Omnichannel sales in home building is a unified business strategy that builders can use to deliver a consistent brand experience across digital channels (including websites and social media) and offline channels (such as model homes and phone calls). This approach has been in practice since the rise of online home shopping and social media, but with the recent rise of digital-first buyers and remote sales, omnichannel is now a must-have rather than a nice-to-have. When done correctly, it provides a seamless sales experience for home buyers; when done wrong, it can lead to lost leads, broken handoffs, and missed conversions.
Below, we break down how home builders can create a fluid omnichannel sales experience that spans digital and in-person channels to better guide buyers to their new home from click to closing.
The key to a successful omnichannel sales strategy is for home builders to view it as one connected experience rather than separate silos. Unlike multichannel, which lacks coordination with channels operating independently, omnichannel interrelates channels for an easier homebuying experience.
According to Salesforce, 74% of modern consumers expect to be able to do anything online that they can do in person or by phone, and disconnected brand experiences are a top frustration. Homebuyers want the ability to jump between a builder’s website, social media, and mobile site with ease before picking up the conversation with an online sales concierge (OSC) or a new home sales agent at the open house.
Modern homebuyers conduct extensive online research before visiting a model home or speaking with a new-home sales agent in person. The digital and in-person journeys are overlapping now more than ever. As a result, online homebuyers encounter multiple touchpoints before converting. Each of these touchpoints (e.g., websites, apps, social media, email, OSC, and model homes) is an opportunity to consistently tap into buyer trust, which is vital in a challenging housing market where mortgage rates often make buyers skittish to make a purchase.)
While omnichannel is an essential part of a modern home builder's sales and marketing strategies, a broken or disjointed omnichannel experience can do more harm than good. Instead of working in tandem, the channels are isolated from each other, resulting in an inconsistent, frustrating, and time-consuming process.
So how does this happen? Broken omnichannel experiences often occur when a builder’s online and onsite teams don’t share notes on how the other team is executing sales and marketing tactics, leading marketing to not align with sales reality. When no one owns the full journey, leads fall through the cracks, buyers repeat themselves by asking or answering the same questions, and they remain stagnant in their home search.
New Home Star powers omnichannel sales for builders by equipping sales professionals and builder partners with a unified approach that leverages multiple communication and engagement channels to engage buyers better and drive home sales. We power omnichannel sales for builders by providing robust training, centralized technology, digital and in-person selling tools, builder-focused mortgage solutions, and ongoing learning, all designed to meet buyers wherever they are and deliver seamless, consistent experiences across every channel.
When executed successfully, a home builder’s omnichannel sales strategy can lead to higher lead-to-sale conversion and a better buyer experience. If you’re interested in how New Home Star can help hone your omnichannel approach, reach out for a free consultation.