IBS Buzz – Social Media in the Building Product Industry

Social Media Can Provide Builders Results

We all know the story, in fact many of us have seen the movie, Facebook is the biggest social media site with over 800 million users.  However, why is this important to the building product industry and more specifically how does this impact homebuilders?

Last week during IBS several homebuilders shared their successes during a morning educational session.  Claire Easley, Senior Editor at Builder, recapped many of the topics, which included Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging.

Here are some of the ideas shared by builders during the session.

Facebook

• Make it Public:  At Southern Homes the sales reps are encouraged to “friend” prospects to aid in the prospecting process.
• Incentives:  Provide buyer incentive by hosting giveaways on the builder’s Facebook page.
• Philanthropy:  Use this social media tool to promote charity on behalf of the builder.

Twitter

• Dialogue with potential buyers:  Many homebuilders use Twitter to “chat” with potential buyers.

Blogs

• Heartland Homes in Pittsburgh, PA, partners with suppliers to provide homebuyers details on manufacturer features and benefits.

YouTube

• While not identified in the session, YouTube can be used to provide potential buyers tours of their dream home.  YoutTube is the 2^nd largest search engine, behind Google.

Lets face it, social media is established, it isn’t going anywhere soon.  Therefore, the building product industry along with homebuilders are embracing it as a valuable communication tool with their prospects.

Sources:

• Builders Share Social Media Strategies That Win by Builder Magazine online.

References:

• Southern Homes
• Hearland Homes
• Claire Easley