As a home builder, you understand the importance of crafting a compelling narrative for your customers. Whether it’s showcasing your company’s values, highlighting your exceptional craftsmanship, or showcasing the unique features of your homes, storytelling is key to building trust and connection with potential buyers.
However, we have found that many homebuilders overlook the importance of telling a story through their website. Your website is often the first point of contact for potential customers, and it’s crucial that it effectively communicate your brand story and the story of the customer journey. Here are six ways you can connect with buyers through your website and create a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.
6 Ways You Can Connect With Buyers Through Your Website
- Define Your Story
Before you can effectively tell your brand’s story through your website, you need to define what that story is. What makes your company unique? What are your values? What sets you apart from other home builders in your area?
Once you have a clear understanding of your brand’s story, you can begin to weave it into every aspect of your website. From your homepage to your community pages, every element of your site should reinforce your brand’s values and message which will attract your ideal buyer.
2. Define Their Story
Every customer has a unique life story, but there will be similarities you can touch on. Spend some time developing a few ideal customer avatars (this is where you go a few steps deeper and create archetypal characters with names and life stories) so you have a good idea of what the story of their lives looked like up until they find your website.
Once you know their backstory, you can craft a narrative through your website about what their life could look like if they buy a home from you. Do they want to have a family? Do they want to move their children to a neighborhood where their kids can play outside safely? Or do they want somewhere quiet to retire to where they can see the stars at night? Tell that story through your copy, images, and the features you highlight.
3. Showcase Your Expertise
One of the most effective ways to connect with potential buyers is by showcasing your expertise in your field. Whether it’s through blog posts, case studies, or videos, demonstrating your knowledge and experience can help build trust and establish your company as an authority in your field.
By providing your customers with the information they need to be ready to buy from you, they will develop a relationship with you before they ever reach out to you. You can also answer a lot of basic questions your OSC would otherwise need to answer and provide resources your OSC can pass on to your customers to better position them to move forward.
4. Use High-Quality Lifestyle Imagery
We all know that high-quality imagery is crucial. You should be using professional photography and renderings to display the beauty and functionality of your homes. But you can connect further with your customers by infusing your brand story and their hopes and aspirations into your images.
For example, depending on your brand and your customer, you may want to show:
- an image of a gift basket on a countertop with a bottle of champagne and the keys to the new home
- images with a certain type of car on the driveway (either the type they own now or an aspirational car they hope to own)
- show a quiet street with kids riding their bikes
- show a nighttime image of the stars above the house
Connect with your customer through the story you tell in your images.
- Make it Personal
People like to buy from people when they’re making a costly purchase, and no purchase requires as much trust as the purchase of a house. One effective way to develop trust is to feature the people behind your company on your website.
Whether it’s through employee profiles, behind-the-scenes videos, or customer testimonials that mention a specific employee, showcasing the people behind your brand can help humanize your company and create a sense of connection with potential buyers.
- Chat/Fast Contact
Make it easy for potential customers to contact you with a “live chat” feature. You don’t need to have someone stationed to answer this channel 24/7, but it can provide a fast and easy way for your customers to open up a conversation with your OSC. Your website should tell the story of how easy it will be to work with you, so make sure you make contacting you as easy as possible. If you don’t like the idea of a “live chat” feature, then make sure your “contact us” button is clear and you don’t make customers jump through too many hoops just to talk to someone or get basic information.
Storytelling is a crucial element of building a website that connects with buyers. By defining your story and the customer’s story, you can create a website that effectively connects with buyers and establishes your company as a leader in the industry. If your website is more of a placeholder than your virtual home, make sure you check out our top tips for turning your website into your virtual home here.
