If you know your customer, you can do great things. If you don’t -well… Creating Buyer Personas is the first step to an effective marketing & content strategy. Understanding your customers’ wants and needs gives you the opportunity to create something that wows customers & is valued While this post is slanted to real estate development and the home building industry, the approach crosses categories and gets to the heart of what business should be based on – The Customer.

We’ve all had times where we go in with one understanding of a product and after experiencing it further – we completely change our minds. Here’s a look at what really shapes brand perception as seen in the launch of a gorgeous new community called Lambert Ranch . From context- to marketing- to delivery, it all matters. (While the pictures will give you a hint of what Lambert Ranch is like, to experience in real life is oh-so-recommended.)

By now everyone with 3 miles of a ‘marketing-type’ has heard the much bantered term “2-way conversation”. Yes it was buzzy & now a touch tedious. STILL, it is oh-so-surprising how many brands demonstrate confusion on the concept. Below is a review of the concept to inspire teams to take their social media marketing to even higher levels.

The Coca-Cola Company has decided to move from “Creative Excellence” to “Content Excellence” in marketing for two reasons: 1) the new media landscape and 2) to transform one-way storytelling into dynamic storytelling. Step One – they’ve outlined their brand strategy brilliantly for all to see. [click to continue...]

As social media changes so rapidly, perhaps a current overview on the active platforms may be helpful.  Below is another great infographic by Flowtown & ColumnFive . some notes While strong on fundamentals, a few “misses” & thoughts on the graphic… LinkedIn…the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 150 million members. This [...]

Part of “a great place” - a series of engaging spaces for consideration…and perhaps inspiration for the people who build places everyday.  “How much design is too much design?” - the on-going challenge in building any product, including places. At the end of the day, development is a business and a major economic driver with employees, suppliers, contractors and [...]

“insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  -Albert Einstein So why is this the first thing I write in what is supposed to be an inspiring marketing blog on the latest best practices out there? Well – it’s a bit of tough love if you will.  As the building [...]

Today people shop and buy differently thanks to the internet – unsurprising.  However when two landmark studies quantify the process of shopping,  some surprises that have big implications to marketing emerge. Let’s start with the old thinking to better understand what’s new.   (Will it be “Fun”?  Of course it will. ;) BOTTOM-LINE: Marketers need to [...]

Below are a few of the brands in real estate that really “get social media” and why they are so engaging. (To find these inspiring examples, the following were reviewed: public builders, 2010 JD Powers listed builders for Southern California and their top regional builders and more.)

some social homebuilders…

Perhaps you  know someone who shuns social media,  but doesn’t really understand what it is they are rejecting.  Then there are those who recognize the various social media names – enjoy Facebook perhaps – but they are still a bit fuzzy on what people use the various channels for. They know something interesting is happening… [...]