Rules Don’t Apply: It’s Time to Join the Conversation

On Tuesday, June 14, 2011, Gunn|Jerkens hosted a successful social media workshop for a group of building industry leaders in the Southern California region. This exclusive event was held at the Lutron Experience Center in Irvine, CA.

For over a year Gunn|Jerkens has been tracking the behavioral patterns of potential homebuyers as they move through the buying cycle. The findings correlate the downturn of the economy with the extended buying cycle, resulting in greater amounts of time homebuyers are now taking to assess all their options before purchasing a new home. For homebuilders, this means that establishing and nurturing relationships with these potential purchasers over this extended period of time is more critical than ever. But how do you reach potential customers if they have never set foot in the sales office? You have to meet them where they are – online and on social networks.

The Gunn|Jerkens Social Media Workshop was an interactive forum designed to begin the conversation on how social media can be used in the building industry to build brand awareness and loyalty, cultivate meaningful relationships with homebuyers, and at the end of the day, help sell homes.

Tuesday’s workshop was filled with valuable and engaging content, including two guest speakers from GE® and Newhall Land. One of GE’s online marketing team members presented an in depth case study on their L.O.S.S. (Laundered and Orphaned Socks Society) campaign which debuted earlier in 2011. L.O.S.S. was the company’s first campaign created specifically for social media. The speaker from GE® offered insight into its strategy for creating the GE® social footprint, lessons learned throughout the campaign and its measurable results. Newhall Land also presented a case study on their ongoing Awesometown campaign, which was created by Gunn|Jerkens to reinvigorate the master-planned community of Valencia, California after two years without any marketing. The study focused on integrating social media marketing with traditional marketing techniques to maximize brand exposure. Social media was presented as a tool to build community and a major force in driving traffic both online and onsite.

In addition, some of the major topics covered included the current state of the social world, the paradigm shift from traditional push marketing techniques to conversation, successful social media strategies, understanding what and how you can measure to determine ROI and the future of online marketing.

Gunn|Jerkens would like to thank the Lutron Experience Center for providing the ideal space to host the workshop and to the guests in attendance, including Brookfield Homes, D.R. Horton, Playa Vista, The New Home Company, Newhall Land, The Building Industry Association, Orange County and William Hezmalhalch Architects, Inc.

Founded in 1983, Gunn|Jerkens Marketing Communications is a premier Long Beach-based marketing communications firm specializing in real estate marketing and advertising. A leader in the industry, Gunn|Jerkens prides itself on providing fully integrated branding and marketing solutions that embrace the future and propel marketing to new heights, utilizing the latest trends in mobile, web and social media. With a passionate commitment to excellence and superior quality, Gunn|Jerkens partners with clients to ensure they receive measurable results and are kept up to date and in touch with their target markets.

Rest assured the conversation is just beginning! Do you want to join the conversation? Contact Gunn|Jerkens to get connected and stay tuned for the next workshop coming soon to an area near you.

For more information on Gunn|Jerkens, please visit gunnjerkens.com, call (562) 499-6707, follow on Twitter (@GunnJerkens) or “Like” Gunn|Jerkens on Facebook.