An important 2012 research study was done by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Google. The complete study is attached as a download at the end of this article, but let’s pull some key facts from the study to pin-point solid reasons why manufactured housing retailers, communities and other selling professionals must have a robust online presence and marketing strategy. Let’s begin with a key quote from the study:

“TV, billboards, and print channels play minimal role in research and decision-making
process for home shoppers.” – NAR and Google.

If you are still spending the bulk of your advertising dollars in something other than online marketing, the quote above should cause you to rethink your strategy!

Even if you have a website,

• is it too old looking?

• Does it deliver the content today’s home shoppers seek?

• Does it invite engagement with a housing sales agent, to move the prospect from surfing to the kinds of discussion that leads to a closed sale?

Surprising Facts!

For those who aren’t completely into online marketing, there are some of the surprising facts from the study:

• 75% of senior home buyers go online to search for a home.

• Searches are rising in the “Buying a house” category.

• 88% of buyers use an agent, which in our industry should translate this way: that people search online, but part of what they are searching for is a professional that can guide them through the process of a purchase.

In the consulting side of MHMarketingSalesManagement.com (see MHC-MD.com or LATonyKovach.com), we tell our clients that buyers with good credit are typically shopping months in advance, and that weaker credit buyers tend to shop days or less than 4 week out.

This means in part that you must have a good CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system (we don’t offer these, but can point you in variety of directions) is critical for selling the better customer. The NAR/Google study underscores similar trends.

Consider these gems from their report’s findings

57% of home shoppers online take between 60-120 days of research before initiating an action! That action could be as simple as sending an inquiry email, to making a phone call or actually touring a home.

This fact means a number of things to thinking, marketing and sales focused industry professionals.

• Besides the need for a good CRM, you have to be adding content to your website routinely. Why? Answer: Why would someone come back if all they keep seeing is more of the same thing?

• The industry’s need for and benefit from a site like ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com is clear, because content is added many times a week. The site fulfills the ‘research’ and ‘video’ content that are among the desires of today’s home shoppers. The marketing/educational site also has other features that home seekers today are looking for before making a purchase. Using RSS feeds to the site linked above can look to a surfer of your site as ‘new content,’ creating a free draw for you without extra work.

• To underscore the point, notice that 33% of shoppers are looking at videos on ‘aggregator’ websites. MHLivingNews.com indeed ‘aggregates’ not only videos, but other news and content that can yield more qualified buyers to marketing and professionally minded industry sellers.

• Financing is another key search, and the site statistics on MHLivingNews underscores the same fact. Finance related articles are routinely among the top read columns.

• The use of mobile searches via smart phones and tablets are skyrocketing.

• The average online home shoppers will perform 11 searches prior to taking action on a real estate site.

Read the full NAR and Google report, the Digital House Hunt, by downloading here.

Make sure you see the latest on ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com and create a resource link and/or an RSS feed to the site to increase the odds that you will see more qualified customers at your community, development or retail center. ##

(Editor’s Note: There are a number of professionals one can turn to for website, marketing and training. Many of those pros are featured as guest writers here on MHProNews.com. If you or your company are looking to create a more robust online marketing and related sales program – please contact them and also consider contacting LATonyKovach.com – our publisher – for one of the leading and most highly recommended online marketing experts in factory built housing today.

See sample recommendation, used with permission, below.

Tony,

Congratulations on the celebration of MHMSM’s 4th year anniversary! What a tremendous contribution you have all made in such a sort amount of time to the image and promotion of manufacturing housing. My involvement with the Louisville Show has allowed me to appreciate the invaluable promotional and marketing assistance MHMSM/MHProNews.com has provided in the successful resurgence of the Show.

Now as the premiere media outlet for our industry, I greatly anticipate promotional and marketing efforts in the next 4 years for you and your team beyond any of our expectations. And, on a personal note, it is a pleasure to work and talk with one of the finest and most personable leaders in our industry.

Tim Williams
Executive Director
Ohio Manufactured Homes Association (OMHA)
5640 Frantz Road
Dublin, Ohio 43017

Editor’s Note: The Ohio Association has chosen MHMSM’s web services to rebuild their association’s website, to establish a promotion for their historic upcoming Ohio public MH Home Show and has been a staunch supporter of our Image building site, ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com. Over 475 other endorsements and recommendations received through mid-September 2013 can be found at the download linked here, or at MHC-MD and the links at our hub site, click here.)