As Custom builders hunker down in a dormant economy, many are turning to new approaches to keep employees on the books and improve cash flow. Some are turning to remodeling and others are even looking at government contracts. One builder is even working with a modular builder according to a recent Custom Home Magazine article. But is you ask any of them, they will tell you their number one headache is getting more traffic in the door. With everyone watching their wallets, even the well to do are cautiously approaching the custom home concept. So how do builders gain a larger share of a shrinking market?
Many are taking the time to reinvent their web presence. By adding video and how-to's to their site, they are attempting to capture the casual shopper's attention in a way that begins the process of creating a relationship with the buyer. One builder doing an excellent job with this technology is Wisconsin-based Westbridge Builders. But even with all the flashy video, is the customer being reached on their level.
The problem with marketing on the internet is that whatever product is put out there, the entire world has access to it. Unfortunately, only a finite portion of the public is interested at all in the product. In addition, each one of those interested has a unique set of wants, needs and limitations. The challenge then is to present page content that appeals to a specific buyer. That technology is called "behavioral targeting." There are two approaches to behavioral targeting.
The first method uses information gathered from the client while they are surfing your site. Which pages they have been to combined with which videos they fire or images they click on as well as strategically placed questions can give the site programmer what they need to alter page content when the user goes from one page to the next. Although it is not as appropriate for a custom builder website as it is for, say, ebay, getting users to register opens up a whole gambit of options for gathering profiling data. Although it is done by countless websites, the second method is a little more insidious. This method searches a user's computer to determine where they have been (browsing history) and uses that information to alter page content. To experience the power of this technology, go to www. Amazon.com. If you have registered as an Amazon user, you will immediately see a list of things Amazon thinks you would like. That is behavioral targeting.
Some see this as an invasion of privacy. Others see this as an effective way to use the internet efficiently. Regardless of opinion, the technology has statistical merit. According to one Behavioral targeting project manager, the use of behavioral targeting can result in a 1000% improvement in the number of times a user makes the choice to investigate a product. It only makes sense because the company is giving the user content that they can associate with. And after all, that is the goal of your website, to forge new relationships with clients. What better way than finding things you have in common.
Behavioral Targeting is not without its challenges. Beyond the privacy issue is complexity and cost. Trying to figure out which behaviors lead a builder to believe a particular user is interested in French Country style and which behaviors lead them to Italianate can become quite subjective; whereas, some content is more straightforward. For instance, a user who has just browsed your competitor's sites definitely has some interest. What a great time to tell them you are better. Or a user who has just been to bankrate.com is not only a serious buyer but one that needs to learn about your financing options. Sadly, there is a direct and almost exponential correlation between how powerful this marketing tool can be and how much it will cost.
Nonetheless, in the bitter wake of popup ads, behavioral targeting is a technology that will become more pervasive in our browsing practices as more companies realize the gains to be made. Whether or not it is the right product for custom home builders has yet to be seen. Maybe you will be the first to gain from this method.
