Partners give you strength—or, at least, they should. As you forge key relationships for your homebuilding business, make sure each one is contributing to your goals, not merely tagging along. Here are 7 questions to ask your marketing partner—current or prospective

 1. Where is my money going?

This is the first real test for trust and transparency. Like your trades and other partners, any marketing agency should be able to give you a clear outline of how much they will charge and how they plan to use that money to benefit you.

An agency may work on a monthly retainer model where you pay a base fee for a set outline of services, like strategic planning, organic social media posts, blogs, emails and basic reporting. Or, they might work on a project-based model where you would pay for marketing and creative services as you need it. 

Either way, you need to know exactly how your marketing partner will allocate your budget on each project and platform, including any added Google or Facebook paid advertising.

2. How do you define a conversion?

A conversion is the end goal of your marketing efforts. Everything—the website, photos, videos, blogs, and all of your marketing channels—exists to prompt customers to convert on your website. 

But what is a conversion? Marketers vary with their responses, so ask your marketing partner to be clear about the actions they define as contributing to conversion rates.

At Builder Designs, a conversion is an exchange of information that leads a buyer to contact into Lasso, HubSpot, or whatever CRM you are using. A vendor filling out a form or a customer submitted a warranty request is not a conversion. That’s why we cannot take  Google Analytics’ conversion rate to the bank. Your marketing agency should filter those types of requests to other forms on your website in order to accurately differentiate contact and measure conversions.

3. What’s your communication policy?

The big question here is: “Will they be there when you need them?” You’re a busy person and you don’t have the time to chase down someone to get the answers you need. Set a clear standard from the beginning on how often you expect to check in on strategy, deliverables, and analytics. This also applies to response times for questions or requests. 

At Builder Designs, we like to set up monthly calls with our partners, provide weekly updates, and respond within 24 hours to emails or calls. 

4. Do you have marketing experience in the real estate/homebuilding industry?

Your marketing partner should be just as intertwined in your industry as you are. When your marketing strategy is created and carried out by a marketing partner that is heavily involved in your industry, you’re bound to realize better results. The homebuilding industry is unique. It’s not a quick sale, but is certainly an emotional one that requires careful cultivation of the relationship and messaging. Marketers who are experienced in your industry understand your buyer’s journey and know exactly what metrics are important to your business and how they can be achieved. 

After all, how can someone successfully market your company without any expertise in your industry?

5. Do you outsource any work?

Every agency works a little differently. Some have strengths in certain areas but lack bandwidth or internal resources to fulfill all the tasks required for your marketing. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to outsource work. The extra help can ensure things get done on time by the right people, but, in some cases, this extension cord can negatively affect your brand’s consistency or even compromise your business.

For example, when separate groups or people are working on different content for the same brand, things just get lost in translation. If your marketing partner is on top of everything, these glitches are fixed before you see them. But, from things like the use of “owner’s suite” instead of “master suite” to a clear understanding of your market’s demographics and psychographics, everyone on your marketing team should be aligned. Keeping a consistent visual identity is key in brand recognition and can speak to the quality of the brand.  

You also need to ensure that the freelancer isn’t working with your competitors, using your content for other builders, or disclosing any of your confidential information. Be sure that you and your brand are protected.

6. Do you provide marketing thought leadership?

Is your marketing partner invested in the strategy that drives successful campaigns and results? Are they watching industry trends—up and down—to stay on top of shifts and opportunities? Do they actively produce blogs, podcasts, and Twitter chats? 

You will rely on your agency’s expertise, honed from years of being a strong presence in the digital marketing landscape. Their creativity and strategy come together in the perfect balance. There are definite nuances for structuring your social media, deploying email campaigns, and driving quality leads. Marketing thought leadership puts the right spin on your content and keeps track of shifting regulations and algorithms, like Google BERT.

Builder Designs lives and breathes digital marketing for homebuilders. We are guardians of our clients’ online presence. We regularly audit their website and social media accounts to ensure they are not just keeping up with the marketing world but leading it. 

7. What kind of reporting will I receive?

The return on your investment of marketing dollars is demonstrated in your reports. Every blog, email, and social ads is measurable. And those analytics reflect the efforts and knowledge that go into them. 

Make sure you will receive regular reporting or have access to an analytics dashboard. If you have a question, don’t be afraid to ask what something means. It’s also a good idea to brush up on your analytics vocabulary so you can not only read the reports but make sense of them as well.

In addition to weekly reports, we provide insight to understanding the numbers. We’ll interpret the hows and whys behind the numbers, so you understand how these analytics relate to your business.

Once you’ve run through these 7 questions to ask your marketing partner, evaluate the results. Are you confident that you have the right teammate? If your current agency is coming up short, you really need to talk to Amber at Builder Designs.