Better Homes and Gardens

BETTER HOMES & GARDENS REAL ESTATE
Questions
Interactive/Direct Marketing
11/3/13

What social media do you use?
The main social media site that I use is Facebook.
How and why do you use it?
I use it to stay in touch with my extended network of friends. Social media allows me to stay up to date on what my friends are doing and also allows them to see what I have been doing.
How might 1&2 above be different for a home buyer?
Home buyers would most likely use basic social media services such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
A homebuyer would most likely have an interest in the social media activity of members of the community in the area near potential homes. This could give the buyer some insight into previously unknown positives and negatives of an area.
Why has the BHGRE Business-to-Business (B2B) social media program been so successful?
The Clean Slate Blog acted as a trailblazer in the real estate industry. In addition to this, BHGRE used its Facebook page to document the process of launching a new real estate brand through each step of the process. They used meetup.com to have free face-to-face info sessions about social media with relators. The BHGRE Twitter was so successful that many brokers reached out through Twitter to become a franchisee. By strengthening it social media presence, BHGRE was able to label itself as the new, edgy player in the industry.
What, if any lessons, can Chris take from that success and apply to a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) social media strategy?
Chris’s B2B strategy does offer some useful insights into a potential B2C strategy. Chris clearly has a strong understanding of how to convert online interactions to in person interactions as seen through the meetup.com events. Furthermore, the positive attention that was generated through Twitter would also be useful in B2C communications.
How does the fact that BHGRE is based on a well-established consumer brand, Better Homes and Gardens®, impact Chris’s SMM or other consumer marketing plans? What are the opportunities and limitations?
The fact that BHGRE is based on a well-known brand is a strength for social media marketing. A well-known name will make people more likely to interact with various social media pages (Facebook, Twitter). Alternatively, being attached to a large brand means that extra attention will need to be paid to make sure that the brand’s image is not damaged due to the marketing efforts.
For the BHGRE B2C social media program what could the objectives be?
BHGRE should attempt to increase general interest in the BHGRE brand. Also, transferring these interested people into home buyers.
How would those objectives translate into measurable outcomes?
General interest in the social media pages can be measured through the metrics provided by each site (likes on Facebook, rewets/replies on Twitter etc.) An increase in home buyers can be tracked through tracking general sales and also asking customers what influenced their decision to use BHGRE to purchase.