6 Degrees GroupNew Media for Real Estate Communities & Hospitality

Setting Goals

Navigating the vastness of the social media universe takes time and planning. Before embarking on your journey, you must set clear goals. These goals should be defined before the launch of your SMO campaign or you will soon find your campaign lost and without purpose.

So where do we begin?  A great place to start is by asking a very simple, yet powerful question, “What I am trying to achieve?”

At 6, we have found that the vast majority of our new home development, hospitality and leasing community partners are looking to achieve the following goals:

• Improved Search Engine Results
• Prospect Relationship Building
• Third Party Endorsements
• Improved Community Reputation Management
• Increased Community Brand Awareness
• Increased Relevant Web Traffic
• Increased Relevant Foot Traffic
• Increased Sales

What do these mean to me? I have more than one goal. How do I rank them?

Often this depends on your stage of marketing. If you are under construction or ramping up for a Grand Opening event, you may have different goals than a development that is at an 80% absorption rate. Define your stage of marketing and what you are trying to achieve.

A few examples of how and where these goals may fit into your overall campaign are defined below:

Improved Search Engine Results: A Social Media Optimization (SMO) Campaign can be a powerful tool to gaining positive SEO rank results (your internet website ranking). Over 75% of new home buyers begin their search online. If you are looking to strengthen your web presence, blogging and micro-blogging may give you the results you hope to achieve. Creative content with fresh keywords and link building frameworks could help generate greater exposure and sales opportunities.

Prospect Relationship Building: This is a popular goal with communities that are pre-marketing and under construction. It is difficult to keep buyers focused on your community with so much standing inventory. You need a way to grab attention, focus on what is unique about your product and give readers a reason to wait for the delivery to buy. While ideal for pre-construction projects, and momentum building for Grand Openings, it is important to note that in today’s marketplace this goal should be held by every builder-developer. Trust building, informative, engaging content and transparency are key to the success of any campaign.

Third Party Endorsements: Public Relations is an important tool. What is even better than Advertorials and PR articles in your local paper? Positive endorsements and informal “press” from peers of your target audience. To achieve this goal you have built key relationships with community influencers that are believers in your message and begin promoting your brand on their own via blogs, becoming a “fan” and Re-tweeting your message. This goal can sometimes be the most difficult to achieve, yet at the same time, the most compelling for your brand.

Improved Community Reputation Management: Competition is fierce. Perhaps your local neighborhood is saturated and you need an extra edge. You may have a common objection that you want to overcome or received some bad press that reflected negatively on your community. The goal is to positively influence the way potential and existing audiences perceive your brand. This involves creating SM profiles, listening to your target and monitoring/managing public forums and social channels.

Increased Community Brand Awareness: You know who your buyers are and want to get their attention and keep it. You need to be visible and stand out from the crowd. You want the local business community to act as a partner in your campaign. You are looking to Social Media to support your traditional advertising and rapidly generate word of mouth marketing and buzz. Perhaps you are experiencing a slow-down in traffic or sales. You may be releasing a final phase or at a 60% + absorption rate.

Increased Relevant Web Traffic: This is ideal for communities that have established a clear idea of their prospect(s) demographics. You want to grab attention quickly and drive it to your website. You may have a big event, Grand Opening, new phase or remodel expansion, incentive or campaign message that you are looking to convey.  SM ads and relevant content via blogs/micro-blogs can quickly convey a new message and support your current e-blast campaign by adding exposure in real-time.

Increased Relevant Foot Traffic:  The urgency of yesterday is gone. The majority of prospects visit multiple properties online or in-person before making a decision. The key is getting serious consumers to return to your community and getting them connected to the property and to your sales team. People buy from people they like, but now more than ever, they also need to feel like they are: 1.) Making an informed decision 2.) Getting value for their money
Your campaign goal is focused on delivering prospects a consistent message with the right mix of relevant community information, incentives to make the purchase and added content delivered with an element of personality from your onsite team.

Increased Sales: Isn’t this everyone’s end-goal? It should be. However, we are establishing a ranking of goals within your current campaign. You may be selling at a great pace right now, but want to supplement your marketing plan with SMO now, so that if you face a lull in the future, the social aspect of your relationships and community trust you’ve built can carry you to final absorption success. If increasing sales is your current primary goal, you will need to take a more aggressive approach in your campaign, which may mean an audit of online media, an increase in recommended channels and quantity of postings, a careful examination of your target audience and a recommended balance in your content formula.

Take some time and ask yourself how you would rank your goals.

Once we get a clear picture of our goals and objectives, we need to identify and utilize the appropriate channels with which to engage in an effective and compelling social media campaign. The tools available are numerous and the options may seem overwhelming, but identifying your goals and understanding your target audience will aid in the effective implementation of a successful social media campaign.

6 Degrees Group New Media for New Home Real Estate Developments, Leasing Communities, Resort Properties & Hospitality