The Challenge

A family owned and operated custom home builder was seeing a consistent drop in weekly leads. Their average weekly lead count was 163 over a period of 32 weeks. The custom home builder engaged with initiate-it to ramp up their marketing and lead generation efforts.

In the first year of the partnership, initiate-it set off to create and execute a strategic digital marketing lead generation campaign that would achieve the following objectives:

  • Increase weekly leads
  • Increase overall reported leads
  • Increase overall sales
  • Increase engagement
  • Lower cost-per-acquisition

The Solution

Prior to developing a strategic and diversified digital marketing plan, the team at initiate-it conducted a comprehensive audit of the channels that the custom home builder was using to connect and engage with potential homebuyers. They learned that the company’s previous lead generation campaigns included a smattering of presence on the following:

  • Traditional advertising (outdoor, print, radio)
  • Connected TV (ads seen on devices that are streaming video content)
  • PreRoll (online video ads that play before the start of a selected video)
  • Display ads on targeted websites
  • Social media ads targeting individuals in selected areas of VA
  • Paid search targeting selected areas of VA and a small part of NC
  • Video and static Pinterest Ads

After reviewing all of these elements and conducting thorough research on the competitive landscape, initiate-it created a custom-designed blueprint of a sophisticated digital marketing plan to generate more quality leads – and ultimately sales of new homes – for the custom home builder.

Across all platforms, initiate-it was laser-focused on targeting individuals who were likely to purchase a new home in VA, MD or NC. Also, a key target audience was individual landowners, including owners of family estate property and adults owning undeveloped lots in a housing development.

The agency leveraged a nimble testing strategy centered around creative messaging that was not only location-based but also addressed how the custom home builder offered solutions to common pain points for potential homebuyers. The strategy recommended by initiate-it is shown below, along with some details about the tactics that were executed:

Transform Traditional

Outdoor and print advertising would remain in the marketing mix, but radio was removed in favor of tactics that were a more efficient spend in the media budget and offered greater targeting and tracking capabilities.

Creative CTV

initiate-it invested more heavily in digital ads on Connected TV in order to connect with potential homebuyers, especially Millennials, who have cut the cord on network and cable providers in favor of streaming services that can be viewed on multiple devices. This tactic targeted households with individuals specifically looking to build a home in VA, MD or NC.

Pump Up Pre-roll

initiate-it adjusted the budget to serve up Pre-Roll video ads about the custom home builder. Studies show that ads on YouTube have higher levels of engagement than other types of streaming ads, so initiate-it doubled down on this tactic as an effective way to target the devices of individuals who might want to build a dream home in VA, MD or NC in the near future.

Dynamic Display

An additional tactic that initiate-it implemented was Display ads focused on behavioral targeting. The goal of these ads was to increase brand awareness of the custom home builder to potential buyers as they are browsing the internet on third-party websites. initiate-it also leveraged geofencing technology to target individuals with Display banner ads who recently visited areas near the custom home builder’s outdoor billboard locations.

Pinning on Pinterest

initiate-it tapped into the power of Pinterest, using both static pins and video pins to attract attention from individuals who are in the market for building a new home in VA, MD or NC.

Strategic Paid Social

initiate-it leveraged compelling visuals on Facebook and added Instagram to engage with individuals interested in home construction. The agency also retargeted individuals who didn’t convert to a sale after the first touchpoint. initiate-it also consistently tested creative and messaging across all social platforms.

Statewide Search

The potential reach for Paid Search was significantly expanded to include all counties in the custom home builder’s territory of VA, MD and NC, not just selected sections of those states.

Organic Social

We amplified Mitchell Homes’ presence by utilizing a strategic social media approach and crafting authentic content that went beyond floor plans to showcase the full homebuying experience, build trust, and cement the company’s reputation for exceptional service. By optimizing posting schedules and prioritizing engaging videos, we nurtured community growth and ignited conversations, boosting visibility and follower shares.

The Results

In 23 weeks, initiate-it successfully moved the needle on all of the home builder campaign’s Key Performance Indicators by driving new leads, increasing sales and lowering the cost-per-acquisition.

Goals

Other Campaign Stats

Learn more about how initiate-it can create a smart, sophisticated digital marketing campaign that delivers optimal results for your business. Give us a shout today!