A lot of companies have jumped on the social media bandwagon, but not all of them are doing a good job of it. The good news is, some are using social media in unique, creative and successful ways. One such company is Martell Home Builders.
Martell used to rely on realtors to advance their business, but since they started using social media, they created a direct-to-consumer model and they were able to cut out the middleman.
Their online marketing efforts began with a strategy that primarily used blogging and that focused on meeting their customer’s needs 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 by email.
They also placed GPS tracking devices on the vehicles of their contractors so that customers always knew where the contractor was, thus easing the customer’s mind.
To make the home building experience more social, they put up photo galleries of homes that were being built. This allowed homebuyers to watch the progress of the house and also enabled them to share their excitement with friends and relatives. Not only was this pleasing to their clients, it also provided an opportunity to gain social proof and visibility through the photos posted online.
Martell added the Facebook Like box to their website. This widget is updated in real time and pulls content directly from Martell’s Facebook Page every time they have a site visitor. The like box is also a great opportunity for social proof because it shows how many people have liked their page.
One of the greatest 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 home while they were being built and allowing customers to know where the contractors were at all times were both creative ways of fostering trust with their clients.
