjoy looking out to the swimming pool while the kids play…
This is common behavour that most sales people will tell you happens every single weekend IN THE BEST HOMES.
In stark contrast, if you go into a poor performing home, there is a distinct difference in behaviour and conversation.
- “I’ve seen enough”
- “No”
- “Nope”
- “Lets go”
So how can you become more compelling online?
Treat your website the same way as you would a display home.
Ensure everything on your website works in harmony to create that feeling where your customers want to interact and engage with your website and want to explore more.
Speak directly to them in a language they can relate to, their wants, their desires, show them what they love with your homes and interiors.
Make it so compelling that when they see your calls to action throughout your website, they’ll pick up the phone or fill in your contact form.
BEN WHITE
MANAGER @
DANMAR HOMES
crafting a compelling website requires in-depth knowledge of your customers
What we want as a builder, is very different to what a customer wants. As soon as you speak your customers language, their behaviour changes.
Language
What you say is important, but how you say it will make the biggest difference. Stories are hugely impactful, and we highly recommend adding story to your website content. Also, talk less about yourself and your company, and instead, write your content from your client’s perspective.
Images
The homes you design and build will resonate with people differently. Using relevant images with strategic placements can totally change a client’s reaction and enjoyment.
Remember, the feeling someone has while visiting your website can be a powerful motivator.
Call to Action
It’s 100% up to you to decide what you want your website visitors to do. You choose the pathways they take and you choose how a client engages with you.
So choose your navigation, wording and every call to action carefully.
Figuring this out…
Most builders I know get a little overwhelmed and sometimes confused with the ins and outs of digital marketing. That’s because there are always new things to learn and a lot to juggle all at once.
So here’s my advice.
Stick to what you’re best at.
Be a great builder.
I started Building Boom for this very reason. We know what you know about building, but we prefer to do the marketing and you probably prefer to get on and do the building.
Partnering with builders just like you is a win-win for both of us. You get leads and win new sales, and you pay us to do the marketing for you.
It’s a Win-Win.
ready to grow?
I hope the information that I’ve shared on this page has resonated with you.
I hope that you’ve been able to unemotionally assess your current situation and know there are opportunities for you to turn a corner and begin taking control of your sales and marketing.
We help builders grow.
We know the industry (and your clients) possibly better than any other agency in Australia.
We’ve built websites that generate dozens of leads every month. We’ve made calls to prospective clients who wanted to build. We’ve spoken with them, met with them and signed design agreements that ultimately turned into building contracts.
I don’t know of any digital marketing agency in this country who has done that.
We no longer make sales calls or sign design agreements and contracts. Instead, we focus on doing the digital marketing for our building clients so they can generate leads and make sales to grow their building company.
Speak to us today if you’re ready to grow your sales pipeline.
